Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings in the Name of the Lord.
The Feast of the Transfiguration is the parish feast of our sister community, Transfiguration Greek Orthodox, in Westlake. On the evening of Thursday, August 5, they will serve Great Vespers at 6:00 p.m. and have a guest speaker at 7:00 p.m. On the morning of Friday, August 6, they will offer Orthros at 9:00 a.m. and Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m. followed by a fish lunch.
Our Calendar
Fasting Days
The Dormition Fast runs through Saturday, August 14. During this fasting season, the traditional fasting discipline (no meat, poultry, fish, milk, cheese, eggs, wine and olive oil) is observed Monday through Friday with katalysis for wine and olive oil on Saturday and Sunday and for fish, wine and olive oil on the great feast of the Transfiguration on Friday, August 6th.
Daily Services
Monday, August 2 to Friday, August 6
Orthros 5am;
Vespers 5pm
Be sure and check the schedule for the divine services for the Transfiguration. Also, if you plan on attending the daily services, it’s generally a good idea to check the day before to make sure that the service will be offered. Sometimes pastoral situations require a change of plans, and the service cannot be offered on that particular day.
The Hours
This week, Seth Hart will be at the online chanter’s stand, offering the First, Third, Sixth, and Ninth Hours every day on ZOOM.
Schedule: Monday-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 login info.
Monday, August 2
Paraclesis at 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, August 3
Paraclesis at 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, August 4
Paraclesis at 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, August 5
Great Vespers at Transfiguration Greek Parish at 6:00 p.m.
No Bible Study this week
Friday, August 6
The Feast of the Transfiguration
Orthros at 9:00 a.m.
Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m.
All services at Transfiguration Greek ParishParaclesis at 7:00 p.m.
Service at St John’s. Masks will be required on this night only.
Saturday, August 7
Orthros at 7:00 a.m.
Divine Liturgy at 9:00 a.m.
Masks will be required at these services.St. Thomas School at 4:00 p.m.
Great Vespers at 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, August 8
The Seventh Sunday of St. Matthew
Orthros at 8:00 a.m.
Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m.
Fellowship Hour at Noon
Akathist to the Mother of God of the Inexhaustible Cup at Noon
St. Thomas School
On Saturday, August 7, Father Aidan will lead the discussion of Chapter 12, Russian Church Singing.
The following link will provide a summary of the material that will be covered:
www.theforerunner.org/blog/2021/7/31/orthodox-christianity-vol-iii-chp-12-russian-church-singing
Big News for Our Parish Community
On the weekend of Saturday, October 23, and Sunday, October 24, Father Deacon Andrew will be ordained to the Holy Priesthood by Bishop Basil at St. George Cathedral in Wichita, Kansas. He will be assigned as the Second Priest at our parish, St. John the Forerunner. Everyone is welcome to accompany Father Deacon, Shamassy, and the children to Wichita, but we will still have our regular services here at St. John’s. Even if you can’t make the trip, you will be able to get in on the excitement. Because, when Father Andrew and Khouria Xenia return from Wichita, our new priest will then serve his traditional Week of Divine Liturgies, beginning the morning of Monday, October 25, at 6:00 a.m. (Orthros will begin at 4:30 a.m.) and continuing through the following Saturday and Sunday. So congratulations to the Wilsons! Please keep them in your prayers as they prepare to begin serving our parish in this new and exciting way.
Church School
Attached to this edition of The Happy Priest is a letter outlining our plans for the 2021-2022 Church School Year. The letter also contains assignments for each class and each Sunday. Please read through all of that material carefully and, if you have any questions or suggestions or concerns, get in touch with Father Aidan.
The Dormition Fast
During the Dormition Fast, we will offer the Paraclesis to the Mother of God each weeknight at 7:00 p.m. That means there will be ten opportunities to participate in this beautiful service and that means all of us should be able to make at least one of those services between Monday, August 2 and Friday, August 13. On the evenings of Friday, August 6, and Friday, August 13, those services will be reserved for the folks who are not yet ready to return to the more crowded services and we will require masks on those two evenings.
Feast of the Dormition
This year the Feast of the Dormition falls on Sunday, August 15, so we won’t have to make special arrangements for a weekday celebration. However, it’s also important to remember that at Great Vespers on Saturday, August 14, we will be offering The Lamentations for the Mother of God. The service is very similar to The Lamentations on Great and Holy Friday, so let’s take advantage of the weekend and be sure and participate in this beautiful service on Saturday night.
Our Moment of Grace and Courtesy
When people need to return items that they have borrowed from someone else, they often bring those items with them to the divine services. However, if the person that you need to give the item to isn't at the service, please be sure and take the item home with you and try to make the connection another time. Do not leave the item at the parish in the hopes that the person will eventually stumble across it. Here at St. John's we try to assist and support folks in lots and lots of different ways, but we simply cannot be the drop off point for dishes, clothes, books, shoes, produce, shower gifts, toys, baby equipment, birthday presents, tools, movies, home school curricula--you get the idea.
—
Attached to this edition of The Happy Priest is a letter about online participation in adult education groups this fall. Please read through it and, if you have any questions, get in touch with me.
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 Guy Hamilton. During the Dormition Fast, we always whip up a big batch of jellied moose nose and our Spiritual Advisor is Elder Galaction of the Holy Mountain.