Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings in the Name of the Lord.
This coming Sunday, October 16th, we will officially start our 2023 Stewardship Campaign. Attached to the emailed edition of The Happy Priest is a copy of next year’s budget and a rundown of everything you need to know about our campaign. Our Finance Guys, Arun J. and John W., will be available over the next three Sundays (Oct 16th , Oct 23rd , Oct 30th) to answer all your budget and stewardship questions. They will be out at the picnic tables during Fellowship Hour, so just check out the budget that is attached to this edition of The Happy Priest, and then track down Arun or John if you have any questions. Of course, if you don’t have any questions, you can go ahead and get a 2023 Commitment Card from them, fill it out, and turn it in. Or--and this is really cool-you can just click right now on this link -https://onrealm.org/sjtf/give/2023pledge - and fill out an online 2023 Commitment Card through REALM, our stewardship App. Please remember that we need all the cards returned/filled out by November 6th, so the parish council can make any necessary adjustments to the budget.
Our Calendar
Fasting Days
Wednesday, October 12 and Friday, October 14
Daily Services
Monday, October 10 to Friday, October 12
Orthros 5am
Vespers 5pm
(There will not be daily vespers on Monday, October 10, and there will not be any in person services on Thursday, October 13, or Friday, October 14. 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
Seth Hart will be back at the online chanter’s stand offering the Hours and stream them to Zoom. The schedule is below:
First Hour, 6:45 a.m.
Third Hour, 8:45 a.m.
Sixth Hour, 11:45 a.m.
Ninth Hour, 3:45 p.m.
Please see the emailed newsletter for login information.
St. John Trapeza Readings
Also, Fr. Andrew, Matthew G., and Seth H. are now broadcasting The St. John Trapeza Readings on Telegram every weekday at 12:00 p.m. The session starts with a short prayer, followed by a 20 minute reading. The first book they are reading is The Life in Christ by St. Nicholas Cabasilas.
If you would like to listen in, use this link to join the Telegram link shared in the emailed version of the newsletter.
Tuesday, October 11
Orthodoxy 101 7pm
Please see the login details in the emailed version of the newsletter to join Zoom meeting
Wednesday, October 12
The Fall Theological Seminar 7pm
Please see the login details in the emailed version of the newsletter to join Zoom meeting
Thursday, October 13
The Bible Study at 7pm
Please see the login details in the emailed version of the newsletter to join Zoom meeting
Saturday, October 15
St. Thomas School 4 pm
Great Vespers at 6 pm
Sunday, October 16
The Sunday of The Seventh Council
Orthros at 8am
Church School at 8:15 a.m.
Liturgy 10am
Fellowship Hour Noon
Youth Church School 12:15 pm
ST THOMAS SCHOOL
On Saturday, October 15, Polly Thurston will lead the discussion of Chapter Eight, pgs. 148-179 in Volume Two, “God in The Works of The Eastern Church Fathers”.
In order to participate online, send an email to remote.meetings@theforerunner.org by this coming Thursday, October 6. You will also need to keep your camera on during the session.
Fall Theological Seminar
Here’s the schedule of topics for the rest of the Fall Theological Seminar. Remember, we’re focusing on how each aspect of our life together connects to the Divine Liturgy. That means each and every topic is important, so please do your best to join us in person or online.
Wednesday, Oct 12 Music
Wednesday, Oct 19 Church School and Adult Education
Wednesday, Oct 26 Offices, Work Spaces, Storage
Wednesday, Nov 2 The Chapel and The Temple
Wednesday, Nov 9 Iconography
We’re also talking about next steps in our building program and we want to hear from everyone. To make that easier, Fredrick L. and Matt H. have created a link that you can share your comments that was shared in the emailed version of this newsletter.
Of course, you can also talk to Baker Galloway, Mike Brown, Will Hampton, or Father Aidan Wilcoxson in person or contact any of those folks via email.
COMING UP
The Holy Myrrhbearers, our Burial Society, in collaboration with Mother Barbara, are hosting a Gravesite visit to Schema Nun Sister Elizabeth at the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ Monastery next Saturday, October 15. We will meet in the St John’s parking lot at 8 am to caravan together to the Monastery. Valerie G. can be contacted for more details.
Attached to the emailed edition of the newsletter is a new policy for parish keys. We are going to get new keys for the property during the month of October, so, if you would like a key to access the Parish House or the Long Hall, please read through the policy and fill out the form that is provided.
OUR MOMENT OF GRACE AND COURTESY
It’s easy to get distracted during the Divine Liturgy, but three of the most important moments in the service are when we say our Amens during the Consecration of the Holy Gifts. That’s not just a fancy way of saying OK that’s our opportunity to affirm and to seal what has just taken place on the altar. Amen is also one of the titles of our Lord and Master. So, when it’s time to say Amen, Amen and the triple Amen, we should do so with excitement and joy and enough volume to flatten the flame on the altar candles.
Things That Make Priests Happy
Visiting with Valerie G. and Valerie P. and Sara H. about desks and books and the best way to get to Arkansas; talking with Father Andrew about the role of alliteration in the lives of Spiro Agnew, Jesse Jackson, and the Fathers of St Michael’s Monastery; serving the liturgy and thinking about these lines from Diane Seuss: “It’s beauty I sang I sung I’m singing/I barely began to begun/and I’m not done”; discovering that Greg G.’s shoes no longer squeak; scattering the crows who hang out, during the week, at the picnic tables.
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 Father Deacon Gerasimos Juliano; our Webmasters are Lily Halsey and Seth Hart; our Keeper of Lists is Father Andrew Wilson; our Roving Reporter is Robin Scherbatsky; when we go out for Mexican food, we never, ever eat the little chips in the bottom of the basket, and our Spiritual Advisor is Elder Galaction of the Holy Mountain.