Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings in the Name of the Lord.
Christ is Risen!
As we head into Bright Week, we need to build on the blessings that we received during Great Lent and Holy Week, and we’ve got all sorts of ways to do that: Orthodoxy 101, The Pascha Book Study, The Bible Study, and St Thomas School, and all of that is in addition to the regular daily services. All the information you need to participate in those events and services can be found in this edition of The Happy Priest.
OUR CALENDAR
Fasting Days
There is no fasting during Bright Week (Wha-Hoo!)
Daily Services
Tuesday, April 26- Friday, April 29
Orthros 5am
Vespers 5pm
There will be no daily services on Monday, April 25, and it’s important to remember that the services for Bright Week are significantly shorter than the rest of the year. Finally, 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).
Seth Hart will be at the online chanter’s stand, offering the First, Third, Sixth, and Ninth Hours this week on ZOOM:
First Hour, 6:30;
Third Hour, 8:30;
Sixth Hour, 11:45;
Ninth Hour, 3:45.
Please see the emailed newsletter for login information.
Tuesday, April 26
Parish Council Meeting 7pm in the parish house; everyone is welcome to attend, but, if you wish to address the council, you need to contact the president, Bessie Jacob, ahead of time
Orthodoxy 101 at 7pm in the narthex of the Long Hall. The group will continue to discuss the Divine Services.
Topic: St. John the Forerunner Orthodox Church – Typika and Daily Hours. Please see the emailed newsletter for login information.
Wednesday, April 27
The Pascha Book Study 7pm
Please see the emailed newsletter for login information.
Topic: Pascha Book Study 2022
Thursday, April 28
The Bible Study 7pm
Topic: St. John the Forerunner - Bible Study
Please see the emailed newsletter for login information.
Saturday, April 30
St Thomas School 4pm
Great Vespers 6pm
Sunday, May 1 Thomas Sunday
Orthros 8am
Church School 8:15am
Northern Typika with Holy Communion 10am 315 Ave D Killeen
Divine Liturgy 10am
Fellowship Hour Noon
This will be the first Sunday of the month, so it will be Blessing Sunday. If you have icons, prayer ropes, crosses to be blessed or if you will be traveling during May, please wait by the chanter’s stand after Divine Liturgy for your blessing.
Membership Update
During the Divine Liturgy on Great and Holy Saturday, we an individual a catechumen, who is married to a someone recently baptized. Please be sure to be praying for her as she prepares to be received into the Church.
ST THOMAS SCHOOL
On Saturday, April 30, Father Andrew Wilson will lead the discussion of Chapter Two, pp 53-80 in Volume One, “Early Christianity” https://theforerunner.squarespace.com/blog/2021/5/9/orthodox-christianity-vol-iii-ch-2. In order to participate online, send an email to remote.meetings@theforerunner.org by this coming Thursday, April 28; you will also need to keep your camera on during the session.
COMING UP
The Pascha Book Study will begin on Wednesday, April 27, and it will meet each Wednesday evening through May 25. Father Andrew Wilson and Father Michael Coleman will be leading the group, and this year’s study will bring to a close our year long exploration of the theology and practices associated with death in Holy Orthodoxy. With the help of several selections, the group will take a guided tour of the funeral service itself, beginning with Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev’s overview from his Orthodox Christianity series. Along the way the group will focus on the prayers and hymns unique to the service, while also reading St. Gregory of Nazianzus’ funeral oration for his friend, St. Basil the Great, perhaps the best example of a eulogy in the Orthodox tradition. Finally, the study will end with a look at grief through a letter of consolation sent by St. John Chrysostom to a spiritual daughter whose husband had died. There is no single text to purchase for the book study, but a packet of materials will be printed and available in the bookstore for only the cost of what it took to get them printed. Here’s the schedule for the sessions and the readings:
Session 1 - The Orthodox Funeral Service, Pt 1
Read: Funeral Service: pp 1-7
Read: Funeral Oration: paragraphs 1-27
Session 2 - Funeral Service, Pt 2
Read: Funeral Service: pp 7-13
Read: Funeral Oration: paragraphs 28-54
Session 3 - Funeral Oration
Read: Funeral Oration: paragraphs 55-82
Session 4 - Funeral Service, Pt 3
Read: Funeral Service: pp 14-21
Session 5 - Letter to a Grieving Widow & Conclusion
Read: Letter to a Grieving Widow (13 pages)
Our annual talent show gives parishioners a chance to share and celebrate each other's unique gifts, experiences, and creations. Do you have something to share or perform? Get details and sign up here: https://forms.gle/nbFPgeCsyUsBHc4Y9. The show will happen on Sunday, May 15th, from 12:30 - 2 pm (give or take depending on the number of submissions). If you have questions, email Rigel Thurston at: rigelthurston@gmail.com.
Camp St Raphael 2022 Camper Applications are available online at https://www.campstraphael.org at Noon on February 1st. Remember spots are reserved on a first come first serve basis, so don’t delay. Session One is June 26th through July 2nd, and Session Two is July 3rd through 9th. This year CSR will be at new location in Kingston, Oklahoma. Scholarships are available through the parish, so if you need assistance in order to send your child to camp, please speak with Father Aidan or Father Andrew.
The Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America’s Parish Life Conference will be hosted by St George Cathedral in Wichita, Kansas, from June 15th through 18th. Jerry Juliano will be ordained to the Holy Diaconate at the closing liturgy for the conference. Hotel reservations may be made at Reservations: Hyatt Regency https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/group-booking/WICRW/G-GECA.
OUR MOMENT OF GRACE AND COURTESY
We have a parish photographer who is authorized to take pictures during our services. However, unless you have a blessing from our priest, we ask that you refrain from taking photographs during the liturgy or weddings or baptisms or chrismations. This can be very distracting, and we do not want to distract anyone from the worship of the Most Holy Trinity.
To view a Paschal Letter from our Archbishop, Metropolitan Joseph, click here.
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; our Webmasters are Lily Halsey and Seth Hart; our Keeper of Lists is Father Andrew Wilson; our Roving Reporter is Cy Bennett; and our Spiritual Advisor is Elder Galaction of the Holy Mountain.