Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings in the Name of the Lord.
The Triodion has begun! Please read through this week’s newsletter carefully. We want you to be able to take full advantage of all that this short season has to offer.
Our Calendar
Fasting Days
There is no fasting during the first week of The Triodion (Wha-Hoo!)
Daily Services
Monday, February 28—Friday, March 1: Orthros 5am; Vespers 5pm (please remember that 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).
Fr. Andrew, Seth Hart, and Matthew Groh and many other folks continue to broadcast daily readings from spiritual books online. They are now reading “Wounded By Love: The Life and Wisdom of St Porphyrios”. 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, February 27
Orthodoxy 101 7pm; you can also access the group on Discord
Thursday, February 29
The Bible Study, New Testament Edition 7pm You can access this group on Discord
Saturday, March 2
St Thomas School 4pm
Great Vespers 6pm
Sunday, March 3
The Sunday of the Prodigal Son
Orthros 8am
Church School 8:15am
Divine Liturgy 10am
Fellowship Hour Noon
Since this is the first Sunday of the month, it is also Blessing Sunday, so if you’re going to be traveling during March or if you have icons, prayer ropes, and crosses to be blessed, just show up at the chanter’s stand after liturgy 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.
St Thomas School
On Saturday, March 2, we will have our second Practical Saturday Class of 2024. Father Michael C. will lead the discussion on The Catechumenate and Entering the Church. He will be talking about the process itself, how long it should last, the overall requirements, finding a sponsor, being a sponsor, and just about everything in between--and it will be an In-Person Only Session, so plan on joining us in the parish house at 4pm.
Coming Up
It’s time to plan for summer camp! Every year, The Order of St Ignatius generously provides each parish in the archdiocese with scholarship money. This year, the Order will give St John’s $1,000 to be divided up among no more than 10 campers, but we need to sign up for this scholarship money by this coming Friday, March 1. So, if your child is registered for Camp St Raphael, and you would like to access some of the scholarship money, send an email to Father Aidan as soon as possible and get on the list.
This year, Great Lent begins on Monday, March 18. Please take a look at the website calendar and start planning how you will fast and when you will make your confession. We also need to be thinking about which Lenten services we will attend, what kind of spiritual reading we want to do, how we will help others, and how much we want to increase our giving. If we will plan ahead, we will be able to take full advantage of these special seasons.
This year, the Saturdays of Souls fall on March 9 and March 30, as well as on April 6 and June 22. On those Saturdays, we pray for our departed friends and loved ones, but we also prepare for our departure from this life, and our Burial Society can help us with a lot of those practical details. Members of the society will be present on March 9 and April 6, along with a representative from Beck Funeral Home, and they can answer all your questions and help get you started on that process that so very many of us just try to postpone (on those Saturdays, a light breakfast will also be provided). Since there are four Saturdays of Souls, our hope is that all of us will attend the Divine Services on at least one of those days, so look at your calendar and go ahead and pick a Saturday on which you can join us.
The archdiocese expects all of us to make our confession prior to Pascha. Here in our parish, we do not offer the Mystery of Holy Confession during Holy Week, so that means we have eight weeks to get that done. Of course, two months seems like a long time, but it will go by very quickly, so we need to plan ahead. Holy Confession is available on Saturday evenings after Great Vespers or just about any other time with a specific appointment (our priests do not hear immediate-request-on-the-spot confessions).
Our Moment of Grace and Courtesy
Please remember that the bread you receive after communion and after reverencing the cross has been blessed at the altar. That means we all need to make sure that we pick up whatever crumbs may fall on the floor. Parents and grandparents need to watch their children and grandchildren and assist them in this important and respectful work. Once the crumbs have been picked up, you may consume them or simply take them outside and scatter them for the birds.
an unworthy priest
aidan