The Antiochian Women is a sisterhood associating all women of the church and the Archdiocese. We are there for the welfare and the benefit of our church. Every woman in the church is considered an Antiochian Woman. We develop wonderful relationships with each other as we work together for the church. Our aim is to help those in need as well as helping our church financially.

Not only do we have meetings on a regular basis, we also organize outings and other activities. Our yearly projects are the Annual Christmas Bazaar, our Bake Sale at St. Barbara’s Feast Day and our Lenten Luncheon. We also have a Madayeh Supper where we collect donations going towards the Food For The Hungry Archdiocesan Program.

We also try to have speakers occasionally and participate in diocesan events that come along throughout the year
Please join us. You are always welcome.

Antiochian Women Calendar of events

Person of contact:
Linda Alexander (president)
(450) 669-7653

Joan Barakett (vice-president)
(514)895-9988
jbjustpilates@gmail.com

WEST ISLAND BIBLE STUDY (OF ST. GEORGE) (WIBS)
The West Island Bible Study (WIBS) began in January 2003 , with the blessing of Father Antony and under the direction of Abouna Jean El-Murr.

We chose to gather half the year at the home of Diane Nemer in Kirkland and the other half at the home of Alex & Colette Ward in DDO. The concept of the study was to provide an opportunity for West Islanders to have a spiritual experience studying the Word of God close to home and in a warm, casual environment … a concept that has worked very well and which continues.
We started this group as five strangers and grew over the years to a membership of over 40, coming from all parts of the West Island and also from Ville Saint Laurent, Cartierville, Laval, and TMR.

As we progressed, one of our own, Michel Sarkis, inspired by Abouna Jean, obtained a Master in Orthodox Theology and now shares in the leadership of this group with Abouna Jean. We are so blessed and grateful for their dedication and love.
The concept of WIBS is to learn about God’s Word, His greatest gift to us, not as experts, but as laymen…to help us to better understand our faith as Orthodox Christians and more importantly, how to apply this faith in our daily lives. After 15 years, we are still learning in joy and fellowship.

The format is consistent and simple. We gather most of the year every second Tuesday at 7:30 pm. People arrive and get settled, with opening prayer at 7:45, study and discussion until 9:30, followed by a small snack and fellowship before venturing home.
If you have ever wondered why as Orthodox, we practice in certain ways or believe certain things, this study will help you to understand and better appreciate our Liturgy, the Gospels & Epistles as well as our symbolism and practices. We have an incredibly rich faith to uncover and no matter how young or old you are, or how much you already know or don’t, you will find your soul fed with God’s Word in a gentle and welcoming environment.

You are invited to keep a watchful eye on the St. George website and weekly bulletin for WIBS topics and schedule.

If you would like to be included in the reminder e-mails,
please write to Diane Nemer at remenenaid@videotron.ca or call her at 514-695-2171.
GOD’S WORD WAS WRITTEN FOR EVERYONE…PLEASE JOIN US!

• ST. GEORGE ARABIC SPIRITUAL GROUP فرقة القديس جاورجيوس الروحية الناطقة باللغة العربية

This group was originally formed to provide the newcomers who arrived from Syria to Montreal in 2015-2016 with an opportunity to build up their relationship with God and each other through St. George Parish.

The first meeting of the Spiritual Group was held on 22 September, 2016. The group started its Spiritual activities by studying the Gospel of St. Mark with the blessings and full involvement of Father Jean El Murr and Michel Sarkis.

The Bible Study sessions were complemented by a few social events including two dinners, in which more than 80 families took part. The group also prepared on March 9th, 2018 one of the five Medayeh Meals within the Campaign Food for the Hungry. The aim of these events was to bring together our Orthodox brothers and sisters who arrived during the last three years to Montreal in order to get acquainted with each other and with the church activities. All three events were successful and were very well received by all participants.

We are now in the process of expanding our activities to include more social events that will be open for all parishioners.

This Bible Study group is intended for people who wish to read and discuss the Bible in Arabic.  Meetings are generally held on a bi-weekly basis. Please make sure to follow our ads in the bulletin. For more information your contact person is Nick Maliha

تقوم الفرقة بمناقشة الإنجيل والمواضيع الروحية الهامة باللغة العربية مرتين في الشهر. يمكنكم مراجعة النشرة الأسبوعية للكنيسة للاستعلام عن موعد اللقاءات. لمزيد من المعلومات الرجاء مراجعة السيد نيقولا مليحة

Mediation and Counseling

The programme is intended to provide St. George parishioners with a private place to:

• Talk over any issue
• Have help dealing with problems
• Share certain feelings

For more information, please contact Carolyn Tabah, Counsellor and Mediator using the form below.

The Humanitarian Relief Programme of St. George Church was launched in 2015 with the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph knowing that over 75 churches and non-profit organizations are sponsoring Syrians in Greater Montreal.

The Private Humanitarian Sponsorship Programme is a unique Canadian legal tool tailored to non-profit organizations to help war victims and save lives. Being a private sponsorship programme, it doesn’t benefit from any governmental financial support. The program takes into consideration the financial capacity of the asylum-seeker or that of his family in Canada.

The new comers land in Canada as permanent residents, with almost all the rights and duties of Canadian citizens. Nonetheless, they are not entitled to the financial support, commonly known as welfare, for the first year after their arrival, so St. George had to design a process to secure the living funds for each family for the first year.

With the beginning of the program in 2015, a donation of 500$ was sought from the family of each asylum seeker in Canada with the intention of building a fund to sponsor the most needy and poor Christian families by 2016. With the massive arrival of new comers in early 2016, St. George started offering all available support. Generous donors provided for the rental of a warehouse, all parishioners donated in cash and in kind and enthusiastic volunteers dedicated hundreds of hours.

On the other hand, the pioneer funding project of the families without sponsors was such an example of good management, that it was recognized by the Canadian government and the Prime Minister Mr. Trudeau asked Dina Yaziji to present it in 2017 in a one-on-one meeting.

Nevertheless, the decision of sponsoring families with no relatives in Canada was a huge liability. His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph was presented with the budget for the sponsoring of 20 families and the Archdiocese was solicited to match the funds collected by St. George.

By touching the reality on the ground it was found, very quickly, that the relief operations are overwhelming, volunteers cannot respond any more to the growing needs and the funds are by far under the minimum required to respond to this tragedy. With the arrival of the first few families that are fully sponsored by St. George, the reality is that their vulnerable health and mental condition, their language skills and their capacity of integration are below our expectations therefore increasing the gap between our means and their needs.

St. George Church sponsored 600 families:

2015: 248 Families

2016: 195 Families

2017: 157 Families** for a total of 1250 man, woman and child, among them 450 reached Canada, the rest is expected in 2018-2019.

While the vast majority had their own financial means or the support of their families in Canada, the 20 St. George sponsored families still need a lot of financial support to be able to become independent.

The program appreciates everyone’s support and prayers and asks everyone to remember in their charity works, the urgent needs of their newly arrived fellow parishioners.

DONATE HERE TAB

The St. George Humanitarian Relief Programme next pioneer project is sponsoring orphans / abandoned Syrian children.

It has been reported that thousands of Syrian children born in Lebanon after 2012 are not registered, many are born to raped women, or abandoned due to the poverty or simply lost their parents or one of them; these children are deprived of the very basic human rights, the right to entity and the right to life.

Please stay posted on how to contribute to this new project.

** only 92 applications out of 157 were received by the ministry which opened the programme for 20 days in 2017, the balance of 59 application still waiting for the re-opening in 2018.

1. Nous joindre / Contact us
2. Icônes faites à l’atelier / Icons from our Studio

[Pictures of icons from students and teachers to be accessed by the name of the icon, or the iconographer’s name or by the date it was made- Through a Facebook link or through a folder in the cloud?].

3. Informations générales / General information

• Heures d’ouverture / Opening hours
• Cours offerts à l’atelier / Workshops at the Icon Studio
• Commander une icône / Commision an Icon
• Histoire de l’atelier / The Studio’s history

VIEW OUR MENTORING SECTION HERE

St. George Orthodox Christian Church of Montreal is a member of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of New York and all North America. His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph serves as our Archbishop and Metropolitan.

The purpose of this St. George Orthodox Church is to maintain and preserve the spiritual and physical well-being and unity of membership in this community, to coordinate religious work or activity with the intent of propagating, practicing and forever perpetuating religious worship services.

Our Board of Trustees consists of persons 18 years of age and over who have been baptized and accepted in the membership of the Holy Orthodox Church and are in good standing through payment of such membership dues, pledges and assessments as prescribed by the Board of Trustees. The Board consists of the Pastor, V. Rev. Dr. Joseph F. Purpura, its Chairman and President, Alan Rossy, plus nine additional voting members: Rima Awad, Richard Ayoup, Carol Jazzar, Gaby Habash, Nicolas Manoli, Bruna Salhany, Michel Sarkis, Carla Tabah, and Dina Yaziji. These Parish Council members are entrusted with the responsibility to govern and give proper guidance to all activities of the Church.

The Annual General Meeting, which takes place every June in the Church Hall, is open to all Parishioners.
The Chairman and Pastor will summarize the state of affairs over the past year as well as its objectives moving forward. Reports will be distributed of all organizations and their respective financial statements. The Treasurer of the Board will present the Annual Financial Statements of the St. George Orthodox Church of Montreal and the Auditor’s Report. Your Pastor and Parish Council look forward to welcoming you all.

We invite you to participate in one of our Organizations. On page 2 of our weekly Sunday Bulletin, you will find a list of our Organizations and contacts. They are open to all ages. These Organizations are working hard to plan events that would involve all Parishioners in our community.

Please feel free to send me your comments using the form below.

May God bless you.
Alan Rossy
Chairman and President of the Parish Council

Mission 

The mission of the St. George Church Choir is to foster a committed community of Orthodox Christians who love to sing, and who give back to God the gift of music He graciously grants to each, leading the congregation in prayer together, with the angels, as one heavenly voice, in praise of God. 

Objectives 

– Learn and perform Orthodox choral music during, but not limited to, liturgical services at St. George Church.
– Enhance the experience of all its members and parishioners in praising God.
– Encourage participation of parishioners in the Choir. 

New members 

Membership is open to anyone who has an interest in joining the Choir. Candidates are required to meet with the Musical Director who shall give his/her approval. 

Rehearsal 

Tuesday evenings 7:00-8:30PM September – December and
Sunday mornings before liturgy March-May 

The Byzantine Choir of Saint George Church aims to serve the Church by developing Arabic Byzantine chanting and taking part in services.

The Byzantine hymns learning classes are in Arabic and open to all ages. Rest assured that language is not an issue when you have the real desire to praise the Lord! Looking forward to having you amongst us!

For any enquiry please contact the Byzantine Choir Director, Nagy Helal at (514) 213-4429 or email at nhelal@sympatico.ca

Lead Chanter: Georges Fattouh (514) 758-3493

Ages 14-30

The Youth Choir offers an opportunity for young people who love chanting to get together and learn the essential techniques and the core hymns of our rich Orthodox repertoire.

It aims at developing the talents of participants and providing them with the tools necessary to chant the four-part hymns of our Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese in the Americas.

Rehearsals are weekly during school year.

You need to follow us on Facebook for an updated schedule. https://www.facebook.com/stgeorgemtlym/

For any additional information, please contact your Youth Director at 514 276-8533 ext. 203

A HISTORICAL GLIMPSE

In the early sixties, many young families of Egyptian Orthodox origin immigrated to Canada, and many of them decided to settle in Montreal which became their permanent residence. For their spiritual life, these dynamic and believing families chose Saint-George Church and immediately felt right at home. The Church became their main meeting place for social and family encounters. As the number of families increased, a group of former Scoutmasters from Egypt decided, in 1967, to establish a social club named Circle St-Georges Circle. They decided that The Circle would take charge of the social, sporting and humanitarian aspects related to the youth of the church, without forgetting the spiritual aspect. Thus, they inscribed in The Circle’s constitution the financial responsibility relating to religious education, a responsibility it continues to assume up to this day. Many more activities followed such as the establishment of a Scout movement, proud heir of the El-Chark Scouts from Egypt (the first in Montreal for a Middle Eastern community!), the formation of a choir in the Byzantine tradition, Sunday coffee hour, excursions and dance parties (New Year Eve & Valentine’s parties), just to name a few.

Over the years, the circle expanded and was enriched by the contribution of young Lebanese, Palestinian & Syrian families. With so many talents, the family continues to grow!

THE Cercle St-Georges Circle NOW

Although we are a small group, we do play an important role in our beloved St. George Parish! Ten teams (either husband & wife or friends) are committed to serving coffee and croissants 48 weeks a year thus enabling our parishioners to chit chat and mingle. Monies collected through the Sunday coffee hours go toward the needs of our youth (Communion Breakfasts, graduation, outings, etc.).

Since the beginning and up to today, Saint-George Church – our spiritual home – receives our moral and financial support. Thanks to the Church, we contribute to charitable organizations in our new land and our motherlands. Even though the Youth Ministry (i.e. Camp Transfiguration, the St. George Soccer Club, etc.) remains our priority, over the years, we contributed to other charities and humanitarian activities:

• Food for Hungry People Annual Appeal
• Needy families
• Home for the Elderly in Cairo (Egypt)
• Orphanages in Egypt, Guatemala, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria
• Four Homes of Mercy (Jerusalem)
• Syrian Appeal
• Saint-George Cancer Awareness Group
• Parish, Diocesan, and Archdiocesan appeals

When approached to participate and lend a helping hand, we always take part and with pride!

In 2012, the Circle St-Georges celebrated 45 years of existence and continues to attract new members.

Find out more about how you can be part of building our church’s vibrant future. The Legacy Fund enhances church life every day, by helping financially support programs for youth, music and our community.

Building a solid capital base from the generous giving of our parishioners we are able to fund over 75,000$ of programs every year.

Each year our volunteers are excited to do more and offer more. Learn how you can donate and/or get involved.

Ensuring continued humanitarian work

In 2004 The Legacy Fund was created at St. George Church through the generous contributions of many parishioners. The main objective was to benefit those members of our community in need of financial and spiritual support, and to provide secure funding for St. George Church humanitarian efforts for years to come.

Every year since its inception the Fund has supported our community in measurable and significant ways – supporting humanitarian and heritage projects using only the interest income generated by the Fund. All donations to the Fund are allocated to the capital account, as the goal is to keep building on the momentum of the Legacy Fund success.

The Legacy Fund supports 3 main areas in our community.

(Please note that these items are not covered by Membership Dues.)

1. Legacy Outreach

Health and harmony responsible for:

• Counseling our couples who are ready to enter into the union of marriage.
• Helping people within the community in need of counseling.
• Offering sessions and workshops on issues relevant to different cohorts within our community.
• Community Care and Comfort who care for the needs of the less fortunate and unwell in the community.

2. Community Growth

• Continuing education of youth, clergy and choir
• Community projects
• Youth projects & programmes
• Special projects and outreach outside of our church

3. Humanitarian and Heritage

The main objective of Humanitarian and Heritage is managing and growing the fund for the future.

Donate to The Legacy Fund

Donate today or ask about how planned giving can help you defer taxes today and avoid tax liability in the future. Contact us for a personal meeting to discuss the options available to you, which may include:

• Donating your RRSP to add retirement flexibility without capital gains tax penalty.
• Donating stocks to avoid capital gains and receive a full tax receipt for stock value.
• Your charitable gift annuity ensures that you or your spouse receives an annual set income for life, and ultimately benefits your church.

Planned giving also allows you to determine which Fund or even which programmes you wish to support.

Contact us to learn more about planned giving.  Contact us using the form below.

Web: www.orderofstignatius.org

OSIA Dec 2017 Parish Announcement_

Nearly 100 members of Saint George Parish of Montreal belong to the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese Order of Saint Ignatius. You can join too as a life member of the Order.

Knight Commander
Dame Commander
 $1,000 Annually
 $83.33 Monthly
 $2.73 Daily

Knight & Dame
 $500 Annually
 $41.67 Monthly
 $1.37 Daily

Junior Knight & Dame
Ages 18-26 Only
 $300 Annually
 $25 Monthly
 $0.82 Daily
 At age 27, converts to Knight or Dame

Life
 $15,000 Total Gift
 Payment Options:
 100% Lump Sum
 $5,000 per year over 3 consecutive Years or
 $416.67 per month for 3 consecutive years
 Life Upgrade*

Metropolitan
 $30,000 Total Gift
 Payment Options:
 100% Lump Sum
 $10,000 per year for 3 consecutive years or
 $833.33 per month for 3 consecutive years
 Metropolitan Upgrade**

How You Can Support the Ministry of The Order of St. Ignatius of Antioch

Your Pledge At Any Level … Helps Change People’s Lives
Life and Metropolitan gifts are invested in an endowment and only the earnings are spent each year making it a gift that will live on into perpetuity.

*Life Upgrade: The Order of St. Ignatius Loyalty Program: Any Knight/Dame, who has been a member for more then 15 years (active/good Standing members); or any Commander, who has been a member for more then 10 years (active/good Standing members) can upgrade to Life Member for $10,000 paid in a lump sum or over a two-year period.

**Metropolitan Upgrade: The Order of St. Ignatius Loyalty Program: Any Knight/Dame, who has been a member for more than 15 years (active/good Standing members); or any Commander, who has been a member for more than 10 years (active/good Standing members) can upgrade to Metropolitan Member for $20,000 paid over a three-year period. Life members who have full-filled their initial Life member gift may upgrade to the Metropolitan level for $10,000 paid in a lump sum or over a three-year period.

All lump sum, annual, or monthly payment methods can be made via EFT or Credit Card

Ensuring the financial well-being of the church

The St. George Trinity Fund – dedicated to the future financial well-being of St. George church – helps meet ongoing financial obligations and the maintenance of the church as a community centre. The Trinity Fund provides donors with numerous tax advantages and helps secure the long-term future of our church.

The Trinity Fund supports:

(Please note that these items are not covered by Membership Dues.)

Ongoing church preservation into the operations account to support the ongoing support of St George Church

• Support of the ongoing operations of St George
• Ongoing church preservation
• Safety, structure and restoration of our church
• Preservation of the heritage site of St. George Church

Donate to The Trinity Fund

Donate today or ask about how planned giving can help you defer taxes today and avoid tax liability in the future. Contact us for a personal meeting to discuss the options available to you, which may include:

• Include our Church in your estate planning.
• Make the Church a beneficiary of a life insurance policy.  A life insurance policy allows the premium to be used as a full tax deduction.

Donate to The Trinity Fund

Questions on the Trinity Fund may be sent using the form below:

And who said the teen years are the most bewildering?

The 20-35 years-old YAM label is a recent attempt across the Archdiocese to identify and serve a very specific group of people. In St. George, YAM aims to establish a peaceful haven for young adults who are unmistakably struggling with life’s conflicting priorities: under-graduate studies, part-time jobs, careers, friends, finding the right partner, founding a family, work, the church, upbringing young children, only to mention a few.

With no fixed schedule, YAM holds activities with a spiritual twist that cater to their needs and support their community. YAM also takes part in Diocesan encounters such as the Parish Life Conference, the Fall Retreat, the Soccer Tournament and the Basketball Retreat.

YAM understands its crucial role in bridging the gap between generations. It believes in mentoring the youth, promoting a healthy lifestyle and feeding the spiritual needs of its members.

Events are announced on the Youth Ministries Facebook page. All you have to do is to “Like us” and forward us your ideas at: www.facebook.com/stgeorgemtlym

You can also subscribe to our contact list: https://goo.gl/forms/t1muZOwWWhC1617N2

• Orthodox Spiritual Development (OSD)

Traditionally known as “Sunday School”, the concept of Orthodox Spiritual Development is St. George’s way of recognizing the need for ongoing learning at all ages.

OSD classes are age-group based and initially designed for youth between 3 and 19 years-old. Committed volunteer adult parishioners lead the teaching as a complement to the unique learning experience provided by attending the Divine Liturgy on Sundays. Children head off to class right after communion and finish at around 12:45 p.m.

OSD classes start the Sunday following the Feast of the Holy Cross in September and stop for the summer break by the end of May. Registration is open throughout that period.

Creative Arts Festivals, Outings, Communion Breakfasts (for Christmas and Lazarus Saturday), Christmas Baskets, and other activities are offered to OSD participants to enhance their spiritual experience.

For more information please contact the Youth Director Rouba Khouri on 514 276-8533 ext. 203

• Parent-Teacher Committee

The backbone of our Orthodox Spiritual Development classes, this committee dedicates itself to the spiritual well-being of our youth. In a nutshell, teachers commit to present enriching and enlightening classes thirty Sundays a year while parents facilitate the presence of children in these classes. Parents  also support the fellowship part of OSD classes by helping organizing Communion Breakfasts, outings, graduation ceremonies, and various fundraiser events.

• Teen SOYO

SOYO (Society of Othodox Youth Organizations) is the Youth Movement of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. Established by Metropolitan PHILIP in 1969, SOYO invests in raising a generation of Leaders and Disciples.
Aged between 13 and 19 years old, SOYO members strive to live the Orthodox faith, daily, in Christ, through Worship, Witness, Service and Fellowship.

The St. George teen SOYO takes part in all diocesan programmes and activities such as the Special Olympics Awareness Day, the Bible Bowl & Oratorical Festival, Parish Life Conference, the Service Day (March), the Youth Month (October), Food for the Hungry Programme, the Fall Retreat, the Basketball and Soccer Retreats; in addition to other initiatives such as OSD classes, Ask Abouna Sessions, community service, outings and movie nights.

Visit the North American web site at: www.teensoyo.org(source of text excerpts)

For the Youth Ministry Facebook Page:

• Acolytes (Altar Servers)

Boys aged nine years-old and up and men of all ages are invited to serve in the sanctuary at every church service and especially during Divine Liturgy every Sunday of the year. Orthros is at 9:15 a.m. and Liturgy is at 10:30 a.m. Please contact one of our clergy to get started.

• Camp Transfiguration (9-17 years-old) – Summer Camp

Source:  camp web site

The mission of Camp Transfiguration is to present to young people a living experience of the Holy Orthodox Faith, in their relationship with God and other campers in an uncluttered, natural environment.

Translated to Greek, “transfiguration” becomes “metamorphosis” which literally means, “to change”. Camp Transfiguration aims to instill in all of its campers, staff and volunteers the glorious teachings of Jesus Christ, as well as the traditions of the Orthodox Church, for their spiritual growth and for the glorification of God.

For more information, please visit the camp’s web site at: www.camptransfiguration.org

Donate to our Youth Ministry Efforts