THEOPHANY SCHEDULE FOR 2020

SCHEDULE CHANGE:

Doing something a little different this year, we will serve the Vespers of Theophany following the Divine Liturgy and refreshments in the Fellowship Hour on Sunday, January 5. The purpose is to maximize our participation in the service, instead of scheduling it for the evening on Sunday. Basically, the same pattern that we follow for Forgiveness Sunday Vespers and the Vespers of Pentecost on a Sunday.

Theophany Schedule:

• Sat. January 4:
  • 9:00am - Royal Hours - CANCELED
  • 6:00pm - Great Vespers

• Sun. January 5:
  • 9:10am - Hours and Divine Liturgy,
  • followed by Refreshments & Fellowship,
  • followed immediately by the Festal Vespers w/OT Readings

• Mon. January 6:
  • 9:10am - Hours and Divine Liturgy
  • followed by Great Blessing of Waters
  • Please bring a container to take home some of the Blessed Water

House Blessings will begin the week of January 6.  Use our Online Signup Portal!

Be sure to explore our Theophany Festal Page, with extensive resources for this Great Feast!

THE PRE-LENT PERIOD IS UNDERWAY!

On February 2 we celebrated (together with the Great Feast of the Meeting of the Lord in the Temple) the Sunday of Zacchaeus, which is the first announcement of the approach of Great Lent, which begins on March 2 this year. Zacchaeus teaches us of the desire needed to see the Lord (even if that means being considered foolish or crazy in the eyes of the world), and of the liberating power and true meaning of repentance.

Read Fr. Steven's Meditation, 'Zacchaeus - The Gospel in Miniature'

With Saturday Vespers, February 8, and Sunday, February 9, we begin using the service book called The Lenten Triodion, which will guide our steps through the Pre-Lenten period, through the Great Fast itself, and all the way to the end of Holy Week.

With the introduction of the Lenten Triodion, February 9 is also the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, and like each pf the Pre-Lent Sundays, it presents powerful lessons to help "warm us up" for the Lenten struggle of increased prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, so that we too, like Zacchaeus, may "see the Lord," and that like the Prodigal Son, we may return to the house of the Father.

Explore our Pre-Lent Section, which features extensive resources for this holy season, which Orthodox Christians the world over look forward to every year with eagerness and love. When the beautiful Lenten tones are heard on the Sunday of Forgiveness for the first time, it causes many of us to be deeply moved in our souls as we enter once again into the "bright sadness" of Lent, our annual pilgrimage to Pascha.

We make this journey together as a parish family, and we invite you to join us!

HOUSE BLESSINGS CONTINUE THROUGH FEBRUARY

Greetings for the Great Feast of Theophany, commemorating the Lord's Baptism in the Jordan!

Of course, in the Orthodox Christian tradition, the period immediately after Theophany is when we have our homes (and businesses!) blessed with the newly sanctified water by our priest. This is a great joy and blessing for our families, as it vividly reminds us of the Church's understanding of the Home as a 'little church', with the priest performing a brief service, and then sprinkling holy water throughout every room in the house, while singing the Troparion for Theophany, with us following in procession.

As in recent years, we have a convenient online signup portal for you to schedule to have Fr. Steven come and bless your home.

Signup now for your House Blessing! Joyous Feast!

Online Lenten Retreat with Dr. Peter Bouteneff,

Sat. April 4, 11:00am - 12:30pm (EDT)

Dear Parish Faithful,

I believe that many of you have read Peter Bouteneff's book, How To Be a Sinner. Here is an online retreat based on his book scheduled for next Saturday. April 4. I heard his presentation in Dayton back in February with a few of our other parishioners. It was very well done, and I would recommend it. A good way to get your mind off of the coronavirus.

Online Registration for the retreat at Event Brite. (Not necessary to have read the book to join the retreat.)

Order the book from SVS Press.

Explore the website for the book, with additional reflections and info.

Here is the retreat announcement from Peter Bouteneff:

__________

Dear Father-Friends,

My prayers are with you, as you lead families, communities, and your own selves, through these challenging times.

I’m writing just a few of you to let you know about a 90-minute Lenten retreat, online, next Saturday April 4.

Times are difficult for all our parishes. We’ve all cancelled our in-person retreats, and we are looking for ways to keep ourselves nourished. If my little book, How to Be a Sinner, might be considered useful by you and/or some of your parishioners, I’d be happy if you would let them know about this event.

There’s a $20 suggested charge, half of which will be donated to COVID-19 relief.

Attached is the graphic which also includes the link that takes you to the registration page. 

Thanks — and please let me know if there’s anything I can do to be of help to you.

In the Lord,
Peter

Peter Bouteneff, D.Phil.
Professor of Systematic Theology
Director, Institute of Sacred Arts
pcb@svots.edu

ONLINE LENTEN RETREAT with DR PETER BOUTENEFF

Sat. April 4, 11:00am - 12:30pm

Dear Parish Faithful,

I believe that many of you have read Peter Bouteneff's book, How To Be a Sinner. Here is an online retreat based on his book scheduled for next Saturday. April 4. I heard his presentation in Dayton back in February with a few of our other parishioners. It was very well done, and I would recommend it. A good way to get your mind off of the coronavirus.

Online Registration for the retreat at Event Brite. (Not necessary to have read the book to join the retreat.)

Order the book from SVS Press.

Explore the website for the book, with additional reflections and info.

GREAT LENT

This Lent, we have a different journey...

HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE & RESOURCES

This year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, our journey through the Lord's Passion Week takes on a very different form.

Fr Steven is guiding us through this Great and Holy Week, applying the directives from His Grace, Bishop Paul, in observance of the civil orders to 'stay at home' and practice 'social distancing' to stop the spread of the virus. No more than three of us will be conducting the services in the church, but, as with the final weeks of Great Lent, we will be livestreaming on both our Facebook page, and via Zoom. (Zoom is by invitation only; please contact Fr Steven if you would like to join us via this method.) The Facebook videos remain up for an extended period of time so you can revisit them, and select services will be archived on our YouTube channel.

We urge you to immerse yourself in the Mystic Torrent of Holy Week! Explore our extensive Holy Week Resource Section, with links to many of the service texts, and visit also our Coronavirus Resource Page, where we are also posting texts and links for the services, plus many worthy helps and aids for our time of quarantine.

Our full schedule of services will continue to be updated on our Home page and our Worship Schedule page. Christ goes to His voluntary and saving Passion, and we faithfully follow with Him, regardless of the trials and circumstances. And, we look forward to celebrating His Resurrection from the dead on Pascha!

CHRIST IS RISEN! 

INDEED HE IS RISEN!

With our celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead at Great and Holy Pascha, we enter into one of the most profound, beautiful, and transformative seasons of the Church Year. As one of the hymns in the Canon sung at Pascha Matins says, "Now all is filled with light!"

Journey with us during the Forty Days of Pascha as we continue to stream our services for as long as necessary. And we invite you to explore the riches of this period through our Pascha to Pentecost Resource Section.

Begin your Paschal journey with the beauty and special character of Bright Week (from Pascha to Thomas Sunday) , which is like a mystical single day, where each day is Pascha.

Praying the special Paschal Hours during this week transports us into this divine day, the First Day of the New Creation. The Hours of Pascha feature many of the most beautiful hymns of the Pascha Matins, and replace our Morning and Evening Prayers during Bright Week, as well as many of the Church services.

Truly the Lord is Risen!

ASCENSION & PENTECOST

The fulfillment of Pascha

Explore our festal resources for the Great Feasts of Ascension and Pentecost, which reveal to us our destiny as human persons made in God's image and raised to new life by Christ's death and resurrection, and as "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4).

Our divine services continue, and we continue to hope, pray and work towards fuller participation in those services, as the reopening of the world continues after the initial outbreak of the Coronavirus. Please contact Fr Steven if you wouild like to be added to the list of those who wish to attend the upcoming services. As of May 28 we are limited to attendance of only ten at any one service, and certain guidelines (social distancing, use of hand sanitizer and face masks - provided by the church if you need them) must be observed.

For as long as these abnormal restrictions continue, we will be live-streaming our services via Zoom (by invitation only) and on our Facebook page. For guidelines and information on how our parish and the Orthodox Church in America is responding to the Covid-19 crisis, and for extensive links and resources for following the services at home, see our Coronavirus Resource Page.

We wish you every spiritual blessing in Christ during these great feasts, and hope to see you soon!

APOSTLES FAST, June 15-28

The first fasting season following the supremely festal period from Pascha to Pentecost and All Saints is the Apostles Fast, which begins the Monday after All Saints, and ends on June 28, the eve of the Feast of the Chief of the Apostles, Peter & Paul.

This year, the Apostles Fast lasts two weeks in duration (it varies in length depending on the date of Pascha, which determines the date of All Saints). See our OCA liturgical wall calendar for fasting guidelines.

Join us as we enter into this special ascetical effort, and learn more on our Apostles Fast Resource Page.

SUMMER BIBLE STUDY 2020!

Our Spring/Summer Bible Study continues!  Join us on Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom.

We are discussing the Book of Psalms this year - how we use the Psalter in church, the nature of the different types of psalms, and an in-depth discussion of some chosen psalms.

Parishioners will be able to attend via Zoom. Please contact Fr Steven if you wish to be invited.

Full info and online flier here...

St Herman of Alaska (Aug 9)

50th Anniversary of his Glorification

• Read Metropolitan Tikhon's Homily for the Feast of Saint Herman of Alaska
• Read and save these newly composed liturgical texts for the 50th anniversary of St Herman's Glorification
• Explore our extensive resource section on St Herman, updated for 2020!

ALL SAINTS OF NORTH AMERICA (June 21)

On the Sunday after Pentecost we commemorate All Saints, those known to us and those known only to God, and the following Sunday, each local Orthodox Church commemorates those saints of their land.

Therefore, we commemorate All Saints of North America on the second Sunday after Pentecost, and as there are now sixteen (16!) glorified holy ones who lived and served in North America, as well as several others not yet glorified, and countless others known only to God, this is a significant assembly of that "great cloud of witnesses" indeed!

Join us as we venerate these righteous ones, and learn about their lives and teachings on our Special Resource Page dedicated to All Saints of North America!

See also our special resource pages for two of America's most beloved saints, St John Maximovitch, Archbishop of Shanghai & San Francisco (July 2), and Ven. Herman, Elder & Wonderworker of Alaska (Aug. 9 and Dec. 13).

DORMITION FAST LAUNCHES FESTAL AUGUST

The Fast leading up to the Great Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God begins August 1, and continues up to the eve of the Feast (Aug. 14). This begins the final month of the Orthodox Church's ecclesiastical year, an exceptionally rich period graced with several feasts and saints. We will celebrate the Feast with the Vesperal Divine Liturgy on Friday, August 14 at 6:00pm.

In addittion to the Dormition, the following highlights grace this beautiful month:

TRANSFIGURATION of the LORD (Aug 6) — The second of the Three Feasts of the Savior in August (the others being the Procession of the Cross on August 1, and The Image Not Made By Hands on August 16, our parish's patronal feast), this great feast commemorates the Lord's revealing of his glory to the Apostles Peter, James and John on Mt Tabor, and is recounted in the synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. Fruits are blessed at this feast.

• Wed. Aug 5, 7:00pm - Festal Vespers
  
• Thu. Aug 6, 9:30am - Divine Liturgy
• Followed by blessing of Fruits

ST HERMAN of ALASKA (Aug 9) — Falling on a Sunday this year enables the most full celebration of the Summer feast of St Herman, which commemorates his glorification in 1970 by the OCA. Explore our expanded resource page on this beloved and humble saint.

BEHEADING OF ST JOHN THE FORERUNNER (Aug 29) — The Evangelists Matthew (Mt.14:1-12) and Mark (Mark 6:14-29) provide accounts about the martyric end of John the Baptist in the year 32 after the Birth of Christ.

Numerous beloved and great saints are commemorated throughout the month, including Hieromartyr Alexander Hotovitsky (Aug 20), who labored in America.

50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE GLORIFICATION OF ST HERMAN OF ALASKA (Aug 9)

Dear Parish Faithful,

"From this day forth, from this hour, from this very moment, let us love God with all of our hearts."

~ St. Herman of Alaska (+1836)

This coming Sunday, August 9, we will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the glorification/canonization of Blessed Fr. Herman of Alaska. The Orthodox Church in America received the Tomos of Autocephaly in April of that year, and thus the great event of Fr. Herman being declared a saint of the Church "officially" followed after.

In fact, I was just informed that a new service to St. Herman was written in preparation for this 50th anniversary commemoration. But so far only the text has been written, and it is not yet set to music.

So, these are the hymns that we will chant at Great Vespers on Saturday evening and the Divine Liturgy on Sunday. This link is to the text of the new hymns composed for the 50th anniversary of St Herman's glorification. 

Parents, St. Herman is a very "child friendly" saint whose life and deeds in all their simplicity and wonder will appeal to children. This link is to a wonderful book that will appeal to children from about 7-12 years old. Beautiful iconic style illustrations and a warm text that nicely covers his life. [The cover is reproduced at right.]

Our parish webservant has put together a very impressive collection of resources dedicated to the various aspects of St. Herman's wonderful life [extensively updated for 2020!]. Spend some time getting familiar with one of our North American saints, by turning to those manifold resources.

Visit our St Herman Resource Section...

12th Sunday after Pentecost (Aug 30)

Saints Alexander, John and Paul, Patriarchs of Constantinople;

Ven. Alexander of Svir,  St Alexander Nevsky

• Sat. Aug 29, 6:00pm - Great Vespers
  
• Sun. Aug 30, 9:30am - Divine Liturgy
• Special Liturgical Texts for Vespers & Liturgy
• Service of the Typika (Reader's Service, General Text) 

AKATHIST 'GLORY TO GOD FOR ALL THINGS'

As we have done for many years now, we will chant the beautiful Akathist of Thanksgiving, 'Glory to God for All Things' to welcome the Church New Year:

Monday, August 31, 7:00pm

Please contact Fr Steven if you would like to join us, as we are still limited to 30 per service.

Read some of Fr Steven's meditations on this beautiful Akathist service:

• 'Glory to You, for every step of my life'
• To Begin That Interior Renewal
• Begin the New Year with Thanksgiving

And explore these encouraging messages on the Church New Year:

• Conviction and Commitment in the Church New Year
• To Deepen our Experience, and Expand our Hearts
• Finding Our Way through the 'Acceptable Year of the Lord'

Read and Download the text for this beautiful service: HTML - PDF

Learn more about how it was written, and order the CD recording here.

NEW ZOOM CLASS BEGINS SEPT 23

"I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life in the world to come." (Nicene Creed)

Zoom Class on the Resurrection of the Dead:

Beginning Wednesday, September 23 at 7:00 p.m. 

Dear Parish Faithful,

At every Liturgy we recite the Nicene Creed together, and towards the end we confess: "I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life in the world to come." What do we actually mean here by "the resurrection of the dead?' What are we committing ourselves to believe in with this credal affirmation? In our zoom class, we will take a detailed look at I Corinthians 15, possibly the most important text about the resurrection of the dead in the entire New Testament. How does I Cor. 15 support and elaborate what we hear of Christ's resurrection in the Gospels? Essential teaching of our Orthodox Christian Faith.

This will probably be a three-week session. If time permits, I would also like to examine II Cor. 5, an often neglected chapter that complements and extends some of the Apostle Paul's teaching in I Cor. 15. Please join us!

If you feel somewhat disconnected from the parish after months of absence; if you are not yet ready to sign up to attend the services; or if you are not joining us on zoom or facebook for these same services, here is a good opportunity to re-connect. In addition to learning about the Faith, we are "kind of" together on zoom, seeing each other and hearing each other's voices. There is a communal dimension to our classes that is very important at a time when we remain restricted from personal contact. I am going to guarantee that you will learn a good deal; and I feel safe to guarantee that you will enjoy the virtual fellowship that our zoom classes offer. Please give it some thought and make the commitment!

- Fr Steven

* Please contact Fr Steven if you would like to be included in our class...

Time to Fall Back . . .

Daylight Savings ends this Saturday night!

Though our smart devices adjust automatically, remember to turn back your manual clocks!

ONLINE SIGNUPS NOW AVAILABLE FOR GREAT FEASTS

Looking ahead, we anticipate that due to the Coronavirus the limitations on our numbers at the divine services will continue to be limited. Currently we are allowed to have 35 in attendance, plus 3 clergy and 4 choir members.

Therefore, in addition to requiring signup for the Divine Liturgy on Sundays, we will also provide online signup for the Divine Liturgies on the Great Feasts and special days of November, December and January.

Our password-protected Online Signup page now has the following services added:

• Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple — Saturday, November 21, 9:30am
• Thanksgiving Day Divine Liturgy — Thursday, November 26, 9:30am
• Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ — Friday, December 25, 9:30am
• Great Feast of Theophany — Wednesday, January 6, 9:30am

This year is iunique in that some of the great saints of the Nativity Season are commemorated on Sundays, including St Nicholas (Dec 6), St Herman of Alaska (Dec 13), and St Stephen the Protomartyr (Dec 27).

As the Sundays fill up, and if you are not able to attend, we hope you will join us for Great Vespers, especially for these beloved saints, where we hear such rich and stirring hymnography extolling their lives and virtues.

We do not currently need to have online signup for Vespers. All are welcome!

THE NATIVITY FAST

Join us for the Journey to Bethlehem!

From Fr. Steven:

I would yet again - as I have all during this pandemic - stress our need to make the home that "little church" that St. John Chrysostom spoke of. That becomes even more imperative when our access to the church as our place of gathering and worship remains restricted. It is all about connecting with the life of the Church that always presents to us Truth, Goodness and Beauty - all incarnate in Christ, the Son of God and Son of Man. We are getting ready to embark upon a journey. If we do this together it will prove all that more rewarding.  Read the full message...

This Nativity Season will be quite different from prior years, as we persevere through the covidtide and continue to rely upon livestreaming of our services, classes and occasional virtual gatherings to remain connected.

That said, we are midway through the process of upgrading our technical setup so as to provide not only better quality video and audio for our livestreams, but greater overall internet stability, without the occasional freeze-ups and drops that hampered our early efforts.

We invite you to join us for this holy journey, looking forward to the following highlights:

• Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple - Sat. Nov 21
• Thanksgiving Day - Thu. Nov 26
• St Nicholas the Wonderworker - Sun. Dec 6
• St Herman of Alaska - Sun. Dec 13 (with visit by His Eminence, Archbishop Paul)
• Nativity Pre-Feast Services - Dec 21-24
• Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ - Fri, Dec 25
• St Basil/Circumcision of the Lord/Civil New Year - Fri. Jan 1
• Great Feast of Theophany — Wed. Jan 6

Also, be sure to explore our extensive Nativity Resource Section, refreshed and updated for 2020. And visit our Worship Schedule page, where you can see upcoming services at a glance, and sync your smartphone, tablet PC or Mac to our parish calendar so as to receive automatic updates and reminders on our services.

Remember that as of now, only Sunday Divine Liturgy and certain services of the Great Feasts require online signup to help us limit our attendance to the mandated number of 35, plus clergy and choir. You are welcome to attend Great Vespers on Saturdays at 6:00pm, and other evening services as they are scheduled.

We hope you can join us!

NATIVITY of CHRIST

Join us for the Great Feast of the Nativity in the Flesh of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ!

Our full schedule of Nativity services are posted on our Home page and Worship Schedule page, and on our pop-up calendar immediately below, which you can sync with your smartphone, tablet, Mac or PC.

Due to the coronavirus, we are still restricting our numbers to 35, plus clergy (3) and choir (4). This means online signup is required for the most popular services. But our other services are open to all, and we hope you will join us for as many services as possible.

We are livestreaming all major services via Facebook and Zoom, and as many of the other services as we can, personnel permitting.

Be sure to explore our Nativity Resource Page, which has extensive materials on this joyous feast of the Incarnation of the Word of God!

We wish you all the Blessings of the Feast and more, as we head into this beloved festal period which extends through Theophany!

Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

CHURCH SCHOOL TO BEGIN OCTOBER 3!

We are finalizing our plans to begin "in class" Church School next weekend, October 3, at 5:00 p.m. We have received enough commitment from various families to schedule this. Complete details will be sent out on Monday, September 28. But for those who have committed, please keep our start-up date in mind. For those who would still like to join, please contact Terrie Sauer. There is plenty of room for additional students!

ORTHODOX JOURNEYS CHURCH SCHOOL

Christ the Savior-Holy Spirit is pleased to announce our adoption of the new Orthodox Journeys Church School Curriculum and Study Guide Program.

This highly developed and professionally implemented educational resource provides outstanding lessons taken from the Scriptures and other sources of Holy Tradition for each Sunday of the year and all the Great Feasts (and many lesser feasts and saints' days), complete with guides and handouts for teachers and parents to share with their students and children, as well as study guides tailored to student age categories from grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12.

Already posted are lessons, handouts, and study guides for the first few Sundays and Feasts of the Church Year (up through September 14). Additional lessons and materials will be posted in penty of time each week for teachers and parents to review and prepare their lessons.

Best of all, the distribution of these materials by PDF downloads enables us to adapt it to the gradual reopening of our Church School (following the Covid lockdown), as well as meet the needs of parents who are homeschooling. You can learn more about Orthodox Journeys and see some sample lesson plans and study guides on their website.

Because these materials are copyrighted by Orthodox Journeys, we are providing them on a special password-protected page for our parishioners.

Please contact Fr Steven to learn more about our parish life and Christian Education, and our Church School opportunities for our families. We hope you can "come and see" us very soon!

NEW FOR THE 2020-2021 CHURCH SCHOOL YEAR!

ORTHODOX JOURNEYS CHURCH SCHOOL

Christ the Savior-Holy Spirit is pleased to announce our adoption of the new Orthodox Christian Church School Curriculum and Study Guide Program, Orthodox Journeys.

This highly developed and professionally implemented educational resource provides outstanding lessons taken from the Scriptures and other sources of Holy Tradition for each Sunday of the year and all the Great Feasts (and many lesser feasts and saints' days), complete with guides and handouts for teachers and parents to share with their students and children, as well as study guides tailored to student age categories from grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12.

Learn more on our Church School page . . .

NEW FOR THE 2020-2021 CHURCH SCHOOL YEAR!

ORTHODOX JOURNEYS CHURCH SCHOOL

Christ the Savior-Holy Spirit is pleased to announce our adoption of the new Orthodox Journeys Church School Curriculum and Study Guide Program.

This highly developed and professionally implemented educational resource provides outstanding lessons taken from the Scriptures and other sources of Holy Tradition for each Sunday of the year and all the Great Feasts (and many lesser feasts and saints' days), complete with guides and handouts for teachers and parents to share with their students and children, as well as study guides tailored to student age categories from grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12.

Already posted are lessons, handouts, and study guides for the first few Sundays and Feasts of the Church Year. Additional lessons and materials will be posted in penty of time each week for teachers and parents to review and prepare their lessons.

Best of all, the distribution of these materials by PDF downloads enables us to adapt it to the gradual reopening of our Church School (following the Covid lockdown), as well as meet the needs of parents who are homeschooling. You can learn more about Orthodox Journeys and see some sample lesson plans and study guides on their website.

Because these materials are copyrighted by Orthodox Journeys, we are providing them on a special password-protected page for our parishioners.

Please contact Fr Steven to learn more about our parish life and Christian Education, and our Church School opportunities for our families. We hope you can "come and see" us very soon!

HOLY SYNOD  ENCYCLICAL

Dear Parish Faithful,

I just became aware of this new and lengthy Encyclical of Hope issued by the OCA's Holy Synod of Bishops. Please find the time to read through it carefully as it is based on the Christian virtue of hope, as well as acknowledging our all very human fears. Belonging to the  One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church - the immutable Body of Christ - is our greatest hope, for the Church is the very Body of the Crucified and Risen Christ.

https://www.oca.org/news/headline-news/holy-synod-of-bishops-issues-an-encyclical-of-hope

In Christ,

Fr. Steven

SPECIAL UPDATE ON THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF OCA AUTOCEPHALY

Dear Parish Faithful,

In the turmoil of the last few months, we may have lost our focus on the 50th Anniversary celebration of the Orthodox Church in America's Autocephaly talking place in this year of 2020. There was to be church-wide celebration, but I believe that the Holy Synod has postponed it until 2021, based on the uncertainty of the extent of the coronavirus carrying into the Fall. The Midwest Diocese is scheduled to have a series of individual deanery-wide celebrations throughout the year. Our own Indianapolis Deanery was scheduled to gather together in our parish over the weekend of October 9-10. Archbishop Paul has still not decided if that event will occur as scheduled, or whether it will be postponed. He just informed me that he needs to make a decision soon. I will keep everyone informed, especially our parish committee in charge of organizing that event.

Be that as it may, His Eminence has directed certain members of our Midwest Diocese - both clergy and lay members - to write a reflective article about the fifty years of being an autocephalous Church here in North America. At our parish-hosted event mentioned above, I am to deliver one of the two papers on this theme. If we do not have the scheduled event in our parish, I will eventually share my reflection with the parish.

Also, our own parishioner, Joe Kormos, was also asked to write a reflection. These different reflections are posted over the course of the year on our Midwest Diocese website. Currently, it is Joe's reflection that is posted there. For your convenience, here is a link to Joe's paper for you to read: 

The OCA & Autocephaly: The 14th All American Church Sobor / 1st All American Council *

As church life continues to slowly normalize, we will try and turn our attention toward this commemoration/celebration.

- Fr. Steven

*  Webservant's Note: This important article by Joe Kormos has since been featured also on the main page of the OCA website.

DIOCESE OF THE MIDWEST LAUNCHES SPECIAL SECTION ON OCA AUTOCEPHALY

From Bishop Paul's announcement:

"Each month starting in January 2020, we will be posting to our Diocesan website a series of reflections on the 50th Anniversary of the Autocephaly of the Orthodox Church in America. I mentioned this in my letter dated October 1, 2019 (https://www.midwestdiocese.org/news_191001_1).

"As you read the thoughts of various people who are or have been in our diocese, please remember that they are not speaking as official spokespersons of the Church. They are sharing their own observations and thoughts on how the original vision of the autocephaly has played out over these first 50 years, and the impact the autocephaly itself has had on them and on their own personal experience in the Church..."

Read Bishop Paul's entire message, on the Diocese of the Midwest website, where you will also find links for new Reflections on Autocephaly added each month.

HOLY SYNOD PROCLAIMS 2020 AS YEAR OF ANNIVERSARIES FOR THE OCA

From the Proclamation:

"In 2020, the Orthodox Church in America will celebrate the anniversary of two foundational events in her history: the reception of the Tomos of Autocephaly from the Venerable Russian Orthodox Church, and the canonization of Our Venerable Father Herman, Elder and Wonderworker of Alaska. We, the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America, give glory to God for these wonderful gifts that have allowed the Church to take root in North America, and invites all Orthodox Christians, indeed, every person of goodwill to join our Church in our celebrations..."

From the Announcement on the OCA website:

In its proclamation, the Holy Synod announced a number of official events that would take place over the course this year to mark these anniversaries, as well as the publication of educational and liturgical materials. All members of the Orthodox Church in America should take note of these plans, and seek to participate in them as they are able. Additionally, following the direction of the Holy Synod, all Churches, Missions, Monasteries, Institutions, indeed, all the faithful of the Orthodox Church in America should seek ways to mark these anniversaries in ways that are appropriate and well-pleasing to God.

Christ the Savior-Holy Spirit will be hosting a special OCA anniversary event in October 2020, in association with the Indianapolis Deanery. Watch this page for further updates.

Read the news announcement and the complete proclamation, with much more info and links, at OCA.org.