Protection Parish Newsletter - February 2011

Thanks to:

• the 75 volunteers who cleaned and prepared the Church and hall for Christmas. This was record attendance at a parish working bee. January is a busy month because of all the festal services in the Church calendar, even though some of the other activities, such as study groups, parish school and buffet lunches stop over the school holidays.
• the Russian School parents and teachers who prepared the Christmas party (“Yolka”) and organised the children’s performances. “Tsar Saltan” play (Pushkin) was received with enthusiastic applause. Our school children performed for the first time on the new removable stage. 83 children attended with parents and relatives. Thanks to Galia Ivanenko (Sisterhood) who headed the catering effort.

News

The triennial Diocesan Assembly met in Sydney on December 26 and 27.

Representatives of the Melbourne Parish included Fr. Nicholas Karipoff, Deacon Alexander Abramoff, Alek Bialocerkowski, Luda Cowall, Kiril Kozulin, Inna Smith, Dimitri Souprounovich, Michael Stirkul and Nicholas Wirubov.

Chaired by His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion, the meeting passed many progressive proposals, including extensive additions to the “Rules for clergy”, thus bringing many facets of Church life and governance in line with the realities of the world.

Fr Nicholas Karipoff and Alek Bialocerwski were re-elected to Diocesan Council for another three years. Luba Cowall was elected reserve member for the laity.

Baptisms: 

Ten infants: Yulia, Bernice, Alexander, Andrew, Daniel, Maksim, Vincent, Adam, Leonidas and Vladimir – and one adult, John were baptised in our church in January.

Bookshop

Olga welcomes all parishioners to visit the bookshop which has been relocated to the first floor of the hall (up the stairs and to the right). It has also expanded and now has a large selection of literature, icons and crosses.

Sunday school: 

From 10.00 am every Sunday, except on Sundays with 2 liturgies (conducted in English).

Coming events:

• Sat 5 
• 9.15 am – Russian school begins
• 9.30 am – liturgy, St Xenia (not Sunday)
• Sun 6 
• 11.45 am – Back to school prayers
• Buffet, Pensioners’ club
• 1.30 pm – wedding: Vesta & Sebastien
• Sun 13 
• 1.00 pm - wedding: Alisa & Athansios
• Sun 20 
• Buffet, fundraiser for Indonesian Missions.
• Volunteers needed to help prepare (contact Inna Smith 0411 039 625);
• 1.00 pm – wedding: Svetlana & David
• Sun 27 
• 6.00 pm – Youth meeting.
• Theology groups, English and Russian: to be announced, subject to Rector’s availability

Timetable and newsletter checked and published by the Rector, HPC