Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings in the Name of the Lord.
Today, in addition to the regular Sunday morning schedule, we will begin celebrating The Feast of the Elevation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross. This afternoon, we will serve Great Vespers no later than 1pm, and then, tomorrow, on Monday, September 14, the day of the feast, we will offer Orthros at 4am and Divine Liturgy at 6am. Join us as we reverence the Cross of our Lord and Master.
Fasting Days
Monday, September 14 (a strict fasting day), Wednesday, September 16, Friday, September 17
Daily Services
Monday, September 14-Friday, September 17: Orthros 4am; Vespers 5pm (but check the schedule for the Vigil and 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).
Today, September 13 The Sunday Before the Elevation
Orthros 8am
Church School 8:15am
Divine Liturgy 10am
Fellowship Hour Noon
Great Vespers for the Elevation no later than 1pm (The Bible Study, the Old Testament Edition, will meet next month)
Monday, September 14 The Feast of the Elevation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross
Orthros 4am
Divine Liturgy 6am
Tuesday, September 15
Inquirer’s Class 7pm
Wednesday, September 16
Fall Theological Seminar 7pm
Saturday, September 19
4pm St Thomas School
5:45pm Great Vespers
Sunday, September 20 Sunday After the Elevation
Orthros 8am
Church School 8:15am
Divine Liturgy 10am
Fellowship Hour Noon
Youth 1pm
Coming Up
Dr. Mengyu H. is leading this year’s Fall Theological Seminar. The group is discussing the now-classic text Norms and Nobility by David Hicks. If you are involved in Classical Education, then you have probably heard of the book, but this is a chance to actually talk about it—and if you have pre-school age children, if you are interested in Orthodox education, or Orthodox schools, or the future of our culture and society, then this is where you need to be on Wednesday night. But you’ll need to be there in person, because we’re no longer going to be offering a distance option. The group will begin promptly at 7pm; the seminar will run through Wednesday, November 11, and everyone is welcome.
Our sister parish, St Sophia in Dripping Springs, will be celebrating their patronal feast day this coming week. Great Vespers will be offered on Wednesday, September 16, at 5:50pm followed by a Lenten Potluck. On Thursday, September 17, Orthros and Divine Liturgy will begin at 9am followed by lunch. Everyone is welcome.
Our final Safety and Security Rehearsal for the year will be on Sunday, October 4. This is a rehearsal for an active shooter. Practically speaking, what we do during this rehearsal is not all that different from what we do in the rehearsal for a severe weather event: we all get down on the floor for a quick ten-count, and then we walk to the rally signs at the south end of the property. However, after a quick explanation as to what is going to happen, this rehearsal begins with one of the ushers saying in a loud voice, “Gun, Gun, Gun.” That moment—and just the overall focus of the rehearsal may be too stressful for some folks, and we certainly understand that. So, if you’d like to wait outside, that’s just fine. Nevertheless, we will still ask that you walk with everyone else to the rally signs, so please be prepared to participate in that portion of the rehearsal. If you have any questions about any other aspect of the event, please speak with one our clergymen.
If you haven’t seen the video of the new temple, it is streaming on Substack. Please check it out and share it with lots of folks. If you have questions about anything you say, just about all of those will be addressed on the Substack in the weeks ahead, so tune in often.
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 (We do not offer this Liturgy during fasting seasons or when there is a feast that falls during the week, so the next Wednesday Morning Divine Liturgy will be on Wednesday, September 23).
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, read through Father Deacon’s Seraphim’s instructional slides that are attached to this newsletter, and like/comment on/restack/forward each of the three weekly posts.
Our Moment of Grace and Courtesy
On those Sundays when Church School is in session, let’s remember that this is an opportunity for all the parents to participate in Orthros or offer some private prayers or catch up on some spiritual reading. The common room in the parish house is available for those who prefer not to be in Orthros, but, when we are in that room, we need to be as quiet as possible with our personal devotions, and we need to remember that, while sitting under the trees and visiting is a fun thing to do, Fellowship Hour does not start until after the Divine Liturgy has ended.