Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings in the Name of the Lord.
Our parking lot expansion begins in earnest this week, so, for the next month and a half, a good bit of our property is going to be a construction site. The areas under construction will be clearly marked, so we need to be sure and keep all children well away from those spaces—and, as grown-ups, we need to model that behavior for our young people. So, no slipping through the construction fences or climbing on the equipment or picking up what we think might be ‘extra’ rebar or boards or tools; we want the next month and a half to be entirely free of injury or incident.
This coming Friday, November 21, we will celebrate the Feast of the Entrance of the Mother of God into the Temple. On Thursday, November 20, we will offer Great Vespers at 7pm; on the day of the feast, we will serve Orthros at 5am and Divine Liturgy at 7am.
Fasting Days
The Nativity Fast runs through Wednesday, December 24. According to our Archdiocese’s Calendar, the Fast is divided into two periods: (1) November 15th through December 15th when the traditional fasting discipline (no meat, poultry, eggs, dairy, fish, wine, and olive oil) is observed on Wednesdays and Fridays, with a blessing for wine, olive oil and fish on other days; and (2) the subsequent period after December 15th, including that 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. Wednesday, November 12, and Friday, November 14. The Nativity Fast begins Saturday, November 15, and runs through, Wednesday, December 24. Women who are pregnant or nursing, children who are still growing, and anyone with a medically supervised diet is not to keep the full fast. Many American Orthodox Christians also obtain a blessing to celebrate Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, November 27). If you need a blessing to modify the fast in any way, please check with one of our priests.
Daily Services
Monday, November 17-Friday, November 21: Orthros 5am; Vespers 5pm; (but check the times for the festal services; it’s always a good idea to check the day before and make sure nothing has come up to change the regular schedule). However, Fr. Andrew, Seth Hart, and many other folks continue to broadcast daily readings from spiritual books online. They are now reading Made For Union by Father George Dokos. The schedule is as follows: M-F at 12pm.
In addition to the daily Synaxarion readings posted in the #synaxarion channel on Discord, the online team is now posting daily Bible Readings that will allow you to read through the Bible in a year. These readings are posted in the #bible-365 channel.
Monday, November 17
Dr Andrew Richardson Lecture 7pm
Tuesday, November 18
The Inquirer’s Class 7pm
The Parish Council 7pm
Wednesday, November 19
The Nativity Paraclesis 7pm
Thursday, November 20
Great Vespers 7pm
Friday, November 21 The Feast of the Entrance of the Mother of God
Orthros 5am
Divine Liturgy 7am
Saturday, November 22
St Thomas School 4pm
Great Vespers 6pm
Sunday, November 23 Ninth Sunday of St Luke
Orthros 8am
Divine Liturgy 10am
Fellowship Hour Noon
The Bible Study, New Testament Edition 1pm
Coming Up
We will be offering the Nativity Paraclesis on Wednesday evenings throughout the Fast. The service will begin at 7pm; there will be five of those services, and our hope is that we will all be able to participate in at least one, so please plan on joining us (it’s an especially nice way to begin the Thanksgiving Holiday). To make these services even more meaningful, we are encouraged everyone to bring canned goods for the Hill County Community Ministries basket.
The archdiocese expects all of us to make our confession before Christmas. That holy mystery is available on Saturday evening after Great Vespers and just about any other time with a specific appointment.
Our Catechesis of The Good Shepherd students (L1, L2 and L3) would like to extend everyone an invitation to their upcoming Nativity Pageant on Sunday December 14th at 8:45 a.m. in the parish house. This is an informal re-enactment of the Nativity of Christ Jesus that is part sing-along and part dialogue with costumes, simple props and plenty of charm. Please plan on joining in! (And please note that we have moved the materials making session originally scheduled that day to Sunday January 4th from 1-3pm.)
Sophia Y. coordinates our Fellowship Hour Teams, and she reports that we need folks to pitch in and join up. If you’re looking for a fun way to serve our parish community, this is the opportunity for you. For that matter, if you want Fellowship Hour to include more than bad coffee, Doritos, and some green beans, then get in touch with Sophia and let her know that you’re ready to help out.
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.
This Week’s Recommended Baby Name
Since we have so many babies, all of us at One Take Productions thought it would be helpful if we highlighted a saints’ name each week to help with the process of name selection. So, straight out of the Synaxarion, this week’s Certified Orthodox Baby Name is Dyfrig.
an unworthy priest
aidan