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7 August 2021 Covid Protocols
In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, we have adapted how we have lived our daily lives, as well as
the ways we worshipped as a Church. Our priority continues to be our need
to care for and protect one another. As certain restrictions have been lifted
and other reimposed, all parishes and Pastors are to implement the new guidelines with prudence, following public health precautions,
and with the safety and protection of all people regardless of vaccination status in accordance with the mandates of the Counties
of Los Angeles and Santa Barbara and the Cities of Pasadena and Long Beach.
The Archdiocesan Guidelines that specifically
apply to our parish are as follows:
- All indoor participants are required to wear face coverings, regardless of vaccination status.
- Parishes may hold prayer group meetings, ministerial gatherings, and social gatherings provided that
mandated and strongly recommended public health precautions are observed, including the use of face coverings indoors according
to City and County Orders.
- Hand sanitation must be available for all visitors.
- Parishes are not required to sanitize after each liturgy
or service but instead should observe sensible public health precautions.
- Liturgical singing can take place while wearing face coverings.
- Collection baskets may be placed in
a location where people can provide their donations as they exit the church.
Our indoor Liturgies and other Services
will continue to be live-steamed at
https://www.facebook.com/StAndrewRussianGreekCatholicParish/ Weekday Matins Services will be available via Zoom: if you would like to participate,
please contact Father Alexei for Zoom link. Our weekly Sunday bulletin will continue to be distributed electronically. For your
convenience, our methods of online giving will continue to be available: access
Givelify at: www.givelify.com/givenow/1.0/NjUwMDY=/selection
Or if you prefer, our parish GoFundMe account
is still active at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/st-andrew039s-church
Please take a look at our new "Educational Resources" page.
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Sun
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28 Nov
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Divine Liturgy, 10:00 a.m., followed by our Monthly Charity "Luncheon". Please see expanded note below.
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Mon
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29 Nov
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There are no events scheduled for today.
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Tue
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30 Nov
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Feast of Saint Andrew the First-called,
Patron of our community
Matins, 8:00 a.m. via Zoom.
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Wed
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Feast of the Prophet Nahum
Matins, 8:00 a.m. via
Zoom.
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Thur
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2 Dec
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There are no events scheduled for today.
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Fri
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3 Dec
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Feast of the Prophet Zephaniah
Matins, 8:00 a.m. via Zoom
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Sat
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4 Dec
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There are no events scheduled for today.
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Sun
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5 Dec
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Divine Liturgy, 10:00 a.m. followed by our Annual
Parish Saint Nicholas Day Celebration.
El Segundo Community Churches Prayer Gathering, hosted by our parish, 4:00 p.m. See further in the 2nd paragraph of
"Upcoming" below.
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Monthly Charity "Luncheon"
We are continuing our parish charitable
outreach during the pandemic by supporting a different charity each month, albeit it without a luncheon.
Around the corner from the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem, marking the site where Jesus was born, is the Nino
Dos Home. Established in 2005 by a religious order, the Family of the Incarnate
Word, the Nino Dios Home cares for 36 Palestinian children with complex permanent disabilities.
Many were abandoned by their families or lived with families who could not care for them due to extreme poverty; others
were removed from homes deemed unsafe by Palestinian authorities. Although
some of the children are ambulatory, others use wheelchairs custom-designed for their needs.
Several are nonverbal but can communicate with devices or with their eyes and smiles:
Father Alexei has twice visited this home and can attest to that!
Thanks to the five nuns, therapists and (before Covid) a rotating roster of volunteers who work at the home, all the
residents receive individualized physical therapy and speech therapy and are taught in small groups appropriate to their developmental
level. The home relies totally on charitable donations and the kindness of
others.
Upcoming
Sunday, December 5th,
annual Parish Saint Nicholas celebration.
On the same day, at 4:00 p.m., our parish will host an ecumenical gathering
of our fellow Christians from the other churches in El Segundo. It will be an opportunity of meeting one another and praying with and
for one another. Father Alexei will give a brief tour of our church building and iconography, explaining their significance to our
prayer style. Members of Hilltop Church of Christ will share their musical tradition. In-person only
Wednesday, December 15th, annual Parish Nativity Fast Reflection, both in-person and via livestream.
Restorative Tai Chi is Back!
Classes in Restorative Tai Chi are offered Tuesday,
Thursday and Friday evenings at 6:30 p.m., Saturday morning at 11;00 a.m., and Sunday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. Newcomers
are welcome! Classes are small, with proper physical distancing observed. Cost: $15.00 and a food donation for
CASE. Packages are available at reduced rates.
Spread the Word!
Following the theft of the proceeds of our 2017 Yard Sale, which were designated to help fund the repairs
to our blue cupola on the side of our church, we have established a GoFundMe account to not only recoup the stolen proceeds
from the Sale but also to assist in funding the repairs.
Saint Xenia
Charitable Fund
In an effort to assist those members of our parish who
are struggling financially due to the faltering economy, loss of employment or decreased retirement benefits, the parish established
the Saint Xenia Charitable Fund. Father Alexei alone administers this fund, and all disbursements and contributions are
kept strictly confidential. Since its establishment, the Saint Xenia Fund has been able to assist several of our parishioners
with partial rent payments, money for food, purchase of job-related necessities, payment of utility bills and medications.
Should you wish to assist us in helping our own, please place your cash donation (Father will provide you with a receipt
for tax purposes should you desire it) in an envelope marked "Saint Xenia Fund" and give it directly to Father.
Disbursements are made in cash to protect anonymity.
And who is Saint Xenia? Well, here is her story......
 Saint Xenia lived during the eighteenth century,
but little is known of her life or of her family. She passed most of her life in Petersburg during the reigns of the empresses
Elizabeth and Catherine II. Xenia Grigorievna
Petrova was the wife of an army officer, Major Andrew Petrov. After the wedding, the couple lived in St Petersburg. St Xenia
became a widow at the age of twenty-six when her husband suddenly died at a party. She grieved for the loss of her husband,
and especially because he died without Confession or Holy Communion. Once her earthly happiness ended, she did not look for it again. From that time forward, Xenia lost
interest in the things of this world, and followed the difficult path of foolishness for the sake of Christ. The basis for
this strange way of life is to be found in the first Epistle to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 1:18-24, 1 Cor. 2:14, 1 Cor. 3:18-19).
The Lord strengthened her and helped her to bear sorrow and misfortune patiently for the next forty-five years. She started wearing her husband's clothing, and insisted that she
be addressed as "Andrew Feodorovich." She told people that it was she, and not her husband, who had died. In a certain
sense, this was perfectly true. She abandoned her former way of life and experienced a spiritual rebirth. When she gave away
her house and possessions to the poor, her relatives complained to the authorities. After speaking to Xenia, the officials
were conviced that she was in her right mind and was entitled to dispose of her property as she saw fit. Soon she had nothing
left for herself, so she wandered through the poor section of Petersburg with no place to lay her head. She refused all assistance
from her relatives, happy to be free of worldly attachments. When her late husband's red and green uniform wore out, she clothed herself in rags of those colors. After
a while, Xenia left Petersburg for eight years. It is believed that she visited holy Elders and ascetics throughout Russia
seeking instruction in the spiritual life. She may have visited St Theodore of Sanaxar (February 19), who had been a military
man himself. His life changed dramatically when a young officer died at a drinking party. Perhaps this officer was St Xenia's
husband. In any case, she knew St Theodore and profited from his instructions. St Xenia eventually returned to the poor section of Petersburg, where she was mocked and insulted
because of her strange behavior. When she did accept money from people it was only small amounts, which she used to help the
poor. She spent her nights praying without sleep in a field outside the city. Prayer strengthened her, and in her heart's
conversation with the Lord she found the support she needed on her difficult path. When a new church was being built in the Smolensk cemetery, St Xenia brought bricks to the site.
She did this in secret, during the night, so that no one would know. Soon her great virtue and spiritual gifts began to be noticed. She prophesied future events affecting
the citizens of Petersburg, and even the royal family. Against her will, she became known as someone pleasing to God, and
nearly everyone loved her.They said, "Xenia does not belong to this world, she belongs to God." People regarded
her visits to their homes or shops as a great blessing. St Xenia loved children, and mothers rejoiced when the childless widow
would stand and pray over a baby's crib, or kiss a child. They believed that the blessed one's kiss would bring that child
good fortune. St Xenia lived about forty-five
years after the death of her husband, and departed to the Lord at the age of seventy-one. The exact date and circumstances
of her death are not known, but it probably took place at the end of the eighteenth century. She was buried in the Smolensk
cemetery. By the 1820s, people flocked to her
grave to pray for her soul, and to ask her to intercede with God for them. So many visitors took earth from her grave that
it had to be replaced every year. Later, a chapel was built over her grave. Those who turn to St Xenia in prayer receive healing from illness, and deliverance from their
afflictions. She is also known for helping people who seek jobs.
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