Brothers and Sisters,
Happy Feast!
This coming weekend, not only will we be celebrating the Great Feast of Theophany, Church School will resume and House Blessings will begin! Please read through this entire edition of The Happy Priest, so you will be ready for everything that will be happening during this busy time.
Our Calendar
Fasting Days
Wednesday, January 3 is fast-free, but Friday, January 5, the Eve of Theophany, is a strict fast day.
Daily Services
Monday, January 1—Friday, January 5: Orthros 5am; Vespers 5pm (please check the schedule of festal services; also, , 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).
Seth Hart and friends will be at the online chanter’s stand, offering the First, Third, Sixth, and Ninth Hours this week: 1st hour & 3rd hour: 8:30 a.m.; 6th hour & 9th hour: 3:30 p.m.
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 Hidden Man of the Heart” by Elder Zacharias. The schedule is as follows: M-F at 12pm.
Tuesday, January 2
Orthodoxy 101 7pm You can also access the group on Discord
Thursday, January 4
The Bible Study, New Testament Edition 7pm You can access this group on Discord
Friday, January 5
The Eve of Theophany
Royal Hours Noon
Great Vespers 5pm
Saturday, January 6
The Great Feast of Theophany
Orthros 6am
Divine Liturgy with the Blessing of the Waters 8am
St Thomas School 4pm
Great Vespers 6pm
Sunday, January 7
The Sunday After Theophany
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 January 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.
Membership Update
This past Sunday, we made Arlena W. a catechumen; her sponsor is Jennifer R. Please introduce yourself to Arlena, and let her know that you will be praying for her as she prepares to be received into the Church.
St Thomas School
On Saturday, January 6, Benedict H. will teach our first First Saturday Practical Class for St Thomas School. This month’s topic is Liturgical Etiquette, so plan on being in the nave at 4pm to learn more about that essential (and practical) subject.
Coming Up
At 1pm on Sunday, January 14, we will join other Orthodox communities in the area for the Outdoor Blessing of the Waters at Twin Lakes Park here in Cedar Park.
At the conclusion of the email edition of the newsletter, you’ll find the schedule for our 2024 House Blessings. Please read through the schedule, and, if your name is not on the list, please contact Father Aidan right away. If your name is on the list, put that date in your phone or write it on your calendar or magnetize it to the refrigerator—or do all three. That way, you won’t be surprised when a guy in a black dress shows up at the door with a Holy Water Sprinkler.
On Friday, January 26, we will offer The Service for the Victims of Abortion. By Orthodox standards, the service is pretty short, but we will start promptly at 7pm, and we will offer up to the Most Holy Trinity our prayers for all children and parents and for those folks who are victims of the great moral evil of our age. We will also be collecting supplies for Bastrop Pregnancy Resource Center (www.bastropprc.org). Lindsey B. volunteers with the center, and she has provided us with a list of things they need. The list includes blankets, bottles, sippy cups, formula, potty training underwear, girls’ winter clothes and pajamas, sizes 12mo-5T, and board books. So please buy a number of those items and bring them with you to the service on the 26th.
Our 2024 Annual Community Meeting will be on Sunday, February 11. All the information for that meeting—the agenda, the reports, the candidates for parish council—can all be found in the email edition of this newsletter.
Our Moment of Grace and Courtesy
In the Comforting Room, we have lots of wonderful books available for our children. If your children or godchildren take any of the books with them into the nave, after the service is over, please show them how to return the books to the Comforting Room. That way, our children and godchildren will not only be blessed with high quality books, they will also be blessed in knowing how to pick up after themselves.
an unworthy priest
aidan