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<\/a><\/p>\nSt. Nicholas lived during the reign of Saint Constantine the Great, and reposed in 330, As a young man, he desired to espouse the solitary life. He made a pilgrimage to the holy city Jerusalem, where he found a place to withdraw to devote himself to prayer.<\/p>\n
It was made known to him, however, that this was not the will of God for him, but that he should return to his homeland to be a cause of salvation for many. He returned to Myra, and was ordained bishop. He became known for his abundant mercy, providing for the poor and needy, and delivering those who had been unjustly accused.<\/p>\n
No less was he known for his zeal for the truth. He was present at the First Ecumenical Council of the 318 Fathers at Nicaea in 325; upon hearing the blasphemies that Arius brazenly uttered against the Son of God, Saint Nicholas struck him on the face. Since the canons of the Church forbid the clergy to strike any man at all, his fellow bishops were in perplexity what disciplinary action was to be taken against this hierarch whom all revered.<\/p>\n
Read the entire essay on the Greek Orthodox website<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n Read The Real Santa Claus<\/a> on the St. Peter website.<\/p>\n Join us for Vespers at 5:30pm and a St. Nicholas Day pot luck on Saturday, December 5 starting at 5:30. The next day (Sunday) is St. Nicholas Feast Day.<\/p>\n Invite your friends. We always have guests at our potluck because they are so much fun. Great food and fellowship — always! St. Peter’s easily does the best potlucks this side of the Mississippi!<\/p>\n Join us for a pilgrimage to Saint Nicholas Monastery in Ft Myers on Monday December 7th. We will depart caravan style from St Peter at 9am and return in the afternoon. <\/p>\n The begins with a reading of the Hours in the chapel. The chapel has many Holy Relics to venerate. Lunch follows with a lecture by Fr. Stephanos. The monastery has a second chapel dedicated to Saint Nectarios, so anyone interested in healing should make a special effort to join us.<\/p>\n Confessions are available. The onsite bookstore has some beautiful Icons and other gift items available in time for Christmas. This is a great way to start getting into the Spirit of the Birth of Christ.<\/p>\n Every year we send out a parish Christmas Card.<\/p>\n Sign up for the card either:<\/p>\n Deadline is December 13, 2015.<\/p>\n As we do ever year, the months approaching Christmas is when we collect foor for neighborhood foodshelves.<\/p>\n Please bring a canned item to Church with you on Sundays. Bins will be set up to collect them.<\/p>\n Cash\/check donations work too. Please give your donation to Mary Copeland and notate “Food Donation” on the memo line.<\/p>\n The drive will run through December 29. All donations will be distributed locally.<\/p>\n See more information on the website<\/a>.<\/p>\n Choir practice begins at 6pm and Orthodoxy 101 at 7pm. <\/p>\n Get the class syllabus and complete information on the website<\/a>.<\/p>\n Read Chapters 10-11, Pages 153-178 to prepare for class.<\/p>\n An icon commissioned for St. Peter’s is nearly complete. More details with be forthcoming (arrival, installation, dedication, and so forth) as they become known. The icon is hand carved and depicts Christ pulling Peter from the waters.<\/p>\n Click image to see a larger image on the website.<\/em><\/p>\n Work will procede on demolition of the inside of the new space next week — God willing. It consists of removing a few walls, clean up, and so forth. It won’t be done in a week but it may be done enough that we can hold our pot luck in the new location.<\/p>\n He will be attending a Diocese meeting in Miami and will return late afternoon. He will be available by cell phone.<\/p>\n “Welcome to the Orthodox Church!” is a new video series by Frederica Mathewes-Green that feature short and simple answers to questions about the Orthodox Church.<\/p>\n You can check them out on the St. Peter’s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n Learn about Orthodox teachings and dogma, Orthodox architecture and terminology, and what it means to live an Orthodox life.<\/p>\nVespers and St. Nicholas Potluck on Saturday, December 5 at 5:30pm<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nPilgrimage to St. Nicholas on Monday, December 7, 2015<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nSign up for the St. Peter Parish Christmas Card<\/h2>\n
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Food for the Hungry<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nChior Practice and Orthodoxy 101 Class Resume Wednesday, December 2, 2015<\/h2>\n
First Look at an Icon Commissioned for St. Peters<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nExpansion Starts This Week<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nFr. Hans out of Town on Thursday, December 3, 2015<\/h2>\n
New Videos Posted on Website<\/h2>\n