Brothers and Sisters,
Christ is Risen!
A great way to build on the spiritual progress that we have made during Great Lent is to participate in The Pascha Book Study. That group kicks off this coming Wednesday, May 1, at 7pm. Check out the announcement below for all the details.
Our Calendar
There is no fasting during Bright Week (Wha-hoo!)
Daily Services
Tuesday, April 30-Friday, May 3
Orthros 5am
Vespers 5pm
(Please notice that there will not be any daily services on Monday, April 29; the Bright Week services are also considerably shorter than regular week day services. Finally, don’t forget that since life in our parish community can be pretty busy, sometimes the starting times for the daily services has to be shifted. So, if you know ahead of time that you will be attending a particular service, it’s always a good idea to send Father Aidan a note at fraidan@austin.rr.com to confirm when the service will actually begin.)
Monday, April 29
No Daily Services
Tuesday, April 30
Parish Council 7pm
Everyone is welcome to attend, but if you wish to address the council about a particular topic, you must first get in touch with our president, Chris Lewis
Wednesday, May 1
Pascha Book Study 7pm
Saturday, May 4
St Thomas School 4pm
Baker Galloway continues to lead the discussion; this week the group will cover material from Chapter 7, The Iconographic Tradition in ByzantiumGreat Vespers 6pm
Sunday, May 5
Thomas Sunday
Orthros 8am
Church School 8:15am
Divine Liturgy 10am
Fellowship Hour Noon
On May 5, the Long Hall will be cleaned by Team Cupola: Gabe Martini, Mike Krenek, and Lisa Azares; be sure and thank these folks when you see them—or, better yet, pitch in and help them out!
The 2019 Talent Show
It’s an annual event at St John’s! Rigel Thurston graciously heads up this fun time, and here’s all the information you need: Thomas Sunday Show 'n' Tell will take place in the big room in the parish house after lunch this coming Sunday—and, remember, this isn't purely a talent show. It is an opportunity to share a slice of your life with the community. Things to share might be a story, music, writing, art, photos, a possession that has special meaning. Rigel will bring my electric piano, and some speakers if anyone has audio they need to plug in. Rigel can also bring a projector and screen as well, but only if someone specifically requests it. If your share requires music that's on your device, please have it cued up and ready to go. Shares need to be between 3-5 minutes long. If you are interested, please add yourself to the list by emailing Rigel.
Coming Up
The Pascha Book Study begins this coming Wednesday, May 1; the book we are using is called Laughing at the Devil; it’s by Laura Hall. The book is part memoir and part commentary on the very first book ever written in English by a woman about the spiritual life (that book The Revelations of Divine Love is available in an inexpensive edition at Christ the Lightgiver). That woman is Julian of Norwich, and Laura Hall, who is a Protestant, does a very good job of connecting Julian’s insights with contemporary issues. Here is the schedule that we will be following during the study; we hope that you will join us as often as you can:
Wed, May 1 Introduction pgs 1-18
Wed, May 8 Time pgs 19-40
Wed, May 15 Truth pgs 41-60
Wed, May 22 Blood pgs 61-80
Wed, May 29 Bodies and The Postscript pgs 81-112
Sunday, May 12, is Mother’s Day. As you honor your birth mother, be sure and honor your spiritual mom, as well. Buy your godmother some flowers or a card or take her out to lunch, and thank her for her prayers and support.
It’s that time of year for the Parish grounds spring cleaning. We are calling on members and their families to come help on Saturday, May 18 at 9:00 a.m. Please bring shovels, buckets, disposable trash bags, pruning clippers and shears, wheelbarrows, and work gloves. We need to clean the flower beds of overgrowth and weeds, spread mulch around the atrium courtyard and some of the flower beds, clean out Parish House gutters, and whatever else needs to be accomplished. With many helping hands the work will be accomplished in a couple of hours. Donuts and coffee will be provided.
The annual Parish Life Conference is always an enjoyable time of fellowship and learning and worship, and, this year, the conference is being held at The Westin Hotel at DFW Airport, June 19-22. That’s within easy driving distance, and the website for the 2019 DOWAMA PLC is now live. You can go to www.dowamaplc.org to access registration for the PLC as well as secure hotel rooms—and the discount price for early registration ends on May 1, so be sure and take care of that this week.
Our Moment of Grace and Courtesy
Please remember to silence your phones and other electronic devices when you attend the divine services. These sorts of disruptions are distracting and completely unnecessary.
At the conclusion of this edition of The Happy Priest is a column that will appear in this week’s Hill Country News: Questions.
An unworthy priest,
aidan