Spreading Joy and Meaning: The Mission of St. Nicholas Tele Santa
As the vacation play approaches, families astir the satellite hole for the joyous celebrations of Christmas. In the Orthodox community, the St. Nicholas Tele Santa ministry stands retired arsenic a unsocial and heartfelt inaugural that aims to blend the festive tone of Santa Claus with the profound teachings of the Orthodox Christian faith.
The Dual Mission of Tele Santa
The superior ngo of the St. Nicholas Tele Santa ministry is twofold. Firstly, it seeks to present young Orthodox children, aged 2 to 10, to the existent fig of Saint Nicholas of Myra. By connecting them via unrecorded Zoom video calls with a persona they recognize—Santa Claus—children tin larn astir the existent clergyman and bishop who embodies the tone of giving and kindness. Secondly, the ministry emphasizes the existent meaning of Christmas: the Birth and Incarnation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ connected December 25th.
Who Are the Santas?
Thanks for speechmaking Hellenic News of America
The Tele Santa acquisition is made imaginable done the dedication of assemblage members who unpaid arsenic Parish Santas. Each Orthodox priest, careless of jurisdiction—be it Greek, Russian, oregon Antiochian—can urge individuals from their parish who exemplify Christian values, emotion for children, and a willingness to unpaid less than 12 hours a year.
Once vetted by their priests, these volunteers acquisition an predisposition process to hole them for their role. They are past assigned families to interaction and volition docket calls betwixt December 6th (St. Nicholas Day) and Christmas Eve (December 24th). This exemplary reflects the teachings of Jesus, emphasizing that welcoming a kid is akin to welcoming Him.
Connecting Families with a Simple Process
The St. Nicholas Tele Santa ministry provides an accessible level for families and Orthodox Parochial Schools to link their children with Santa. Here’s however it works successful 3 elemental steps:
1. Parents, grandparents, godparents, oregon Parochial School principals/teachers sojourn the website: http://stnicholas-tele-santa.com
2. Select the due option: “Schedule a telephone for a kid successful your life” oregon “Schedule a telephone for your classroom.”
3. Complete the questionnaire and taxable it. A confirmation volition beryllium sent upon receipt.
This streamlined process ensures that families tin easy put for a peculiar Christmas call, filled with joyousness and meaning.
Personalized Experiences for Every Child
What sets the Tele Santa ministry isolated is its committedness to creating a unsocial and personalized acquisition for each child. By completing an online questionnaire, parents supply details that assistance Santa tailor his conversation. Santa is informed of each child’s name, age, birthday, behavior, pets, and Christmas wishes, ensuring that each enactment is peculiar and memorable.
Heartwarming Feedback from Families
The interaction of Tele Santa is evident successful the joyful feedback from families who person participated. Parents person reported that their children present recite prayers with renewed enthusiasm, portion others person shared stories of their children’s excitement during the calls.
Nestor Gounaris remarked, “Our girl and lad were truthful excited for the accidental to sojourn with St. Nicholas and present regularly recite our Lord’s Prayer with a spot much vigor and excitement.” Similarly, Demetrio and Barbara Sassos noted however Santa’s personalized attack made their children consciousness valued and recognized, fostering a deeper knowing of the holiday’s significance.
Expanding Beyond the Christmas Season
The St. Nicholas Tele Santa ministry does not bounds its outreach to the Christmas season. It besides makes specialized calls to children with peculiar needs, ensuring that each kid feels included and celebrated. Volunteers trained successful interacting with children with peculiar needs are assigned to these calls, making the acquisition joyful and meaningful for each involved.
Additionally, the ministry reaches retired to children connected their Name-days and birthdays, wishing them “Chronia polla” (Χρόνια πολλά) and teaching them astir their patron saints. This outreach encourages children to prosecute with their religion and enactment successful religion activities, reinforcing the spiritual facet of their celebrations.
The St. Nicholas Tele Santa ministry beautifully merges the joyous tone of Santa Claus with the deeper teachings of the Orthodox faith, creating an enriching acquisition for children and families alike. As we observe this vacation season, fto america retrieve the existent meaning of Christmas and the tone of giving that Saint Nicholas embodies, spreading joyousness and emotion to all.