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PEACE AND GRACE!

Commemoration of The Departure of David, the Prophet and King, celebrated on 23 Kiahk / 1 January

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“You cannot be too gentle, too kind. Shun even to appear harsh in your treatment of each other. Joy, radiant joy, streams from the face of one who gives and kindles joy in the heart of one who receives.”
+Seraphim of Sarov

SERVICES & EVENTS THIS WEEK

Monday:

New Year’s Eve Service: 7&4 8:00 p.m. | Vigil & Prayer 11:30 p.m. | Matins 12:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m. (Father Kyrillos)

Wednesday: 

Morning Liturgy: 6:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. (Father George Awad)

FOCUS San Diego: 3:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Friday:

Nativity Speaker Series: 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. (Father Joseph Ibrahim - The Incarnation and Soteriology)

Saturday:

Vespers: 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Sunday: 

Divine Liturgy: 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Feast of the Advent: 7:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.

NATIVITY FAST

November 25th marked the beginning of the fast of the Nativity (the Advent) in our Coptic Church. Fasting is not just about changing ingredients; it should be a real spiritual discipline with goals. You are encouraged to take the discipline seriously and to consult with your spiritual father for an appropriate prescription for your fasting period, as well as what spiritual disciplines to partake of during this blessed time. For more information on how and why we fast before nativity, click here.

NATIVITY THEMED SPEAKER SERIES

Thank you, Father Daniel Meleka, for driving all the way from San Fernando Valley and for honoring us with your inspiring talk last Friday. We are excited to welcome our last (but not least) Nativity speaker Father Joseph Ibrahim to St. Basil’s this coming Friday, January 4th from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Come and invite your friends - it will be open to all!

FEAST OF THE ADVENT

Please note that the Sunday morning liturgy on January 6th will be slightly condensed and conclude earlier than usual. Please join us for Sunday evening services, starting at 7:00 p.m. until midnight. We will have a potluck at church following the service. We would appreciate if you could contribute a dish. Please sign up here.

2019 NATIVITY EXCUSED ABSENCE

Our church celebrates the feast of Nativity on January 7th and we encourage all of you, young and old, to join us for liturgy on the eve of the 7th. Coptic Christmas falls on a Monday, so if parents wish to excuse their kids from school for this day, they can use this letter, which has been kindly provided by our Diocese.

NEW PRIEST FOR OUR CHURCH

Father Kyrillos Ibrahim announced that His Eminence Metropolitan Serapion has selected Ehab Maximous as worth of ordination to priesthood and his intention is for St. Basil to be his future parish. Let us congratulate Ehab, his wife Mariana, and his children Grace, Mark and Luke.

HELP WITH AMAZON SMILE

If you are looking into other ways to support our church, the AmazonSmile Foundation offers an easy way to give while browsing the Amazon shop. It will donate 0.5% of the purchase price from your eligible AmazonSmile purchases, at no cost to you. To shop at AmazonSmile simply go to smile.amazon.com (you may want to add a bookmark to make it easier to return). You will see eligible products marked “Eligible for AmazonSmile donation” on the product detail pages. If you already own an Amazon account you can use the same account for AmazonSmile. On your first visit, please select “Saint Basil American Coptic Orthodox Church” as your charity of choice. Amazon will remember your selection, and then every eligible purchase you make will result in a donation for our church. Thank you so much for your love and support.

ANNOUNCEMENTS, VISITATIONS & CONFESSIONS

Please let us know if you have any upcoming important events for us to share with our fellow congregants. Special events are best shared amongst our family, and we encourage you to share your special news with us. 

FOOD & CLEAN-UP

To sign up to bring food for the agape meal on Sundays, please fill in the weekly spreadsheet available HERE. We need as many volunteers as possible to keep the church clean on Sundays after the Divine Liturgy. Please consider this important expression of stewards