Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings in the Name of the Lord.
Now that we are at the half-way point in the Fast, it’s a good opportunity to think about where we are in our spiritual striving: Have we made our confession? Have we made it to one of the weekday services? Are we keeping up with our spiritual reading? Are we current on our giving to the parish—and could we give a little more? Are we (cheerfully) helping others? And most important of all: Are we more patient and kind and hopeful?
Fasting Days
We are keeping the traditional fasting discipline in which we go without meat (beef, pork, chicken, and fish with backbones), dairy products, oil, wine, and hard liquor through Pascha, Sunday, April 12 (there is a blessing for fish, wine, and oil on Saturdays and Sundays). If you need to modify that discipline in any way, please speak with your spiritual father as soon as possible.
Daily Services
Monday, March 16-Friday, March 20: Orthros 5am; Vespers 5pm (please also check the schedule of Lenten 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 Hymn of Entry by Archimandrite Vasileios. 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, March 16
Great Compline 7pm
Tuesday, March 17
The Inquirer’s Class 7pm
Wednesday, March 18
Pre-Sanctified Liturgy 7pm
Friday, March 20
The Akathist Hymn 7pm
Saturday, March 21
St Thomas School 4pm
Great Vespers 6pm
Sunday, March 22 The Sunday of the Cross
Orthros 8am
Divine Liturgy 10am
Fellowship Hour Noon
Coming Up
The archdiocese expects all of us to make our confession prior to Pascha. Here in our parish, we do not offer the Mystery of Holy Confession during Holy Week, so that means we now have just three weeks to get that done. Of course, that seems like a long time, but it will go by very quickly, so we need to plan ahead. Holy Confession is available on Saturday evenings after Great Vespers or just about any other time with a specific appointment (our priests do not hear immediate-request-on-the-spot confessions).
On Wednesday, March 25, we will celebrate The Feast of the Annunciation. We will serve Great Vespers at 7pm on Tuesday, March 24, and, on the day of the feast, we will offer Orthros at 5am and Divine Liturgy at 7am. Please plan on joining us for these lovely services.
Sunday, March 29, is a Fifth Sunday. On those Sundays, we always have a potluck at Fellowship Hour, and, over the years, we've discovered that those work a whole lot better if we all bring some food. So, bring your best Lenten dishes with a little to share on the 29th.
This year, the Pascha Book Study will run from Wednesday, April 15-Wednesday, May 13. Dr. Benedict H. will lead the discussion about Paul Kingsnorth's popular book Against the Machine. The group will be in-person only; it will meet in the parish house at 7pm. The bookstore has plenty of copies of the text, so pick one up soon.
Our Moment of Grace and Courtesy
It’s time to start getting ready for the Feast of Feasts, so here is our first Paschal Moment of Grace and Courtesy:
Pre-school children should not be given lighted candles. Battery operated candles are available at craft stores, and that is what pre-school children should use. Parents and grandparents should use their best judgment when it comes to allowing elementary-age children to hold a lighted candle. This is not only a safety issue (hot wax can cause bad burns; hair and clothing can blaze up quickly and unexpectedly); it also takes a great deal of work to remove wax from the carpet. Again, our ushers have been instructed to remind parents that very young children should not be given lighted candles.
an unworthy priest
aidan