News

Feast of the Annunciation

March 22, 2019 at 6:00 am

“Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you! … Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus”.
– from the Gospel According to Saint Luke, chapter 1

Monday, March 25, is the Feast of the Annunciation of the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, one of the great feasts of our Orthodox Church. Please join us on Sunday, March 24, at 6:00PM as we begin to celebrate this great day with the vigil for the feast.

The readings from Holy Scripture for this day are: Isaiah 8:13-9:7 (6th Hour), Genesis 6:9-22 (Vespers, 1st reading), Proverbs 8:1-21 (Vespers, 2nd reading), Exodus 3:1-8 (Vespers, 3rd reading), Proverbs 8:22-30 (Vespers, 4th reading), Luke 1:39-49, 56 (Matins Gospel), Hebrews 2:11-18 (Epistle), and Luke 1:24-38 (Gospel).

Of this feast we are told:

“The Feast of the Annunciation is one of the earliest Christian feasts, and was already being celebrated in the fourth century. … The Greek and Slavonic names for the Feast may be translated as “good tidings.” This, of course, refers to the Incarnation of the Son of God and the salvation He brings. The background of the Annunciation is found in the Gospel of Saint Luke (1:26-38). The troparion describes this as the “beginning of our salvation, and the revelation of the eternal mystery,” for on this day the Son of God became the Son of Man”.
The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary

Second Sunday of Great Lent (Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas)

March 21, 2019 at 12:45 pm

This Sunday, March 24, is the second Sunday of Great Lent, as well as the Forefeast of the Annunciation and the Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas.

The readings from Holy Scripture are: Genesis 28:10-17 (Vespers, 1st reading), Ezekiel 43:27-44:4 (Vespers, 2nd reading), Proverbs 9:1-11 (Vespers, 3rd reading), John 21:1-14 (10th Matins Gospel), Hebrews 1:10-2:3 (Epistle), and Mark 2:1-12 (Gospel).

As each Sunday of Lent has its own spiritual theme and historical context, we know that the Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas is of a later origin. Of this day we are told:

This Sunday was originally dedicated to Saint Polycarp of Smyrna (February 23). After his glorification in 1368, a second commemoration of Saint Gregory Palamas (November 14) was appointed for the Second Sunday of Great Lent as a second “Triumph of Orthodoxy.”
2nd Sunday of Great Lent: St Gregory Palamas

To learn more about this day, including what it means for our spiritual lives, see the podcast episode on the Second Sunday of Lent by Fr. Thomas Hopko and the article A Man Fully Alive by Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick.

Photos from the First Sunday of Great Lent (Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy)

March 17, 2019 at 3:00 pm

This is the Faith of the Apostles.
This is the Faith of the Fathers.
This is the Faith of the Orthodox.
This is the Faith which has established the Universe.
Commemoration of the Restoration of the Holy Icons

On Sunday, March 17, after the Divine Liturgy, we celebrated the Triumph of Orthodoxy with the Commemoration of the Restoration of the Holy Icons. Below are a few photos from our small procession with icons and the reading of excerpts from the Affirmation of Faith of the Seventh Ecumenical Council.

Procession with icons on the Sunday of Orthodoxy

First Sunday of Great Lent (Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy)

March 15, 2019 at 10:45 am

This Sunday, March 17th, is the first Sunday of Great Lent and the commemoration of the Triumph of Orthodoxy (see below). If you would like to take part in the small procession with icons after the Liturgy, please bring an icon from home. Children and adults alike are invited! The Rite of Orthodoxy will also be held after the Liturgy.

The readings for this Sunday are: John 20:19-31 (9th Matins Gospel), Hebrews 11:24-26, 32-12:2 (Epistle), and John 1:43-51 (Gospel).

What is the Sunday of Orthodoxy?

The Sunday of Orthodoxy is the first Sunday of Great Lent. The dominant theme of this Sunday since 843 has been that of the victory of the icons. In that year the iconoclastic controversy, which had raged on and off since 726, was finally laid to rest, and icons and their veneration were restored on the first Sunday in Lent. Ever since, this Sunday has been commemorated as the “Triumph of Orthodoxy.”
From the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America website article Sunday of Orthodoxy

See also the modern day classic Homily on the Triumph of Orthodoxy from Saint Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and Enlightener of North America, delivered in 1903 on the Sunday of Orthodoxy at the Cathedral Church in San Francisco.

New Sunday Service Time

March 15, 2019 at 6:00 am

Mark your calendars! Please note that beginning this coming Sunday, March 17, 2019, the first Sunday of Great Lent, the new start time for the Divine Liturgy will be 9:00AM. The Prayers of the Hours will begin at 8:45AM. Please check the parish calendar for details, changes, or additions.

2019 Pascha Card

March 13, 2019 at 10:59 am

Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!

It won’t be long until we will greet each other with this joyous phrase. In sharing the greeting and joy of this glorious Feast, we are sending a Pascha (Easter) card to the friends and families of our parish. To add your name(s) or to remember the name(s) of your departed loved ones on our Pascha card, we humbly ask for a small donation as we attempt this outreach. Our card will also contain a schedule of our Pascha services along with a greeting letter from Fr. Gregory.

If you wish to have your name(s) included on our card, please complete and return the attached form to Fr. Gregory or Alex Krowzow (or mail it to the listed address) no later than April 1, 2019. Checks may be made out to Four Evangelists Orthodox Church. All proceeds will benefit our parish.