Brothers and Sisters,
We will celebrate the Feast of the Entrance of the Mother of God on Tuesday, November 21. On Monday, November 20, we will offer Great Vespers at 7pm, and on Tuesday, the day of the feast, we will serve Orthros at 5am and Divine Liturgy at 7am. Praying with the Most Holy Theotokos would be a wonderful way to begin the Thanksgiving holiday.
This coming Sunday, we are going to wrap up our Annual Budget Campaign. It’s important to remember that this effort is different from our Capital Campaign. The Capital Campaign is how we raise money for our new temple; the Budget Campaign is how we raise money to pay the bills in the coming year. Of course, if you have questions, our Finance Folks, Arun J., Jennifer R., and Ray W., are standing by to provide you with answers. But we do need to get all the 2024 Commitments in by this coming Sunday, November 26, so we can make any necessary adjustments to the budget before we begin the New Year.
Our Calendar
The Nativity Fast
The Nativity Fast continues. This fasting season 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. Many American Christians ask for a blessing and take a day off from the fast on Thanksgiving Day, but, if you need to modify the fast in any way, please check with your spiritual father as soon as possible.
Daily Services
Monday November 20 – Wednesday, November 22:
Orthros 5am
Vespers 5pm
There will not be any in-person daily services on Thursday or Friday of this week. In general, if you plan on attending the in-person services, it’s always a good idea to check the day before and make sure the regular schedule will be observed.
Also, Seth Hart and friends will be at the online chanter’s stand, offering the First, Third, Sixth, and Ninth Hours this week:
1st hour: 6:45 a.m.
3rd hour: 8:45 a.m.
6th hour: 11:45 a.m.
9th hour: 3:45 p.m.
Fr. Andrew, Seth Hart, and Matthew Groh and many other folks continue to broadcast daily readings from spiritual books online. They are now reading “On the Human Condition” by St Basil the Great. The schedule is as follows: M-F at 12pm.
Also, our online team will now be reading the Daily Synaxarion on Discord. Just look for this channel: #synaxarion
Monday, November 20
Great Vespers 7pm
Tuesday, November 21
The Feast of the Entrance of the Mother of God
Orthros 5am
Divine Liturgy 7am
Orthodoxy 101 7pm You can also access the group on Discord
Wednesday, November 22
The Nativity Paraclesis 7pm
Saturday, November 25
St Thomas School 10am
Great Vespers 6pm
Sunday, November 26
The Thirteenth Sunday of St Luke
Orthros 8am
Divine Liturgy 10am
Fellowship Hour Noon
St Thomas School
On Saturday, November 25, Seth H. will be leading discussion the chapter of Volume IV entitled, “The Divine Liturgy” (pgs 129-145). Online access is available on Discord; like to participate online, you still need to sign-up ahead of time. Just send an email to remote.meetings@theforerunner.org by Thursday, November 23, to reserve your spot.
Coming Up
During the Nativity Fast, we always offer the Nativity Paraclesis on Wednesday evenings at 7pm. This year, there are four more of those services—on November 29 and December 6,13,20—so all of us should be able to make at least one of them. So please go ahead and note on your calendar the services in which you will be able to participate.
The St Nicholas Box is now in the narthex. Please bring a new, unwrapped toy to place in the box. All the toys we collect will be donated to Blue Santa on The Feast of St Nicholas, December 6.
During the Fast, the women of our parish have once again again undertake daily Psalter readings. Misty W. is coordinating this, so if you would like to be included in this work, please send her an email.
The Archdiocese expects us all to make our confession at least once during Nativity Lent. In our community, confession is offered on Saturday evenings after Great Vespers, or just about any other time by appointment. We will not be hearing confessions on Christmas Eve, Sunday, December 24, but, between now and the end of December, all you need to do is show up on Saturday night or contact one of our priests to arrange a specific time to participate in this Holy Mystery.
In the email edition of the newsletter, you’ll find the schedule for our 2024 House Blessings. Please read through the schedule, and, if your name is not on the list, please contact Father Aidan right away. If your name is on the list, put that date in your phone or write it on your calendar or magnetize it to the refrigerator—or do all three. That way, you won’t be surprised when a guy in a black dress shows up at the door with a Holy Water Sprinkler.
Our Moment of Grace and Courtesy
When we offer a weekday Divine Liturgy, there are typically no ushers available to serve. However, just because those friendly guys aren’t at the doors, the rules for entering the nave still apply. So, we need to remember and wait in the narthex during either one of the entrances, while the scripture lessons are being read, during the homily, and during the Holy Eucharist.
an unworthy priest
aidan