'Born of Water and the Spirit!' - 07/16/17
On Sunday, July 16, Fr. Steven baptized Anna Wesner, daughter of Dave and Kyra Wesner. Anna's sponsors are Bob Markvan and Kerry Wesner. The baptismal liturgy serves as a reminder to us of our own baptismal vows and confession of faith.
God grant them Many Years!
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'The Seal of the Gift of the Holy Spirit!' - 06/18/17
On Sunday, June 18, Fr. Steven received Kathy Wynkoop into the Church through the Sacament of Chrismation. At Great Vespers the previous evening, Kathy made her Confession of the Faith, and received the Sacrament of Repentance (Confession). Kathy is married to Brian Wynkoop, and mother of Cora, Virginia and Isaac.
This slide show also includes some close ups of some of the altar boys, and of Reader Johnothon Sauer.
Welcome Kathy, and God grant you Many Years!
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'The Fulfillment of God's Plan, and Our Lives' - 06/04/17
From Fr Steven:
"We were blessed with a wonderful celebration of the Great Feast of Pentecost. Both the Great Vespers on Saturday evening and the Liturgy yesterday were well-attended. And most of the parish remained for the Vespers of Pentecost following the Liturgy and the Kneeling Prayers that characterize that service. As a final and joyful rite, leaves were thrown into the air to descend upon us in a symbolic recreation of the descent of the Holy Spirit as "tongues of fire" that were distributed upon the disciples of Christ on the first Pentecost in Jerusalem (ACTS 2:1-11).
"The Feast of Pentecost can serve as time to reaffirm our faith in Christ and renew our life in the Church. As we sang in one of the hymns of the Vespers of Pentecost: 'So now that our hearts have been spiritually enlightened strengthened in faith by the Holy Spirit, let us pray that our souls may be saved'."
Continue to imbibe the 'new wine' of this Great Feast through our Pentecost Resource Section, and through Fr Steven's Meditations on Pentecost.
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ORTHODOXY AT 'CROSS THE BRIDGE FOR LIFE'
On the afternoon of Pentecost Sunday, June 4, several members of Christ the Savior-Holy Spirit participated in the annual 'Cross the Bridge for Life' event, dedicated to the Sanctity of Life at every stage.
From the event's desciption:
Sponsored by pro-life groups on both sides of the Ohio River, including the [Roman Catholic] Archdiocese of Cincinnati and the Diocese of Covington, this family friendly event features talks, live music by Easter Rising, children's activities, food, and a walk across the "Purple People Bridge" and back led by pipes and drums from the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus, and other organizations. Informational booths from pro-life organizations; free t-shirts. Site is the Newport Festival Grounds, directly below Newport on the Levee in Northern Kentucky. No protest, a peaceful celebration of life. Learn more and view extensive photo galleries on the official website...
After the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, May 21, Fr. Steven congratulated our graduating seniors on a job well done, and encouraged them to continue strong in the Faith, blessing them as they proceed to college and conservatory!
God Grant You Many Years!
A Double Blessing for the Parish - 05/14/17
On Sunday, May 14, following the Divine Liturgy, Fr Steven installed and offered the blessing for our Parish Council, who were elected at our Annual Parish Meeting back in February. Immediately following, Fr Steven blessed our recently renovated Parish Hall, which is now adorned with beautiful, large icons of Christ and the Theotokos.
'Many Years' to our Parish Council, especially as we continue with the next phases of the Church Hall Renovation Project!
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'Born of Water and the Spirit...' - 04/30/17
On the Sunday of the Holy Myrrhbearers, Magdalena Frasch, daughter of Preston and Natasha, was received into the Orthodox Church through Baptism and Chrismation. Her sponsors are Laura Menze and Ralph Sidway. Magdalena's patron saint is the Myrrhbearer and 'Equal to the Apostles' St Mary Magdalene, making this baptism on the Sunday of the Myrrhbearers most appropriate.
'Many Years' to the newly illumined Magdalena Lily, her parents and sponsors!
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Pascha Sunday afternoon features this beloved service - 04/16/17
At Agape Vespers, one of the Resurrection accounts from the Gospel according to St John is read in several lnguages, proclaiming the universality of the Gospel message, and setting the stage for the Sunday of St Thomas the following week.
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CHRIST IS RISEN! INDEED HE IS RISEN! - 04/16/17
Enjoy these photos of Pascha Night, from the Nocturns Service, to the coming forth of the Holy Light, the Paschal Procession and service at the entrance of the church, to Paschal Matins and the Divine Liturgy. Our Agape Meal was celebrated in oru renovated church hall. Special thanks to Mickey Callender for photos of the altar, children, and much more.
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Processions with the Burial Shroud of Christ highlight Holy Friday services - 04/14/17
With the Vespers of the Taking Down of Christ from the Cross Friday afternoon, and the Matins of Holy Saturday with Lamentations at the Tomb and the Procession with the Epitaphios Holy Friday evening, the Church celebrates the great mystery of the Son of God submitting Himself to death for our sakes.
'This is the Blessed Sabbath, on which Christ Himself rests to arise on the Third Day!'
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'Now the Powers of Heaven invisibly do serve...' - 04/05/17
These photos show glimpses of the deeply mystical service of the Presanctified Liturgy, served on Wednesdays during Great Lent.
Our remodeled church hall was completed in time to cvelebrate a Lenten Potluck Meal following the final Presanctified Liturgy of Great Lent 2017, and was a highlight of the Lenten season as we turned towards Palm Sunday and Holy Week.
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Many Years to our dear brother Jim Jennings! - 04/02/17
On Saturday April 1 an Sunday April 2, we received our dear friend Jim Jennings into the Orthodox Church by the sacraments of Confession and Chrismation. Perfect timing, as we were able to celebrate Jim's chrismation with our first fellowshiup our in our newly renovated church hall. 'Many Years to Jim and his sponsor, Andrew Herbst!
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The Mid-Point of Great Lent refreshes the Faithful - 03/19/17
The Veneration of the Cross on the Third Sunday of Lent is a powerful and pivotal reminder of the purpose of our Life in the Church. These images capture a bit of the solemnity of the feast with the Procession of the Cross with veneration by the faithful at Great Vespers, and the enture parish singing 'Before Thy Cross' following the Divine Liturgy on Sunday.
For more on the Cross, see Fr. Steven's Meditation, 'Connecting the Cross with our Lives'.
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The 'Joy-Creating Sorrow' of Lent is experienced in the Church - 02/27/17
From another deeply moving Vespers of Forgiveness, to many coming to the compunctionate Great Canon of Repentance of the First Week, Great Lent has begin with solid dedication for the parish.
Join us for the many special services, including the Presanctified Liturgy on Wednesday evenings and the Akathist Hymn on Fridays, and watch for updates through the saving Forty Days as we continue to post new photos...
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Our Annual Parish Meeting was well attended, and reports included a review of the Church Hall Renovation Project. Parishioners are welcome to review the various reports and documents on our Parish Corner page (password-protected).
'A Light to Enlighten the Gentiles...' - 02/01/17
We celebrated a beautiful Vesperal Liturgy for the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord in the Temple, crowned by the traditional blessing of candles for Candlemas...
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'The Seal of the Gift of the Holy Spirit!' — Amen! - 12/18/16
On Sunday, December 18, 2016, during the Little Entrance of the Divine Liturgy, Father Steven received into the Orthodox Church, through the Sacrament of Chrismation, the servant of God Preston Frasch. His patron saint is St Nicholas of Japan, and his sponsor is Curtis (Theophan) Rutherford. God grant you Many Years!
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An annual tradition for 25 years! - 12/11/16
Our annual St Nicholas Day Pageant and Charity Dinner, put on by our Church School students and teachers, was a delight and great fun for all.
Presvytera Deborah introduced the event, and called to mind that this has been an annual highlight of the parish for a quarter century or so now. Joe Foster played Christmas carols on Celtic harp as we entered the church hall, and the Pageant itself was a creative alphabetized rendering of the story of the Nativity of Christ, with several speaking parts and our littlest students punctuating the readings from A to Z.
After singing 'O Come, All Ye Faithful', we had a visit from St Nicholas. The teens then served a tasty lenten meal to conclude this wonderful event. All funds collected for the dinner will be distributed to a charity chosen by the students.
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