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Holy Ghost Orthodox Christian
Church
A Church of the Carpatho-Russian Orthodox
Diocese
249 South Seventh Avenue
Manville, N.J. 08835
Phone: 908-725-3385

Christ is Risen!
Indeed He is Risen!

Reverend Father Matthew Moriak, Pastor

Read Father Matthew's
Welcome Letter Here

Cantor and Choir Director: Pani Jodi Moriak

E-mail
Father Matthew -
FrMatthew@holyghostoc.org

Church President
churchpresident@holyghostoc.org

Church Webmaster
webmaster@holyghostoc.org

Schedule of Services

Wednesday, May 14th
Moleben to St. Nectarios - 7:00 P.M.

Saturday, May 17th
Resurrection Matins - 6:00 P.M.

Sunday, May 18th
Sunday of the Paralytic
Reading of the Hours -
9:15 A.M.
Divine Liturgy - 9:30 A.M.
Monthly Parish Meeting

Link to Daily Scripture Readings

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Parish Council Meeting
Our monthly parish council meeting will be held Sunday, May 18th. All
parish council members are asked to attend. All parish members are
invited to attend if they so desire.
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Tastefully Simple Fundraiser
We will be hosting a Tastefully Simple fundraiser on Satrurday,
June 7th. The fundraiser will begin at 12:30 P.M. If you've
ever attended one of these fundraisers, you know that there will
be many delicious food items available to sample and purchase.
Make plans now to attend!
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Weekly Reflection
5/7/08

Membership has its privileges. We've all heard the
quote before. Certainly, no one would argue that the
privileges associated with being a member of Christ's
Church are great indeed. The question we might have
to ask ourselves from time to time is "what makes me a
member of my Church?" In this country, we are used to
paying bills. If you don't pay the water bill or the cable
bill or the phone bill over a long period of time, you
might find yourself staring at a blank tv screen, unable
to call the cable company and badly in need of a
shower. People pay money to belong to clubs of all
kinds, be they country clubs or gyms, etc. It's a very
clear cut way to know who belongs and who doesn't.
The same holds true in the Church, does it not? Sure it
does. We pay dues every year to show that we belong
to the Church. If we don't pay, how can we say we're a
member?
Does this sound a little strange to you? If it does than
maybe you are forgetting Christ's great commission in
the Gospel of St. Matthew. "..make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (so long as they've
paid their dues first)." Wait, that's not how that verse
goes?
Yes, I'm being very tongue and cheek, but in many
places in Orthodoxy in this country, we have come to
see our Churches as "clubs" or "organizations" where
you are entitled to certain things so long as you are
paid in full. In reality, this couldn't be further away
from what membership in the Church really is.
Membership is about being a part of the Body of Christ.
That means we pray together, we share fellowship
together and we participate in the sacraments. That is
what makes us members of not just a single Church like
Holy Ghost, but of the Orthodox Church at large.
This may seem like common sense, and yet we hear of
instances where people try to argue that "parishonor A"
who has languished in a nursing home the last few
years of her life and has no other family in the Church
can't be buried in the cemetary unless she pays two
years of "back dues." All the while, the priest is
bringing her the sacraments. Sound crazy? It happens.
It's all about a mind set. Yes, the Church needs funds to
function and to certain parts of our boroughs and
communities we may be classified and treated as if we
are a business. But the only business we are truly in is
the business of trying to bring souls to Christ.
It's important that we keep that distinction in mind. As
we approach our parish's 75th anniversary, it behooves
us to take serious looks at the way we view
membership in the Church, as individuals and as a
parish family.

Fr. M


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No Fasting or Kneeling
A reminder that Bright Week is a period of no fasting.
We are not required to fast from meat on Wednesday
and Friday of this week. Also, there is no kneeling in
the Church or in your private home until Penetecost
(June 15th).
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Media Coverage
Be sure to pick up a copy of the Courier News from April 27
for an article about the twoOrthodox Churches in Manville
and our celebration of Pascha. For an extended version of the
article, visit the following link: www.c-n.com/faith.
PLEASE NOTE: on tuesday, April 29th, the website link will
change to the following: www.MyCentralJersey.com/faith.
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Regular Services

Divine Liturgy is celebrated at 9:30AM

Father Matthew is holding a monthly Panachida in memory of the
departed faithful of our parish family. As has been done in the past,
the Panachida will be held the last Sunday of each month. Father
Matthew is also holding a monthly Moleben the first Sunday of each
month. During this Moleben, we pray for all of those who are
celebrating birthdays and wedding anniversaries for the month
ahead. As we hold these Molebens, please inform Father of any
birthdays or anniversaries he might miss.

St. Nectarios Moleben

St. Nectarios is a healing saint and the patron saint of cancer victims.
The highlight of this beautiful service is the anointing with the blessed
oil from the shrine of this saint. All are welcome to attend.

Monthly Panachida

Prayer for the departed is a beautiful part of the Orthodox tradition.
Many of our parishioners offer Panachidas to be sung in memory of
their loved ones, and we as a parish family pray for those people
together. With that in mind, Father will reserve the last Sunday of
each month to have a Panachida in memory of all the departed of our
parish family who reposed that given month. The names of those
remembered will be printed in the bulletin for that Sunday, and if
anyone wishes to add names that are not already included, please let
Father know.
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Spirit of Orthodoxy Choir
The Spirit of Orthodoxy Choir will be perfdorming at the State Theatre
of New Jersey in New Brunswick on Wednesday, May 21st in a concert
with the world-famous Russian-born baritone, Anton Belov. The concert
is free to the public, but tickets must be reserved by calling 732-246-7469.
The spirit of Orthodoxy was established in 1997 under the direction of
Alexei Shipovalnikov and consists of singers from Orthodox parishes
and jurisdictions in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York. The choir
sings Orthodox Christian Liturgical music in a professional and
prayerful manner. For more information, go to
www.spiritoforthodoxy.com.
In addition Anton Belov will perform Friday, May 16th at 7:30 P.M. at
SS. Peter and Paul Parish Center right here in Manville. Again,
admission is free and a community reception will follow the
performance.
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For update on the condition of the Church following the
April 15th, 2007 nor'easter click here

Work Days
There will be a church basement work day this
Saturday, May 17th, at 9 A.M. Any time that anyone can
offer is greatly appreciated.

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Ordering Orthodox Books/Materials.
The following are excellent websites if you are looking
to order Orthodox books or materials, either for yourself
or to donate to the Church libary:
http://www.conciliarpress.com
http://www.light-n-life.com


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Adult Education

Note: If you attended one of the adult classes and have
purchased a new Orthodox Study Bible, please use that for class,
so we will all be using the same source
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Sunday School Classes
Held following Divine Liturgy
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Iconography Project - UPATES!
Iconographer Austin Kachek is finishing up some projects
and within a week or two will be able to meet with
Father to measure exact dimensions on the choir loft
section. This will determine how many prophets we will
best be able to fit on our wall. His sketch showed six,
but it is possible we may only do four. So,until the exact
number is known, Father will hold off on listing the
names of these prophets
.
In regards to the male and female saints on the side
walls, the following is a list of saints that could be used.
Over time, Father will detail why each saint was chosen.
Female
1&2 - St. Anna & St. Elizabeth (already donated), 3 - St
Mary Magdalene
(already donated), 4 - Proto-martyr and
equal to the Apostles, Thekla
5 - Empress Theodora, 6 - St. Katherine of Alexandria
(already donated), 7 - St. Mary of Egypt (already
donated)
Male
1&2 - Sts. Cyril & Methodius,
3 - St. Stephen, 4 - St. Ignatius, 5 - St. John of
Damascus
(already donated), 6 - St. Gregory of Palamas
(tentatively donated), 7 - St. Nectarios
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Holy Ghost Community Charities (H.G.C.C.)
The purpose of the H.G.C.C. is to allow us to respond to
our community in times of need. By simply dropping in
loose change or our spare dollars on a weekly basis, we
hope to build up this charities fund. This way, if a need
arises, rather than to take the time to plan a fundraiser
or other such plan, we can respond immediately where
there is a need. Thank you and God bless you for your
contributions!
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Camp Nazareth Information
Registration forms are available for the 2008 Camp
Nazareth summer camping sessions. Our Deanery
youth will be attending Camp from Sunday, July 27th
- Saturday, August 2nd. Deadline for a fully
completed Camper Registration Form is July 1st.
**************************************************
Camp Nazareth Staff application forms are also
available. All applications must be postmarked by
May 1st. Job opportunities are available in the roles
of: kitchen, maintenance, lifeguard and counselor.
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Family Day Tickets
Tickets for the annual Camp Nazareth Family Day
raffle are also available. Donation for one ticket
is
$20. The grand prize is $10,000. All proceeds
benefit the Camp and allow it to continue to serve
our Diocesan youth in the best way possible.
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Collecting Pictures and other Anniversary
News and Notes
As we prepare for our paish's 75th Anniversary next year, we
are asking if anyone has any pictures detailing the history of
the parish, to please bring them in to the Church. We will be
using pictures for a commemorative booklet to this event. We
will be in need of volunteers to help in the planning of this
event as well. Please consider giving of your time and talents
to ensure that this is a memorable event.

Anniversary Committee Chairperson
We are also currently looking for someone to head up our
75th Anniversary Committee. Please let Father Matthew or
one of the parish council members know if you are interested.
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Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
The next film in C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia
saga is being released this Friday, May 16th. As with
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe a couple of
years ago, Fr. Matthew would like to organize an
outing to see the film with the youth of our parish
and anyone else who might be interested. Father is
tentatively planning on doing this on Saturday, June
14th. Please sign up on the day that would be best
for you, and we will pick the best day accordingly.
Tickets for the children will be paid for.
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Soup Kitchen
St. John's in Perth Amboy runs a soup kitchen in their parish hall every
Monday evening between 5 and 6 P.M. Fr. Michael Rosco has informed
Fr. Matthew that anyone wishing to volunteer and help is more than
welcome to join them at any time. If anyone has any questions about this
community service opportunity, please direct them to Fr. Matthew.
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IMPORTANT REMINDER!!
Please remember to ALWAYS contact me if you or someone from the
parish are admitted to the hospital, even if you feel it is something
minor. I want to be able to administer to the sick of the parish in as
timely a fashion as possible, and, at the very least, to offer my
prayers, but I need everyone's help to be able to do so. Thank you so
much for your cooperation!
- Fr. Matthew
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Interested in Mission Work?
A living witness of pur Orthodox Christian faith is one of the greatest
gifts we can share. The witness often comes through an expression
of service, which feeds the hungry, heals the sick, builds churches and
cares for children. The Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) is
offering several 2-4 week Mission Team opportunities this year that
will allow you to share the faith with communities in need around the
world. All Orthodox Christians over the age of 18 are asked to
prayerfully consider applying for an Orthodox Mission Team. For more
information or to apply, contact Andrew Lekos at teams@ocmc.org.
Information and applications can also be found at the OCMC website
by visiting www.ocmc.org/teams.
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"Daylight" Available for Everyone
It has been brought to Father's attention from other priests in the
Diocese that adults are enjoying reading the new youth newsletter,

Daylight
. Anyone interested in seeing the publication can view it on
the Diocesan website here. If you would like a hard copy of the
newsletter, please let Father Matthew know and he will provide it for
you.
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Church Library
As you probably have noticed already, the books in our new parish
library are now available. If you wish to borrow a book, all you have
to do is take an index card, fill out your name, the title of the book,
and the date, and place the card in the box on the table. There is no
"due date" for any borrowed books. All we ask is that you try to
borrow books at a time when you will have time to read them, so they
are not out for too long. There are still donated monies which will be
used to purchase more books as we expand over the coming weeks.
Thank you all have made donations, and please, enjoy!

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A LIVING CHURCH
A Living Church always has parking problems;
a dead church doesn't.
A Living Church has lots of "noisy" children;
a dead church doesn't.
A Living Church often changes the way things are
done; a dead church, NEVER!
A Living Church often asks for money for the
missions and the poor; a dead church tries to keep
plenty of money in the treasury.
A Living Church asks people to "open up" and risk
involvement;
a dead church plays it safe and never takes risks.
A Living Church sees challenges and opportunities;
a dead church sees only problems and dangers.
A Living Church often apologizes, forgives and
seeks forgiveness;
a dead church never makes mistakes.
A Living Church uses its traditions and facilities
to serve people; a dead church uses people to
preserve facilities and traditions.
A Living Church believes in God's guiding Spirit
and "let's go with faith"; a dead church believes
only in the past and is satisfied merely to "hold on".
A Living Church is filled with committed givers; a
dead church is filled with "tippers".
A Living Church dares to dream - great dreams for
God's Kingdom; a dead church has only nightmares.
How do you see yourself? Your vision of "self"
effects what you are and what you will become.
How do you see Church? Your answer effects our
relationship with God and one another. In either
case, it's truly a matter of Life and Death. Above all
else, the real Life and Death question is: HOW DOES
GOD SEE US! Hopefully, each of us will hear those
wonderful words from our Father; "Well done, In
you I take delight. Welcome home. I'm happy you
are here".

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A Closer Look at the Lord's Prayer

The Lord's Prayer is one of the first prayers we all learn as a child. We
know it so well that we may be tempted to say it without thinking of
its meaning. It is a soimple prayer, but with a great deal of spiritual
depth behind it. After all, it is this prayer Jesus told to His disciples
when they asked Him to teach them how to pray.
The
Lord's Prayer consists of seven petitions, and these are things that
we should ask of our Heavenly Father.
1 - Our Father Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
In the first petition, we should beseech our Heavenly Father that His
name, which is always holy in itself, be hallowed, with His blessing,
both in us and through us (Matthew 5:16). The Lord is fullness and
perfection of sanctity but, by glorifying Him, we sanctify ourselves
and the surrounding world.
2 - Thy Kingdom come.
In the second petition, we ask the Lord to help us make us worthy,
through His grace, of the Kingdom of Heaven, which begins, as Christ
Himself said, here on earth, within us. But it will only come to us in the
fullness of its power when Sin ceases to hold undivided sway in us and

righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit
(Romans 12:17)
abide in us.
3 -
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven
In the third petition, we beseech God the Father that He not allow us
to live our earthly lives axxording to our sinful ways, but according to
His will, which is always
good, and acceptable, and perfect
(Romans 12:2). By obeying the will of God, we begin to establish the
Kingdom of God within ourselves.
4 - Give us this day our daily bread;
In the fourth petition we beseech God to give us our daily bread -
everything we need in life, spiritual as well as physical. Our spiritual
bread is the grace-bestowing Sacraments of the Church, instituted
for our salvation. First and foremost, our daily bread means Holy
Communion, of which the Lord said: I am the bread of life...
and the
bread which I shall give for life of the world is My Flesh (John
6:48,51).
Material bread means all that is necessary for hu,an
existence, directly associated with the surrounding world. The words
"this day" warns us against too many cares, and teaches us to ask only
for what is most essential, because the Lord says:
But seek first His
kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be
yours as well. Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own
troubles be sufficient for itself. Let the day's own trouble be
sufficient for the day (Matthew 6:33-34).
5 - And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who
trespass against us.
In the fifth petition the Lord teaches us how to ask forgiveness for our
sins from the Heavenly Father. and how they may be forgiven.
And
whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything
against any one; so that your Father also Who is in heaven
may forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive,
neither will your Father Who is in heaven forgive your
trespasses (Mark 11:25-26).
Man's sins are called trespasses against
God in this petition and here we beg for God's mercy. This is our
confession, asking for His forgiveness. Whoever seeks forgiveness
should resort to the healing power of repentance and forgive his
neighbor, the trespasser. When we forgive our tresspassers, then God
will also forgive our sins (Mark 4:24).
6 - And lead us not into temptation
In the sixth petition we ask the Lord that He not allow us to fall into
sin. We ask Him to preserve us from all that confuses our spirit and
from temptations that are beyond our strength to reject. If we
encounter on our earthly path trials and temptations sent for our
purification from sin and spiritual fortification, then we ask God to
send us His timely help.
God is faithful, and He will not let you
be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation
will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to
endure it
(1 Cor. 10:13). For because He Himself has suffered and
been tempted, He is able to help those who are tempted
(Heb.
2:18),
St. Paul says, indicating the Helper and Accomplisher of our
salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ.
7- But deliver us from evil.
In the seventh and final petition, we ask that we be protected against
and saved from Evil and the Devil,
who is a murderer from the
beginning
and works for our destruction. As St. Peter says, the
Devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to
devour
(1 Peter 5:8). Remembering the Enemy of our salvation, the
Lord urges us to be vigilant and sobor of spirit, to have courage to
accomplish a feat, teaches us to pray for one another, and by prayer
to the Heavenly Father, to fortify ourseleves spiritually and free
ourseleves from misfortune and disaster.
Final Thoughts
Thus the Lord's Prayer is the unfailing model and rule for all prayers.
The Church uses it in all the sacramental orders, and in all the Divine
Services. As St. John Chrysostom says, it is the "crown of all prayers".

The above information taken from the book " These TruthsWe Hold."
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RECEIVING HOLY COMMUNION
Below are a few directions on receiving Holy
Communion. The Body and Blood of Christ is the most
precious treasure and it must be protected from harm.
Following these directions will help to limit the
possibility of dropping the Holy Eucharist, and to give it
the proper reverence.

1 - When coming forward to receive Communion, please
cross your hands across your chest, right hand over left.
This symbolizes the wings of the angels as they offer
worship to the Lord. In the practical sense, it limits
your hands from interfering with the distribution of the
Holy Eucharist. Keep your hands that way while
receiving Communion and as you walk away from the
Chalice. The reason: there is no way that the Chalice
will be hit. You should
never make the sign of the Cross
while you are near the Chalice. Many times, the Chalice
has been hit when someone immediately makes the
sign of the Cross by the Chalice. Also, do not grab the
Chalice in your hand to bring it forward to venerate.
Father will offer the Chalice to venerate.

2 -
Do not feel the need to grab the cloth, either to hold
it, or to wipe your lips. Those who hold the cloth will
wipe your lips for you, if need be. The cloth will be held
open directly under your chin to catch the Eucharist if it
should fall from the spoon. If the cloth is held correctly,
and not touched by the communicant, the Eucharist will
never fall on the ground.

3 - Come close to the Chalice when you receive the
Eucharist. The less distance Father has to bring the
spoon from the Chalice to you, the less chance of it
falling off. You may receive it two ways: you may simply
take it off the spoon as you would when you eat; or you
may open your mouth so that Father can drop it into
your mouth. If you receive it the 2nd way (as most do)
please open your mouth widely and be sure to tilt your
head back. If your head is facing forward, it is hard to
control whether or not the Communion will roll forward
and out of your mouth.

4 - Gum should not be chewed right after Holy
Communion. Be sure to eat or drink something first.

Hopefully, these helpful hints will protect the Eucharist
and help Father to fulfill his responsibility in doing the
same.