On Sunday, Jan 5th, St. George parish conducted the Great Blessing of Water. The celebration of Divine Liturgy for the Feast of Theophany (normally celebrated on Jan 6th) is being transferred to the following Sunday, Jan 12th.  Click onto the more information link below to view several photos.
 

St. George is undertaking a special fundraising project as a parish during our Centennial Year (2025).  The fundraiser is called "Buy A Brick" 
 
The fundraiser is being used to finance the building of a “Prayer Patio” on our church grounds. The approximate location for the Prayer Patio will be on the right side of the church just off the parking lot, between the sidewalk that leads to the rear of the property and the church.  Click onto the following link to view the location:  St. George Prayer Patio location
 
The patio will be constructed with concrete brick pavers of a red brick color.  To support the construction cost, personalized engraved bricks can be purchased to be part of the permanent patio.
 
Donors may purchase personalized brick pavers as a way to permanently honor individuals, their family, and even to memorialize their deceased family members who were members of the St. George parish over the past 100 years.
 
We are hopeful that this project will appeal to almost everyone.  
 
We will be collecting orders during the 2025 Calendar year, until December 31, 2025. The patio will be built in 2026. 
 
The bricks are available in two sizes:
a 4 inch x 8 inch brick for a cost of $100, and
a 8 inch x 8 inch brick for a cost of $200.
 
The brick pavers will be engraved/etched with the donor’s requested names and/or message, with the etching finished in a black exterior paint.  There are sample bricks available to look at in the church hall.
 
On the 4x8 inch brick, you can utilize up to 3 lines (20 characters and spaces per line). 
For the 8x8 brick, 6 lines are available with a maximum of 20 characters/spaces per line.
Below please find links to some graphics with “Sample Messages” you may consider using.  All messages will be centered top to bottom, and left to right.  If you would like a blank line in the middle of your message, on the order form, you will be able to leave the appropriate line blank for the vendor to follow.
 
If you have any questions, please see or contact Curt Dionis at CPD19@att.net   or text/call on his mobile:  203-446-7195.  Please contact him after 6PM (after he gets off of work). 
 
Also below, please find links to order forms to purchase a personalized brick – please note there are separate forms for each sized brick.  You may bring in or mail the order form to the church (5490 Main St  Trumbull, CT  06611), or feel free to take a photo of your completed order form with your mobile phone and text the photo to Curt Dionis (his contact info is in the prior paragraph), or even scan your order form and email it to Curt.
 
Payment for any brick can be made by cash, check, or by credit card.   When using a check, please make the check out to St. George Orthodox Church with a notation ”Buy A Brick”  in the memo space.  You may pay by credit card utilizing the St. George Trumbull website -  go to the Support/Donate link on the top navigation bar on our Home page, click onto the red “Donate” box, and complete the boxes as displayed.  Please click onto “Buy A Brick – Prayer Patio” in the Give “To” box.
 
We hope you will all join in supporting this project, and/or permanently honoring your family and ancestors in our Prayer Patio!

Link to view Sample Messages for a 4 inch x 8 inch Brick

Link to view Sample Messages for a 8 inch x 8 inch Brick 

Link to a 4 inch x 8 inch Brick Order Form

Link to a 8 inch x 8 inch Brick Order Form

The parish of St. George extends our thanks to the many people who helped support St. George with their dedicated stewardship work over the past year.

Click onto the following link to view details.  2024 Year-end thank yous

St. George was saddened to learn that a former parishioner, Dennis Schutte passed away on Monday, Jan 6th.  We extend our condolences to his sons David and Fr. Dennis, and their extended family.  Click onto the following link to view his Obituary.  Memory Eternal! I perjetshem kujtimi! 

St. George celebrated the Liturgy for the Feast of Theophany on Sunday, January 12th. (The celebration of this feast was transferred from Mon, Jan 6th). The Great Blessing of Water was held the prior Sunday, Jan 5th - see three updates below for that News Update.  

The Troparion for the Feast of Theophany: When You, O Lord were baptized in the Jordan / The worship of the Trinity was made manifest / For the voice of the Father bore witness to You / And called You His beloved Son. / And the Spirit, in the form of a dove, / Confirmed the truthfulness of His word. / O Christ, our God, You have revealed Yourself / And have enlightened the world, glory to You!

On Thursday evening, Jan 16th, St. George assisted the Binky Patrol Comforting Covers by donating it’s Church Hall for volunteers to make fleece blankets that will be sent to comfort children impacted by the wildfires in California, especially from the town of Altadena.

Volunteers from our local area were asked to just bring a sharp pair of scissors and a $10 donation to help pay for the fleece, and some pizza and treats for dinner.  Across 3 hours, a total of 110 volunteers from our local area participated and 153 blankets (or Binkies) were made. 

 Numerous parishioners and friends of St. George joined and volunteered to help make blankets and help with the set-up, pizza dinner and kitchen cleanup.  Blanket makers include: Caelyn Baird, Susan Batura, Pam Buzi, Kelly Coughlin, Laura Coughlin, Mary Costulas, Luba Csernica, Brooke Dionis, Sophie Dionis, Laura Denisevich, Erin Galich, Melissa Galich, Sue Galich, Cathy Hotova, Karen Masek, Ledi Nani, Nicolas Nani, Kim O’Brien, Heather Uva, Olivia Uva, and Lorraine Vangel. The set-up/dinner/kitchen crew include: Tim Coughlin, Dave Denisevich, Curt Dionis, Joe Galich, and Bob Lazar.
 
This event is part of one of St. George’s major initiatives called 100 Acts of Service which kicked off this calendar year, recognizing St. George’s Centennial Anniversary year.
 
Many thanks go to the Binky Patrol Comforting Covers (the Monroe/Trumbull CT Chapter) who coordinated this event, to Al’s Angels (Westport, CT) who is arranging for the shipment of blankets and purchased some of the fleece, and to Crown Pizza of 5663 Main St. in Trumbull, who donated 40% of the cost of the pizzas for this charity event.  Finally a big thank you to Jeanne Malgioglio, the Binky Area Coordinator, and to Laura Coughlin who coordinated the event from St. George’s side (their photo is on the left).
 
Click onto the following links to learn more about the charities that St. George and a local business helped support this night:   the Monroe/Trumbull Chapter website of Binky Patrol Comforting Covers, the National organization website link of Binky Patrol Comforting Covers,  and the  Al’s Angels website link. and the Crown Pizza website.

Clink onto the more information link below to view several photos from the event. 

St. George was deeply saddened to learn that His Beatitude, Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana, Durres, and All Albania fell asleep in the Lord on Sat, Jan 25th at the age of 95.  St. George served a Memorial for him after Divine Liturgy on Sun, Jan 26th. Memory Eternal! I perjetshem kujtimi!  

Bishop Nikodhim, Bishop of Boston and the Albanian Archdiocese, attended the funeral for Archbishop Anastasios. The funeral was Thursday, January 30th. Click onto the more information link below to view a few photos.
 
The following paragraph is an excerpt from a “Biographical Sketch of Archbishop Anastasios” on the “Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania” website:
 …… As Archbishop of Albania (1992 to the present), under tremendously difficult circumstances, he has restored and further developed the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania, which had been fully dissolved for 23 years. Together with the work of revitalizing the Orthodox Church, innovative programs were also developed in the areas of health, social welfare, education, agricultural developments, culture and ecology. At the same time, he struggled to assist in relieving the many tensions in the Balkans……
 
Click onto the following link to view the entire biographical sketch:
https://orthodoxalbania.org/2020/en/2020/04/04/biographical-sketch-of-archbishop-anastasios/

On Saturday, January 25th, Elira Joy Buzi was received into the Orthodox Church through the sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Chrismation. Elira’s sponsors were Greg Buzi II and Sarah McGrath.  Elira was churched the following day, on Sun, Jan 26th. God grant her Many years!. Congratulations to her parents: Gina and Christopher Buzi, her grandparents Sharon and Greg Buzi, and to the extended Buzi and Ferrarese families. Click onto the more information link below to view several photos.

On Sunday, February 2nd, St. George celebrated the Feast of The Meeting of Our Lord in the Temple (referred to as “Papandia” in Albanian). For our Teuta Ladies Society, this day is their Patronal Feast, with 2025 marking the 94th year of the Teuta Society’s founding. Traditionally the Teuta Society offers 5 loaves, wheat, wine and oil for the celebration, and grure, (a boiled-wheat confection) for the health of the parish family. Finally, we wish to congratulate and thank Kosta Nani for his first time reading the Gospel lesson in Albanian. Click onto the more information link below to view a few photos. 
 

A group of parishioners from St. George attended a “Faith and Family Night” at Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport on Sat, Feb 15th for an evening of hockey, fellowship, family fun, and to support a worthy cause. There were about 450 Orthodox Christians who participated from 15 Orthodox churches.  Participants were primarily members of FORCC (Fellowship of Orthodox Churches of Connecticut), but also parishes from central NJ up to Boston participated. His Grace Bishop John Abdalah (from the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese) and Rev. Peter Orfanakos from St. Barbara's Church (Greek Archdiocese) in Orange, lead a seminar before the game on the theme “All You Need Is Love”. The net proceeds from the ticket purchases, about $2000, went to the IOCC (International Orthodox Christian Charities) for their hurricane relief efforts. Click onto the more information link below to view 2 photos.

There was a Valentine's Day Dance held on Sat, Feb 15th in the Church Hall.  This was a fundraising event for St. George with $1,376 raised. Thanks to Nardi Tollkuci and Aida Kalapo for organizing and coordinating the event.  Click onto the more information link below to view a few photos.

On Mon, Feb 17th, frozen turkeys and hams were delivered to the Bishop Jean Williams Community Market and to the Thomas Merton Family Center  - a food pantrry and a soup kitchen located in Bridgeport.  Between Nov. 2024 and early Feb. 2025, St. George’s parishioners collected 23 frozen hams and turkeys with the goal to distribute them in February when donations are historically low. Thanks go out to Brooke & Sophie Dionis, their father Curt and grandmother Pauline, Evan and Kosta Nani, and Fr. Sergei Bouteneff for the loading of food and making the deliveries. Finally, many thanks to our parishioners who support these outreach initiatives. Click onto the more information link below to view a larger photo.

The St George community wishes to extend its heartfelt condolences to Mary DiIulio and family on the passing of her brother, George Costa of Canton, GA. George leaves behind a son Michael. May his Memory be Eternal.

Members of the Journal Committee will be available again at Coffee Hour on March 30th to assist people who need help creating their ads.   This Sunday is the last workshop to work on an ad, and Tuesday April 1st is the last day to submit your ad. 

Bring your ad, pictures and ideas if you’re not sure how to do it yourself

News update from March 9, 2025:

It is with great joy that we are able to share that the St. George Church has acquired three new icons:
 
1. Saint Olga of Alaska
2. Saint Elesa of Kythira (patron Saint of safe childbirth).
3. Saint Euthymius the Great   

 
Matushka Olga of Kwethluk, Alaska was selected to be the first female saint in North America, and the first-ever Yup’ik saint in the Orthodox Church in America. The Glorification Services (or Canonization Services - the official recognition of a person as a saint of the Church) will take place this June 19th & 20th in Kwethluk, Alaska. To read more about Matushka Olga, click onto the following: https://www.oca.org/news/headline-news/new-video-recollections-of-saintly-matushka-olga-to-be-released-on-june-9th

This icon contains a capsule with secondary relics: soil from her grave, a sliver of her casket, and a piece of interior cloth from the casket.

The icon is now placed to the left of the iconostasis. This is complementary to the location of the Saint Herman icon, which is located to the right of the iconostasis. The Saint Herman icon also contains secondary relics.

We wish to thank the Bouteneff family for their gift of the Saint Olga icon.
 
 
The 2nd icon is of Saint Elesa of Kythira who was the protector of the Greek island of Kythira, and a 4th century martyr.  

To learn more about Saint Elesa, click onto the following link: https://orthodoxwiki.org/Elesa_of_Kythira

This icon will be hung in the left alcove of the church with other female saints.
 
 
 
The 3rd icon is of Saint Euthymius the Great, who was a 5th century monk and hermit of Palestine.

Click onto the following link to read more about St. Euthymius the Great:  https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2025/01/20/100238-venerable-euthymius-the-great

This icon will be placed in the right alcove along with other male saints.

We wish to thank Louise Gallagher who presented the Saint Elesa and Saint Euthymius the Great icons to St. George. 

On March 9th, as we finished the first week of Great Lent, the parish of St. George celebrated Divine Liturgy for the Sunday of Orthodoxy. The first Sunday of Great Lent is called the Sunday of Orthodoxy, (or the Feast of the Triumph of Orthodoxy) which is a historical feast commemorating the return of the Icons to the churches in the year 843.  During the Great Entrance at Divine Liturgy, the children and parishioners carried their Konizmat icons, returning the Icons back to the church.  Click onto the following link to learn about the Albanian tradition of Konizmat. Click onto the more information link below to view several photos. 

In celebration with the Sunday of Orthodoxy,  it is with great joy that we are able to share that the St. George Church has acquired three new icons:
 
1. Saint Olga of Alaska
2. Saint Elesa of Kythira (patron Saint of safe childbirth).
3. Saint Euthymius the Great   
 
For additional information on these icons, please click onto the following link: St. George acquires 3 new icons

Following Divine Liturgy on March 9th,  Sue Galich, the Treasurer of the Teuta Society, presented a check of $10,000 from the Teuta Society to Bill Kovachi, the President of the Parish Council for St. George’s Future Fund..The check was from the profit of the November 2024 Fall Bazaar. After receiving the check, Bill invited up Curt Dionis, the incoming Parish Council President (pending final approval and blessing from Bishop Nikodhim), and handed the check to Curt.  Sue thanked everyone for the great teamwork and efforts that had made the annual Bazaar a success.Many Years to the Teuta Society of St. George!  Click onto the more information link to view a few photos.

On Saturday, March 15th, Otto Lugus and Banks Davis were received into the Orthodox Church through the sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Chrismation. Otto's sponsors were Sarah Davis along with Katie and JP Higgins.  Banks' sponsors were Chelsey Lugus and Adam Pellecchia.  Otto and Banks will be churched on Sunday, May 11th. God grant them both Many years!. Congratulations to their parents Chelsey and Hans Lugus, Sarah and Brian Davis, their grandparents Kim and John O'Brien,  Kris and Jennifer Lugus, Luz and Rodney Davis, and great-grandmother Toni Barmashi.  Click onto the more information link below to view a few photos.

On Sunday, March 23rd, St. George welcomed and thanked Fr. George Coca for serving Divine Liturgy for us on the Veneration of the Cross Sunday, the 3rd Sunday of Great Lent.  Fr. George recently retired in December 2025 as the parish priest of St. Dimitrie Church in Easton (Romanian Archdiocese). Curt Dionis, on the behalf of the St. George parish, gave Fr. George a epigonation (a shield– part of his vestments) that was made with an embroidery of St. George.  The epigonation denotes the celebrant as a soldier of Christ. Click onto the more information link below to view a few photos.

On Sunday, March 30th, St. George commemorated "Heritage Sunday" – (this was delayed one week later than originally planned due to priest coverage). St. George also celebrated the Feast of the Annunciation of the Theotokos, which was transferred from Tues, March 25th, the date it is routinely celebrated.

March is an important month in the history of the Albanian Archdiocese: March 22, 1908 is the date of the first liturgy was ever served in the Albanian language in America (in Boston), and March 13, 1965 is the date of repose of our first hierarch Theophan (Noli). Click here to read Bishop Nikodhim’s letter from Feb 27, 2024. on the purpose of this annual commemoration.

As part of "Heritage Sunday", St. George offered prayers at the close of Divine Liturgy for the blessing and guidance of the Albanian Archdiocese. And per Bishop Nikodhim's request to all parishes in the Archdiocese, a Memorial service was held for all of our departed diocesan hierarchs, and for the priests and priftëresha who served in our St. George parish.  Click onto the more information link below to view a few photos. 

On Saturday, March 29, the Orthodox Church of Albania celebrated a historic moment with the enthronement of His Beatitude Archbishop Joan as the new Archbishop of Tirana, Durrës, and All Albania.  Bishop Nikodhim attended the Enthronement. 

Click onto the following link to view a news update from the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC):  His Beatitude Archbishop Joan Enthroned

Also, please open the following link which has Archbishop Joan's Enthronement Speech

The Buzi family are happy to announce the engagement of their son, Gregory, to Sandi Richard. May God grant them many years!

Thursday, April 10th:  Important News from the 100th Anniversary Committee:

We will be taking a “Parish Family Photo” that will be included in the 100th Anniversary Journal on Sunday, May 4th immediately following the Divine Liturgy. This is the final photo to be included in the Journal, and we would like all parishioners to attend services that day and stay for the photo.

The Journal is in process towards its completion – we thank parishioners for all of the ads that were submitted.

We continue to collect for "Bricks" for the “Prayer Patio”.  The bricks can be purchased through the month of June.

Information about the Anniversary Liturgy and Banquet will be coming out soon!

Today, April 12th  -  exactly 100 years ago  -  the Albanian Orthodox of Greater Bridgeport created the worship community that was to become St. George Albanian Orthodox Church. On April 12, 1925 (which was Palm Sunday) the first church service was held in Bridgeport. A blessed anniversary! Click onto the more information link below to view 2 photos.

On April 13th, St. George celebrated Palm Sunday, which marks the Entrance of the Lord into Jerusalem. After Divine Liturgy, there was a procession with branches of palms, pussy willow and boxwood – with the parish youth and some parishioners participating in the procession around the perimeter of the church. Click onto the following link to view a short video of the procession:  https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HF2FOMxSDGc  

The blessing of the branches followed, with parishioners holding their branches high. Palm crosses were made by the Church School and handed out during the dismissal. Thanks to several parishioners who assembled the palm fronds with the pussy willow and boxwood branches after the Palm Sunday Vespers service on the evening of Lazarus Saturday. Click on the more information link below to view several photos.

On Thursday evening, April 17th, St. George continued its cycle of services for Holy Week with the Matins service of Great and Holy Friday with the Twelve Gospel readings. Many thanks to the numerous volunteers from the parish who assisted Fr. Sergei with the Gospel readings - they include Greg Buzi II, Alexander Dacey, Peter Dacey, Dave Denisevich, Curt Dionis, Bob Lazar, Karen Masek, and Charlie Soter. Click onto the more information link below to view a few photos.

This year, St. George was been asked to participate with all Trumbull Faith-based communities and organizations in a program called Refill the Pantry to support The Trumbull Food Pantry.  The Refill the Pantry program began in 2022 when a collaboration of churches established a program to address food insecurity in the Bridgeport, CT area – Trumbull being one of those areas. Approximately 200 families use the Trumbull Food Pantry. As part of St. George’s service outreach this year, we will be participating in 2 food drives. Click onto the following link to learn more about the 2025 Refill the Pantry Food Drive.

We just completed our 1st food drive for this year, when 274 lbs of shelf-stable pantry and personal care items were picked up on Good Friday, April 18th by the Refill the Pantry organization. These items were delivered to the Trumbull Food Pantry on Monday, April 21st.  Additionally a check for $250 was collected for the Trumbull Food Pantry to bolster our food donations. We received results from the Trumbull-focused Refill the Pantry food drive and were notified that St. George congregation had the largest collection of all of the Trumbull churches.  Click onto the following link to view the results: Refill the Pantry Food Donation Results March/April 2025. Many thanks to all of St. George’s parishioners who donated items over the past 7 weeks.

Click onto the more information link below to view a larger photo.

On Friday, April 18th, St. George completed services that were held on Great and Holy Friday (Good Friday).  The first service was the afternoon Vespers service of Taking down from the Cross, and the second was held on Friday evening, the Matins service for Great and Holy Saturday, with the Praises (or Lamentations) at the Tomb of Christ.  Click onto the more information link below to view several photos from these services.

Christ is Risen! Truly, He is Risen!  Krishti U-Ngjall! Vërtet U-Ngjall! are the traditional Orthodox Christian Paschal greetings in both English and Albanian. Click onto the following link to view the Paschal greeting in numerous languages. The St. George community recently completed the service cycle of Great Lent and Holy Week to Holy Pascha, with the celebration of the Midnight Paschal Liturgy and the Paschal Vespers on April 20th. Click onto the more information link below to view a few photos from the Nocturne & Midnight Paschal service, the Paschal Vespers, and a few photos from the Children's Easter Egg Hunt.  Also, a unique drone video is available by clicking onto the following link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2j0TuS1EZk . It shows the parishioners exiting a darkened church with lighted candles for the Matins service, which is held outside, before re-entering a lighted church to celebrate the Midnight Paschal Liturgy. We wish to thank Pierre Rhodes (Maribeth DiIlulio’s fiancé, and owner of Beyond All Drones) who put the video together.

Please click onto the following link to view our specific thanks to the many people who volunteered to help to make Lent, Holy Week and Pascha beautiful and meaningful celebrations.  Thanks for their Stewardship

St. George was saddened to learn that Jeanette Nichio passed away on Wednesday, April 30th.  The St. George community expresses its condolences to Richard, Craig, Rebecca and Alecia, as well as their extended family. Click onto the following link to view her obituary: Jeanette Nichio Obituary.  Memory Eternal!

St. George recognized Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 11th during Divine Liturgy.  Prayers were offered for all of the living and departed mothers, stepmothers, daughters, stepdaughters, wives, sisters, stepsisters, great grandmothers, great granddaughters, grandmothers, granddaughters, great-aunts, aunts, nieces, godmothers, and all those who "mothered" us in our time of need. Click onto the more information link below to view a few photos.

On Sunday, May 11th, a Churching service was held (presentation in the context of welcoming into the Church community) for Otto Lugus and Banks Davis.  Congratulations to their parents Chelsey and Hans Lugus, Sarah and Brian Davis, their grandparents Kim and John O'Brien,  Kris and Jennifer Lugus, Luz and Rodney Davis, and great-grandmother Toni Barmashi. God grant them Many years! Click onto the more information link below to view two photos.

On Sunday, March 18th after Divine Liturgy, the Teuta Ladies Society of St. George held its annual luncheon for its members at Old Towne Restaurant in Trumbull.  This year marks the 94th year of the Teuta Society’s founding.  The Teuta Ladies continue to be the most important driver of St. George’s fundraising, charitable, and social efforts.  Click onto the more information link below to view several photos from the luncheon. 

On Sunday, May 25th, St. George recognized Memorial Day by praying for all of our deceased military veterans from the parish family.  Memorial Day is a holiday that was established to officially remember those who have died in service to our country (Veterans Day was established to officially thank our living veterans).   St. George expanded our remembrance to include all the deceased veterans of our “parish family”, adding relatives of our parish family that served in the military and are now deceased. Bishop Nikodhim, who served Divine Liturgy for us on this day, lead a Memorial service after Divine Liturgy for the 108 deceased military veterans from our parish family.  Click onto the following to view the list of names: St George - Names of Deceased Military Veterans  Memory Eternal!  Please click onto the more information link below to view a few photos.

We congratulate the members of our 2025 Parish Council who were installed into office today after Divine Liturgy by Bishop Nikodhim.  They are: Laura Coughlin, Luba Csernica, Peter Dacey, Curt Dionis, Joseph Galich, Louise Karoli Gallagher, Catherine Hotova, Robert Lazar, and William Kovachi.  Many Years! Për Shumë Vjet! Click onto the more information link below to view a few photos.

St. George commissioned an icon of St. George for our 100th Anniversary year.  St. George was notified that we will be receiving a relic of St. George from the Albanian Orthodox Archdiocese in America during Divine Liturgy on June 22nd  (the day we are celebrating our 100th Anniversary).  The St. George relics will be enshrined in a small reliquary at the bottom of this icon.  
On Sunday May 25th after Divine Liturgy, St. George received the icon from Dhimitri Cika, the iconographer who “wrote” the icon for us (in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, icons are said to be "written," not painted, emphasizing a spiritual and theological process rather than a purely artistic one).  The reliquary will be enshrined in this icon and blessed during our 100th Anniversary celebration, and will be prepared for a final location in our church for parishioners to venerate.   Click onto the more information link below to view a few photos of the receipt of this icon.

The St. George parish marked the end of the Church School year with a short Recognition Ceremony & Commencement on Sunday, June 1st after Divine Liturgy.  The ceremony acknowledged and congratulated the students and our Altar Servers for their efforts over the past year.  Additionally, special thanks go to Curt Dionis for coordinating the Church School program, and to Pauline Dionis, Nicole Dionis, Brooke & Sophie Dionis for all their efforts with teaching and assisting with the program coordination this past year. Click onto the more information link below to view a few photos.

St. George celebrated the Feast of Pentecost on Sunday, June 8th with Divine Liturgy, immediately followed by the Kneeling Vespers. The Feast commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit and is also seen as the culmination of the revelation of the Holy Trinity. St. George’s icon of this feast is located on the left. The Troparian for Pentecost:  Blessed art You O Christ Our God / You have revealed the fishermen as most wise / By sending down upon them the Holy Spirit / Through them You drew the world into Your net / O Lover of Man, Glory to You!  Click onto the more information link below to view a few photos.

Congratulations to our 2025 Graduates who recently completed their studies and graduated. We extend our best wishes to them for continued success!

Jessica Chadwick - graduated with Master of Science in Addiction Studies from Western Connecticut State University

Lauren Dionis – will be graduating in a few days from Greenwich High School

James Goetz - earned a Master in Finance from the University of Maryland

St. George recognized Fathers’s Day on Sunday, June 15th during Divine Liturgy.  Prayers were offered for all of the living and departed fathers, stepfathers, sons, stepsons, husbands, brothers, stepbrothers, great grandfathers, great grandsons, grandfathers, grandsons, great-uncles, uncles, nephews, godfathers, and all those who "fathered" us in our time of need. Many Years! Për Shumë Vjet! Click onto the more information link below to view a few photos.

On Sunday, June 22nd, St. George celebrated its 100th Anniversary with a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy and Anniversary Banquet.
 
We wish to welcome and thank the following who celebrated with us for St. George's 100th Anniversary:  Bishop Nikodhim - Bishop of Boston and the Albanian Archdiocese; Nikollaq Lako - Assistant to Bishop Nikodhim;  Fr. Mark Doku - Chancellor of the Albanian Archdiocese and Rector of St. Mary's Church in Worcester, MA;  Fr. John Kreta - Chancellor of the Diocese of New England and Priest at All Saints of North America Church in Salisbury, CT along with his wife Evelyn (Leka) Kreta who was a past Choir Director here at St. George;  Fr. George Coca - Retired past Priest from St. Dimitrie Church, Easton in the Romanian Episcopate along with his wife Mariana Coca - both are long-term friends of St. George; of course Fr. Sergei Bouteneff. 
 
St. George received a relic of St. George from the Albanian Orthodox Archdiocese in America. The St. George relics were enshrined in a small reliquary at the bottom of a new icon of St. George that was commissioned and recently received. After Divine Liturgy, a short service was held with a procession and blessing of the relics and icon. Click onto the following link to view a short video showing the procession around the perimeter of the church with the icon and relics: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/x7218OYILrU  Our thanks go out to Dave Denisevich who built an oak icon stand that matches our others and will hold the St. George relics.
 
An Anniversary Banquet was held in the afternoon at Tashua Knolls Club in Trumbull where parish members, families and friends celebrated with a cocktail hour with appetizers, a dinner, and dancing. We wish to thank Peter Dacey who served as our Master of Ceremonies, and our speakers:  Laura Coughlin, Bishop Nikodhim, Bill Kovachi, and Curt Dionis.
 
Our final thank you goes out to the Anniversary Committee who worked countless hours to develop and plan, schedule, communicate, and bring about a wonderful array of events and programs culminating with this day of celebration.  The committee comprised of Laura Coughlin and Curt Dionis as co-chairmen, Diane Cryan, Peter Dacey, Jennifer Goetz, Cathy Hotova, Bob Lazar, Karen Masek, and Kim O’Brien.  The parish wishes to specifically acknowledge and thank Laura Coughlin for her leadership, diligence, and energy over the past year to pull off this milestone day for St. George.
 
Click onto the following link to view a photo slideshow of numerous photos from our parish life over the years - it's about a 30 minute slideshow.  Thanks go out to TJ Coughlin for putting together the loop, to Evelyn (Leka) Kreta and Laura Coughlin for digging out all the historical photos, and to Diane Cryan, Peter Dacey and Cathy Hotova for all their help scanning photos. St. George Trumbull 100th Anniversary Historical Photo Slideshow 

Click onto the more information link below to view photos from the day's events. 

We recently completed the May & June charity collection held this year which was in support of a project that one of our Altar Servers, Kosta Nani, is running.  Kosta has put together a project to donate school supplies for a school called Shkolla “6 Dëshmorët” in Kamenice-Korçë, or “6 Martyrs” School which is in Kamenicë, a community in Korçë County, southeastern Albania.  Parishioners made direct purchases and donations of various supplies along with a total of $600 of cash, which was collected in the weekly Charity baskets. Kosta purchased additional supplies with the cash donations.  The detailed list of supplies can be found in the following link:  Final list of donated school supplies.

The Nani family has packed up all of the supplies into 7 different suitcases/backpacks (1 large suitcase, 4 carry-on suitcases, a backpack, and likely a final 2nd backpack will be needed) which they will take with them on their flight to Albania.  The total weight of the supplies they are transporting is about 247 lbs!  The Nani family leaves for Albania the middle of the week of July 20th - we wish them well on their vacation and look forward to hear how the delivery of supplies was received. 

As always, we wish to thank all the parishioners for their support of this charity project, along with all the others during the year. Click onto the more information link below to view a few photos.

St. George learned of the passing of Bernard C. Christianson – Nicole Dionis’s father.  Attached is Bernard Christianson’s obituary. We extend our condolences to Nicole, Curt, Brooke, and Sophie, and their extended family.  Memory eternal!

Congratulations to Julia, Jared, and Liliana Mae Poltrack who were received into the Orthodox Church through the sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Chrismation this weekend. Liliana's aunt, Pamela Nicsaji, is Liliana's godmother. Pauline Dionis was the sponsor for Julia, Jared, and Liliana.  God grant them Many Years! Click onto the more information link below to view a few photos.

We would like to congratulate the following recipients of the 2025 Thomas and Katherine LaBache Scholarship fund.

Hayley Dionis will begin her sophomore year at Furman University.
Lauren Dionis will be attending Clemson University as a freshman.

Congratulations and best of luck to both young women!

A new railing was installed on Fri, August 8th on the rear sloped walkway at the rear of the church.  Many thanks go out to Dave Denisevich who researched, spec'd, and coordinated the installation.  This railing is expected to help some of our seniors who use this walkway to get to their cars in the parking lot.  Click onto the more information link below to view a few photos. 

St. George celebrated the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord on Sunday, August 10th.  (This feast normally falls on August 6th, however St. George transferred the celebration of this feast to Sunday, August 10th). As is common practice in the Orthodox Church, grapes and other fruits (and vegetables) were blessed after Divine Liturgy.  We wish to also thank Fr. Danaks Rhodes for serving Divine Liturgy for us this day.

The Troparion for this feast:  You were transfigured on the mountain, O Christ God, / revealing Your glory to Your disciples as far as they could bear it. / Let Your everlasting Light also shine upon us sinners, / through the prayers of the Theotokos. / O Giver of Light, glory to You!

Click onto the more information link below to view a few photos.

Zoe Michael passed away on Sunday August 10th, shortly after Fr. Sergei anointed her in the hospital. The St. George community wishes to extend its heartfelt condolences to Karen Masek, Christine Kruczek, Mark Michael, to their families, and to the extended Michael family. Click onto the following link to view Zoe Michael's Obituary. May her Memory be Eternal.

St. George committed with other Trumbull faith-based churches, communities, and organizations to participate in a coordinated food drive which is  supporting the Trumbull Food Pantry.  The drive was being organized by Refill the Pantry, and is the second food drive focused in Trumbull during the 2025 calendar year.  This 2nd food drive is winding up at the end of August.  

In July and August, St. George has been collecting pantry food items and collecting cash donations during our monthly Charity Tray collection to support the Trumbull Food Pantry.  These will be turned over to Refill the Pantry at the end of August.

Additionally as part of the Refill the Pantry program, we wish to acknowledge and thank 5 parishioners: Laura Chadwick, Laura Coughlin, Sue Galich, Cathy Hotova, and Kim O’Brien who volunteered at the Trumbull Stop & Shop on August 16th for an hour each, to hand out slips to shoppers of needed pantry items, and to collect cash donations for the Trumbull Food Pantry.  This day was organized and is part of the Refill the Pantry program. Laura Chadwick, Cathy Hotova, and Kim O’Brien volunteered to man the west entrance (closest to Church Hill Rd) from 9 to 10AM,  and Laura Coughlin and Sue Galich manned the east entrance (closest to Main St) from noon to 1PM.  Our volunteers commented that the grocery traffic was very healthy and the shoppers were generous. 

We will update the results of this food drive in a few weeks once we receive the final numbers.

Click onto the more information link below to view a few photos of our volunteers at the Stop & Shop donation stations

On Sunday, August 17th, St. George celebrated Divine Liturgy for the feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos (this feast day is normally celebrated on August 15th, this year St. George transferred this feast to Sun, Aug 17th).  This feast commemorates the repose (dormition) or "falling-asleep" of the Virgin Mary. We also wish to thank Fr. George Coca who celebrated Divine Liturgy for us this day.  Click onto the more information link below to view a few photos.

The Troparion for this feast: In giving birth you preserved your virginity, / In falling asleep you did not forsake the world, O Theotokos. / You were translated to life, O Mother of Life, / And by your prayers, you deliver our souls from death. 
 

St. George wishes to thank Bishop Nikodhim, Bishop of Boston and the Albanian Archdiocese, for serving Divine Liturgy for us on Sunday, August 24th.  Additionally we wish to thank Nikollaq Lako is an assistant to Bishop Nikodhim, and Pablo Kurganov, a student here from Kyiv, Ukraine who both assisted during Divine Liturgy. Finally, Bishop Nikodhim held a brief commemoration of St. Kosmos, bringing an icon with him to St. George. After Divine Liturgy, the parish welcomed everyone as they joined us for a coffee hour in the church hall. Click onto the more information link below to view a few photos.

On July 29th, Kosta Nani. one of our Altar Servers, delivered backpacks and numerous school supplies to an Albanian School which educates appoximately 80 students from Grade 1 through 9 (approximately 10 students per grade).

Kosta put together a project to donate backpacks and school supplies for a school called Shkolla “6 Dëshmorët” in Kamenice-Korçë, or “6 Martyrs” School which is in Kamenicë, a small community in Korçë County, southeastern Albania.  St. George parishioners made direct purchases and donations of various supplies along with a total of $600 in cash donations, which was collected during our weekly Charity collection. Kosta purchased additional supplies and backpacks with the cash donations. 

The Nani family packed up 247 lbs of backpacks and supplies into 7 different suitcases/backpacks (1 large suitcase, 4 carry-on suitcases, and 2 backpacks) which they carried with them on their flight to Albania for their summer vacation.  Kosta donated the backpacks and supplies to the school on July 29th.

On his return and after Divine Liturgy on Sunday, August 24th, Kosta thanked the parishioners of St. George for their contributions, and discussed the joyfulness of the school students receiving the backpacks.  Kosta has also prepared a display board with many photographs from the Albanian school who received the school supplies - that poster board is displayed in the church hall.  

St. George wishes to congratulate Kosta on a project well done.  Additionally, we wish to thank Kosta's family - his father Olsi, his mother Ledi, and his brothers Evan and Nikolas who helped by donating a large portion of the supplies, helped carry the supplies with them when flying to Albania, and for taking all the photos at the school.  And a final thank you goes out to our parishioners who helped support Kosta's project by purchasing school supplies and/or donating money.

Click onto the more information link below to view several photos.  There are a few short videos that will be uploaded to our YouTube channel in a few days.

The parish of St. George was saddened to learn that a longtime former parishioner, Peter Themel, passed away on Thurs, August 21st in Florida.  We offer our condolences to his wife Cheryl, his daughters Jennier, Stacey, and Allyson, and to their families. Click onto the following link to view Peter Themel’s Obituary. May his Memory be eternal!

St. George extends our congratulations to Christopher and Megan Adams who welcomed a daughter, Alice Margo, who was born on Wed, August 27th. Christopher is the son of Christy and Cheryl Adams and the nephew of Alice Vasil and the late William Vasil. 

September 1st is the first day of the Liturgical New Year in the Orthodox Church.  We thank Fr. George Coca who served Divine Liturgy for us on Sun, August 31st (the day before the Liturgical New Year) and for Fr. George's sermon announcing the beginning of the Church's New Year. Click onto the following link to view a Prayer for the Liturgical New Year. 

We just learned that Priscilla Carameta, a long-term friend of St. George, passed away on Wed, Sept 3rd. St. George wishes to extend our condolences to her husband Tom, her children James and Mary, and to her extended Carameta and Themel families. Click onto the following link to view Priscilla’s Obituary.

St. George celebrated the feast of the Elevation of the Cross (also known as the Exaltation of the Cross) with Divine Liturgy on Sunday, Sept 14th. This feast commemorates the finding of Christ’s Cross by Saint Helen, the mother of the Emperor Constantine in the fourth century.  At the end of Divine Liturgy, Fr. George Coca (who celebrated Divine Liturgy for us on this day) lead a procession with the cross around the church. Click onto the more information link below to view a few photos.

We wish to give our best wishes for continued success to our collegians: 

Hayley Dionis is a sophomore at Furman University (South Carolina).
Lauren Dionis is starting her freshman year at Clemson University (South Carolina).
 

We recently learned that Sandie Jordhamo, wife of our parishioner Harry, and a long-term friend of St. George, passed away on Friday, Sept 19th. Our condolenes go out to her husband Harry, their 3 children Peggie, Vickie, and George, and to the extended Jordhamo and Bowe families. 

On Sunday, October 5th after Divine Liturgy, St. George recognized our Choir Directors, Singers, Chanters, and Readers as part of the nationwide commemoration of “Church Musician Sunday”.  The Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America designated the Sunday following the commemoration of Saint Romanus the Melodist (October 1st) as “Church Musician Sunday.” This annual designation highlights the essential role of liturgical music in Orthodox Christian worship and the important role of church musicians in the life of the Church. Those who serve in our musical ministries were invited to the front of the church, publicly thanked and recognized with the parish singing to them Many Years!  Click onto the more information link below to view several photos.

St. George also welcomed and wishes to thank Fr. Mark Doku who served Divine Liturgy for us this day.  Fr. Mark is the Chancellor of the Albanian Archdiocese and Rector of St. Mary's Church in Worcester, MA.

St. George held it's annual Fall Bazaar on Saturday, October 18th.

The Bazaar is St. George's major fundraising event during the calendar year. A heartfelt thank-you goes out to all who had their hand in assisting with the Bazaar in some way - with organizing, prepping, hall set-up, cooking, baking, donating, working the event, and all the clean-up, putting everything away, and the re-setting of the church hall at the end. This is a church event that takes dozens of volunteers to execute - again, we thank all of our volunteers and contributors.  

This year’s Bazaar had tables for Ethnic dishes, Take-out meals, Albanian pastries, Take-A-Chance table, Handcrafted items, a Children’s Craft Table, and a table for selling Albanian logo T-shirts & tote-bags, our 100th Anniversary Program book, and our Buy-A-Brick fundraiser for our planned Prayer Patio.  We especially wish to recognize and thank the women of the Teuta Society who are the major driver and effort behind this event.

Click onto the following link to view the 2025 Bazaar Ad Book - we ask you to review and note the businesses that supported us, and return the gesture by supporting their businesses. 

Click onto the more information link below to view several photos.

On Sunday November 9th after Divine Liturgy (two days before Veteran’s Day), St. George recognized our Military Veterans for their service to our country. Our Church School prepared some hand-made Thank-you cards which they gave to the Vets. Many Years to our Veterans!  We also wish to thank Fr. Danaks Rhodes who served Divine Liturgy for us today.  Click onto the more information link below to view a few photos. 

The Teuta Ladies sponsored a Lakror Workshop & Social on Saturday, Nov 16th. Lakror is a traditional Albanian pie typically made with a vegetable and cheese filling. The workshop purpose was to learn how to make lakror or to brush up on techniques, but also to be social and fun. At the end of the baking session, the group had a lunch sampling their creations. Many thanks to Laura Denisevich who organized, purchased the ingredients, and coordinated the event.  Click onto the more information link below to view photos from the day.

On Wednesday evening, Nov 19th, volunteers from St. George gathered to make fleece-tie blankets that will be distributed to children in need for Christmas.  The blankets (or Binky’s) will be sent to the Binky Patrol - Comforting Covers organization, specifically to the Monroe-Trumbull Chapter who will distribute them.  Earlier this year, St. George hosted a major blanket making event with Binky Patrol on January 16th to make and send blankets to children affected by the large wildfires in California - click onto the following to view that event's News Update. 

Twenty volunteers gathered in the evening and made 23 blankets.  Many thanks go out to Sharon Buzi and Laura Coughlin who coordinated and organized the event, and to Jeanne Malgioglio (founder and area coordinator of the Monroe-Trumbull Chapter) who did significant prep cutting of fleece before the gathering which sped up the effort.  Click onto the more information link below to view some photos from the event.
 
About Binky Patrol: Binky Patrol is an all-volunteer, national, non-profit organization making and distributing homemade blankets to children born drug-addicted, infected with AIDS or who are battling other chronic & terminal illnesses, homeless, victims of violent crimes, those who are abused, in foster care, or experiencing trauma of any kind. Their recipients are 0 to 18 years old.  The Monroe-Trumbull Chapter, which was established in January 2014 by Jeanne Malgioglio, have distributed over 26,000 blankets. They have made deliveries to the following organizations: Bridgeport Hospital, Yale Children’s Hospital, Griffin Hospital, Norwalk Hospital, Bridgeport Rescue Mission, Ruth’s House, The Ronald McDonald House and the Center for Family Justice. They send bags of blankets to schools in order to comfort children after a tragedy, and give out blankets individually as needs arise.
 

On Sunday, Nov 23rd, a Doxology service (a prayer of praise to God) was held after Divine Liturgy recognizing Albanian Flag Day (Dita e Flamurit).  The official observation date for Flag Day (or Albanian Independence Day) is November 28th.  Click onto the following link to view a text of the Doxology service that was used.  Our thanks go to Fr. George Coca who served Divine Liturgy and the Doxology service for us on this day, to Nardi Tollkuci and Kosta Nani for holding the Albanian and American flags, and to our Parish youth who stood in vigil during the prayer service. Click onto the more information link below to view a few photos.

St. George wishes to congratulate Fr. Sergei Bouteneff on the occasion of his 48th anniversary of his ordination into the Priesthood which is today, Tuesday, Nov 25th.  Many Years! Për Shumë Vjet! to Fr. Sergei and to his family. 

On Sat, Dec 6th, there was an Albania Independence Day Party held in the Church Hall. This was also a fundraising event for St. George. The official observation date for Albania Independence Day (or Flag Day) is November 28th.  St. George also recognized Albanian Flag Day (Dita e Flamurit) on Sunday, Nov 23rd with a Doxology service (a prayer of praise to God) after Divine Liturgy. This event raised over $2000 for St. George. Thanks to Nardi Tolkuci and Aida Kalapo for organizing and coordinating the event.  Click onto the more information link below to view a few photos.

Congratulations to Nancy Poltrack who was received into the Orthodox Church on Sunday, Dec 7th during Divine Liturgy.  Nancy participated in the Service of Reception of Converts on Sat, Dec 6th, and the sacrament of Holy Chrismation on Sunday.  Pauline Dionis served as Nancy’s sponsor. May God grant Nancy and her family Many Years! Click onto the more information link to view a few photos.

We wish to thank the Teuta Society for a recent donation to St. George.  Below is a short note from them to the parish: 

"Out of the Bazaar proceeds - Teuta has donated $10,000 to the church - $5,000 for the General fund, and $5,000 for the Future Fund. We will also use some of the funds to tackle some much needed projects, so stay tuned. Thank you to eveyone who showed their support.  We appreciate all of you!"

Many years to the Teuta Society! - they remain the major organizer of fund-raising and fellowship events for the parish. 

On Saturday, Dec 13th, a group of “Elves" from St. George prepared bags of Christmas Cheer for several of our senior parishioners who are restricted at home or haven't been able to attend church services due to age or health.  Delivery of the gift bags began on Saturday, Dec 13th and are continuing over the next few days. The gifts were assembled and being delivered to help remind these parishioners that they remain in our thoughts and prayers.  The Christmas Cheer bag contained homemade cookies and other baked goods, candies, some seasonal teas, hot chocolate, a Christmas ornament, and a handmade card from one of our church school children.  Our sincere thanks go out to: Pam Buzi, Sharon Buzi, Laura Chadwick, Laura Coughlin, Diane Cryan, Luba Csernica, Laura Denisevich, Sue Galich, Jennifer Goetz, Karen Masek, and Kim O'Brien. We also wish to thank our Church School children who created the holiday cards. Click onto the more information link below to view a few photos.

The St. George Parish Family wishes you a joyous celebration of the Nativity of our Lord.  Christ is Born! Glorify Him!  Krishti U-Lind! Lavdërojeni!  We also wish to acknowledge the donations and Christmas greetings from “Kocho and Irena Karajani”, “The Dacey Family”, “Laura Mahmood” and "Fr. George and Mariana Coco",  however we received these after we went to the printer. Click onto the more information link below to view photos of the Community Christmas Card.
 

Christ is born! Glorify Him! Krishti U-Lind! Lavdërojeni! are the traditional Orthodox Christian Christmas greetings in both English and Albanian. On the Eve of the Nativity of Christ, the St. George community celebrated the Nativity with the Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil. Following Liturgy, the choir lead the parish for the singing 4 Christmas carols during our traditional carol sing. Many thanks to Evan Nani who read the Gospel in Albanian.

St. George has learned that Alice (Adams) Vasil passed away on Wed, Dec 31st. The St. George community wishes to extend its heartfelt condolences to her son Bill Jr., her daughter Bette Bramante, to her brother Christy Adams, and to their extended families. Click onto the following link to view Alice Vasil’s Obituary. May her Memory be Eternal.