Posts
Dear Parish Faithful and Friends in Christ,
Once again, the parish was treated to a wonderful St. Nicholas Day Program yesterday following the Liturgy. Our students performed a play of narration entitled "The Jesse Tree," written by Phylis Meshel Onest. The narration, based upon scriptural texts, took us through the account of salvation history culminating with the advent of the Son of God in the flesh. Our director was Karen Krueger and the beautiful Jesse tree was created by Anna Gerasimchuk. It was easy to tell that our children worked hard at being prepared, because many had their parts memorized, and others read very smoothly and clearly. The students clearly enjoy these annual plays and commit themselves to a quality performance. Their teachers must inspire them. The younger children were very orderly and patient awaiting their turn to come forward. The plays have become such an established tradition of our parish life, that they have become events to look forward to once a year in honor of St. Nicholas and in preparation for Christ's Nativity.
Our Charity Dinner, sponsored by and served by our High School students was a tasty lenten meal. Donations received just about reached $500.00, at least by unofficial count. This money will be handed over to a designated charity chosen by our high school students. The high school students thank everyone for their generous donation.
Finally, to crown the day, we were visited by St. Nicholas who, true to his warm character, brought small bags of gifts for each and every child. The three "gold," yet edible, coins in each bag were reminiscent of the event in the saint's life when he spared the three young daughters of a poor man lives of drudgery and enslavement, by anonymously tossing three bags of gold coins through their window on three consecutive nights. This provided them the necessary dowrys to marry well in their town. Some of the children were puzzled by the rather glaring discrepancy between the wavy brown hair of St. Nicholas in the back and his long and very grey beard in front. When I pointed out the fact that my own beard is pretty gray but that my hair is not, the mystery remained unresolved.
All in all, a wonderful event for our parish family following the glory of the Liturgy as we prepare for the Feast of the Incarnation.
Fr. Steven
