Posts
FEAST of the ANNUNCIATION
Dear Parish Faithful,
Presvytera and I just concluded a modified version of the Great Vespers for the Feast of the Annunciation at the church. Tomorrow morning, I will do the Typika (Reader Service for the Feast). I am sending you the link from our Diocesan website so that you can do this service in your homes tomorrow, March 25. It is a beautiful and wonderful Feast. It is the Feast of the Incarnation - the great Mystery of God becoming man in and through the Virgin Mary, who is therefore truly the Theotokos!
https://domoca.org/coronavirus-resource-page/
Fr. Steven
- See also our Annunciation Festal Resource Page
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CORONAVIRUS UPDATES
Dear Parish Faithful,
"For God has not destined us for wrath but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we wake or sleep we might live through him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." (I Thess. 5:10-11)
New Directives - I am expecting to receive new directives from Bp.Paul within the hour. To anticipate, he will confirm what I stated yesterday, that all public liturgical services are to be suspended indefinitely. Not quite sure when that will take effect, but we will know soon.
Can We Offer Assistance? - We are trying to figure out the most effective way of responding to anyone's particular needs. Please contact me if you need any kind of assistance - from a ride to a food delivery, etc. Many of you have readily responded to be on alert if a need arises. We have various parishioners committed in various parts of the tri-state area. We hope that everyone is fine, but if not, we want to offer assistance. We must "bear one another's burdens," as the Apostle Paul teaches. And remember the "phone ministry" I encouraged yesterday. Some people may just need that phone call and a concerned and caring voice.
Confessing Your Sins - I am more than willing to schedule a phone confession with anyone. Please send me a date and time and I will let you know if that works.
Parish Pledging - More than a few parishioners have asked me about to fulfill one's stewardship pledge at this time. I spoke with our treasurer, Darren Payne, and we thought the simplest method was to either mail your pledge in to the church and Darren plans on coming down to pick up the bills together with the collected pledges; or mail your pledge directly to Darren, at: 7520 Hollywood Dr. West Chester OH 45069.
The Jesus Prayer - A reminder that Orthodox Christians around the world are saying the Jesus Prayer - according to their own time zone - between 10:00 - 10:15 p.m.
Suggestions for Ongoing Communication - The governor's "stay at home" mandate is now in effect. Here are some good suggestions for staying "in touch" as a parish community, though we cannot communicate the best way, which is "face-to-face:
- Lenten recipes
- Activities to do at home with kids
- Crafts or hobbies to share..photos of personal art projects
- Ideas of what to do around the house during our 'stay-at-home' days-DYI
- Photos of the parish members in general..just a smiling face 😁
- Ways to reach out to neighbors and parish members
Please send me any contributions that you may have to the above list. I will forward everything to the parish.
- Fr. Steven
