Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings in the Name of the Lord
We’re now through with the original House Blessing Schedule, but if you missed out on the fun and the sanctification, just send Father Andrew Wilson an email. We’re putting together some make-up days, and we’ll do our best to get by your home/apartment/trailer/tent. Also, don’t forget to check out the second round of House Blessing Awards in the email version of this newsletter.
Our Calendar
Fasting Days
Wednesday, January 22, and Friday, January 24
Daily Services
Monday, January 20-Friday, January 24: Orthros 5am; Vespers 5pm (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 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.
Tuesday, January 21
Orthodoxy 101 7pm; you can also access the group on Discord
Thursday, January 23
The Bible Study, New Testament Edition 7pm; you can access this group on Discord
Saturday, January 25
St Thomas School 4pm
Great Vespers 6pm
Sunday, January 26
The 15th Sunday of St Luke
Orthros 8am
Divine Liturgy 10am
Safety and Security Rehearsal
Fellowship Hour Noon
Tuesday, January 28
Orthodoxy 101 7pm; you can also access the group on Discord
Parish Council 7pm
Thursday, January 30
The Bible Study, Old Testament Edition 7pm; you can access this group on Discord
Friday, January 31
Service for the Victims of Abortion 7pm
Saturday, February 1
St Thomas School 4pm
Great Vespers 6pm
Sunday, February 2
The Feast of the Presentation
Orthros 8am
Church School
Divine Liturgy 10am
Fellowship Hour Noon
Youth 1pm
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.
Coming Up
On Sunday, January 26, we will have our next Safety and Security Rehearsal at the conclusion of The Divine Liturgy. This rehearsal will be for an extreme weather event, so we will all get down on the floor of the nave for fifteen seconds, and then we will walk to the Rally Signs at the north and south ends of our parking lots. The ushers will provide us with assistance and directions.
Abortion is the great evil of our time, and each year, in January, we offer The Service for the Victims of Abortion. The victims include not only the unborn children who have died, but the men and women who are participant in those deaths, the siblings who never had a chance to meet their sisters and brothers, and our entire culture that has been denied the perspectives and insights and contributions of those we did not allow to be born. In addition to praying for all those folks, we will also be collecting supplies (Baby hygiene products; Diapers size 4, 5, 6; Baby healthcare kits; Sippy cups; Wide neck baby bottles; Baby outfits size 3-6 months) for the Williamson County Pregnancy Help Center. Please join us at 7pm on Friday, January 31.
This year, the conclusion for this wonderful festal season will fall on a Sunday. On Saturday, February 1, we will offer Great Vespers for the Feast of the Presentation at 6pm, and then all the other festal services will happen at the usual time on Sunday morning, February 2. It’s a special blessing to be able to wrap up these forty festal days on a weekend, so let’s be sure and take advantage of that and be present as often as we can on Saturday, February 1, and Sunday, February 2.
It will be here before we know it. Our parish constitution requires that we post the agenda and the reports and announce the candidates for parish council well before the Annual Meeting—which will be on Sunday, Feb 9. So just follow the link in the email version of this newsletter (the link is also available on Discord) and read up on everything that’s been going on in the past year and everything that we have planned for the coming year—and, if you have any questions, just check with Father Aidan Wilcoxson or our parish council president, Bessie J.
Our Moment of Grace and Courtesy
Water bottles are now popular accessories, and our chanters and choir members sometimes use them when they are singing (often for several hours) in the Divine Services. However, we should not bring water bottles (or any other sort of beverage container) with us into the Divine Services. If we have concerns about hydration, we can leave water bottles in the kitchen for easy access, or we can just use the water fountains in the narthex. However, these accessories should not be brought into the nave.
an unworthy priest
aidan