U P C O M I N G

E V E N T S

Friday 16th December

The Truth About Christmas

Talk 1

Contact: Micha Chalhoub

Ph: 0403 277 488

Sunday 18th December

Nursing Home Visit

Contact: Isabel Antoun

Ph: 0414 959 129

Sunday 18th December

Carols By Candlelight

Contact: Isabel Antoun

Ph: 0414 959 129

Friday 23rd December

The Truth About Christmas

Talk 2

Contact: Micha Chalhoub

Ph: 0403 277 488

Wednesday Nights

Feed The Homeless

Contact: Isabel Antoun

Ph: 0414 959 129

Friday Nights

Scouts Drum Prac'ce

Contact: Elias A)allah

Ph: 0416 631 436

ST NICHOLAS FEAST DAY - 6 DECEMBER 2011

www.stnicholaspunchbowl.org.au

Q U O T E O F T H E

M O N T H

'He who relies on theore-cal

knowledge alone is not yet a

faithful servant: a faithful

servant is one who expresses

his faith in Christ through

obedience to His

commandments.'

St. Mark the Asce'c

T H E S P I R I T

E D I T I O N — 7 4 D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1

Legends of Santa Claus derived from the life of

none other than Blessed Saint Nicholas, a gi;-giver

and Patron Saint of children. He dedicated his life

to God as a Bishop of Myra and centred his life on

Jesus’ teaching: “Sell what you own and give money

to the poor.” Nicholas was born into a wealthy

family and spent his en-re inheritance relieving the

needs of poor families, widows, orphans and poor

children. He did not treasure his wealth, instead

treasured the virtue of giving.

Nicholas would o;en give charitably at night by

disguising in a hooded cloak to secretly leave gi;s,

money, clothing or food for the poor. He did not

wish to receive praise for his charitable works as he

preferred his deeds were observed through the

eyes of God alone.

There are many stories that entail Saint Nicholas’ compassionate acts; the most famous

tells how he secretly provides dowries, or money, for three poor sisters. Prospec-ve

bridegrooms required large dowries, without them the sisters were unlikely to marry and

would be forced into slavery. Nicholas provided a bag of gold for each of their dowries by

secretly delivering it through an open window or dropping it down the chimney where

they landed in damp stockings hung by the fire.

He is also known as a man who strived for jus-ce and honesty by working to free those

falsely accused of crimes and inducing thieves to return stolen possessions. He also used

prayer to calm a sudden storm that erupted on board a ship to the Holy Land, sparing the

lives of sailors and voyages.

Nicholas died on December 6, 343 AD and was buried in a Cathedral Church where a

unique liquid substance called manna formed in his grave. This was said to have healing

powers, fostering the growth of devo-on to Saint Nicholas. The anniversary of his death is

now a day of celebra-on.

Let us honour Saint Nicholas on his Feast day and follow his prac-ces by giving more than

we receive.

THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH:

‘It is nice to decorate our homes to express our eagerness to receive the new born King

but all this prepara-on goes to waste if we do not decorate our inner homes; the homes

of our souls, our hearts, where Christ truly dwells, through fas-ng, prayer, reading and

fulfilling of scripture, forgiveness, alms giving and uncondi-onal love for everyone’

Father Isaac

Ruperta Daher

St Nicholas ‘Build Our Church’ Grand Ball

4th November 2011

Oh what a night! Dona-ons streamed

in le;, right and centre at this year’s

charity event, allowing St Nicholas to

raise a whopping $94, 000!

It was the grandest of all balls as

women shimmered in their dazzling

gowns and men suited up in dashing

black -e ensembles. But hiding

behind the blitz and glam that

bedazzled Grand Royale that Friday

night is a generous crowd that

donated graciously to their church.

To support and help raise funds for

the church, From Lebanon with Love

and Fat Pizza star Rob Shehaidie

hosted the event and had guests in

hysterics with a series of comical

skits. Australian Idol contestant

Anton Ak-la also made a special

appearance and wowed the crowd

with a live performance. To get the

hafleh started, live Arabic singers

took the stage and got people

shimmying and doing the Dabkeh.

And to end the night, DJ Beat Geek

got the young folks shufflin’ with a

round of RnB hits.

The moment the guests have been

anxiously wai-ng for arrived during

the main course – and no it wasn’t

the chicken. It was Raffle -me! Prizes

ranged from Apple iPads, a HD

Television, Play Sta-on 3, return

-ckets to the Gold Coast, etc.

However, it was the final raffle draw

that had everyone at the edge of

their seats. A special congratula-ons

to Dalida Dagher for winning the

return trip to Lebanon!

We would like to thank everyone who

turned up to the event and helped

make this a spectacular night. All your

kind dona-ons will not only help

build the church, but build the St

Nicholas community. God Bless +

Ruperta Daher

-Santa Claus derived

from the Dutch

pronuncia-on of Saint

Nicholas, Sinterklass.

-In some countries,

children receive their

presents on Saint

Nicholas Day, December

6th, rather than on

Christmas.

-The word “Christmas”

means “Mass of Christ,”

later shortened to

“Christ-Mass.”

-The ‘Twelve Days of

Christmas’ are a

fes-ve period linking

together two Great

Feasts of the Lord:

Na-vity and

Theophany.

DID YOU KNOW?

BOOK REVIEW

A Lenten Cookbook For Orthodox Chris'ans Publisher: Saint Nectarios Press

This is a great cookbook with the story of St Euphrosynus the Cook.

The book opens with the life of St Euphrosynus the Cook and a sec-on on fas-ng. The recipes

are divided into the usual sec-ons: main dishes, salads, vegetables, breads, desserts etc.

During Great Lent, the Christmas Fast and many other -mes during the year, Orthodox

Chris-ans must abstain from meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine and oil. This cookbook gives some

great recipes to make life easier for the cook, who has to prepare dishes

without the main ingredients most people are familiar with and enjoy.

AVAILABLE FOR BORROWING AT THE ST NICHOLAS LIBRARY TODAY!!!

St Nicholas Bookshop Borrowing Prices:

Per Book: $1

Yearly Membership: $10 (to increase to $15 each year beginning Jan 2012)

The Lives of Saints— St Nectarios

“He lived in the world, but was not, as the Saviour says, of

the world. He trod on the earth yet conducted himself like

a ci-zen of heaven. He had the form of man, but lived like

an angel. He was clothed with flesh, but was a strict keep-

er and guardian of chas-ty. He associated with various

kinds of persons, but spoke as a spiritual man, alien to the

present world.”

Anastasios Kephalas was born on October 1, 1846 in

Selybria, Thrace.

In 1866, at the age of 20, Anastasios le; Constan-nople to

the island of Chios and then became a monk at the age of

30. Three years a;er becoming a monk Anastasios was

ordained a Deacon and took the name, Nectarios.

A;er his gradua-on in 1885, he went to Alexandria and was ordained a priest, serving in the

Church of Saint Nicholas in Cairo. The Saint was later consecrated Bishop of Pentapolis 1889.

A;er having served as Bishop for over a year he was removed from his post as other priests

grew jealous of him and lies were formed. In 1904 at the request of several nuns, Saint

Nectarios built a monastery for them on the island of Aegina (in Greece) and was named Holy

Trinity Monastery. At the age of 62, the Saint humbly withdrew himself to the Holy Trinity

Convent, living his life as a monk. The Saint became Metropolitan of the island of Aegina.

On the evening of November 9, 1920, Saint Nectarios died at the age of 74. His body was taken

to the Holy Trinity Convent and buried by a Priest-Monk named Savas. Father Savas painted

the first icon of Saint Nectarios. During his life-me he was regarded as a Saint because of his

true innocence, humility, purity, and his wri-ngs, as well as the miracles performed.

On September 2, 1953, thirty-three years a;er his death, the Saint’s relics were removed,

giving out a sweet-smelling fragrance. Thousands of miracles have been a)ributed to his

intercession, par-cularly cases of cancer or other serious illnesses being cured. Nectarios was

officially recognised as a Saint by the Ecumenical patriarchate of Constan-nople on April 20,

1961.

Micha Chalhoub

SPONSOR THE NEWSLETTER! We need your help! In order to con'nue producing this newsle=er, we need a monthly sponsor or someone

who can print it at a reasonable price. So if you can help us or know a friend of a friend of a

friend who can, please contact us TODAY!

Contact Isabel Antoun on 0414 959 129.

Youth Profiling Name: Christine Eskaff Age: 24 Role: Treasurer Favourite Colour: Purple Favourite Food: Anything Mexican - Tacos, nachos, burritos YUMMMMM. Sushi comes in at second place. Favourite Day of the Week: Any day of the weekend so I can sleep in. Favourite TV Show/Movie: Wedding Crashers. It’s so funny. I love Vince Vaughn. Also the TV show Dawson’s Creek which I was completely obsessed with. Favourite Quote: 'Love one another as I have loved you' If you could do one thing that will help make a difference to people’s lives, what would it be? I think that myself and everyone else could make a difference just by simply treating the people around us first with respect, love and equality. It’s not an easy thing to do all the time, I can be the first to admit that, but we know that this isn’t supposed to be an easy life. But I think if we can start to do this and try and make a difference we can start to make this world a more loving and caring place as God intended it to be.

Q & A

Why do we fast for Christmas ?

On November 15, Orthodox Christians begin the Nativity Fast. This is a 40 day fast preceding Christmas and ending

on Christmas day. Like the Great Lenten Fast, eating of dairy and meat is not permitted. Fish is permitted only on Saturdays

and Sundays before December 12, after which a strict fast is observed. This is a joyous fast as we anticipate and prepare

ourselves to celebrate the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. It is the period where we proclaim the Miracle of God becoming

man on Christmas Day and our attention is drawn to the great mystery of the Incarnation of our Lord.

If this is a joyous season, why then must we fast, you ask? It is very easy to get caught up with the secular celebrations of this

season- the parties, the gifts, the good food and the caroling, that we tend to overlook the true meaning of Christmas, the

moment Eternal Life is united with mortal life, the moment that God is united with man, the moment where it became

possible for us to become like God and be united with Him in Eternal Life, the moment our King is born.

By fas-ng, we are removing ourselves from the materialis-c and secular celebra-ons of this joyous day and instead

undertaking a spiritual journey- developing our humility so that we can fully appreciate what God has given us. We must not

only fast during this joyous season but also focus on alms giving, spiritual reading, prayer, forgiveness and living a more

Christ-like life. This is the true spirit of Christmas – preparing ourselves to receive our newborn King, just as the manager was

prepared for Christ.

On Christmas Day, is when the true celebra-on begins and is followed by the 12 days of Christmas ending on January 6, where

the Theophany is celebrated. This is the -me where the visi-ng, fes-vi-es, family BBQ's, chan-ng and carols can take place as

we have prepared ourselves and can truly appreciate the joyous event of Jesus Christ our Saviour's birth.

So when you are opening up your Christmas presents this year, take a moment to reflect on whose birthday you are actually

celebra'ng and the importance of His Holy birth.

Isabel Antoun

GOT A QUESTION? … SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS TO: stnicholaspunchbowl@gmail.com.au