Brothers and Sisters,
Christ is Risen!
This coming Saturday, May 18, we will have a parish work day. You can read all the details in the Coming Up section of this newsletter, but, basically, by getting together for a few hours a couple of times a year, we keep our property looking good, and we save thousands of dollars that we would otherwise be paying out to landscaping and maintenance companies. So plan on joining us for a little work and a good time this coming Saturday morning.
Our Calendar
Fasting Days
Wednesday, May 15, and Friday, May 17
Daily Services
Monday, May 13-Friday, May 17
Orthros 5am
Vespers 5pm
(There will be no daily vespers on Wed, May 15; also, 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.)
Wednesday, May 15
Pascha Book Study 7pm
Thursday, May 16
Choir Practice 7pm
Saturday, May 18
Parish Work Day 9am
St Thomas School 4pm
This week John Bell will lead the discussion on Chapter 8 Russian IconsGreat Vespers 6pm
Sunday, May 19
The Sunday of the Paralytic
Orthros 8am
Church School 8:15am
Divine Liturgy 10am
Fellowship Hour Noon
On Sunday, May 19, the Long Hall will be cleaned by Team Klingon: Roxanne Snodgrass, Steve Grandalski, and Jerry Juliano. Please check in with them and see if there is anything you can do to help out.
Coming Up
The Pascha Book Study is in full swing, and we are having a lot of fun. 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 remainder of the study; we hope that you will join us as often as you can:
Wed, May 15 Truth pgs 41-60
Wed, May 22 Blood pgs 61-80
Wed, May 29 Bodies and The Postscript pgs 81-112
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 has been extended, so be sure and take care of that this week.
June will be here before we know it, and, during the first week of the month, we will celebrate the Feast of the Ascension. We will serve Great Vespers on Wednesday, June 5, the eve of the feast, at 7pm, and then on Thursday, June 6, the day of the feast, we will serve Orthros at 5am and Divine Liturgy at 7am. Please plan on joining us as we wrap up the Paschal Season with this beautiful celebration.
Our Moment of Grace and Courtesy
On Saturday evening, we offer the Mystery of Holy Confession. While folks are waiting to participate in the mystery, we play a recording of the Pre-Communion Prayers in the narthex. So, if you wish to visit with friends or introduce yourself to visitors during this time, please do so out on the porch. This will allow the people who are going to make their confession to prepare properly.
May this second week of the Paschal Season be filled with light and joy and peace for each of us and for all those that we love.
An unworthy priest,
aidan