Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings in the Name of the Lord.
On Thursday, November 21, we will celebrate The Feast of the Entrance. We’ll serve Great Vespers on Wednesday, November 20, at 7pm, and then, on the day of the feast, we will offer Orthros at 5am and Divine Liturgy at 7am. Please join us as we honor the Most Holy Theotokos as we commemorate her entrance into the temple at Jerusalem.
Our Calendar
Fasting Days
The Nativity Fast continues. This fasting seasons runs through Wednesday, December 25. This fasting season is divided into two periods:
November 15th through December 19th when the traditional fasting discipline (no meat, poultry, eggs, dairy, fish, wine, and olive oil) is observed on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with a blessing for wine and olive oil (some also permit fish) on Tuesday and Thursday, and for fish, wine, and olive oil on Saturday and Sunday.
The period 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.
Many American Orthodox Christians take a break from the fast on Thanksgiving Day. Please begin to make your plans now, and, if you need to modify the fast in any way, be sure to get a blessing from one of the priests.
Daily Services
Monday, November 18-Friday, November 22: Orthros 5am; Vepsers 5pm (but check the schedule of festal services; also, if you wish to participate in the daily services, it’s always a good idea to check the day before and make sure nothing has come up to change the regular schedule).
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 Ecclesiastical History of the English Speaking People” by Bede of Jarrow. 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 18
Parish Council 7pm
Tuesday, November 19
Orthodoxy 101 7pm; you can also access the group on Discord
Wednesday, November 20
Great Vespers of the Feast of the Entrance 7pm
Thursday, November 21
The Feast of the Entrance of the Mother of God into The Temple
Orthros 5am
Divine Liturgy 7am
The Bible Study, Old Testament Edition 7pm; you can access this group on Discord
Saturday, November 23
St Thomas School 4pm
Great Vespers 6pm
Sunday, November 24
The Thirteenth Sunday of St Luke
Church School 8:15am
Divine Liturgy 10am
Fellowship Hour
Tuesday, November 26
Orthodoxy 101 7pm; you can also access the group on Discord
Wednesday, November 27
Nativity Paraclesis 7pm
St Thomas School
On Saturday, November 23, we will be discussing chapter four of Volume I in the series Orthodox Christianity. Online access is available on Discord; like to participate online, you still need to sign-up ahead of time. Just send an email to remote.meetings@theforerunner.org by Thursday, November 21, to reserve your spot.
Anniversary / Memorial Blessings
You can use the links in the email version of the newsletter to sign up for anniversary blessings and memorial services that will be offered in 2025. Please note that things have changed for 2025 to accommodate our growing parish (i.e. some were not able to get on the schedule for anniversary blessings in 2024 because all of the slots were taken).
Memorial Services, will now occur at the end of Great Vespers on Saturday, and they may only be offered for Orthodox Christians who have departed this life. If your departed loved one was not an Orthodox Christian, visit this page on our website to learn about and request an Akathist for the Departed rather than signing up for a memorial service.
Anniversary Blessings may be requested for the first wedding anniversary and every fifth anniversary thereafter (i.e. 1st, 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th, etc.). They may only be offered if one of the married couple is an Orthodox Christian. Approach the solea immediately after the hymn “Blessed be the Name of the Lord” at the end of the Divine Liturgy. If you have marriage crowns, bring them with you as you come forward. Those celebrating anniversaries that are not eligible to sign up, are invited to come forward during the “Birthdays, Anniversaries, and Namedays” segment of the announcements after the Divine Liturgy.
Our Annual Budget Campaign
“Wait!” you’re thinking, “haven’t we already done this?” It can be a bit confusing, but what we were working on earlier this fall was our Three Year Pledges for our new temple. Thanks to your generosity and the mercy of the Most Holy Trinity, that effort turned out really well, but now it’s time to do the hum-drum work of underwriting our annual parish budget. As our community grows, so do your financial needs, but the Finance Folks and the Parish Council have worked really hard to come up with our usual no frills list of expenses. A simplified version of that budget is attached to the email version of this newsletter; if you’d like to see the full magilla, just ask one of our Finance Folks, and they will be happy to send you a copy. But what we all need to do is follow the link in the email version of the newsletter and make our commitment to the 2025 Budget. We’re going to need to get that all wrapped up by Sunday, December 15, so the Parish Council can make any necessary adjustments, so please do that soon, and please be as generous as possible.
Coming Up
During the Nativity Fast, we will be serving the Nativity Paraclesis on Wednesday evenings at 7pm. We will offer the service on November 27, and also on December 4, 11, and the 18th. Our hope is that everyone will do their best to join us for at least one of the evenings, but, of course, you’re welcome to attend as often as you would like.
Misty W. and Sophia Y. are putting together the Fellowship Hour Teams for 2025, and they have let us know that they need folks who are willing to serve on the teams and also they need a couple of team leaders. One of the great things about our parish is the great food that we enjoy during Fellowship Hour, so if you don’t want carrot sticks and granola bars each and every Sunday, please contact Misty or Sophia and let them know that you will do your part.
Our sister community, St Mary Romanian Orthodox parish, has sent us an invitation to an event:
On Sunday, December 1 at 5pm, we will be celebrating an extraordinary Romanian Orthodox Carol Concert. Romania holds a unique and cherished place in Orthodox tradition, being home to the most extensive collection of Orthodox carols. While other Orthodox countries have a few beloved carols, Romania is blessed with thousands and thousands, each echoing the spirit and devotion of generations.
Our event will open with a prayer, including the Akatist to the Iveron Icon of Hawaii, a miraculous myrrh-streaming icon that we will have the privilege to venerate together. Following the prayer, the concert will begin, showcasing the beauty and richness of Romanian Orthodox caroling. The evening will also include a silent auction and will conclude with a supper featuring traditional Romanian dishes and beverages.
Admission is free, but we kindly ask everyone to sign up in advance at the link below to help us plan accordingly: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/byzantine-christmas-carol-concert-tickets-1052284359847
Our Moment of Grace and Courtesy
Let’s be sure and pick up after ourselves when we are done with fellowship hour. Please make sure that all your plates and silver ware and coffee cups make it back to the kitchen in the Long Fellowship Hall, and please put all napkins and food scraps in the trash can. If you are sitting outside, be sure that you haven’t left anything on or under the picnic tables; if you are sitting inside, check the carpet and pick up any food or crumbs. If your children are not sitting with you, please make sure that they also clean up after themselves.
an unworthy priest
aidan