September News
2008
Liturgical Notes
During the calendar month of September the church celebrates two more of the twelve major feast-days of the liturgical year. In fact the liturgical church year starts on Sept 14(NS) which is Sept 1 on the old church calendar(OS). On the calendar date of Sept 21(Sept 8(OS)) the church celebrates the Nativity of the Theotokos. The Virgin Mary, the Theotokos, is the top of the mountain of the Old Testament. She is the pure vessel by which God would come to His creation. Her conception and birth were miraculous as God answered the fervent prayers of her parents, Joachim and Anna. Anna was sixty plus years old and beyond child-bearing age for a woman. Yet they were a righteous couple in the eyes of God and He heard their prayers. The second major feast-day is on Sept 27(Sept 14(OS)). It is the feast-day of the Exaltation of the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. This day celebrates the finding of the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by Queen Helen in Jerusalem during the early fourth century. The Holy Cross as well as the crosses of the two thieves had been discarded and covered by trash for centuries and later a pagan temple was built over the area. After discovering the location, Queen Helen had the temple torn down and uncovered the three crosses. Unable to determine which was the Holy Cross the Patriarch of Jerusalem had the three crosses laid upon the corpse of a dead man. Upon being touched by the third cross the dead man arose to life. The patriarch raised up the Cross for all to behold and they all cried out, “Lord have mercy!” The church also remembers the execution of Saint John the Baptist on Sept 11(Aug 29(OS)) commemorating his beheading by command of the wicked Herod.
Parish Notes
James Minter is in charge of forming a cemetery committee to oversee the continuing establishment and care of the new cemetery area. The parish needs to establish guidelines for the use of the cemetery and its care. If it was needed now the parish would not be prepared for its use! All who are interested in assisting in this matter should contact James Minter. The parish is renting a space at the Quadrangle Festival in Texarkana scheduled for the weekend of October 11 and 12. Workers are needed to help with the weekend. Please contact James Minter or Janet Gawrieh for further details. The parish address list needs to be updated. Please review the current list and let James Minter or Father George know of any changes that need to be made. Thanks be to God that He has brought all of the travelers safely back. Several of the parish members have special days this month.
Iryna Hendricks Birthday Sep 17
Anna Bennett Namesday Sep 22
Lubov Harrrison Namesday Sep 30
May God grant them many years!
If any parish member desires to have a special service (Divine Liturgy, moleban, etc.) for their feast-day they should contact Fr George in time that it may scheduled on the coming month’s schedule
Thoughts for contemplation
This excerpt is from a letter received from St. Paisius Orthodox Monastery.
Recently someone wrote to us: “I wonder if my little donation really makes a difference, since such serious funding is needed for the church. How I wish I could give more!” Others have made similar comments. Our God is ever gracious and merciful. He accepts our lowly gifts, blesses them and Himself “gives the increase.” He accepted the two mites of the widow, offered in sacrificial love, and gave her an eternal blessing. He accepts even a single tear of repentance, a hidden sigh of contrition, and speedily grants His consolation of grace. We offer simple water, and through His anointed priests He sanctifies the water and makes it holy for our cleansing and regeneration. We offer merely a loaf of bread-the work of our earthly hands-and the Lord condescends to transform it into His very Body through the prayers of the Holy Liturgy. We make the offering and the Lord of Glory receives it, blesses it and multiplies it to the benefit of many.
