Brothers and Sisters,
This coming Sunday, January 14, is the Leavetaking of Theophany (when we “give the feast back”). To celebrate, we’re going to join St Elias Parish and, hopefully, several other communities at Twin Lakes Park in Cedar Park (it’s right next to the YMCA off of old 183) for the Outdoor Blessing of The Waters. We will meet there after Fellowship Hour at 1pm; the service will take about 30 minutes; join us as we participate in the on-going sanctification of the world!
House Blessings are now in full swing, so please be watching for those all-important messages from the clergy so you can confirm your participation in the schedule. Also, House Blessing Season means The Houses, and the first installment of those awards is at the conclusion of this week’s email edition of The Happy Priest.
Our Calendar
Fasting Days
Wednesday, January 10, and Friday, January 12.
Daily Services
Monday, Jan 8 - Friday, Jan 11
Orthros 5 am
Vespers 5 pm
(Please check the schedule of festal services; also, there will not be any daily, in-person services on Monday evening or Tuesday. 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.
Fr. Andrew, Seth Hart, and Matthew Groh and many other folks continue to broadcast daily readings from spiritual books online. They are now reading “The Hidden Man of the Heart” by Elder Zacharias. The schedule is M-F at 12pm.
Also, our online team will now be reading the Daily Synaxarion on the #synaxarion channel.
Tuesday, January 9
Orthodoxy 101 7 pm at the Parish House and on Discord
Saturday, January 13
Youth Group 4 pm
St. Thomas School 4 pm
Great Vespers 6 pm
Sunday, January 14
The Sunday After Theophany
Orthros 8 am
Divine Liturgy 10 am
Fellowship Hour Noon
Blessing of the Waters at Twin Lakes Park 1 pm
With the Righteous Departed
This Sunday's memorial service will be for Irene B, a very early member of our community. Please read a little bit about her in the email edition of the newsletter.
May her memory be eternal and may you be granted Paradise.
St. Thomas School
On Saturday, January 13, Benedict H. will be leading discussion the chapter of Volume IV entitled, “The Formation of the Weekly Liturgical Cycle”. 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, January 11, to reserve your spot.
Coming Up
On Friday, January 26, we will offer The Service for the Victims of Abortion. By Orthodox standards, the service is pretty short, but we will start promptly at 7pm, and we will offer up to the Most Holy Trinity our prayers for all children and parents and for those folks who are victims of the great moral evil of our age. We will also be collecting supplies for Bastrop Pregnancy Resource Center (www.bastropprc.org). Lindsey B. volunteers with the center, and she has provided us with a list of things they need. The list includes blankets, bottles, sippy cups, formula, potty training underwear, girls’ winter clothes and pajamas, sizes 12mo-5T, and board books. So please buy a number of those items and bring them with you to the service on the 26th.
Our 2024 Annual Community Meeting will be on Sunday, February 11. All the information for that meeting—the agenda, the reports, the candidates for parish council—can all be found in the email edition of the newsletter.
Our Moment of Grace and Courtesy
Now that bangs are fashionable, please remember that, when you try to kiss the priest’s hand after receiving the Holy Gifts, your hair can easily fall into or across the lip of the chalice. Most girls know to tie or hold their hair back during communion, but all you hip guys need to start doing that as well (or just borrow a bobby pin from your sister).
An unworthy priest,
aidan