Brothers and Sisters,
Christ is Risen!
This coming Sunday is Mother’s Day. As you make plans to honor or remember your birth mom, please plan on also doing something special for your spiritual mom, your godmother.
Our Calendar
Fasting Days
Wednesday, May 8, and Friday, May 10—Time to get back on schedule
Daily Services
Monday, May 6-Friday, May 10
Orthros 5am
Vespers 5pm
(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 8
Pascha Book Study 7pm
Thursday, May 9
Choir Practice 7pm
Saturday, May 11
St Thomas School 4pm
Baker Galloway will finish up Chapter 7, the Iconographical Tradition in ByzantiumGreat Vespers with the Jesus Prayer 6pm
Sunday, May 12
The Myrrh Bearing Women
Orthros 8am
Divine Liturgy 10am
Fellowship Hour Noon
Akathist to the Mother of God of the Inexhaustible Cup Noon
On Sunday, May 12, the Long Hall will be cleaned by Team Moose: Gregg Easley, Demetry Zozulya, and Irina Zozulya. Please do all that you can to help them out.
Financial Update
Thanks to the grace and mercy of the Most Holy Trinity, and thanks to your faithfulness and generosity, we ended March with a surplus of $4800. That brings the surplus for the year to $9700, and that’s a great place to be as we head into the summer months. However, to put all that in perspective, $9700 is also two major air conditioner repairs, so we need to be consistent in our giving. If you have any questions about this update—or if you would like further information—just get in touch with Nick Crown, the Money Guy.
This Week at St. Thomas School
Chapter 8: Russian Icons
Since we have read about the early links that existed between Byzantium and Kievan Rus’ in the chapter on Russian Church Architecture, Metropolitan Hilarion discusses the Greek influence on iconography in Russia, certainly seen in major Cathedrals, as he shows. This chapter has several sections that roughly follow a historical outline and it seems he intends for us to soak up that vision of Russia’s icons.
When certain Russian cities grew in cultural importance, they also became important places for the development of iconography, for example, Tver and Moscow. The masterful iconographer, Theophanes the Greek, was well known in the 15th century. He was on the artistic scene of Muscovite iconography and importantly he also taught the painter, Andrei Rublev.
Saint Andrei Rublev and the Icon of the Holy Trinity follows next and Metropolitan Hilarion also includes a discussion on the topic of iconostasis development. But the “Holy Trinity” icon of the Trinity Lavra at St. Sergius is a fascinating topic that deserves its own book because of its important theological and mystical meaning.
The remaining sections of this chapter cover:
Dionysius and the Subsequent Development of Russian Iconography
Post-Petrine Period and Academic Painting in Orthodox Churches
Russian Icons in the Post-Revolutionary Period
There may be more than one thing that we can appreciate about Russian Icons when we read of the history. One great appreciation we can have for icons and which the Church recognizes in icons are not only beautiful paint seen on the wood, but equally the master craftsmen who are skilled at making them. Metropolitan Hilarion again covers with virtuosity a key part of Orthodox worship and he highlights important icons throughout Russian history. The next chapter will deal with what icons mean.
Coming Up
The Pascha Book Study has started, 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 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
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
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