Brothers and Sisters,
The Fall Theological Seminar is off to a great start, but, this coming weekend, September 22-24, all three of our temple iconographers will be with us: Martin Earle, Seraphim O’Keefe, and our own Baker Galloway. We will be able to get to know them and their families, and they will be talking to us about the iconography for our new building. This newsletter contains the schedule for the weekend, as well as notes from each of the iconographers, so please read through all that material and plan on joining us on Friday and Saturday and Sunday.
Our Calendar
Fasting Days
Wednesday, September 20, and Friday, September 22
Daily Services
Monday, Sep 18 - Friday, Sep 22
Orthros 5am
Vespers 5pm
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. Sts Barsunuphius and John: Letters from the Desert. The schedule is M-F at 12pm.
Also, we will now be reading the Daily Synaxarion on Discord.
Tuesday, September 19
Orthodoxy 101 at 7 pm in the Parish House (also on Discord)
Wednesday, September 20
Fall Theological Seminar at 7 pm (also on Discord)
Thursday, September 21
Bible Study, New Testament Edition 7 pm on Discord
Friday, September 22
The Iconography Weekend
Great Vespers 7 pm
Saturday, September 23
The Iconography Weekend
Orthros 6 am
Divine Liturgy 8 am
First Presentation 10 am
Lunch (on your own)
Second Presentation 1 pm
Third Presentation 2 pm
Ninth Hour and Great Vesper 5:45 pm
Sunday, September 24
The First Sunday of St. Luke
Orthros 8 am
Between Orthros and the Divine Liturgy, Quincy W., and Christian David and Athena P. will be baptized, and Christian (the Elder) and Natali P., and Michael M., and Barbara G. will be chrismated, and Alexander N. and Christian H. will be made catechumens; please arrive early to join us for these Holy Mysteries.
Divine Liturgy 10 am
Fellowship Hour Noon
Iconography Panel Discussion 1 pm
St. Thomas School
St Thomas School will return on Saturday, September 30.
Greetings from Our Iconographers
Dear Family of St. John the Forerunner, Greetings in Christ. During the weekend of September 23/24th, my colleagues Martin Earle and Seraphim O'Keefe and their families will be visiting St. John's. Please come join us for the presentations and discussions we have planned. You will get a look inside the process for how a team of iconographers approaches the complex work of deciding what murals go where in the interior of a Temple. Fr. Andrew has been working with the three of us iconographers for several months to lay the groundwork of our decision-making process, and we are excited to finally share the fruit of that work with you.
On Saturday each of us will give a talk about one aspect of iconography. I will talk about "Why?" - why make icons and why look at them? Seraphim O'Keefe will then talk about "What?" - what is the visual language and anatomy of a fully-adorned Orthodox Temple? Martin Earle will then conclude our talks with "How?" - how do iconographers practically go about their work and struggles?
On Sunday afternoon September 24th we will be looking at one specific space in the Temple together - the Narthex - and working together to plan how to use the walls in that room iconographically. A lot happens in the Narthex - visitors arrive, catechumens are made, folks wait for confession or quiet themselves in preparing to re-enter the liturgy, and hospitality is shown following services. The iconography in the Narthex will be informed by and respond to the needs of that very specific room, and we will discern how that is going to best work together. So! Please plan to join us, and bring your best brainstorming ideas and gut-reactions.
with your prayers,
Baker
I have a very clear memory of visiting St John’s for the first time in 2017. I was in Houston assisting with the installation of a mosaic at the time and was in Austin for the weekend as Baker’s guest. What struck me immediately on entering your church one Sunday morning was the sound of the unamplified voices coming from the choir. They seemed impossibly light, powerful and clear. The sound was angelic. Baker has since explained that, as much as God’s grace and skill of the choristers, this effect is the result of the careful engineering of the church acoustics. Ever since I have told folks in the UK the story about the church in Austin designed by NASA. After the liturgy, I remember the parish meal under the shade of a sycamore tree, the warmth of the community gathered together and the kind welcome you extended to a stranger.
In the years between the friendship between my family and Baker’s has grown and flourished. As well as sharing a teacher in Aidan Hart, we have kept up a steady exchange on iconography, visited holy places together in England, Israel and Palestine and even enjoyed an impromptu flamenco concert on a Galilean hilltop. At Fr Aidan’s invitation also we collaborated together on several projects at St John's including the church’s altar. Through Baker, I met Seraphim. In our initial conversations about the new mural schema, I've been deeply impressed by their ability to combine faithfulness to the icon tradition with playfulness and visual wit. Setting out with them both on this project, with the parish alongside, is the greatest adventure yet.
I’m so looking forward to experiencing the liturgy and meeting the community of St John’s again and, especially, introducing you all to my wife Katherine and daughter Maria Audrey. Some words from the Psalms come to mind… I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” Thank you all so much for this invitation.
-Martin Earle
Hello from Seraphim O’Keefe in Greenville South Carolina! I look forward to meeting you later this month, along with My wife Ilaria and our four children: Herman, Ida, James, and RoseAnn! I am eager first of all for us to participate with you in your liturgical life; to encounter and absorb some of the particular character of your parish family’s walk with God. I have heard about the prayerful and disciplined way that you undertake projects as a community. This I hope to experience and learn from on behalf of my home parish. I want to get to know new friends and to hear stories, and reunite with old friends in the parish. And it will be a special joy to do this alongside my dear friends Baker and Martin, for whom I have such deep respect. I thank you all for this invitation.
-Seraphim
Coming Up
On November 10 -12, the ladies of St John's will be visiting the Monastery of The Holy Nativity in East Texas. This trip is limited to the first 20 women who reserve their spot by paying for their share of the Air B&B bill. If you would like to participate, please contact Misty W. for the details.
Our Moment of Grace and Courtesy
An important aspect of our stewardship is keeping our property looking as nice as possible. Parents and grandparents and godparents have a big role to play in that effort. For example, landscaping features often attract children, and we certainly want our children to enjoy their time at the parish, but when children play with the gravel and mulch and stones that are part of our landscaping, those children should also be taught the good stewardship of restoring those materials to their original appearance.
Things That Make Priests Happy
Blessing Father Deacon Gerasimos and Shamassy Irene on their 29th anniversary; walking in on an arm wrestling competition in the kitchen; visiting with Kenneth C. about Homer, Alaska; meeting Keri G.’s much, much younger cousin; offering the services for St Ninian of Galloway; learning, in the Fall Theological Seminar, that, if we’re going to be sanctified, our noses will have to be 15% longer; waking up to the sound of rain.
An unworthy priest,
aidan