Brothers and Sisters,
We’re doing our best to wrap up our Annual Budget Campaign. Of course, 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. If you have questions, our Finance Folks, Arun J., Jennifer R., and Ray W., are standing by to provide you with answers.
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.
Daily Services
Monday November 27—Friday, December 1:
Orthros 5am
Vespers 5pm
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 & 3rd hour: 8:30 a.m.
6th hour & 9th hour: 3:30 p.m.
Note: the schedule for the Hours above has changed. They are now combined into 2 services, which is a very common way of offering the Hours.
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
Tuesday, November 21
Parish Council 7pm This group will meet in the Parish House
Orthodoxy 101 7pm This group will meet in the Long Hall; you can also access the group on Discord
Wednesday, November 29
The Nativity Paraclesis 7pm
Saturday, December 2
St Thomas School 4pm
Great Vespers 6pm
Sunday, December 3
The Fourteenth Sunday of St Luke
Orthros 8am
Divine Liturgy 10am
Fellowship Hour Noon
The last Safety and Security Rehearsal we had scheduled was rained out, so we’re going to do a make-up this coming Sunday. Once again, it will be a rehearsal for a medical emergency, so immediately after the Divine Liturgy has ended, we will evacuate the Long Hall and the Parish House and walk to the Rally Signs on the parking lots. The ushers will again be doing a head count, so we will wait until they give the all clear to begin Fellowship Hour.
Since this is the first Sunday of the month, it is also Blessing Sunday, so if you’re going to be traveling during December or if you have icons, prayer ropes, and crosses to be blessed, just show up at the chanter’s stand after the Safety and Security Rehearsal for those prayers. But the first Sunday of the month is also Claim Your Stuff Sunday; that means you need to check the Lost and Found Box in the kitchen because it will all go to Goodwill after Fellowship Hour is over.
Financial Update
As we’re all filling out our 2024 Commitment Cards, it is encouraging to know that, through your on-going generosity, and through the grace of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we ended the month of October with a surplus of almost $9,000. That brings the budget surplus on the year to $101,000—which is a wonderful place to be in the final two months of 2023. Nevertheless, we will need all of that money for debt retirement and our new temple, so let’s continue to be faithful as we finish up the year: Please check to make sure that you are current on your commitment to the parish for this year, and, as always, if you can, please contribute a bit more to help out those folks who simply cannot give what they had hoped.
St Thomas School
On Saturday, December 2, we will have our First Saturday Practical Class on Orthodox Preparation for Death. Polly T. will be leading the discussion on Children in Holy Orthodoxy and in the Divine Liturgy. Please join us in the parish house to learn more about this important topic.
Coming Up
During the Nativity Fast, we always offer the Nativity Paraclesis on Wednesday evenings at 7pm. After this week, there are three more of those services—on 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 undertaken daily Psalter readings. Misty W. is coordinating this, so if you would like to be included in this work, please contact her.
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
After Fellowship Hour, please remember to return all your plates and coffee cups to the kitchen in the Long Hall. The folks who serve on our Fellowship Hour Teams will have a much easier day if they do not also have to try and round up each of the plates and cups that we leave out on the picnic tables or in all the different rooms of the parish house.
an unworthy priest
aidan