New Parish Name Revealed
By the glory of God, and through the prayers of many, the Naming of the New Church Fundraiser was a tremendous success. With almost 200 people in attendance and almost 225 people casting a first round vote of who they wanted the new church to be named after, the Saint who chose us after two rounds of voting and finally selected by lot by Metropolitan Makarios was ST. NICHOLAS!
Photos from the event can be seen here.
There were 56 names submitted in the first round alone by the faithful and the top-7 names were: St. Phanourios, St. George, St. Nicholas, Holy Trinity, St. John the Forerunner, Sts. Peter and Paul, St. Constantine and Helen.
Official results can be found here. (Adobe Acrobat needed)
After a second round of voting by the faithful in attendance, the top-3 remained: St. Phanourios, St. George and St. Nicholas. At this point, as is tradition in the Orthodox Church, selecting names occurs during the chanting of the hymn to the Theotokos, “It Is Truly Meet” (“Axion Esteen”) during the Divine Liturgy. In keeping with the tradition, the choir began to chant this hymn and at the end of the hymn Metropolitan Makarios chose from the top-3 names out of his skoufo (i.e. “hat”).
With the help of Fr. Deacon George, the name was revealed and St. Nicholas was announced. (video of the selection of the name)
A true blessing for all us and an indication that St. Nicholas chose us and wanted to remain with us as we begin the building of our new church and parish. As he has in the past, he will continue to be our intercessor and be an example of a defender of the true and genuine Orthodox Church and teach us to remain steadfast in the Church as he did in the First Ecumenical Council in Nicea.
The commitment of the faithful was not only apparent in their attendance and involvement in the process but also in their financial contributions to “kick-off” the Church Building Fund. With a last-minute donation, the final tally for the fundraiser is $113,545.00.  Glory to God for all things!
If you would like to make a donation to the Church Building Fund, please contact Fr. Deacon George
Naming of Our New Parish and New Church Building Fundraiser
Join us on Sunday September 25, 2011 at North York Memorial Hall to name our new parish and help us kick-off our fundraising drive for a new church building. All who attend, including children, will get a ballot to submit their choice of who they would like the new parish to be named after!
The details of the fundraiser are as follows:
Date: Sunday September 25, 2011
Time: 6:30pm
Location: North York Memorial Hall, 5110 Yonge St (between Sheppard Ave and Finch Ave)
(Go to Mel Lastman Square and look for the North York Public Library entrance. It is next to the fountain/ice rink).
For a point of reference, some of you may recall, it is next to the facility where we held St. Nicholas Feast Day Celebrations last December; it is part of the same building.
NOTE: Ballot box for first round of voting to close at 7pm – you must be present and submit your first choice of names by this time.
If you have any questions or if you would like to help in any way, please contact Fr. Deacon George.