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PEACE AND GRACE!

St. Mary’s Fast to start this week (August 7 / Mesra 1)

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

'“For the book says ‘God is Love"‘, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.”

+H.H. Pope Shenouda III

SERVICES & EVENTS THIS WEEK

Tuesday:

Women’s Book Club : 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday: 

Morning Liturgy: 6:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.

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

Saturday:

Children’s Hymns Class: 5:00 p.m. - 6.p.m.

Vespers: 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Sunday: 

Divine Liturgy: 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

CONGRATS KIDS!

Congratulations to St. Basil’s elementary school Sunday School children (1st - 6th grade) and their servants for their excellent performance in the annual diocese-wide Spiritual Competition! Out of a possible three categories (good, very good and excellent) they all received “excellent” showing their mastery of the topics they studied. We are very proud of you!

WOMEN’S BOOK CLUB

Come join us on Tuesdays at 7:00 pm for a review of the “The Jewel of Heaven and The Beacon of Monasticism”. The remarkable spiritual biography of our blessed Mother, Tamav (a Coptic word for “my mother’) Erene makes us bow before this great spirit that shone among us. She has a clear mission assigned from heaven. With faithfulness and tremendous struggle, she carried it on her shoulders, and offered it fully on the altar for Divine Love. For this and for all that her pure hands accomplished throughout her shining life, the Lord crowned her with glory.

Please consider bringing a dish for our potluck.

AUGUST 7 || ST. MARY’S FAST BEGINS

August 7 marks the start of the Fast of St. Mary. This is a two-week fast (fish permitted) that helps prepare us for the Feast of the Assumption on August 22.

St. Mary is the greatest woman that ever lived. She was chosen by the Father to bear His Only-Begotten Son, gave birth to the Savior of the world, and was the first person in history to receive Christ as her Savior. Consequently, she is our model of obedience and submission; of purity and holiness; of humility and royalty. Read more here.

AUGUST 24 || MEXICO ORPHANAGE TRIP

It’s finally here!! You’ve been asking and so have they! The kids in Mexico would like us to visit them again to play on August 24th!! We will be visiting the first orphanage we went to in Playas de Tijuana! More details to come! Space is limited! If you haven’t done so, please enter your information on the sign up sheet.

It takes a village to make this trip a success. Your home cleaning supplies/toiletries and clothing donations are appreciated even if you can’t join us to play! If you’d like to send clothing donations, please wash and neatly package lightly used items before bringing them to the donation area in the back corner of the church garage.

AUGUST 25 || BISHOP KYRILLOS VISITS

Bishop Kyrillos will be celebrating the Liturgy of St. Basil’s on Sunday, August 25th. Come join us to take the blessing of one of our great bishops!

SEPTEMBER 20-22 || COLLEGE YOUTH CONVENTION

FAMILY HOME VISITS

Abouna Michael is offering home visits for anyone who is interested. Please reach out to him directly to schedule a visit.

Phone: 949-378-0350

Email: FrMichaelMaximous@gmail.com

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

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

FOOD & CLEAN-UP

If you would like to help with food for our weekly Agape Meal please sign up through the links below. For questions please reach out to Erene at erenepasi@gmail.com

Thank you to all who have contributed and helped make the agape meal a special time for everyone. We need as many volunteers as possible to keep the church clean on Sundays after the Divine Liturgy. Please consider this important expression of stewardship.