Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings in the Name of the Lord.
Christ is Risen!
Many of you have heard about the CDC’s new guidelines concerning masks. Attached to the emailed edition of the newsletter are the latest guidelines from our archdiocese. Our parish council will have its monthly meeting on Tuesday, May 25. On that day, the council will consider the best way to move forward with these new guidelines. Until then, we will continue with our current policy: everyone over ten years of age must wear a mask that covers their mouth and nose while they are in the Long Hall or the parish house. Thank you for your help in maintaining this policy; please keep the council in your prayers while they consider the best next steps for our parish.
Our Calendar
Fasting Days
Wednesday, May 19, and Friday, May 21
Daily Services
There will not be any daily services this week, as Father Aidan will be out of town, Monday, May 17-Friday, May 21
However, Seth Hart continues to offer the First, Third, Sixth, and Ninth Hours every day on ZOOM. Here’s the schedule:
Monday to Friday
First Hour at 6:45 a.m.
Third Hour: 8:45 a.m.
Sixth Hour: 12:00 p.m.
Ninth Hour: 2:45 p.m.
See the emailed newsletter for Zoom details.
Wednesday, May 19
The Pascha Book Study will not meet this week, but it will return on Wednesday, May 26
Thursday, May 20
The Bible Study will not meet this week, but it will return on May 27. See the emailed newsletter for Zoom details.
Book Study at 8:00 p.m.
Check with Joe Wright or Mike Brown for the sign-on information for this group
Saturday, May 22
St. Thomas School at 4:00 p.m.
Great Vespers at 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 23
Orthros at 8:00 a.m.
Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m.
Fellowship Hour at Noon
Be sure to bring a picnic lunch and drinks and lawn chairs for your familyAkathist to the Mother of God, Nurturer of Children Noon
See the emailed newsletter for Zoom login details.
The Pascha Book Study
The Pascha Book Study will be taking a break this week, but that will be a great time for you to catch up on the reading and then join in when the study resumes on Wednesday, May 26. The book we are using is called Hidden and Triumphant. It’s a history or Russian iconography during the Soviet years. Normally, the book costs $29.00, but it’s on sale at our parish bookstore, Christ the Lightgiver, for just $22. Here’s the schedule that we are using:
Wednesday, May 26 - Chapter 3 & 4
Wednesday, June 2 - Chapter 5, 6 & Appendix A
Wednesday, June 9 - Appendix A, B & C
The book study will be in person and online. The in-person group will meet in the narthex of the Long Hall until the parish house renovation is complete.
See the emailed newsletter for Zoom details.
St. Thomas School
This coming Saturday, May 22, we will continue with Volume III of the Metropolitan Hilarion’s series, The Architecture, Icons, and Music of The Orthodox Church. It is still a great time to pick up the series; Michael Ruse will be leading the discussion of Chapter 3, Russian Church Architecture; the following link will provide a summary of the material that will be covered: Orthodox Christianity, Volume III, Chapter 3: Russian Church Architecture
See the emailed newsletter for Zoom details.
Coming Up
Our next round of Saturday Morning Services will be on Saturday, June 5. We will serve Orthros at 7am and Divine Liturgy at 9am. Confession will be available, by appointment, during Orthros. These services are reserved for those who are not quite ready to re-join the Sunday morning services, so please help us maintain that boundary.
Also, on the morning of Saturday, June 5, the Picnic for the Departed will be held for Bruce Khoury at 10:30am. The event will be held at Cook Walden Cemetery; everyone is encouraged to bring refreshments and lawn chairs. For additional information, contact Valerie Groh.
The next Northern Typika will be on Sunday, June 6. This is for all those folks who live in the Jarrell, Temple, Belton, Harker Heights, Killeen, Copperas Cove area, to give them a break from driving. Father Deacon Andrew Wilson will be offering the service at the home of Steve and Keri Grandalski. If you would like to participate, just get in touch with Jerry Juliano.
We will be celebrating the Feast of the Ascension on Wednesday, June 9, and Thursday, June 10. We will offer Great Vespers at 7pm on the 9th, and, on the 10th, the day of the feast, we will serve Orthros at 7am and Divine Liturgy at 9am.
This year, Pentecost Weekend falls on Saturday, June 19, and Sunday, June 20. Saturday, June 19, is the final Saturday of Souls for 2021, so, if you were unable to make any of the Lenten Saturdays of Souls, please be sure and join us for Orthros at 7am and Divine Liturgy at 9am; please be sure and also write the names of those that you wish to commemorate in the commemoration book that’s available in the narthex. The services for the weekend then continue with Great Vespers at 6pm that evening, and, the following morning with Orthros at 8am and Divine Liturgy at 10am. We will finish up the weekend with our Pentecost Picnic during Fellowship Hour and the lovely service of Kneeling Vespers which will start no later than 1pm.
Our Moment of Grace and Courtesy
We should always remember to dress appropriately for the Divine Liturgy. It is our encounter with the Most Holy Trinity, and our clothes should reflect the importance of that encounter. If you have questions about what is or is not appropriate, you can consult the article from the archdiocese that is on our web-site. If you have specific questions that are not addressed in the article, please feel free to ask one of the clergy. However, if you see someone who is wearing something that is inappropriate, under no circumstances should you say anything to that person because only clergymen have the authority to do that.
—
I hope to see many of you at the Pascha Book Study on Wednesday.
Since this coming Sunday is Mother’s Day, when you remember your biological mom, be sure and do something nice for your godmother as well.
An unworthy priest,
Aidan
The Happy Priest is a publication of Life At A Dead Run Media, which is a subsidiary of One Take Productions. Our IT Guy is Jerry Juliano (“Go, Jerry, Go!”); our Webmaster is Seth Hart; our Keeper of Lists is Father Deacon Andrew Wilson; our Roving Reporter is Les Nessman; when we light up The Disco Ball of Absurdity, we always make sure that we’re listening to Bobby and The Lymph Nodes, and our Spiritual Advisor is Elder Galaction of the Holy Mountain.