October 2018 PROTECTION OF THE THEOTOKOS

Transcription

1 October 2018 PROTECTION OF THE THEOTOKOS 679

2 Before the Holy Chalice This story occurred not so long ago in one of the temples of St. Petersburg During the Divine Liturgy one Sunday, at the time of Holy Communion, the worshipers attention was drawn by a little fair-haired boy standing near the altar. He looked attentively at the communicants and from time to time burst into a sonorous laugh. His parents tried to calm him down, but in vain. At the end of Communion, the unusual behavior of the boy stopped. Extremely surprised, his parents began to ask him why he laughed, and here is what they heard in response: "When I looked at people approaching the Chalice, I suddenly saw a white dove flying up to some of them. When a man or a woman happened to open his or her mouth to swallow the Gifts, the dove took the Gifts in his beak and flew away. They did not see this dove, closed their mouths and walked away, thinking that they received Holy Communion, but in fact it was only an empty spoon. It seemed very funny." To a person who doesn t believe in God, this story of a child may seem fictitious, but the Orthodox heart cannot help but tremble, knowing the meaning of the vision sent by God to the boy. In fact, is it not scary to realize that the Lord does not allow many of us to receive Communion, because we approach the Holy Chalice in an unworthy and unprepared state? "For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. (I Corinthians 11:29), the Apostle Paul instructs us. The tradition of the Church has long defined the requirements, the fulfillment of which helps the communicants receive the Holy Gifts with dignity. This is fasting from 1 to 7 days, and abstaining from marital relations for this time, and reading many prayers, and visiting services for each person to the extent that one can and one s spiritual maturity. So everything is done, Liturgy is coming to an end, and the communicant is ready to unite with Christ. The Royal Gates are opened. "With the fear of God and faith, draw near..." proclaims the deacon. Faith and fear of God - that's what should be embedded in the heart of everyone, coming to the Chalice. There is no place for talk and fuss. And in practice, who hasn t witnessed a crowd before the Holy Chalice! People push others aside, try to reach the Holy Gifts as soon as possible, do not listen to the priest s admonitions. They don t realize that in the blink of an eye by unworthy behavior before the Chalice, one can cross out the whole painstaking work of fasting. Then the invisible dove will not allow us to receive Holy Gifts, and we will not receive eternal life in the Sacrament, but condemnation in the eyes of God. To prevent this from happening, each communicant needs to know well and fulfill these few rules before approaching the Holy Chalice that the Church has established. Here they are: - Bow to the ground before the Chalice. If there are many communicants, then in order not to disturb others, it is necessary to bow in advance. - When the Royal Gates are opened, we must cross ourselves and fold our arms crosswise on the chest, the right one above the left, and with such folding of hands to receive communion. - It is necessary to approach from the right side of the temple, and leave the left side free. - The first ones to receive Holy Communion are the monks, then altar servers, then children and only then all others. It is necessary to give way to neighbors, by no means not to push. - Women need to erase lipstick before Communion. - Approaching the Chalice, pronounce your full name loudly and clearly. Receive the Holy Gifts, chew (if necessary) and immediately swallow, and to kiss the lower edge of the Cup like the rib of Christ. - You can neither touch the Chalice with your hands nor kiss the priest's hand. - One cannot cross themselves next to the Chalice! You can accidentally push the priest and spill the Holy Gifts. - Going to the table with wine (zapivka), you must eat blessed bread and drink warm wine. Only after that you can venerate the icons. - If the Holy Gifts are received from several Chalices, one should receive it only from one Chalice. To commune twice in a day is a terrible sin. - On this day after the Communion it is not proper to kneel, with the exception of bowing before the Shroud of Christ (Plashchanitsa) on Holy Saturday and kneeling prayers on the day of the Holy Trinity. This day also you cannot spit. - Coming home, it is necessary to read thanksgiving prayers for Holy Communion. If prayers are read in the temple, you should listen to them.

3 PARISH LIFE: Important dates: October 1 st PROTECTION OF THE THEOTOKOS October 14 th - PROTECTION OF THE THEOTOKOS (Julian calendar) November 11 th ANNUAL SLAVIC FESTIVAL November 21 st ENTRY OF VIRGIN MARY INTO THE TEMPLE November 22 nd American Thanksgiving Day From the desk of Fr Nazari Dear Brothers and Sisters, I would like to greet you on the occasion of the recent feast days of the Nativity of Our All-Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary and the Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Creating Cross. The new church year has already begun and the life of our parish has become noticeably busier and more eventful. We successfully carried out the registration for our Saturday and Sunday schools, enrolled children to our Children's Church Choir and began work with our newly formed Little Sisterhood under the protection of St. Barbara the Great Martyr. If you have not had time or opportunity to enroll your child in one of these programs, please do not worry, we continue to accept new students, choir members and members of the Little Sisterhood. Regarding Saturday School, please contact Irina Usova at (323) or via iusova@hotmail.com. Regarding Sunday School and Children's Church Choir, please contact Marie McEntire via lmcentir@gmail.com, Zoe Turton via zoe.noelle.turton@gmail.com or Ganna Semenova via semenovaannie@gmail.com. Regarding the Little Sisterhood, please contact Katya Solovskaya via e- mail: pianowithkatya@gmail.com or Maria Goncharova via e- mail: mashmarigoncharova@gmail.com. Also I want to draw your attention to the fact that we are always interested in the participation of our boys to serve in the Holy Altar. If your son or grandson wishes to serve during Divine Services, please contact me directly or sub-deacon Andrey Aristov via aaristov@loyolahs.edu. In October we plan to do repairs of the hardwood flooring in the church building. In order to do so, we will need your help to move church icons and furniture from the Temple to the sacristy, and after repairs, return everything back inside the Temple. Due to the fact that the workers will be able to start repairs on October 2nd, we want to organize the moving of church furniture and icons on September 28th beginning at 10am. We ask everybody who wishes (preferably men) to participate and contact me in advance. On October 21st, dear guests are coming to visit us: our beloved Archpastor Archishop Benjamin and Archbishop of Lublin, Abel (Poplavsky). The same day, an icon of St. Matrona of Moscow with relics of her incorrupt hair come for a permanent stay at our church. I hope that by then we will be able to move all the things taken for the time of repairs back inside the Temple. The days and time of the arrangements will be announced in advance. August 14th - the day of memory of martyrs of Makavejev according to ancient Orthodox tradition, we served moleben with the blessing of new honey. The blessed honey can be purchased at our church store LOGOS (hours of operation: Monday - Tuesday - by appointment, Sunday after Liturgy), tel or cathedral01@sbcglobal.net. Dear brothers and sisters, I want to draw your attention to the corrections in our October calendar. In connection with the graduation from the university by my eldest son, I will be absent on October 26-28th. On these dates, it was planned to celebrate a feast day of martyr Nazaríus (my patron saint). This year we will transfer the celebration of this feast day to October 14th (a week earlier), the feast day of Protection of the Holy Theotokos (Julian calendar), and according to the Gregorian calendar it s the feast day of martyrs Nazaríus, Gervase, Protasíe and Celsus. All other Divine services will be served according to the schedule. I apologize for the changes (corrections) and ask for your holy prayers. Thank you for your prayers and help in our parish life. I hope to see you all during our Divine Services and have the opportunity to talk with you after the Divine Services in our Parish Hall or Cafe. God bless you all. Archpriest Nazari Polataiko Starosta report: Dear parishioners, I appeal to you with a big request. Our panikhida room is in need of repair. In memory of your deceased, relatives and friends, we will be grateful for any financial assistance. Please send your donations marked Special Projects (Panikhida room repair). Due to the retirement of our long-term cleaning manager Oziel, now we need help and are looking for an Orthodox man for a part-time job - 30 hours a week, who will perform such duties. For more information, please contact me at (323) Alla Bobrov Sisterhood news At the last Sisterhood meeting we had elections. The officers are Irene Gregory, president, 1st Vice President, Sasha Wright, 2nd vice president, Tanya Timohovich, Secretary/Treasurer, Ann Chach. We are in the process of having our dishwasher in the kitchen worked on. They are installing a special pump that will allow a different kind of liquid soap and a rinse chemical to be dispensed at every wash cycle. Also, the dishwasher in the Rectory was repaired. We are also checking into repairing or purchasing a new stove for the apartment. Irene Gregory

4 Saturday School On September 8th a new school year in our Russian Saturday school began. Classes will be held as usual according to the schedule on Saturdays from 10am till 3pm. Please find more information on our Facebook page Irina Usova, Coordinator Church choir: If anyone is interested in joining the choir, please speak with Reader Serge after any service. them would be an extreme understatement. The director, Rami, was so excited, that she posed for pictures with me and the backpacks! She wouldn't let me leave before she had hand-written a thank you note, which is posted with the pictures on the Charity Committee bulletin board outside the church office. Thank you to all who donated! Our next activity will be a toy drive in November/ December. Marie McEntire, Chairman Charity Committee Through the generosity of our parishioners we were able to make 3 elementary school and one high school student backpacks. I took the backpacks to City of Angels, a program of the Los Angeles Unified School District that works with homeless children. To say that they were delighted to get BAPTISMS: Danielle Earl September 1 st Alexander Earl September 1 st Many years! Prayer Request list: Irene Gregory, Marina Dobis, Alexander, Maria, Elena, Theodore, Ann Brown, Marie (Lynn) McEntire The Parish Council Would Like to Thank the Following Persons for their BUILDING Fund and CENTENNIAL Fund Contributions Poltengeer family in memory of Tamara Krupenkin Kettanen family in memory of Tamara Krupenkin Bugreeff family in memory of Tamara Krupenkin Markarian family in memory of Tamara Krupenkin K. Miller family in memory of Tamara Krupenkin Moskalo family in memory of Tamara Krupenkin Vera Ermilov in memory of Tamara Krupenkin Anonymous in memory of Tamara Krupenkin SEPTEMBER Sun 10:00am 3:00pm Divine Liturgy Vigil 18TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST PROTECTION OF THE THEOTOKOS OCTOBER Mon 10:00am Divine Liturgy PROTECTION OF THE THEOTOKOS 2 Tue 7:00pm Akathist before the icon of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos Rescuer of the Perishing 6 Sat 5:00pm Vigil 7 Sun 10:00am Divine Liturgy 19TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 9 Tue 7:00pm Akathist before the icon of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos Rescuer of the Perishing 13 Sat 5:00pm Vigil

5 14 Sun 10:00am Divine Liturgy 20TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST PROTECTION OF THE THEOTOKOS (Julian calendar) Great Martyrs Nazarius, Gervase, Protase and Celsus 16 Tue 7:00pm Akathist before the icon of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos Rescuer of the Perishing 19 Fri 10:00am Divine Liturgy Apostle Thomas; St. Innocent of Moscow 20 Sat 5:00pm Vigil 21 Sun 10:00am Divine Liturgy 21ST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 23 Tue 7:00pm Akathist before the icon of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos Rescuer of the Perishing 27 Sat 5:00pm Vigil 28 Sun 10:00am Divine Liturgy 22ND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 30 Tue 7:00pm Akathist before the icon of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos Rescuer of the Perishing November Thu 10:00am Divine Liturgy St. John of Kronstadt 3 Sat 10:00am 5:00pm Panikhida Vigil Demetrius Saturday (Julian calendar) 4 Sun 10:00am Divine Liturgy 23 rd SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 6 Tue 7:00pm Akathist before the icon of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos Rescuer of the Perishing 8 Thu 10:00am Divine Liturgy Gt.martyr Demetruis 10 Sat 5:00pm Vigil 11 Sun 10:00am Divine Liturgy ANNUAL SLAVIC FESTIVAL 24 th SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 13 Tue 7:00pm Akathist before the icon of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos Rescuer of the Perishing 17 Sat 5:00pm Vigil 18 Sun 10:00am Divine Liturgy 25 th SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 20 Tue 7:00pm Vigil ENTRY OF VIRGIN MARY INTO THE TEMPLE 21 Wed 10:00am Divine Liturgy 22 Thu 10:00am Thanksgiving Moleben American Thanksgiving Day 24 Sat 5:00pm Vigil 25 Sun 10:00am Divine Liturgy 26 th SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 27 Tue 7:00pm Akathist before the icon of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos Rescuer of the Perishing 29 Thu 10:00am Divine Liturgy Holy Apostle & Evangelist Matthew PLEASE CHECK OUR UPDATED SCHEDULE ON OUR WEBSITE