Brothers and Sisters,
Happy Feast!
Today marks the beginning of House Blessings, so please check the schedule and watch for the update emails—and speaking of updates, since it looks like we will be dealing with inclement weather on Friday, Jan 10 and Saturday, January 11, those House Blessings will, most likely be rescheduled. But look for specific announcements in your email box.
Our Calendar
Fasting Days
Wednesday, January 8, and Friday, January 10
Daily Services
Monday, January 6- Thursday, January 9: Orthros 5am; Vespers 5pm (but check the schedule for the festal services and the website calendar for House Blessing adjustments; 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.
Monday, January 6
The Great Feast of Theophany
Orthros 5am
Divine Liturgy 7am
Tuesday, January 7
Orthodoxy 101 7pm; you can also access the group on Discord
Saturday, January 11
St Thomas School 4pm
Great Vespers 6pm
Sunday, January 12
The Sunday After Theophany
Orthros 8am
Church School 8:15am
Divine Liturgy 10am
Fellowship Hour Noon
Outdoor Blessing of the Waters 1pm
Tuesday, January 14
Orthodoxy 101 7pm; you can also access the group on Discord
Thursday, January 16
The Bible Study, Old Testament Edition 7pm; you can access this group on Discord
Saturday, January 18
St Thomas School 4pm
Great Vespers 6pm
Sunday, January 19
The 12th Sunday of St Luke
Orthros 7:30am
Church School 8:15am
Divine Liturgy 10am
Fellowship Hour Noon
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 12, we will join with all the other Orthodox parishes in the area to offer The Outdoor Blessing of the Waters at Twin Lakes Park. After a short Fellowship Hour, we will all head over to the park (204 E Little Elm Trail); the service will be held in the amphitheater just off the parking lot, and we’ll get started no later than 1pm. Our choir will be singing, so plan on joining us and all of our sister communities as we bless the creation with the grace and mercy of the Most Holy Trinity.
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 (diapers, wipes, and baby lotion) for the Williamson County Pregnancy Help Center. Please join us at 7pm on Friday, January 31.
It may seem like a long way off, but it will be here before we know it. Also, 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, in 2025, will be on Sunday, February 9. So just follow the link in the email version of this announcement (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
When you approach the chalice to receive the holy gifts, please get as close to the priest or deacon as you can (and it’s important to help young children learn how to do this). The cloth should be well under your chin, and the priest or deacon should not have to extend their arm in order to place the gifts in your mouth; this will help prevent the gifts from being spilled.
an unworthy priest
aidan