Monthly Archives: March 2020

New Guidance on Coronavirus

Beloved of Christ,
Please find attached below the most recent directive from His Eminence, Metropolitan JOSEPH regarding the Coronavirus.  Effective immediately, only clergy and chanters (not to exceed a total of 10 individuals as per the President’s directive) will be allowed to attend the services at St. Peter for the time being.  The only services which will be held will be the Akathist to the Theotokos on Friday nights and Orthros and Liturgy on Sunday morning.  We will also pray Orthros and the Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Annunciation. We are trying to determine whether or not we have the capacity to provide streaming of these services for you and will let you know when we determine that. The Archdiocese will provide service texts for the faithful to pray at home during this time of social distancing. Furthermore, we will not pray the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, either of the vespers services nor daily orthros.  In addition, all non-liturgical meetings and social functions are cancelled.  This would include, but not be limited to, adult catechism, Sunday School, choir practice, etc. If you wish to come to the church to offer your prayers individually, check with me to schedule that.
As has His Eminence stated, we must look to our Lord Jesus Christ in the midst of this plague with complete faith and trust in His love for us.  Also, we must do our part to prevent the spread of this illness.  Remember and practice all of the previously mentioned guidelines for personal hygiene.  By the Grace of the All Holy Trinity we will get through this! Let us pray to the Lord!
Your prayers and forgiveness,
Fr. John

St. Peter’s COVID-19 Measures

Beloved of Christ,

The blessings of the Lord and His mercy be with you! Tonight, after our service, the Parish Council met to discuss the implementation of precautions that we, at St. Peter’s, must enact to guard against the COVID-19 virus. Consistent with the directives given to us by His Eminence, Metropolitan JOSEPH recently, the following actions were presented by Fr. John to the Parish Council, discussed and agreed upon:

1. We will continue to keep the liturgical schedule that had been previously established.

2. Coffee hour and all other social gatherings of the church will be cancelled until further notice.

3. Sunday School will be cancelled until further notice.

4. The blessings given by the priests will not include the kissing of his hand as is traditional until further notice. Also, a simple bow toward those with whom we exchange the kiss of peace during the Liturgy should be utilized until further notice.

5. When reverencing the Cross of Christ, simply bow as the priest gives you his blessing without kissing the cross or his hand until further notice.

6. The blessed bread (antidoron) is to be taken by Orthodox Christians only and should not be given to non-Orthodox visitors. The purpose of the antidoron is to cleanse the palate after taking communion. Also, parents are to be given portions of the antidoron to disseminate to their children. The children will not be given the antidoren directly.

7. Please keep as much space as possible between you or your family and others in selecting your seat during the services. Also, the children should not be allowed to move around during the services. Even though this illness seems to not affect children nearly as much as older adults and those who have underlying health problems, the children can still be vectors for the illness since this virus can be asymptomatic.

8. Those who are sick and evidencing symptoms of fever, chills, and the other symptoms of this virus should stay at home so as not to infect others. Also, those who have underlying health issues that could predispose them to contracting the virus should stay at home until the threat of this illness has subsided.

9. The basics of personal hygiene are the responsibility of each individual and are critical practices that can make a huge difference in getting control of this illness. These include thorough hand washing with attention given to the finger tips, covering your mouth with the bend of your elbow (not your hand!) when coughing or sneezing.

I emphasize to you that most of these measures are temporary and will be rescinded once the virus is under control. If the virus is still prevalent when we get to the major feast days of the Church, the social and festal celebrations will not take place, e.g. Annunciation, Palm Sunday, Pascha, etc. If we are neglectful of these guidelines, we endanger not only ourselves, but the community in which we live as well.
We will get through this by the Grace and Mercy of God! Praying the Akathist to the Theotokos last night brought much comfort to my heart. Even though this is not your typical Lent, if we look to our Lord Jesus no matter what happens during these trying times, we will rise above this illness and the inconvenience and even, suffering that it might bring. He will neither leave us not forsake us! If you have any questions regarding these directives, feel free to let me know.

Your forgiveness and prayers,
Fr. John

3/15 announcements

March 15, 2020

Second Sunday of Lent

Commemoration of Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica

St. Gregory Palamas (c. 1296-1359) – St. Gregory was a Greek monk and theologian and the chief exponent of Hesychasm. He was ordained a priest in the year 1326 and became Bishop of Thessalonica in 1347. The political conditions made it impossible for him to take possession of the see until 1350. He died on November 14, 1359, which is his feast day. He was canonized in 1368. St. Gregory stressed the biblical notion of man as a single and united whole, body and soul together. In virtue of this, he argued that the physical exercises used by the Hesychasts in prayer, as well as their claim to see the Divine Light with their bodily eyes, could be defended as legitimate. He distinguished between the essence and the energies of God: God’s essence remains unknowable, but his uncreated energies, which are God Himself, permeate all things and can be directly experienced by man in the form of deifying grace.

In the earlier period, there was on this day a commemoration of the Great Martyr Polycarp of Smyrna (c. 155). St. Gregory replaced St. Polycarp on the Second Sunday of Lent in the fourteenth century.

Hebrews 1:10-2:3: Writing to the Hebrews, the Apostle quotes from Scripture to proclaim the great­ness of Jesus Christ as compared with the angels; for this reason we must be careful not to neglect our sal­vation.

Mark 2:1-12: Reading in the Gospel of Mark, we see Jesus demonstrate His authority to forgive sins by healing a paralytic.

Troparion of the Resurrection: When Mary stood at thy grave looking for thy sacred body, angelic powers shone above thy revered tomb, and the soldiers who were to keep guard became as dead men. Thou led hades captive and wast not tempted thereby. Thou didst meet the Virgin and didst give life to the world; O thou who art risen from the dead! O Lord, glory to thee.

Troparion of St. Gregory Palamas: O Gregory the Wonderworker, light of Orthodoxy, support and teacher of the Church, glory of monks and invincible protector of theologians, pride of Thessalonica and preacher of grace, pray without ceasing for the salvation of our souls.

Troparion of the Chains of St. Peter: O Holy Apostle, Peter, thou dost preside over the Apostles by the precious chains which thou didst bear. We venerate them with faith and beseech thee that by thine intercessions we be granted the great mercy.

Kontakion of the Sundays of Lent: To thee the champion leader, I thy servant offer thanks for victory, O Theotokos, thou who hast delivered me form terror. As thou hast power invincible, free me from every danger that I may cry unto thee: Rejoice, O bride without bridegroom.

CALENDAR

Sunday, March 15 (Second Sunday of Lent; Gregory Palamas)

8:50 a.m. — Orthros

9:00 a.m. — Christian Education

10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy

Monday, March 16 (Christodoulos the Wonder-worker of Patmos)

Father John’s Day Off

Tuesday, March 17

6:30 a.m. — Lenten Orthros

Wednesday, March 18

6:30 p.m. — Presanctified Liturgy followed by Soup Supper

Thursday, March 19

6:30 a.m. — Lenten Orthros

Friday, March 20

6:30 p.m. — Akathist Hymn to the Theotokos

Saturday, March 21

10:00 a.m. — Ladies meet for the Akathist

4:00 p.m. — Choir Practice

5:45 p.m. — Ninth Hour followed by Great Vespers

Sunday, March 22 (Third Sunday of Lent; Adoration of the Holy Cross)

8:50 a.m. — Orthros

9:00 a.m. — Christian Education

10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy

1:00 p.m. — Sunday School Classes to visit The Home Place

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Eucharist Bread …was offered by the Meadows for the Divine Liturgy this morning.

Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:

Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour

March 15 Meadows Schelver/Karam/Pacurari

March 22 Davis Habeeb/Jones/Turner

March 25 (Mon. a.m.) D. Root Christina Katool

(Feast of the Annunciation)

March 29 Karam Ellis/Zouboukos/Waites

Schedule for Epistle Readers – Page numbers refer to the Apostolos (book of the Epistles) located on the chanters stand at the front of the nave. Please be sure to use this book when you read.

Reader Reading Page#

March 15 Sh. Charlotte Algood Heb. 1:10-2:3 283

March 22 Kh. Be’Be’ Schelver Heb. 4:14-5:6 285

March 25 (Mon. a.m.) Kh. Sharon Meadows Heb. 2:11-18 376

March 29 Mildred Morris Heb. 6:13-20 287

Please be reminded of the following:

Be very careful with the Blessed Bread when you take it after communion. Because this bread has been blessed, we should take care not to let crumbs fall on the floor. Parents, especially, please help your children to choose a small piece and treat it carefully.

Also, at the end of the liturgy, maintain a prayerful disposition during the veneration of the cross as the prayers of thanksgiving after communion are still underway. Please exchange your greetings with each other in the Fellowship Hall during Coffee Hour.

Please be reminded that the Sacristy/Vestry which is adjacent to and behind the altar in our church is considered by the Orthodox Church to be part of the Sanctuary (Altar area) and should not be entered without the blessing of the priest for a specific purpose. If you need to speak with a member of the clergy while they are in the Sanctuary, please ask them to come to you in the nave.

Continue to pray for Metropolitan Paul (who is also the brother of our Patriarch) and the Syriac Archbishop John of Aleppo who were abducted while on a humanitarian mission in Syria.

Please remember the following in your prayers: Steve, Sheryl Chamblee; Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Sam and Lamia Dabit; Mary Greene (Lee and Kh. Sharon’s sister); Lynda Costas; Fr. Nicholas, Kh. Jan and Angelina Speier; David Morris and his family; Vernie Meadows, Fr. James and Kh. Sharon and their family; Dn. Noah and Sh. Beth Ann (Baker) Pappas, the Reader Basil and Brenda and all of the Baker family; Chris and Rebecca Dansereau and their daughters; Fr. Leo and Kh. Be’Be’ and their family; Emad and Natalia Alaeetawi and their family; Tom and Kathy Willingham.

Please remember Fr. Joseph and Kh. Joanna Bittle, and their daughter Abigail, in your prayers.

Please continue to pray for the following members of St. Peter:

Warren Strain and their family. Warren is hospitalized at Baptist Hospital following a stroke on December 23rd.

Nicholas Zouboukos and his family. Nicholas is back in classes at Ole Miss but continues to undergo evaluation for a GI disorder.

Aidan Milnor and his family. Aidan is continuing to recover from his illness at home.

All those in our parish affected by the recent floods.

Charlotte Wood and their family. Charlotte is recovering at home from spinal surgery.

A Benevolence account has been established at St. Peter to help the Strain family deal with Warren’s medical bills and other needs. If you would like to make a donation to this fund, please note on your check that it is for the Warren Strain Benevolence Fund. 100% of these funds will go to the Strain family.

Welcome and Many Years! to Arianna Lavric who was baptized yesterday.

Tax letters for 2019 Donations were mailed recently. Please let Kh. Sharon know if you did not receive yours, or if there were any discrepancies in the amount listed.

March is Ladies’ Month in our Archdiocese when we give special attention to the role of women in our parish. Ladies will be reading the Epistle this month. Also, please allow the women to go first for communion during this time.

Due to Arianna’s baptism on March 14th, the Ladies will meet for their monthly Akathist to the Theotokos on behalf of our children next Saturday, March 21st instead.

Pledge Letters were mailed recently. Please fill these out and return them as soon as possible.

We will NOT celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation with services on the evening of Tuesday, March 24th as listed on the March calendar and the Quarterly Schedule. Instead, at the instruction of the Archdiocese, we will celebrate Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy on the morning of March 25th, beginning at 6:00 a.m. This change also means that we will NOT have a Pre-sanctified Liturgy the evening of the 25th (as also listed on the March calendar). Please make a note of these changes.

Fasting Discipline for March

Beginning with Clean Monday on March 2nd, the traditional fasting discipline (no meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine or oil) is observed on all days of the week until Pascha (except the Feast of the Annunciation on March 25th and Palm Sunday on April 12th, when fish, wine and oil are permitted).

Major Commemorations for March

March 15 2nd Sunday of Lent; Gregory Palamas

March 16 Christodoulos, the Wonder-worker of Patmos
March 22 3rd Sunday of Lent; Adoration of the Holy Cross
March 25 Feast of the Annunciation
March 26 Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel
March 29 4th Sunday of Lent; John Climacus

Calendar Items:

* The Men of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the first Thursday of the month. However, they will meet on the third Thursday in July (only).

* The Ladies of St. Peter meet at 10:00 a.m. on the second Saturday of the month to pray the Akathist to the Mother of God, Nurturer of Children. However, in March they will meet on the 21st due to the baptism on the 14th.

* The Ladies of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the last Tuesday of the month.

* The Sunday School classes will make a visit to The Home Place on Sunday, March 22nd, at 1:00 p.m.

* We will celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation with Orthros followed by the Divine Liturgy on Wednesday morning, March 25th, beginning at 6:00 a.m. Please note these changes from the March Calendar and the Quarterly Schedule

* Sunday May 17th will be the last day of Church School until the fall.

* Vacation Church School will be July 9-11. More information will be available later.

* Bishop NICHOLAS will make his next Arch-pastoral visit to St. Peter August 2-4th. He will arrive here on the evening of Sunday, August 2nd and leave on Tuesday, August 4th.

* Stewpot Date: August 22nd.

Unsupervised children in the Kitchen: For health and safety concerns children are not to be allowed in the kitchen unless accompanied by a parent. Please get ice for your children and do NOT allow them to use the icemaker themselves.

If severe weather is in the area please check our website or facebook page for information on services. If it is ever necessary to cancel any of our services due to severe weather conditions, this will be posted on those sites.

For Parents: Children in the nursery during Coffee Hour MUST be supervised just as they are on the playground. This room is used for Sunday School each week. Children who are unsupervised create disarray and use materials set aside for the teaching of Christian Education. This creates extra work for the Sunday School teachers who have to come in and set the room in order before class or who find supplies depleted unexpectedly. A parent must be in the room with their children at all times. Please help us with this! — Fr. John

ead of ManHead of Maonasteries

Quotable: “Precisely this interaction of the bodily passions, prompted by the gluttony of the stomach, and those of the soul, instigated by pride, make these same spiritual writers declare gluttony as the first passion and then later ‘pride as the first chick of the devil.’

Someone can be proud without being stuffed with food, just as there are plenty of ascetics who are proud of their asceticism. It could be said then that there is a double circuit which leads from gluttony to all the passions—including those of the soul—and again from pride, to almost all of the passions, including some of the bodily ones. Gluttony and pride represent one and the same egocentric thirst for man, under the double aspect of his psycho-physical nature. There is a close interconnection between the biological and the spiritual; one realm influences the other both in the decline and the restoration of man. Here a vast field of research is possible on the details of the interdependence between the biological and the spiritual.”

Dumitru Staniloae, Orthodox Spirituality

Worship: Sunday, March 22, 2020 (Third Sunday of Lent; Adoration of the Holy Cross)

Scripture: Hebrews 4:14-5:6; Mark 8:34-9:1

Celebrant: Father John

Epistle Reader: Kh. Be’Be’ Schelver

Prosphora: Davis

Coffee Hour: Habeeb/Jones/Turner

3/8 announcements

March 8, 2020

Sunday of Forgiveness

First Sunday of Lent

On the first Sunday of Great Lent, we celebrate the feast of the Triumph of Orthodoxy. This is an historical feast commemorating the restoration of the icons, which had been banned for several decades, to their rightful liturgical use in the year 843 A.D.

The major emphasis of this feast is the victory of the true faith, the victory which always ultimately triumphs. Having completed the first week of our lenten efforts, we are reminded that Christ, the perfect image of God the Father, calls us to personal victory by restoring within ourselves “the image and likeness of God” in which we were first created (Genesis 1:26).

The icons of Our Lord, the Theotokos, and all the saints are images of true humanity, signs of what our eternal calling and vocation really is. They tell us that we are all called to be living icons and imitators of Christ, bearing the likeness of God as gracious vessels of the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 11:24-26;32-40: The writer of Hebrews calls us to consider the faith of those Old Testa­ment saints who endured hardships and death and yet still did great things because of their faith. The Apos­tle encourages us to lay aside the encumbrances of sin and run with endurance the race that is set be­fore us.

John 1:43-51: From our reading in the Gospel of John we see Jesus call Philip and Nathaniel to be His disciples.

Troparion of the Resurrection: Let us believers praise and worship the Word, co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit, born of the Virgin for our salvation; for he took pleasure in ascending the Cross in the flesh, to suffer death, and to raise the dead by his glorious Resurrection.

Troparion of the Sunday of Orthodoxy: Thy pure image do we venerate, O good One, asking forgiveness of our sins, O Christ our God; for by thine own will thou didst ascend the Cross in thy body, to save thy creatures from the bondage of the enemy. Thou hast truly filled all with joy, since thou didst come, O our Saviour, to save the world.

Troparion of the Chains of St. Peter: O Holy Apostle, Peter, thou dost preside over the Apostles by the precious chains which thou didst bear. We venerate them with faith and beseech thee that by thine intercessions we be granted the great mercy.

Kontakion of the Sundays of Lent: To thee the champion leader, I thy servant offer thanks for victory, O Theotokos, thou who hast delivered me form terror. As thou hast power invincible, free me from every danger that I may cry unto thee: Rejoice, O bride without bridegroom.

CALENDAR

Sunday, March 8 (Sunday of Orthodoxy)

8:50 a.m. — Orthros

9:00 a.m. — Christian Education

10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy

5:00 p.m. — Sunday of Orthodoxy Vespers at St. Peter

Monday, March 9 (Forty Martyrs of Sebaste)

Father John’s Day Off

Tuesday, March 10

6:30 a.m. — Lenten Orthros

Wednesday, March 11

6:30 p.m. — Presanctified Liturgy followed by Soup Supper

Thursday, March 12

6:30 a.m. — Lenten Orthros

Friday, March 13

6:30 p.m. — Akathist Hymn to the Theotokos

Saturday, March 14

10:30 a.m. — Baptism of Arianna Lavric

5:45 p.m. — Ninth Hour followed by Great Vespers

Sunday, March 15 (Second Sunday of Lent; Gregory Palamas)

8:50 a.m. — Orthros

9:00 a.m. — Christian Education

10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Eucharist Bread …was offered by the Joneses for the Divine Liturgy this morning.

Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:

Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour

March 8 Jones Katool/Davis/Algood/Baba

March 15 Meadows Schelver/Karam/Pacurari

March 22 Davis Habeeb/Jones/Turner

March 25 (Mon. a.m.) D. Root Christina Katool

(Feast of the Annunciation)

March 29 Karam Ellis/Zouboukos/Waites

Schedule for Epistle Readers – Page numbers refer to the Apostolos (book of the Epistles) located on the chanters stand at the front of the nave. Please be sure to use this book when you read.

Reader Reading Page#

March 8 Kh. Sharon Meadows Heb. 11:24-26, 32-40 281

March 15 Sh. Charlotte Algood Heb. 1:10-2:3 283

March 22 Kh. Be’Be’ Schelver Heb. 4:14-5:6 285

March 24 (Tues. p.m.) Kh. Sharon Meadows Heb. 2:11-18 376

March 29 Mildred Morris Heb. 6:13-20 287

Please be reminded of the following:

Be very careful with the Blessed Bread when you take it after communion. Because this bread has been blessed, we should take care not to let crumbs fall on the floor. Parents, especially, please help your children to choose a small piece and treat it carefully.

Also, at the end of the liturgy, maintain a prayerful disposition during the veneration of the cross as the prayers of thanksgiving after communion are still underway. Please exchange your greetings with each other in the Fellowship Hall during Coffee Hour.

Please be reminded that the Sacristy/Vestry which is adjacent to and behind the altar in our church is considered by the Orthodox Church to be part of the Sanctuary (Altar area) and should not be entered without the blessing of the priest for a specific purpose. If you need to speak with a member of the clergy while they are in the Sanctuary, please ask them to come to you in the nave.

Continue to pray for Metropolitan Paul (who is also the brother of our Patriarch) and the Syriac Archbishop John of Aleppo who were abducted while on a humanitarian mission in Syria.

Please remember the following in your prayers: Steve, Sheryl Chamblee; Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Sam and Lamia Dabit; Mary Greene (Lee and Kh. Sharon’s sister); Lynda Costas; Fr. Nicholas, Kh. Jan and Angelina Speier; David Morris and his family; Vernie Meadows, Fr. James and Kh. Sharon and their family; Dn. Noah and Sh. Beth Ann (Baker) Pappas, the Reader Basil and Brenda and all of the Baker family; Chris and Rebecca Dansereau and their daughters; Fr. Leo and Kh. Be’Be’ and their family; Emad and Natalia Alaeetawi and their family; Tom and Kathy Willingham.

Please remember Fr. Joseph and Kh. Joanna Bittle, and their daughter Abigail, in your prayers.

Please continue to pray for the following members of St. Peter:

Warren Strain and their family. Warren is hospitalized at Baptist Hospital following a stroke on December 23rd.

Nicholas Zouboukos and his family. Nicholas is back in classes at Ole Miss but continues to undergo evaluation for a GI disorder.

Aidan Milnor and his family. Aidan is continuing to recover from his illness at home.

All those in our parish affected by the recent floods.

Charlotte Wood and their family. Charlotte is recovering at home from spinal surgery.

A Benevolence account has been established at St. Peter to help the Strain family deal with Warren’s medical bills and other needs. If you would like to make a donation to this fund, please note on your check that it is for the Warren Strain Benevolence Fund. 100% of these funds will go to the Strain family.

Arianna Lavric will be baptized next Saturday, March 14th, beginning at 10:30 a.m. Dorin and Carolina Lavric will be her godparents. Please keep them all in your prayers.

Tax letters for 2019 Donations were mailed recently. Please let Kh. Sharon know if you did not receive yours, or if there were any discrepancies in the amount listed.

March is Ladies’ Month in our Archdiocese when we give special attention to the role of women in our parish. Ladies will be reading the Epistle this month. Also, please allow the women to go first for communion during this time.

Due to Arianna’s baptism on March 14th, the Ladies will meet for their monthly Akathist to the Theotokos on behalf of our children on Saturday, March 21st instead.

Pledge Letters were mailed recently. Please fill these out and return them as soon as possible.

We will NOT celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation with services on the evening of Tuesday, March 24th as listed on the March calendar and the Quarterly Schedule. Instead, at the instruction of the Archdiocese, we will celebrate Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy on the morning of March 25th, beginning at 7:00 a.m. This change also means that we will NOT have a Pre-sanctified Liturgy the evening of the 25th (as also listed on the March calendar). Please make a note of these changes.

Fasting Discipline for March

Beginning with Clean Monday on March 2nd, the traditional fasting discipline (no meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine or oil) is observed on all days of the week until Pascha (except the Feast of the Annunciation on March 25th and Palm Sunday on April 12th, when fish, wine and oil are permitted).

Major Commemorations for March

March 8 Sunday of Orthodoxy

March 9 Forty Martyrs of Sebaste

March 15 2nd Sunday of Lent; Gregory Palamas

March 16 Christodoulos, the Wonder-worker of Patmos
March 22 3rd Sunday of Lent; Adoration of the Holy Cross
March 25 Feast of the Annunciation
March 26 Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel
March 29 4th Sunday of Lent; John Climacus

Calendar Items:

* The Men of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the first Thursday of the month. However, they will meet on the third Thursday in July (only).

* The Ladies of St. Peter meet at 10:00 a.m. on the second Saturday of the month to pray the Akathist to the Mother of God, Nurturer of Children. However, in March they will meet on the 21st due to the baptism on the 14th.

* The Ladies of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the last Tuesday of the month.

* Sunday of Orthodoxy Vespers will take place at St. Peter this evening, beginning at 5:00 p.m. Please be sure to bring your icons for the procession during vespers.

* Arianna Lavric will be baptized next Saturday morning, beginning at 10:30 a.m.

* The Sunday School classes will make a visit to The Home Place on Sunday, March 22nd, at 1:00 p.m.

* Sunday May 17th will be the last day of Church School until the fall.

* Vacation Church School will be July 9-11. More information will be available later.

* Stewpot Date: August 22nd.

Unsupervised children in the Kitchen: For health and safety concerns children are not to be allowed in the kitchen unless accompanied by a parent. Please get ice for your children and do NOT allow them to use the icemaker themselves.

If severe weather is in the area please check our website or facebook page for information on services. If it is ever necessary to cancel any of our services due to severe weather conditions, this will be posted on those sites.

For Parents: Children in the nursery during Coffee Hour MUST be supervised just as they are on the playground. This room is used for Sunday School each week. Children who are unsupervised create disarray and use materials set aside for the teaching of Christian Education. This creates extra work for the Sunday School teachers who have to come in and set the room in order before class or who find supplies depleted unexpectedly. A parent must be in the room with their children at all times. Please help us with this! — Fr. John

ead of ManHead of Maonasteries

Quotable: “Some of the passions are of the soul, others of the spirit. But the close unity of body and soul cause the bodily passions to be interwoven with those of the soul, or to have an inter-influence. The ascetical writers tell us that among the young, gluttony produces all the others, because it leads to unchastity—both of them need money to satisfy them, while he who finds himself lacking objects to satisfy these three passions, that is gluttony, unchastity and avarice, becomes dejected; and if someone wants to take things away from him or put their hand on them before he does, he becomes angry. For older people, however, the main passion is pride. So vainglory and pride could also be an effect of gluttony and accumulated wealth. But just the opposite could happen too: By love of glory and by pride man could seek wealth to live in luxury, which would bring him the praise of men and cause him to look down on others; or he would be dejected and angry when he isn’t honored enough.”

Dumitru Staniloae, Orthodox Spirtuality

Worship: Sunday, March 15, 2020 (Second Sunday of Lent; Commemoration of Gregory Palamas)

Scripture: Hebrews 1:10-2:3; Mark 2:1-12

Celebrant: Father John

Epistle Reader: Sh. Charlotte Algood

Prosphora: Meadows

Coffee Hour: Schelver/Karam/Pacurari