Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings in the Name of the Lord.
This coming Sunday, October 30th, is the Fifth Sunday of the month. So, during Fellowship Hour, we will have a potluck. Of course, potlucks work a whole lot better if we all bring plenty of food. So, please plan on bringing several of your favorite dishes and please plan on assisting with the clean-up, since we do not have a regular Fellowship Hour Team assigned for fifth Sundays.
Thanks to everyone who has already filled out their 2023 Stewardship Commitment on REALM. If you haven’t done that yet, please go ahead and take a moment and get it done right now. The Finance Folks need all that information by Sunday, November 6, and the link is just a bit further down in this newsletter.
And, finally, in this week’s emailed edition of The Happy Priest is the schedule for 2023 House Blessings. Yes, it will be here before you know it! So, please read through the list and make sure that your name appears on it. If the date that you’ve been assigned works, then please log that date into your phone and write it on all your calendars. If you have been left off the list, or if the date that you’ve been assigned will not work, then please get in touch with Father Aidan Wilcoxson as soon as possible.
Our Calendar
Fasting Days
Wednesday, October 26, and Friday, October 28
Daily Services
Monday, October 25 to Friday, October 28
Orthros 5am
Vespers 5pm
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 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 current book they are reading is A Spiritual Psalter by St. Ephraim the Syrian.
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 25
Orthodoxy 101 7pm
Please see the login details in the emailed version of the newsletter to join Zoom meeting
Wednesday, October 26
The Fall Theological Seminar 7pm
Please see the login details in the emailed version of the newsletter to join Zoom meeting
Thursday, October 27
The Bible Study at 7pm
Topic: St. John the Forerunner - Bible Study
Please see the login details in the emailed version of the newsletter to join Zoom meeting
Saturday, October 29
St. Thomas School 4 pm
Great Vespers at 6 pm
Sunday, October 30
The Fifth Sunday of St. Luke
Orthros at 8am
Liturgy 10am
Fellowship Hour Noon
Youth Church School 12:15 pm
ST THOMAS SCHOOL
On Saturday, October 29, Father Deacon Michael Coleman will lead the discussion of Chapter Ten in
Volume Two, “Angels” 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, October 27; you will also need to keep your camera on during the session.
MEMBERSHIP UPDATE
This past Sunday, we made Ray Wilson, Jonathan and Johanna Killeen, and Tyler, Tara, and Sophia L. catechumens. Please introduce yourselves to all these folks and let them know that you will be praying for them as they prepare to be received into the Church.
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 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
There are just two more weeks left in 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 Jacob and John Willman, will be available over the next two 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.
On Saturday, November 5, we will celebrate the Feast of St Raphael of Brooklyn. St Raphael’s icon (and relics) are featured on our iconostasis; St Raphael was the first Orthodox bishop consecrated in North America, and he is the patron of all our outreach efforts. We will serve Orthros at 6am and Divine Liturgy at 8am. St Raphael is also known as the Good Shepherd of the Lost Sheep in America, so this will be a wonderful opportunity to ask him to pray for all the folks we know who are not yet part of the Church and for all the folks we know who have fallen away from the Church. Daylight Savings Time ends on Sunday, November 6, so, on Saturday evening, be sure and set your clocks back one hour in preparation for the Divine Services on Sunday.
THE NATIVITY FAST begins on November 15th and is divided into two periods: (A) November 15th through December 19th when the traditional fasting discipline (no meat, poultry, eggs, dairy, fish, wine, and olive oil) is observed on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with a blessing for wine and olive oil (some also permit fish) on Tuesday and Thursday, and for fish, wine, and olive oil on Saturday and Sunday, and (B) the period of the Forefeast, December 20th through 24th, when the traditional fasting discipline is observed Monday through Friday, with a blessing for wine and olive oil on Saturday and Sunday. The eve of the feast, December 24th is a strict fast day. December 25th through January 4th is fast-free. If you need to modify the fast in any way, please check with your spiritual father as soon as possible.
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.
Things That Make Priests Happy
Baptizing Evan E. ; chrismating Jennifer R. and Connor and Collin M.; making Ray W., Jonathan and Johanna K. , and Tyler, T. , and Sophia L. catechumens; talking with Victoria J. and Cub G. about palindromes; enjoying Chris F.’s surprise birthday party; practicing beach asceticism; wearing my new phelonion and epitrachilion; talking with Corey D. about his new granddaughter, Madeleine and pointing out how she needs all those books about the twelve little girls in two straight lines who lived in the old house in Paris that was covered with vines; walking on the sand; watching the waves.
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 Jack McGee; we’re really excited about our new Whittaker Chambers Line of Pumpkin Spice Products, and our Spiritual Advisor is Elder Galaction of the Holy Mountain.