Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings in the Name of the Lord.
On Sunday, we will be offering the Service of Forgiveness Vespers. After a short Fellowship Hour, we will gather again in the nave no later than 1pm; we will offer the Service of Vespers, and, at the conclusion of the service, we will all exchange words of forgiveness. The first person in the sequence says, “Forgive me a sinner.” The second person responds, “God forgives, and so do I”. We then move on to the next person until we have spoken with each member of the parish. It’s one of the most profound and powerful services of the year, so please do you best to join us.
Our Calendar
Fasting Days
During this final week of the Triodion, we go without beef, pork, chicken, and all other forms of meat. Dairy products and all other foods are permitted on each day of the week.
Daily Services
Monday, February 24-Friday, February 28 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 many other folks continue to broadcast daily readings from spiritual books online. They are now reading “Lost Histories: The Good, the Bad, and the Strange in Early American Orthodoxy” by Matthew Namee. 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, February 25
Inquirer’s 101 7pm; you can also access the group on Discord
Thursday, February 27
The Bible Study, Old Testament Edition 7pm; you can access this group on Discord
Saturday, March 1
Prosphora Baking Class 10am
Great Vespers 6pm
Sunday, March 2
The Sunday of Forgiveness
Orthros 8am
Church School 8:15am
Divine Liturgy 10am
Fellowship Hour Noon
Forgiveness Vespers no later than 1pm
Monday, March 3
Great Compline 7pm
Tuesday March 4
Great Compline 7pm
Wednesday, March 5
The Pre-Sanctified Liturgy 7pm
Thursday, March 6
Great Compline 7pm
Friday, March 7
The Akathist Hymn 7pm
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.
Summer Camp Scholarships
Each year, the Order of St Ignatius gives each parish $1,000 to be used for camp scholarships. If your child is already registered for camp, and if you need financial assistance, please let Father Aidan know before March 1. The amount you receive will depend on the number of folks who require assistance, and the money will be distributed on a first come, first served basis, so, once your child is signed up for a specific session at St Raphael, get in touch with Father Aidan as soon as possible.
Coming Up
This is a great time to look ahead at the website calendar and make plans for which services we will attend. Generally, during the weeks of Great Lent, there are at least three services: Great Compline on Monday; the Pre-Sanctified Liturgy on Wednesday, and the Akathist Hymn on Fridays. Trying to make at least one of those services each week is a goal that’s doable for most of us.
There will be two more Saturdays of Souls during Great Lent. The first will be Saturday, March 15, and the second will be on Saturday, March 22. We should all be able to make at least one of those services to remember our departed loved ones and friends. Please look for the memorial prayer binder on the narthex table, and list your departed loved ones (first names) so that they can be prayed for during the service you will attend.
During Great Lent, the full fast calls on us to go without meat, dairy products, fish with backbones, oil, wine, and hard liquor. There is a blessing for fish, wine, and oil on Saturdays and Sundays during the fast and on certain feast days (the Annunciation, for example). Women who are pregnant or nursing, children who are still growing, and folks who have specific medial requirements are not expected or encouraged to keep the full fast, but all of us can fast in some way. Please check with your sponsor or spiritual father if you need to adjust the fast.
Great Lent is a good time to do some spiritual reading. This year, during the Pascha Book Study, we will be using a short book called The Passions of the Soul. That book is already available at Christ the Lightgiver, so why not pick up a copy, read through it slowly during Great Lent, and you’ll be ready to go when the book study begins on the Wednesday of Bright Week. Benedict H. will be leading the Pascha Book Study, and here’s what he has to say about the book and the event: “For the Pascha Book Study, we’ll be studying Rowan Williams’ Passions of the Soul. Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, is one of the premier Western scholars of the Eastern spiritual tradition. With Williams’ help, we’ll investigate what the fathers can teach us about the passions and how we can overcome them.”
The Church calls on us to make our confession during Great Lent. At St John’s, we hear confessions on Saturday evening following Great Vespers. There is a list in the narthex, you put your name on the list, and you make your confession with whichever priest calls your name. If Saturday night does not work for you, or if you wish to make your confession with a specific priest, then you can make an appointment during the week with that clergyman. However, we do not hear confessions during Holy Week, so we all need to go ahead and participate in that Holy Mystery before Lazarus Saturday, which, this year, falls on April 12.
Finally, the Church expects us to increase our giving during Great Lent. Of course, we should first check and make sure that we are up to date with our current commitment to the parish budget, but, if we are, then we should consider giving a little more to help out all those who aren’t able to contribute as much as they had anticipated, or we should think about making a special gift to the Building Fund during this season of spiritual striving.
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. 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