Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings in the Name of the Lord.
This coming Wednesday evening, November 13, at 7pm, we will wrap up one of the most enjoyable Fall Theological Seminars we’ve ever had. We’ve been talking about stability, and, for this session, we’re going to turn things over to our very own St Joanna Burial Society, because—hey, nothing says stability like talking about your burial plans. And that’s exactly what’s going to happen on Wednesday: all of the members of our parish who plan on being buried down the street at the Cedar Park Cemetery are going to talk about what they’re going to put on their head stones, and the music they want played at their wake, and what they want put in their Kollyva. It’s going to be the ultimate slumber party, so plan on joining us on Wednesday night and find out how you can join us as we await The End of All Things.
Our Calendar
Fasting Days
Wednesday, November 13 and Friday, November 15.
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.
Daily Services
There will not be any daily services this week, as our parish clergy will be attending the Annual Clergy Brotherhood Retreat in Wichita, Kansas. 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, November 12
Orthodoxy 101 7pm; you can also access the group on Discord
Wednesday, November 13
Fall Theological Seminar 7pm; you can also access the group on Discord
Saturday, November 16
St Thomas School 4pm
Great Vespers 6pm
Sunday, November 17
The Ninth Sunday of St Luke
Orthros 8am
Church School 8:15am
Divine Liturgy 10am
Fellowship Hour
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 for 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
St Thomas School
On Saturday, November 16. Thomas School will be hosting our next Catechumen Cohort Check-In. This session is designed for all the catechumens, their sponsors, and for everyone is in interested in becoming a catechumen or a sponsor. We will be looking at the calendar together, answering everyone’s questions, and generally just getting a read on how everyone is progressing on their journey to full reception in the Church. Please plan on joining us at 4pm in the Parish House.
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 this 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
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.
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
It’s extremely important that we not leave any vehicles in the circular drive in front of the parish house or along any of the red lined areas in the parking lot. Those areas are reserved exclusively for law enforcement and emergency vehicles; we never know when we might need the assistance of one of those groups, so we always need to keep those areas clear of cars and trucks.
an unworthy priest
aidan