Brothers and Sisters,
Christ is Risen!
On Thursday, May 21, we will celebrate The Feast of the Ascension. On Wednesday, May 20, we will offer Great Vespers at 7pm, and, on Thursday morning, we will serve Orthros at 4am and Divine Liturgy at 6am. Please join us as we celebrate the enthronement of our Lord and Master in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Fasting Days
Wednesday, May 20, and Friday, May 22
Daily Services
Monday, May 18-Friday, May 22: Orthros 4am; Vespers 5pm (but check the schedule for the festal services; in general, if you plan on attending one of the daily services, it’s a good idea to check with Father Aidan the day before to make sure the schedule has not changed).
Tuesday, May 19
Inquirer’s Class 7pm
Wednesday, May 20
Great Vespers 7pm
Thursday, May 21 The Feast of the Ascension
Orthros 4am
Divine Liturgy 6am
Saturday, May 23
St Thomas School 4pm
Great Vespers 6pm
Sunday, May 25 Sunday of The First Council
Orthros 8am
Divine Liturgy 10am
Fellowship Hour Noon
The Bible Study, New Testament Edition 1pm
Coming Up
On Saturday, May 30, we will celebrate the final Saturday of Souls for this year. We will offer Orthros at 6am and Divine Liturgy at 8am. If you have a list of family members and friends for the Memorial Service on that day, it must be 1) typed, not hand-written, and 2) it must be place in The Commemoration Book out in the narthex by Friday, May 29. We will not be able to use hand-written lists or lists brought after Friday, May 29.
Also on Saturday, May 30, we are going to have our annual Blessing of Animals. Wednesday, May 27 is the feast day of St Melangel of Wales; she had a special relationship with rabbits. However, there are a great many saints that have had close relationships with all sorts of animals, and the birds and the beasts and the creatures of the sea are going to be redeemed along with all of us. We already bless domestic animals when we do House Blessings each year, but bringing our pets to the parish for a blessing is even more fun. However, we want everyone--humans and pets--to participate in the blessing in a way that is safe and healthy, so we consulted with Jason F., a member of our community who's been a vet for a number of decades, and we’ve put together some guidelines for the event. Please read through them carefully:
The blessing will take place outside right after the Divine Liturgy (about 9:30am). Animals will not be allowed either in the Parish House or the Long Hall.
All small animals (cats, gerbils, lizards, guinea pigs, hamsters, snakes, etc) will gather under the trees on the playground. These animals must be in containers, and they must stay in those containers while they are on parish property.
All dogs will gather under the trees between the Long Hall and the Parish House. All dogs must be on leashes, and they must be leashed the entire time they are on parish property. Young children should not be allowed to control dogs; a responsible adult must handle the leashed dog. Also, if you have a dog that is aggressive or nervous or that does not interact well with humans or other animals, please do not bring it to the parish. We will be happy to bless aggressive and anxious dogs at their homes.
Domestic farm animals (goats, sheep, pigs, cattle, horses) are welcome, but they must remain in the trailers or vehicles in which they are transported.
There should not be any contact between any of the animals while they are on parish property.
All dogs and cats must be vaccinated. Dogs must have had Distemper (DHPP), Kennel Cough (Bordetella) and Rabies. Cats must have had Feline Distemper or upper respiratory vaccine (FVRCP) and Rabies. If you have questions about any of those vaccinations, Jason F. has indicated that he will be happy to communicate with you on our parish Discord platform. If your dog or cat does not have all those vaccinations, and you would still like the animal to be blessed, you are welcome to attend the service, but the dog or cat must stay in your car. One of the priests will bless the animal while it is in the car.
Please bring water in a bottle or a bowl for your pet.
Please bring plastic bags and be prepared to clean up after your pet when they have a bowel movement.
That may seem like a lot, but it's pretty normal pet stuff, and it will ensure that our Blessing of Animals is a beautiful service that honors the Most Holy Trinity. And, notice, it is a worship service--that means we're not organizing a temporary dog park or a petting zoo. We're going to read prayers and bless all the animals with holy water. If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch with Father Aidan.
On Sunday, May 31, we will celebrate the Great Feast of Pentecost. We will offer the Divine Services at the usual Sunday morning times (Orthros 8am; Divine Liturgy 10am). Since that Sunday is also a Fifth Sunday, we will have a Potluck during Fellowship Hour; that means we will all need to bring something to eat, and we will all need to help clean up afterwards. Also, no later than 1pm, we will offer the Service of Kneeling Vespers.
Working on the Building
If you want us to get into that new temple as soon as possible, there are four things you can do this week:
Join us in offering The Akathist for a New Temple each week. Copies are available in the bookstore and online; a recording is available on Discord, and there is a group that meets on Discord each Friday at noon to offer the service.
Join us for the 6am Wednesday Morning Divine Liturgy. At the conclusion of the Liturgy, you will have the opportunity to reverence our relic of St Eanswythe of Folkestone, the Patroness of our Building Program.
Check to make sure that you’re current on your Three Year Commitment to our Building Program. If you have not make a commitment to our Temple Fund, please check with our Finance Guy, Ray W.; he’ll get you set up.
Take out a (totally free) subscription to our Substack, Come See Something Beautiful, and forward each of the three weekly posts to absolutely everyone you know.
Our Moment of Grace and Courtesy
Let’s be sure and leave the chairs and the benches for folks who are older and for folks who have physical limitations. Children and young people should always sit on the floor or stand. We never know who is going to come through the door of the nave, so even if it appears that there are vacant chairs or benches, children and young people should remain sitting on the floor or standing.