WELCOME! If you are a first time visitor to Saint George’s today. We are glad to have you! Please stay for the coffee social in the parish hall after liturgy so we can get acquainted.

SCRIPTURE READINGS THIS WEEK
Mar 15th  Martyrs Agapius, Publius, Timolaus, Romulus, & Companions
                 Genesis 13:12-18    Proverbs 14:27-15:4
Mar 16th  Martyr Sabinas of Egypt; Martyr Papas of Lyconia
                 Genesis 15:1-15    Proverbs 15:7-19 
Mar 17th  Venerable Aleksy, Man of God; St. Patrick, Enlightener of Ireland 
                 Genesis 17:1-9    Proverbs 15:20-16:9
Mar 18th  Repose of St. Nikolai of Zhicha; St. Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem
                 Genesis 18:20-33    Proverbs 16:17-17:17
Mar 19th  Martyrs Chrysanthus and Daria & Companions of Rome
                 Genesis 22:1-18    Proverbs 17:17-18:5
Mar 20th  5th Saturday of Lent; Holy Fathers slain at St. Sabbas Monastery
                 Hebrews 9:24-28    Mark 8:27-31

Activities/Services this Week:
Pan Orthodox Lenten Vespers: Sunday, March 14th, 6 PM, at St. George on Woodley St.
Presanctified Liturgy: Wednesday, March 17th, 6:30 PM, at the church, Lenten pot luck follows
Bowling Green Book Club: Thursday, March 18th, 6:30 PM, at Grounds for Thought in BG
Akathist to St. Herman of Alaska: Friday, March 18th, 6:30 PM, at the church
Easter Fest: Saturday, March 20th, 11 AM to 2 PM, at the church
Great Vespers: Saturday, March 20th, 5 PM, at the church

The Sanctuary Lamp is burning this week for the health of Sarah Olmstead celebrating her birthday this week.

Last Sunday, March 14th, 36 Adults and 11 Youth attended Divine Liturgy.

For the month of March, please bring peanut butter & jelly in whatever amount you can afford to donate for the All Saints Food Pantry. Thanks you for your help.

Help is needed especially this Friday, March 19th, to set up for Saturday’s Easterfest. If you can lend a hand this week, speak with Julie Olmstead or Mary Gresko.

The Bowling Green Book Club will meet next on Thursday March 18th, at 6:30 PM at Grounds for Thought on Main St. in Bowling Green. We will study Chapters 11 and 12 of Bread & Water & Wine & Oil. Please read the material so we can properly discuss it.

The next Pan Orthodox Vesper service will be at St. George Orthodox Cathedral (Woodley St.) on March 14th at 6 PM.  Fr. Andrew Yavornitsky and Dion Roddy will speak on “The Myths of the Mega Church and Coming to Orthodoxy.” Lenten potlucks will follow all of the Lenten Vespers services. For those times, go to our web page or see the newsletter. The last Lenten service will be on March 21st at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral. The topic will be “Reclaiming the Family Dinner Hour”

Fr. Paul is available to hear Confessions the following times during Lent:
Wednesdays 5PM to 6:15 PM,
Fridays: 5 PM to 6:15 PM (and after the Akathist Service),
Saturdays 4:30 to 5 PM (and after the Saturday Vesper service)
Or you can call and make an appointment with him. Please remember to make every effort to come to confession before Palm Sunday if possible.

Since the March Calendar ends half way through Holy Week (up to Holy Wednesday) here are the remaining services for Holy Week FYI:
April 1st Holy Thursday Services
Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil at 8 AM
Holy Friday Matins/12 Gospel Passion Service at 6:30 PM
April 2nd Holy Friday Services
Royal Hours at 9:30 AM
Vespers (taking our Lord down from the cross) at 3 PM
Holy Saturday Matins (Lamentation Hymns) at 6:30 PM
April 3rd & 4th Holy Saturday/Pascha Services
Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil at 9:30 AM
Paschal Nocturnes/Matins/Liturgy at 11:30 PM
Paschal Vespers at 12 Noon at St. George on Woodley St. with Bishop Mark presiding & area clergy

On March 14 we remember Saint Benedict, founder of monasticism in the Western Church. Benedict and his twin sister Scholastica, born in 480, were born to prominent parents and had many advantages. Though their birthplace was Nursia, a small town near Spoleto, they spent much of their childhood in the city of Rome.

Our best source for information about Benedict is the account by Saint Gregory Dialogos, who wrote about many Italian saints and who is also credited with the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts.

Gregory tells us that Benedict, in his late teens, left his home to seek a place less crowded and boisterous, more serene and natural, than the big city. He knew he was giving up a life many would consider desirable. Gregory writes: "He was in the world and was free to enjoy the advantages the world offers, but drew back his foot which he had...already set forth in the world."

After some time, Benedict realized he wanted to do more than avoid the excesses of the city. He wished to become poor and work hard, depending only on God. He found a remote ravine with a deep, craggy cave. There, except for occasional visits from a monk who lived nearby, he spent three years in almost complete solitude.

Benedict didn't remain solitary. He had matured and grown spiritually during his time in the cave, and his holy way of life became known. When the abbot of an area monastery died, the brothers begged Benedict to take his place. He hesitated, knowing that their monastic rule was more relaxed than his, but finally acquiesced. It only led to disagreements about his rigorous way of life. One monk was so incensed, or perhaps so jealous, that he attempted to poison the new abbot. Benedict sorrowfully returned to his cave.

But other monks had heard of Benedict's increasingly frequent miracles, admired his monastic efforts, and wanted to follow him. He oversaw the building of twelve monasteries, each housing twelve monks, to accommodate these men. The monasteries grew, serving the people around them by opening schools and welcoming travelers. The monks' life was communal (no solitary hermits) and they balanced prayer with the physical labor that Benedict considered essential to the Christian life.

In about the year 529, Benedict moved from the thriving monasteries in the ravine to Monte Cassino, a much more accessible place. He established new monastic communities, and developed the "Rule" which still governs Benedictine monasteries.

Benedict's gentle, moderate and compassionate character is reflected in his description of what an abbot should do: "Let him hate sin and love the brethren. Even in his correction, let him act with prudence and not go too far, lest while he seeks too eagerly to scrape off the rust, the vessel is smashed. Let him keep his own frailty ever before his eyes, and remember that the bruised reed must not be broken."

Benedict died in 543, and was buried with another revered monastic: his beloved sister, Scholastica.
Taken from: http://dce.oca.org/page/bulletins/