Week of 9/8/2024  

Trapeza for this Sunday, 9/8/2024, will be potluck.

Setup/Cleanup Team - Mary Hoy, Paula, & Matushka Valerie

Russian Festival Preparation Update - The next festival food preparation sessions are as follows: Borsch (Frozen) -  Sunday, September 8th at 12:30 pm (Pack Into Quarts), Chicken Kotleti - Tuesday, September 17th at 10:00 am..

The Akathist & Orthodoxy 101 Class will not take place this week due to the Feast, but will resume on Wednesday, September 18th at 6:00 pm.

A Parish Clean-Up Day will take place on Saturday, September 14th, 2024 from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm. Lunch will be provided for the workers. Many hands will be needed for both inside and outside cleaning, so please bring your gloves, rakes, etc. There will be plenty of work for everyone, and our young people are encouraged to help out as well. If for some reason you’re unable to make it on 9/14, please use the sign-up sheet in trapeza and see Mary T to arrange for an alternate day.

The Myrrh-Streaming Hawaiian Iveron Icon of the Theotokos will visit Saint Dimitrie Romanian Orthodox Church, 504 Sporthill Road in Easton, CT this Saturday, September 14th at 6:00 pm. An Akathist to the Icon will be served.  The Icon will also be in attendance for Divine Liturgy at St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, 1 Honeyspot Road in Stratford, CT next Sunday, September 15th at 9:00 am. 

Our Bookstore Has Been Restocked and there are plenty of new items to purchase.  Parishioners and friends of the parish will recieve a discount off of the marked price.  Please see Natalia Gregoire to purchase items. 

A Solemn Bell Ringing will take place at our parish to commemorate the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. This Wednesday we will ring one bell at the moments corresponding to the following timeline: 8:46 am - American Flight 11 crashes into North Tower of the World Trade Center; 9:03 am - United Flight 175 crashes into the South Tower of the World Trade Center; 9:37 am - American Flight 77 crashes into the west wing of The Pentagon; 9:59 am - The South Tower of the World Trade Center collapses; 10:03 am - United Flight 93 crashes in a field in Stonycreek Twp, PA; 10:28 am - The North Tower of the World Trade Center collapses; 10:50 am - The west wing of the Pentagon collapses. Divine Liturgy for the Beheading of the Forerunner will be uninterrupted, but wherever you are on that day please take a moment to pray at the appointed times for the victims and their families.

St. Xenia Parish Feast Day -  St. Xenia Orthodox Church, located at 170 N Lowell St in Methuen, MA will celebrate their Parish Feast Day with Vigil on Monday, September 23 at 5 pm and a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy on Tuesday, September 24 at 9:00 am, with His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas, First Hierarch of ROCOR,  being the chief celebrant. A festive banquet will follow Liturgy, and all are invited.

An Open House and Blessing of the Animals will take place at St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, located at 1 Honeyspot Rd in Stratford,  on Saturday, September 14 from 11 am to 4 pm.  Prayers will be read for the protection of dometic pets in honor of St. Mamas, an early Christian martyr, and other Orthodox saints who are regarded by the Church as the patrons of animals.  Attendees are asked to ensure that their pet is leashed or secured in a carrier,  and to assemble at the bottom of the church steps off of Stratford Ave just before Noon.  There will also be tours of the historic St. Nicholas Church, snacks and other refreshments, a tag sale, and a free concert.  

The 31st Annual Orthodox Church Musicians’ Conference will be hosted in Los Angeles at the Holy Transfiguration Cathedral from October 2-6, 2024 with the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Kyrill, Archbishop of San Francisco and Western America. The title of the Conference is “Towards the Future of Orthodox Liturgical Chant: Pathways to Practical Application”. This is a good opportunity for choir members to enhance their skills and to renew their strength in service to Christ’s Holy Church. Metropolitan Nicholas has recommended and encouraged all parishes in the Eastern American Diocese to send at least one representative to the Conference, and that the parish should at least partially support them financially if possible. The deadline for hotel reservations is September 25th. Registration and other information can be found HERE.

Pilgrimage to Jordanville -  With the blessing of Metropolitan Nicholas our parish will attend the annual pilgrimage to Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY to commemorate the anniversary of the martyrdom of Brother José Muñoz-Cortes during the weekend of November 2-3. The schedule hasn’t been released yet, but typically the first Panikhida at Brother José’s grave is served at around 3 pm on Saturday, followed by free time to walk the Monastery grounds and visit the bookstore and museum before we go to trapeza and Vigil. On Sunday morning Divine Liturgy is served (usually Hierarchical), followed by trapeza and free time. The bookstore and museum are usually open on both days.  A second Panikhida is served around 3 pm on Sunday followed by a brief stop at the Iveron Mother of God Monastery just down the road before the pilgrims leave for home. In all likelihood we’ll carpool to Jordanville, and more information on that plus information about lodging is forthcoming. At the moment we have about 22 people who have expressed interest,  but if you haven’t done so already please let us know by clicking HERE.

In Christ,

Fr. Stephen