The Lenten Journey. Volume 36 March 10, 2019 Number 10

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1 The Church Herald Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church 2053 North Road, NE Warren, OH Church Phone: (330) Rectory Phone: (330) Pastor: The Very Rev. Protopresbyter Kenneth M. Bachofsky, D. Min. Parish Web Page: Volume 36 March 10, 2019 Number 10 The Lenten Journey It is important that we return now to the idea and experience of Lent as a spiritual journey whose purpose is to transfer us from one spiritual state into another. As we have already said, a great majority of Christians today ignore this purpose of Lent and see it only as a season during which they must fulfill their religious obligation the once a year Confession and Communion and comply with dietary registrations, soon to be replaced by the permissiveness of the Paschal time. And since not only laity but many priests as well have adopted this simple and formal idea of Lent, its true spirit has all but disappeared from life. The liturgical and spiritual restoration of Lent is one of the most urgent tasks, but it can be accomplished only if it is based on a genuine understanding of Lent s liturgical rhythm and structure. A t t h e commencement of Lent, as its inauguration, as the pitch which is to begin the entire melody, we find The Great Penitential Canon of St. Andrew of Crete. Divided into four parts, it is read at The Great Compline Service on the evenings of the first four days of Lent. It can best be described as a penitential lamentation conveying to us the scope and depth of sin, shaking the soul with despair, repentance, and hope! With a unique art, St. Andrew interwove the great Biblical themes Adam and Eve, Paradise and Fall, the Patriarchs, Noah and the Flood, David, the Promised Land, and ultimately Christ and His Church with confession of sin and repentance. The events of my life, God s acts in the past as acts aimed at me and my salvation, the tragedy of sin and betrayal as my personal tragedy. My life is shown to me as part of the great and all-embracing fight between God and the powers of darkness which rebel against Him. The Canon begins on this deeply personal note: Where shall I begin to weep over the cursed deeds of my life? What foundation shall I lay, Christ, for this lamentation? One after another, my sins are revealed in their deep connection with the continuous drama of man s relation to God; the story of man s fall is my story: I have made mine the crime of Adam; I know myself deprived of God, of the Eternal Kingdom and of bliss because of my sins I have lost divine gifts: I have defiled the vestment of my body, obscured the image and likeness of God...I have darkened the beauty of my soul; I have torn my first vestment woven for me by the Creator and I am naked T h u s, for the four evenings the nine odes of the Canon tell me again and again the spiritual story of the world which is also my story. They challenge me with the decisive events and acts of the past whose meaning and power, however, are eternal because every human soul unique and irreplaceable moves, as it were, through the same drama, is faced with the same ultimate choices, discovers the same ultimate reality. Scriptural examples are more than mere allegories as many people think, and who therefore find this Canon too overworked, too loaded with irrelevant names and episodes. Why speak, they ask, of Cain and Able, of David and Solomon, when it would be so much simpler just to say:

2 I have sinned? What they do not understand, however, is that the very word sin in Biblical and Christian tradition has a depth, a density which modern man is simply unable in comprehend and which makes his confession of sins something very different from true Christian repentance. The culture in which we live and which shapes our world view excludes in fact the concept of sin. For if sin is, first of all, man s fall from an incredibly high altitude, the rejection by man of his high calling, what can all this mean within a culture which ignores and denies that high altitude and that calling, and defines man not from above but from below - a culture which even when it does not openly deny God is in fact materialistic from the top to the bottom, which thinks of man s life only in terms of material goods and ignores his transcendental vocation? Sin here is thought of primarily as a natural weakness due usually to a maladjustment which has a turn social roots and, therefore, can be eliminated by a better social and economic organization. For this reason even when he confesses his sins, the modern man no longer repents; depending upon his understanding of religion, he either formally enumerates formal transgressions of formal rules, or share his problems with the confessor expecting from religion some therapeutic treatment which will make him happy again and willadjusted. In neither case do we have repentance as the shock of man who, seeing in himself the image of the ineffable glory, realizes that he has defiled, betrayed, and rejected it in his life; repentance as regret coming from the ultimate depth of man s consciousness as the desire to return; as surrender to God s love and mercy. This is why it is not enough to say: I have sinned. This confession becomes meaningful and efficient only if sin is understood and experienced in all its depth and sadness! It is precisely the function and the purpose of the Great Canon to reveal sin to us and to lead us thus to repentance, and it reveals sin not by definitions and enumerations but be a deep meditation on the great Biblical story which is indeed the story of sin, repentance, and forgiveness. This meditation takes us into a different spiritual culture, challenges us with a entirely different view of man, of his life, his goals, and his motivation. It restores in us the fundamental spiritual framework within which repentance again becomes possible. When we hear for example, I have not assumed the righteousness of Abel, O Jesus, not having offered to You either an acceptable gift, or divine deed, or pure sacrifice, or life immaculate we understand that the story of the first sacrifice so briefly mentioned in Bible reveals something essential about our own life, about man himself. We understand that sin is first of all the rejection of life as offered or sacrificed to God, or in other terms, of the divine orientation of life; that sin therefore is in its roots the deviation of our love from its ultimate object. It is this revelation that makes it possible then to say something which is so deeply removed from our modern experience of life yet now becomes so existentially true: Filing dust with life, You have given me flesh and bones, breathing in life: O Creator, Redeemer, and Judge: accept me repenting To be properly heard, the Great Canon implies, of course, knowledge of the Bible and the ability to share in the meditations on its meaning for us. If today so many people fill it dull and irrelevant, it is because their faith no longer is fed at the source of the Holy Scriptures which for the Church Fathers were the source of faith. We have to learn again how to enter into the world as revealed by the Bible and how to live in it; and there is no better way into that world than by the Church s liturgy which is not only the communication of biblical teachings but precisely the revelation of the Biblical way of life! The Lenten journey begins thus with a return to the starting point - the world of Creation, Fall, and Redemption, the world in which all things speak of God and reflect His Glory, in which man finds the true dimension of his life, and having found it, repents! - By: Father Alexander Schmemann - Our Worship Schedule Sunday, March 10th 9:30 a.m. The Reading of 10:00 a.m. The Lenten Triodion: Cheesefare Sunday/Forgiveness Sunday, Tone 8 (Pages 102 & 178). Quadratius & Companions: Cyprian & Dionysius, and St. Anastasia Patrician are commemorated. Epistle Romans 13:11-14:4 Gospel Matthew 6:14-21 *6:00 p.m. The Forgiveness Sunday Vesper Service The Beginning of Great Lent! Monday, March 11th 6:00 p.m. The First Day of Great Lent! The Canon of St. Andrew of Crete! Tuesday, March 12th 6;00 p.m. The Canon of St. Andrew of Crete! Wednesday, march 13th 6:00 p.m. The Canon of St. Andrew of Crete! Thursday, March 14th 6:00 p.m. The Concl sion of the Canon of St. Andrew of Crete!

3 Friday, March 15th 6:00 p.m. Lenten Service: The Liturgy of the Pre Sanctified Gifts! Saturday, March 16th 1:00 3:00 p.m. Lenten Confessions of the Faithful. 4:00 p.m. The Evening Vesper Service followed by Bible Study Class. Sunday, March 17th 9:30 a.m. The Reading of 10:00 a.m. The 1st Sunday of Great Lent: The Sunday of Orthodoxy, Tone 1 (Pages 81 & 179). A PAN-ORTHODOX LITURGY! The Venerable Alexis, Man of God, Macarius of Kalyazin, and the Martyr Marinus are commemorated. Epistle Hebrews 11:24-26,32-12:2 Gospel John 1:43-51 Monday, March 18th 4:00 p.m. The Akathist Service to the Theotokos with prayers for the sick and anointing of the faithful! Wednesday, March 20th 6:00 p.m. A Lenten Service: The Liturgy of the Pre Sanctified Gifts! Friday, March 22nd 6:00 p.m. The Lenten Service: The Liturgy of the Pre Sanctified Gifts! In compliance with the directive from the Gospel reading at this morning s Divine Liturgy: For if you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses! (Matthew 6:14), the Rite of Forgiveness will be served! All present will line up at the end of the service and exchange the Kiss of Peace, while asking for mutual forgiveness! All faithful are encouraged to at least begin the process of forgiveness with those who have hurt and offended you by calling them or writing them, asking for forgiveness as a means of healing! Only then can we properly begin the penitential season of Great Lent and reap the benefits of our spiritual labors for our salvation! Happy Birthday! Eric Lee Jr. Sonya Anzivino.. Happy Anniversary! Justin & Lara Coulter. Saturday, March 23rd 9:00 a.m. The All Souls Saturday: Liturgy/Memorial Service with the reading of the Parish Dyptics! 1:00 3:00 p.m. Lenten Confessions. 4:00 p.m. The Evening Vesper Service followed by Bible Study Class! Sunday, March 24th 9:30 a.m. The Reading of 10:00 a.m. The 2nd Sunday of Great Lent: Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas, Tone 2 (Pages 84 & 181). Epistle Hebrews 1:1-2:3 Gospel Mark 2:1-12 In order to begin the Season of Great Lent properly, all faithful of our parish are encouraged to attend this evening s Forgiveness Sunday Vesper Service! The service will be held this evening beginning at 6:00 p.m. After the singing of the Evening Prokimenon, we will begin Great Lent and the season of Repentance! The adornment of the Holy Sanctuary will be changed from bright gold to the penitential purple of Great Lent! This year s celebration of the Triumph of Orthodoxy for the Orthodox Churches of our Trumbull County area, will be hosted by our St. Nicholas Church! There will be a Combined- Orthodox Divine Liturgy that will begin at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 17, 2019! The guest speaker and celebrant of the Divine Liturgy will be His Eminence, Metropolitan Gregory of Nyssa, ruling Bishop of our Diocese! The Hierarchical Divine Liturgy will be con-celebrated by Father Ken and the other Orthodox Priests of our area. Liturgical responses will be sung according to our traditional Pain Chant lead by canters and choir members. All are invited to lend their voices in one song of praise to the Lord! In conjunction with the Divine Service, at the end, there will be a solemn procession with the Holy Icons, lead by children from our Warren parishes, followed by the Metropolitan and clergy. After the reciting of the Creed by the congregation, the Proclamation of the Synodikon by the Clergy, and singing of the Tropar for the Triumph of Orthodoxy, faithful will come forward to venerate the Holy Icons and received the Antidoron.

4 There will be a Light Lenten Dinner served in the Fellowship Hall following the Divine Services at the Church! All will be invited to attend. A Free-Will Offering will be collected with contributions used for the ministry of the Warren Orthodox Clergy Association. Please give as generously as possible! Our Lenten Mission Our Annual Youngstown Deanery Lenten Mission will be held on Sunday, March 31, 2019 here at St. Nicholas Church! The Lenten Vesper Service will be served by the clergy of our Youngstown Deanery beginning at 4:00 p.m. This is the Sunday of the Veneration of the Holy Cross! The guest speaker will be The Very Rev. Andrew Harmon, Pastor of St. Matthew s Orthodox Church in Cleveland, Ohio. Liturgical responses will be rendered by cantors in our Plain Chant Tradition. The special offering collected during the Vesper Service will benefit the ministry of the Youngstown Deanery Clergy Association! Please give generously! Flowers Needed: We are in need of a donor for the flowers that will adorn the Reliquary of the Holy Cross for our Lenten Mission Service. The cost of the wreath of flowers will be $ dollars. If anyone is interested please contact Father Ken. Your donation as well as the intention will be needed as well. Lenten Dinner: After the service all will be invited to our Fellowship Hall for a Lenten Cover-Dish Dinner! Our St. Nicholas Society will provide the fish and Perohi with the additional Lenten dishes brought by our parishioners. If anyone would like to cook and bring one of their favorite Lenten Foods, please see either Sandy Kish or Kathy Clark during the Sunday coffee socials! Your cooperation in this matter will be greatly appreciate and add to the enjoyment of this meal! T h e Annual Meeting of the officers, trustees and parishioners of St. N i c h o l a s Church will be held on Sunday, March 24, 2019! This is now being announced and published for the second time. We are calling the convocation of this meeting to everyone s attention so as to allow time in their schedules to attend! Please mark this on your calendar. At this meeting minutes will be read and taken, financial reports will be given, and other matters pertaining to the efficient operation of our beloved St. Nicholas Church will be discussed. Finally the new officers for 2019 will be elected. The full attention to matters discussed at the meeting, as well as everyone s pledge of their stewardship of time, talent and treasure, will greatly assist in the operation of our parish! We offer our enthusiastic service and dedication for the greater glory of the Lord, in honor of our beloved patron, St. Nicholas of Myra, and for the extension of God s Kingdom in the greater Warren area! Our Church Kitchen O u r Internationally Ren o w n e d Perohi & Holupki Dinners were served, in our F e l l o w s h i p Hall this week! We are forever grateful to the Lord, for His blessings, our valued customers and especially our dedicated Kitchen Crew! This is always the key to our success in this fund raiser of our parish! We would like to offer the following reports from the sale of our dinners: Thursday, February 28th: Income was $3, The expenses for the week were $ The weekly profit was $2, dollars. Thursday, March 7th: Income was $3, The expenses were $ The weekly profit was $2, dollars. Your stewardship of time and talent will be greatly appreciated this week, and until the conclusion of this season. May the Lord bless you abundantly for your time, talent and enthusiastic dedication to this fund raiser of our parish! Our Gifts to the Lord! One of the many acts of worship conducted at each Sunday Divine Liturgy, is performed in our generous donations made during the Church Offering! This is an excellent way of expressing our love, devotion to the Lord, as well as our thanksgiving, for the many blessings received from His Hands! We would like to share with you the Church Offerings from last Sunday s Church Offering: Regular Offering $846.00/ Candle Offering $70.00/ Memorial Donations $120.00/ Total Church Offerings = $1, We would like to acknowledge the receipt of the following Memorial Donations made to our Church in loving memory of +Peggy Lazor: Mr. &

5 TEST Mrs. Mike PAGE DeMas 5 TEXT $50.00/ Ted Sekela $20.00/ Mr. & Mrs. John Falibota $25.00/ Renay Choma $25.00/ Mr. & Mrs. James Lazor $50.0/ Mrs. Helen Roussakies $25.00/ and Mr. & Mrs. John Neal $ dollars. May our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, magnify your gracious gifts 100 fold, for the continuing salvic work being done here at our beloved St. Nicholas Church and the extension of His Heavenly Kingdom!!! European Dinner We offer to all of our parishioners the following Save the Date information: The Eastern European Congress of Ohio cordially invites all of our parishioners to attend their Ohio s Eastern European Month Dinner! This will be held on Tuesday, April 9, 2019 at the Holy Spirit Party Center 5500 West 54th Street in Parma, Ohio. The dinner will be catered by Wall-Tam s. The social hour will begin, that evening, at 6:00 p.m., followed by the Macedonian Dinner at 7:00 p.m. The guest speaker will be Mayor Georgine Welo, Mayor of South Euclid, Ohio. The special honoree will be Bettieanne Diles the Vice President of the Carpatho-Rusyn Society Warren/Youngstown Chapter. For more information please call (330) or: You must RSVP by Friday, march 29, 2019 to make your reservation! Holy Trinity Academy A full time elementary teaching position is now available at the Holy Trinity Orthodox Christian Academy and Pre School! Before sending in your resume, please be sure you meet the following criteria: 1) A strong work ethic and professionalism, 2) You hold one or more degrees for the following: a) Early Childhood Education, b) Language Arts/ Reading/Writing, c) Special Education, d) Ohio Department of Education Certification/License, and 3) Higher level degree with elementary teaching experience. To get started please send your resume, a cover letter, and any other materials pertaining to your qualifications to: Holy Trinity Orthodox Christian Academy and Pre School ATTN: Afrodete Gentis Teaching Position - P.O. Box Warren, Ohio Or you can fax it to: (330) Please note that all Holy Trinity, whether in paid employment or in volunteer roles at the school, will be required in due course to complete an application and vetting procedure, and to undergo a background check to ensure there are no hindrances preventing work with children and young people in a school and Church environment! Additional information can be obtained either from Father Ken or Sonya Anzivino. There is also a list of volunteers that are needed to aid this educational ministry! Dinner/Sweepstakes The Annual Holy Trinity Banquet/ Sweepstakes will be held on Sunday, May 19, 2019 at the Di Lucia Restaurant. It is located at 2610 Elm Road in Warren, Ohio. Horsd oeuvres at 5:00 p.m. and the Banquet Dinner to begin at 6:00 p.m. There will be a cash bar as well as several Gift Basket Raffles. This is the biggest fundraiser of the year for benefit of the educational ministry being done at Holy Trinity Academy by our Orthodox Churches in Warren! Your enthusiastic support buy purchasing a ticket for $ each and attending the evening festivities. This donation will include the dinner as well as participation in the sweepsteaks. The grand prize of $2,00.00 dollars will be awarded. Only 125 raffle tickets are being sold. There will be an additional ten $ dollar cash prizes awarded throughout the raffle. Winner of any part of the sweepsteaks need not be present. Dinner tickets only will be sold for $50.00 per person. Tickets may be purchased from Father Ken or Sis Albers. You may also purchase your ticket by calling the Academy at (330) ! All winners of the sweepsteaks not present at the evening banquet will be contacted by phone that evening. Young Adult Retreat All of the young adults of our parish are encouraged to attend a Young Adult Spring Retreat at Camp Nazareth! This has been scheduled for March 29-31, 2019 and is open to students 19 to 35 years of age. The registration fee is $75.00 dollars per student. Please remember that there are Retreat Scholarships available if this is a financial pinch! Please see Father Ken for details! The keynote speak is Dr. Al Rossi, who will help you explore clear and active ways that you may consider using in order to: Live a Life of Integrity, Peace and Joy! He is the director of Counseling and Psychological Services at St. Vladimir s Orthodox Seminary in New York. Dr. Rossi is a noted author, speaker and podcaster, as well as licensed clinical psychologist. We assure all participants that the retreat will be interactive and collaborative to help everyone continue to live their best lives! R e g i s t e r n o w : t i n y u r i. c o m / YoungAdultSpring. If you have any questions please call Father Stephen at the camp (724) or youngadultretreat@ .com. This is being sponsored jointly by: The American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese, the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh and the Ukrainian Orthodox League.