We are appreciative of Mary Nikola’s pressing the gold altar covers as we return to “ordinary time” (weeks after Pentecost).  The covers are changed with the cycle of festal seasons of the Church.

Father Sergei Bouteneff served his final Divine Liturgy as pastor of St. George on Sunday, January 3rd.  He will be attached to St. George Cathedral in Boston effective Monday, January 4th.  Click Here to view a letter from Bishop Nikon.  The parish expressed its heartfelt appreciation and gratitude for his 20+ years of ministry at St. George by presenting gifts from the parish, the Church School, and the Choir.  Afterwards, the parish gathered for a coffee hour to say goodbye and offer best wishes to Father Sergei, Lisa, and Serge.  May God Grant them Many Years!  Click on the More Information link to view some photos.

Members of the Teuta Ladies Society held their annual Post-Holiday Luncheon at Tashua Knolls in Monroe.  Click on More Info link below to view some photos.

Father Timothy Lowe celebrated his first Divine Liturgy at St. George on Sunday, January 10th.  Father Tim has been assigned by Bishop Nikon on an interim basis to assume all pastoral responsibilities.  After Divine Liturgy, the parish participated in a coffee hour to welcome Father Tim and his wife Lisa to St. George.

The parish wants to thank the Teuta Ladies for their continued hard work in support of the parish and for the Papandia Coffee Hour today after Liturgy.  May God grant them all many years.

As a parish we offer our condolences to Helen Tallcouch on the passing of her sister Olga.  May her Memory be Eternal.

The parish donated $869.00 to the IOCC on behalf of Haiti.  We thank all of you for your acts of kindness and charity.

The new parish council were installed at the end of liturgy on February 28th;  Laura Chadwick – President; Nardi Tolkuchi- Vice President: Laura Denisevich –treasurer; Susan Lazos- recording secretary; Jeannie Brideau- Financial secretary; Pete Jordhamo- Trustee; Bob Lazar- Buildings and grounds.  Many Years to all of them as they serve the parish this coming year.  In addition, Bill Kovachi, Greg Buzi and Joe Chadwick will continue to work with the parish council during this transition period. Click on the More Info link below to view a few photos.

Many thanks to Pandora and Jim Dionis for their beautification of the cross for this Sunday’s worship.

March 21st was Anna Bouteneff’s last Sunday here at St. George.  We want to thank her for your graciousness and hard work with our Church School and as a member of the Choir over the years.  May the Lord protect and preserve her for many years!  Click on the More Info link below to view some photos.

A warm welcome to Fr. Sergius Halvorsen, his wife Dina, and their three children, Thomas, Timothy, and Mary.  Bishop Nikon has blessed Father Sergius to serve at the parish.  Fr Sergius is officially attached to Christ the Savior Church in Southbury, and is Associate Professor of Patristics and Homiletics at Holy Aposltes College and Seminary in Cromwell, CT.

Palm Sunday will be the last day Father Timothy Lowe will serve as our interim pastor.  Fr. Tim has officially accepted a position as the new rector at the Tantur Ecumenical Institute in Jerusalem.  http://tantur.org/.  The St. George parishioners would like to extend their heartfelt thanks and best wishes to Father Timothy, Lisa, and their family.  As they embark on their new journey to Jerusalem, we hope and pray that the Lord will protect them and guide them.  May God grant them many blessed years.

As in prior years, we marked the Entrance of the Lord into Jerusalem with palms and palm crosses which where made by the Church School children.  Following the Palm Sunday Liturgy, the children participated in a procession around the inside of the church with palms. Click on the More Info link below to view photos.

A special thank you goes out to:
•    Father George Coca for volunteering his services during Holy Week.
•    Pandora Dionis and her helpers for the decoration of the Petafi.
•    Jennifer Goetz for decorating the church for Holy Pascha.
•    Ron Dougiello for the flowers that beautify the inside of the church.
•    Gloria Athanas and the Teuta Ladies Society for the beautiful red eggs.
•    Vi Bowe for planting flowers outside the church.
•    Cantor Van Michael for his 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 behind the altar.
•    The altar servers for their time and assistance.
•    Sue Wight and members of Friends and Family for organizing the Children’s Egg Hunt and coffee hour.

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.

We have learned of the passing of Joyce Athanas.   Our deepest sympathies go out to her nephew Dennis Koche and family.  May her Memory be Eternal.

We have learned of the passing of Tom Buzi.  We extend the deepest sympathy of the parish to Pam, Adam and Jen, Greg and Sharon, and all his family and friends.  May his Memory be Eternal!

A total of $488.00 was collected in the month of April for the Bridgeport Rescue Mission.  Many thanks to everyone for your generosity and charity.

We thank Ron Dougiello for remembering the mothers with roses on Mother’s Day.

The parish marked the end of the Church School year with Commencement Exercises which were held on Sunday, May 16th immediately after Liturgy.    Our congratulations to all of the students, and our thanks go to the Church School Coordinator Laura Coughlin and all of the teachers for all of their efforts and dedication. Photos will be posted shortly!

Click on the More Information link below to view some photos.

We have learned of the passing of John Battocchio.  Our deepest sympathy goes out to Kim Polena Battocchio and her children John, Kirsten, and Lia.   Memory Eternal.

We would like to thank Joe, Sue, and Maryann Galich for preparing an amazing spread for last week’s brunch, and Vi Bowe for preparing the raffle table.  Also, thank you to everyone who helped to make it a success.  A total profit of $700.00 will go into a fund for new tables and chairs for the church hall.   Anyone wishing to do so, can make a contribution to this fund at the candle desk.

We give our Congratulations and Best Wishes for future success to our recent graduates!

High School:   

Sarah Csernica graduated from Trumbull High School.

James Denisevich graduated from Trumbull High School.

Deanna Kruczek graduated from Northwestern Regional High School (Winstead).

Tyler Nikola graduated from Masuk High School.

Anne Snedegar graduated from Guilford High School.

Caroline Snedegar graduated from Guilford High School.

Tyler Tallcouch graduated from Seymour High School.

Ryan Taylor graduated from St. Joseph High School

College:

Christopher Buzi graduated with a B.S. in Justice and Law Administration from Western Connecticut State University.

Caitlin Long graduated from Boston College with a degree in History and Latin.

Chelsey O’Brien graduated with a B.S. in Fashion and Retail Merchandising from Lasell College (Newton, MA).

We extend our best wishes to the newly engaged couples who plan to marry in October:

Lara Lazar and Peter Kokenos.  Lara is the daughter of Bob and Linda Lazar.

Marybeth DiIulio and Louis Martino.  Marybeth is the daughter of John and Mary DiIulio.

We have learned that John Louis passed away. May his Memory be Eternal!  We extend the deepest sympathies of the parish to John,  Caitlin, Jason, and Christopher and Erin. 

Thanks to:
•    Ron Dougiello for remembering the fathers on Father’s day with a gift.
•    Vi and Jim Bowe for the weeding and trimming on the church grounds.
•    Bob Lazar for making numerous visits to the church this week so our air conditioning could be fixed.
•    Russell Alston who does a lot of “behind the scenes work” around the church.  
•     Van and Diana Michael for purchasing coffee hour and other miscellaneous supplies for the church.
•    Karen Masek and the Choir for their beautiful singing at the recent baptism.
•    George Barmashi, Don Jordan, and Bill Kovachi for overseeing the sale of the rectory and the driveway renovations.
•    Mary Nikola for ironing and changing the church table coverings.

Due to the generosity of our parishioners (and especially to one parishioner who wishes to remain nameless), we were able to collect $1,000.00 for the Help Diana Fund.

Peter and Cheryl Themel announce the engagement of their daughter Alysson to David Hirst. We wish them the very best.

We wish to extend our best wishes to Jason and Angelina Jaworski on the birth of their daughter Siena Grace.  Congratulations also to the grandparents Jeff and Carol Jaworski, and great grandmother Eileen Bochino.

We wish to thank an anonymous parishioner for the donation of $1,0000 towards the fund for new tables and chairs.

Our congratulations to Mary Themel who celebrated her 90th birthday!  God Grant her Many Years!

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

Chris Adams – Senior at the University of Connecticut majoring in Mathematics.

Rebecca Chadwick - Senior at the University of Connecticut majoring in English.

Sarah Csernica - Freshman at the University of Connecticut.

Steve Csernica - Graduate School at Lehigh University (Pennsylvania) pursuing a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering.

Emily Cryan – Sophomore at St. Michael’s College (Vermont).

Christine Denisevich – Senior at the University of Connecticut majoring in Environmental Science. 

James Denisevich - Freshman at the University of Connecticut.

Julia Garfalo – Sophomore at Boston University majoring in Architecture.

Chris Michael – Junior at California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) majoring in Interior Design, History, and minoring in Psychology.

Tyler Nikola - Freshman at Elon University (North Carolina).

Anne Snedegar - Freshman at the University of Maryland majoring in Art.

Caroline Snedegar - Freshman at James Madison University (Virginia).

Julia Snedegar – Junior at the University of Connecticut majoring in Physical Therapy. 

Tyler Tallcouch - Freshman at Keene State College (New Hampshire).

Ryan Taylor - Freshman at Salve Regina (Rhode Island).

Stefan Valis – Sophomore at Westchester Community College (New York) majoring in Business Management.

Sunday, August 29th was the last Sunday Fr. Sergius Halvorsen served as our substitute priest.  The parish wishes to thank Fr. Sergius, his wife Dina, and their children Thomas, Timothy, and Mary for their service and support to our community the past five months.  A thank you coffee hour was held for them after Liturgy.

On Sunday, September 5th, the parish offered congratulations to Van and Diane Michael on the celebration of their 50th Wedding Anniversary!  A May God grant them many more blessed years. Click on the More Information link below to view some photos.

The parish welcomes Fr. Dennis Rhodes as he celebrated his first Divine Liturgy and begins his ministry as pastor of St. George.  Fr. Dennis comes to us after serving as the pastor at St. Mary's Orthodox Church in Waterbury, CT.   A welcome coffee for Fr. Dennis will be held on Sunday, September 12th after Divine Liturgy.

We would like to express our gratitude to the Galich family for putting on another fabulous brunch. Also, a thank you goes out to Vi Bowe and Mary Nikola for the donation of dessert. We were able to raise a total of $500.00. To those who attended the brunch or made a donation, we thank you for your support.

The parish's congratulations go out to Angie and Vinnie Soter, and Joann and Charlie Soter; both couples are celebrating their 40th Wedding Anniversary.  May God grant them Many Years!

Congratulations to Lara and Peter Kokenos who where married at St. Dimitrie Church in Easton.  Our congratulations also go out to the proud parents Linda and Bob Lazar.

Thank you to everyone who worked to make the Teuta Ladies’ Society Annual Bazaar a success.  This is the major fundraiser for the church.

Congratulations to Louis Martino and Maribeth DiIulio who were married in Saint George Church. Maribeth is the daughter of John and Mary DiIulio.

Thank you to the members of our Choir who did such a beautiful job singing the responses at the two weddings that were celebrated in October: Lara Lazar & Peter Kokenos on the 3rd, and Maribeth Di Iulio & Louis Martino on the 23rd.

Craig & Sharon Stockel announce the birth of their granddaughter Hannah Kathryn. Hannah was born on Oct 4th, and weighed in at 8 lbs 9 oz. She is the daughter of Ben & Michelle Lewin, who reside in Attleboro, MA.

Congratulations and Many Years! to Nikola Mary Sabol, who is received into the Holy Orthodox Church today through the Mysteries of Baptism, Chrismation and Communion. Nikola is the daughter of Enkelejda Trifoni and Marcus Sabol, and her Godparents are William Koukoulas and (in absentia) Brunera Trifoni.

After the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, November 14th, Teuta Ladies’ Society President Gloria Athanas presented Parish Council President Laura Chadwick with a donation from the Society of $5,000. The check represented the proceeds from their annual Fall Bazaar. May God grant the Teuta Ladies’ Society and its members many years for their continued support of Saint George Church!

Today we congratulated and asked God’s blessings on all the Veterans and active-duty military in our Parish community.

We have learned of the passing of Peter Thanas. Our deepest sympathies go out to his daughters, Barbara, Patricia and Linda and their families. May his memory be eternal!

Thank you to Ron Dougiello of Commerce Hill Funeral Home for the Thanksgiving Day libations (Wild Turkey)!

St. George was blessed with a return visit from Fr. Tim Lowe and Fr. Sergius Halvorsen and their families for Liturgy during the Thanksgiving weekend.  Fr. Tim and Fr. Sergius served as interim priests to our parish for the first 9 months of the year while a search for our permanent priest, Fr. Dennis, was being conducted.

Following the pre-Christmas Choir rehearsal, members from the Choir packaged their annual Care Packages of snacks and candies to our college students.  This is an outreach to the college students of our parish at their final exam time for the Fall semester.

Congratulations to the following individuals who will be serving on the Parish Council for 2011: Laura Chadwick – President, Nardi Tollkuci - Vice President, Kim O'Brien – Treasurer, Bob Lazar - Building and Grounds, Luba Csernica - Financial Secretary, Mary Nikola - Corresponding Secretary, Jean Brideau - Recording Secretary, Joann Soter – Trustee. These individuals will assume their responsibilities in January.

The Church School Friends and Family organized an expanded coffee hour with the celebration of St. Nicholas Day for the parish community after Divine Liturgy.  The participants enjoyed a light lunch, games, decorating a tree, and the children made Christmas cards for those on our prayer list.

Our thanks to Jennifer Goetz, Cheryl and Pete Themel, and Bob Lazar for their efforts in decorating the church for Christmas.

Kurt and Nicole Dionis were recently blessed with twins: Sophie Marie and Brooke Petra.  Congratulations to the new parents and to Grandmother Pauline Dionis.

Many thanks to Ron Dougiello of the Commerce Hill Funeral Home for donating the beautiful poinsettias for Christmas.

After both the Christmas Eve Compline and Christmas Day Divine Liturgy services, the parish community sang carols as the Church School children enacted the Nativity in a series of Tableaux.  Many thanks to the Laura Coughlin and Jennifer Goetz for the coordination and to the Choir for leading us with the singing of the carols.