Brothers and Sisters,
Christ is Risen!
This coming Thursday, June 13, we will close out the Paschal Season and celebrate the Feast of the Ascension. We will offer Great Vespers at 7pm on Wednesday, June 12, and then, on the day of the feast, we will serve Orthros at 5am and Divine Liturgy at 7am. Join with us as we rejoice in the Entrance of Christ Jesus into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Our Calendar
Fasting Days
Wednesday, June 12, and Friday, June 14.
Daily Services
Monday, June 10—Friday, June 14: Orthros 5am; Vespers 5pm (but check with festal service schedule; in general, it’s good to 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 “The Ethics of Beauty”. 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, June 11
Orthodoxy 101 7pm; you can also access the group on Discord
Women’s Choir Rehearsal 7pm
Wednesday, June 12
Great Vespers 7pm
Thursday, June 13
The Feast of the Ascension
Orthros 5am
Divine Liturgy 7am
The Bible Study, Old Testament Edition 7pm; you can access this group on Discord
Choir Rehearsal 7pm
Saturday, June 15
St Thomas School 4pm
Great Vespers 6pm
Sunday, June 16
The Sunday of the Holy Fathers
Orthros 8am
Divine Liturgy 10am
Fellowship Hour Noon
Tuesday, June 18
Orthodoxy 101 7pm; you can also access the group on Discord
Thursday, June 20
The Bible Study, New Testament Edition 7pm; you can access this group on Discord
St Thomas School
On Saturday, June 15, Gabe M. will be leading the discussion of chapter six of Volume V entitled, “Holy Unction”. 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, June 13, to reserve your spot.
Upcoming Memorial Service
Next Sunday's memorial service will be for Alexei E., departed father and father-in-law of Elena and Ricardo. Please see the email version of the newsletter to learn a little bit about his interesting life; maybe a detail or two will come to mind as you sing "Memory Eternal" to our departed brother in Christ.
Our Live Music Schedule
This past Sunday, if you enjoyed Anna D.’s guitar and lovely voice and got groovy with our House Band, then you’ll want to be at Fellowship Hour every Sunday this month, because there’s more! Here’s the full schedule:
Sunday, June 16th: Rigel, Rick, and Austin (Bluesy/Jazzy), followed by the Unofficial St. John's Band.
Sunday, June 23rd: (Pentecost) Sara H. and friends
Sunday, June 30th: the Unofficial St. John's Band plays for 5th Sunday potluck
If you are interested in playing with the Unofficial St John’s Band, just check with the Unofficial Leader, Rigel T., and he’ll get you set up.
A Musical Opportunity for Women
This is for all adult women who've wanted to sing with the Liturgy Choir but can't commit long-term: Come to 4 rehearsals this summer and then sing with a women-led choir for the Feast of Dormition (Thursday, 8/15) and Sunday Liturgy on 8/18! We'll be using the main music we use every Sunday, so there's very little new music to learn. We want a LARGE section of sopranos and altos! Husbands / Dads / Godfamily - please work to help your wife/daughter/Godfamily make it to sing at the following rehearsals and Liturgies while you take care of the Children:
Tuesday, 6/11 - Rehearsal, 7-9pm
Tuesday, 6/25 - Rehearsal, 7-9pm
Tuesday, 7/16 - Rehearsal, 7-9pm
Tuesday, 8/6 - Rehearsal, 7-9pm
Thursday, 8/15 - Divine Liturgy for Feast of Dormition, early morning
Sunday, 8/18 - Warmup & Divine Liturgy, starting at 8:55am
Ladies - here's what you need to do:
Let Karen M. (Choir Director) know you're interested as soon as you're able via discord or talk with her after a service.
Put the above 4 rehearsals (if you need to miss 1 that's okay, just let Karen know) and Liturgies on your calendar to sing with the Liturgy Choir.
Come sing with us!! Questions? Contact Karen!
Coming Up
The weekend of June 22 and 23 will be especially busy and especially joyful because that Sunday is the Great Feast of Pentecost and that following Monday, June 24, is our parish feast day, The Nativity of the Forerunner. So, here’s what the schedule will look like:
Saturday, June 22, is the final Saturday of Souls for 2024. We will offer Orthros at 6am and serve the Divine Liturgy at 8am; that evening we will serve Great Vespers for Pentecost, and then we will Beat the Bounds, processing around our property, blessing the land and all the creatures, and whupping up on our King Herod piñata.
Sunday, June 23, is the Great Feast of Pentecost. We will keep the usual Sunday morning schedule—Orthros at 8am with Divine Liturgy at 10am, then we will have our Annual Pentecost Picnic (featuring, in honor of the Holy Forerunner, fried locusts and wild honey), and then, no later than 1pm, we will offer the beautiful service of Kneeling Vespers, which, this year, will be combined with hymns for the Nativity of the Forerunner
Monday, June 24, is our parish feast day, and we will offer Orthros at 5am and Divine Liturgy at 7am
We hope to see you at all the Divine Services, and we hope you will join us for all the fun activities!
Our Moment of Grace and Courtesy
If you are the parent or grandparent of a young child, please remember that, whether you are outside or inside one of the buildings, you must be able to see that child at all times. If you need assistance with your children, please do not hesitate to ask, but it is not enough to simply assume that others in the parish will keep track of your child. Parenting styles differ, but, please remember that, when you are at church, the expectation of our community is that your child will be in your direct line of sight at all times.
an unworthy priest
aidan