First some excellent news: for the foreseeable future we will be having weekly Divine Liturgies on Sunday morning following Matins. We begin Matins at 9 am with Divine Liturgy following, usually around 10:15 am. We are very blessed to have Fr. Joseph and his family with us every weekend.

Also, starting this Sunday (11/17) we will begin our Inquirer’s/Adult Education class after the common meal (around 12:30 pm). This class will be a basic introduction to Orthodox Christianity, with a particular emphasis on the very basic principles of Christian faith and a sampling of material that was used by the earliest Christians to catechize those coming to the Church. The material for this class will be St Innocent’s Indication of the Way to the Kingdom of Heaven (ISBN 9780884653035 ) which is available from Holy Trinity Publications or from Amazon; selections from the Wisdom of Sirach aka Ecclesiasticus (which can be found in the 1611 edition of the King James Bible, the Oxford Ecumenical Edition RSV, the Orthodox Study Bible, or in stand-alone editions of the Apocrypha); the Sermon on the Mount (Gospel of Matthew, chapters 5-7); and finally with the prologue of the Gospel of St John (chapter 1, verses one through eighteen). This class is open to anyone who would like to participate.

We are still having midweek Vespers on Wednesday evening at 6 pm, with our bible study following. We are currently working our way through Archbishop Averky (Taushev)’s commentary on the Apocalypse (Revelation of St John), and discussing its meaning in the context of the New Testament, the liturgical structure of the book, and learning about the nature of symbolism through an exploration of the many symbolic depictions in the book. All materials are provided for this class, and it is open to anyone who wants to learn about the Orthodox understanding of the end times.

Finally, the Advent Fast is approaching. This year it begins on 11/28. We will hold an Unction service at the beginning of the fast on 11/29. As a reminder, Holy Unction is a sacrament of the Church, and is only open to Orthodox Christians who have prepared themselves with fasting, prayer, and recent confession.

Please check back for service times for upcoming feasts during the Advent Fast.