Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings in the Name of the Lord.
This coming weekend marks the end of Daylight Savings Time, so be sure and turn your clocks/phones/alarms back one hour before you head for bed on Saturday night.
Also, this coming Saturday, November 2, we will be celebrating the Feast of St Raphael of Brooklyn. St Raphael was the first Orthodox bishop consecrated in North America; he started a number of parishes and built several temples—and his icon and relic are on display in our nave! So, he’s just the saint we need praying for us and for our growing community. We will offer Orthros at 6am and Divine Liturgy at 8am; we use that schedule so you can participate in the services, and then go on and do all your normal Saturday Stuff, so plan on joining us bright and early this coming Saturday morning.
Our Calendar
Fasting Days
Wednesday, October 30 and Friday, November 1
Daily Services
Monday, October 28--Wednesday, October 30, Orthros 5am and Vespers, 5pm (there will not be any daily services Thursday and Friday of this week; also, if you wish to attend the daily services, it’s always a good idea to check the day before to make sure the services will be offered).
Fr. Andrew, Seth Hart, and Matthew Groh and many other folks continue to broadcast daily readings from spiritual books online. They are now back to reading “The Ethics of Beauty” by Dr Timothy Patitsas. 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, October 29
Orthodoxy 101 7pm; you can also access the group on Discord
Wednesday, October 30
Fall Theological Seminar 7pm; you can also access the group on Discord
Saturday, November 1
Feast of St Raphael of Brooklyn
Orthros 6am
Divine Liturgy 8am
St Thomas School 4pm
Great Vespers 6pm
Sunday, November 2
The Fifth Sunday of St Luke
Orthros 8am
Church School 8:15am
Divine Liturgy 10am
Fellowship Hour
Youth Church School no later than 1pm
Tuesday, November 5
Orthodoxy 101 7pm; you can also access the group on Discord
Wednesday, November 6
Fall Theological Seminar 7pm; you can also access the group on Discord
Thursday, November 7
The Bible Study, New Testament Edition 7pm; you can access this group on Discord
St Thomas School
On Saturday, November 2, Benedict Henderson will be leading the discussion of chapter three of Volume I entitled, “The Rise of Monasticism and Ascetic Literature”. 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, October 31, to reserve your spot.
Financial Update
We ended September with a deficit of $3,500, which bring our surplus on the year to $5,590. In parish finance, any surplus at the end of a summer is a good thing and a good reason to offer thanks to the Most Holy Trinity, but we are now well into the Fall, and it’s time to make sure we are caught up on our commitment to the parish. You can log on to Realm to check your status in that regard; if Realm isn’t cooperative, any of our Finance Folks can help you out. If you are current on your giving, please consider contributing a little more to make up for those people who haven’t been able to give what they had hoped. Also, in the coming weeks, be watching for the opportunity to record your commitment to the 2025 Budget on Realm.
Our Fall Theological Seminar
It’s not too late to join The Fall Theological Seminar. We’re reading a book by a Protestant pastor; the book is called Stability, and it’s available in the bookstore. But we’re not only talking about the spiritual advantages—and challenges—of sticking it out in a particular community, we’re also talking with folks in our parish who have done just that. Below is the schedule for the readings and the interviews, but plan now to join us in the parish house at 7pm each Wednesday evening through the start of Nativity Lent--and, while we will have an online option available for those folks who live at a distance, let’s not forget that the conversation is always richer and more meaningful if you are actually present.
Oct 30 Reading Assignment: Chapter 7. Where Do We Stay From Here? p 125-134. Guest: Mary K.
Nov 6 Reading Assignment: Chapter 7. Where Do We Stay From Here? p 134-148. Guests: John and Lindsey B.
Nov 13 Conclusion: The Final Stability
Coming Up
We’re going to be announcing the results of our Three Year Pledge Drive during The Divine Liturgy on Sunday, November 10, so if you have not made a pledge on REALM or spoken with one of the Finance Folks about recording your pledge in a different fashion, please get that taken care of as soon as possible. We’re going to be making that announcement on November 10, because, the following week, Father Andrew will be traveling to the UK to be present in the parish at Folkestone when those good folks transfer the bones of St Eanswythe into the new reliquary that we helped them purchase. Father Andrew will be there to thank our patroness for bringing us this far in our Building Campaign, but he’ll also have time to remember any prayer requests that we send with him, so get your list ready, and be sure and join us on Sunday, November 10, for our exciting news.
It will be here before we know it! The Nativity Fast will begin on Friday, November 15 and run through Wednesday, December 25.This fasting season is divided into two periods:
(A) 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, and
(B) 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. 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.
Our Moment of Grace and Courtesy
If we wish to place candles in the boxes in front of the iconostasis, the best time to do that is during Orthros. If, during the Divine Liturgy, the candle trays by the door to the nave are full and we need to use the boxes in front of the iconostasis, we should wait until the priest or the deacons are in the altar. However, even if the clergy are in the altar, we should not light candles during the prayers before the Great Entrance or during the Holy Anaphora. If the priest or the deacon come out of the altar while we are putting candles in the boxes, we should step well back into the congregation and wait until they have gone back into the altar; we should not continue trying to light candles while the priest and deacon are out in front of the iconostasis; that is a distraction, and it is disrespectful.
Capital Campaign Countdown Column
Whatever is obtained as a result of long and persistent prayer will remain.
-St John Climacus
We are now well into the three year pledge portion of our capital campaign, so please go ahead and record your commitment on REALM. If you questions about how to do that, just contact Arun J. or Father Andrew Wilson. If you have questions about the project itself, please read through the FAQ that is attached to this newsletter, but, to help us get the most out of this historic effort, this week’s Countdown Column is by Luke C., a member of our parish council:
As we discussed in the fall theological seminar, a strong parish grows from members who commit themselves to building a lasting community together. When we stay rooted and active in our parish over many years, we strengthen both our faith and the spiritual lives of those around us.
The capital campaign lets us turn this commitment into action. By supporting the construction of our new temple, we invest in our parish's future and in all who will worship here for centuries to come. This will be where future generations come and see that God is good.
Your support helps make the parish's vision a reality!
Luke C.
an unworthy priest
aidan