Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings in the Name of the Lord.
Happy Feast!
Congratulations to Michael and Ashley Coleman! Remember, from now on, they are Father Deacon Michael and Shamassy Rebecca. Please practice those new names when you thank them for all their hard work and service to our parish. Congratulations, as well, to Seth and Sara Hart. This past Saturday evening, at St Sophia’s, Bishop Basil tonsured Seth a Reader for our parish, so please also express your gratitude to the Harts for their efforts and dedication on our behalf.
Our Calendar
Fasting Days
Wednesday, January 9, and Friday, January 11—time to get back with the program
Daily Services
Monday, January 7-Friday, January 11
Orthros at 5am
There will not be any daily vespers services this week due to House Blessings, and, on Friday, January 11, there will not be any daily services at all. We will resume the regular schedule when House Blessings are completed.
Saturday, January 12
Great Vespers with the Jesus Prayer 6pm
Sunday, January 13
Sunday After Theophany
Orthros 8am
Divine Liturgy 10am
Fellowship Hour Noon
Akathist to the Mother of God of the Inexhaustible Cup Noon
Coming Up
Church School is already back in session, and St Thomas School will start the New Year on Saturday, January 19, so this is a wonderful opportunity to get back in the habit of regular adult education (after all, if it’s important for our children, it’s also important for us). We are almost finished with the second volume of Metropolitan Hilarion’s introduction to Holy Orthodoxy. This past year, the teaching and the discussion were very, very good, so if you haven’t been participating, you really are missing out on an incredible opportunity. The school will resume on Saturday, January 19; Michael Brown will lead the discussion about what the Church teaches concerning death (that’s chapter 27 in the book), but we will be starting Volume III, Architecture, Icons, and Music, on Saturday, March 3, and that would be a great time to get back into (or start up with) this great school.
It's time to start planning for the 2019 Rally for Life. This year’s event will be held on Saturday, January 26. We will meet at the south gate of the state capitol building at 12:30pm, and we will sing hymns until all the marchers make it on to the grounds of the capitol. Our goal is to pray while others are shouting and to sing while others are yelling and to enjoy being together on what is usually a lovely afternoon. However, if that sort of thing is beyond your physical endurance, or if you just don’t like being out in the public, this year, our mother parish, St Elias, will be offering the Service for the Victims of Abortion at 7pm on Friday evening, January 25. So, when it comes to the #1 most important cultural issue of our times, there are now opportunities for all of us to get involved.
Our 2019 Annual Community Meeting will be on Sunday, February 10, during Fellowship Hour. During that meeting, we will briefly review all the reports from the parish council, and we will elect two new members for the council. Attached to this edition of The Happy Priest are all the reports which will be used at the meeting, so please read those ahead of time, and, if you have any questions, check with our parish council president, Chris Lewis. Remember, to vote in the council elections, you will need to have filled out a 2019 Commitment Card, so, if you overlooked that important item, check with Nick Crown, the head of our Finance Committee.
This year, our candidates for the parish council are Erica Wood, Vera Poe, Demetry Zozulya, and Jerry Juliano. All of these folks have served on the council previously, and you cannot go wrong with any of them. Our constitution also allows for nominations from the floor at the Annual Community Meeting. Each of these people have served on the council before, so you can’t go wrong with any of them. Our constitution also allows for nominations from the floor during the meeting itself; nevertheless, since our constitution also requires that everyone nominated be 1) over 18 years of age 2) a member of our parish for at least 12 months, 3) a regular participant in the Holy Mysteries of Confession and the Eucharist, and 4) a consistent financial contributor to our community, it’s always important to A) check with the person you wish to nominate and B) check with Father Aidan before making the actual nomination during the Annual Meeting. That way, we can avoid any awkward and embarrassing moments.
Our Moment of Grace and Courtesy
If you are the parent or grandparent of a young child, please remember that, whether you are outside or inside one of the buildings, you must be able to see that child at all times. If you need assistance with your children, please do not hesitate to ask, but it is not enough to simply assume that others in the parish will keep track of your child. Parenting styles differ, but, please remember that, when you are at church, the expectation of our community is that your child will be in your direct line of sight at all times.
By the time you receive this edition of The Happy Priest, House Blessings will already have started. So, be on the lookout for that all important email THE DAY BEFORE your House Blessing is scheduled (the schedule appears at the conclusion of this newsletter). You will need to REPLY TO ALL in order to confirm your spot in the schedule. After your house is blessed, please remember to A) make sure Father Aidan has all of his stuff before he leaves and B) call the next family or individual on the list after he leaves. Also, please remember that this entire effort is very dependent on weather and traffic conditions, so there will be lots of opportunities to display patience and flexibility.
An unworthy priest,
Aidan