While a Panikhida can be served at any time of the year, it is a service that is held on the Saturday before Meatfare Sunday, and on the second, third, and fourth Saturdays of Lent.  These services give a feeling a penitence through the Prayers for the Departed. Prayers are said for, among other things, those who have died, for the comfort of those who remain and as a rememberance of our own mortality.

Panikhidas are held  on Saturdays at 4:00 p.m. on the appointed days during Lent.

The Panikhida Service

Make sure to check your Parish Calendar each week if you plan to attend one of these services. The starting time on Friday evenings varies in order to accomodate other events on the same evening.

Presanctified Liturgies are held during Lent for the benefit of anyone who cares to attend. Lent is a time of fasting, sacrifice and prayer. It is a tremendous struggle to put all worldly thoughts and activities aside for these 47 days.

God offers us the ability to receive the body and blood of Christ, through Holy Communion, 2 additional times per week during the weeks of Lent. By attending these services,  and receiving Communion, we are given the gift of renewed strength to continue our struggles throughout the Lenten period.

Click on the link below to see a small portion of The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8U2MuqHfMo

Fr. Martin will lead the class.

Please be sure to check your Parish Calendar closely each week if you plan to attend to be sure the class will be held. There are some weeks that will not have class due to other obligations.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
~ 2 Tim 3:16

• Photo gallery with related articles
• Daily Epistle and Gospel Readings
• Saints of the Day
• Morning, Evening, and Communion Prayers
• Photos and informaton about current parish activities
• Information about parish ministries and educational resouces
• and details about the many holy relics at our church

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Bishop Peter concluded his visit by congratulating us on the feast and reminding us that the parish feast day is a very important occasion as it is considered to be “a second Pascha”.

Kontakion

You became for the Church a solid foundation, and for all mankind strengthened by your teaching, you became a harbor of refuge, O Venerable Basil who reveals heaven’s mysteries!

Why we honor St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea

Basil was born during the reign of Emperor Constantine. While still unbaptized, Basil spent fifteen years in Athens where he studied philosophy, rhetoric, astronomy and all other secular sciences of that time. His colleagues at that time were Gregory the Theologian and Julian, later the apostate emperor. In his mature years he was baptized in the river Jordan along with Euvlios his former teacher. He was Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia for almost ten years and completed his earthly life fifty years after his birth. He was a great defender of Orthodoxy, a great light of moral purity, a religious zealot, a great theological mind, a great builder and pillar of the Church of God. Basil fully deserved the title “Great.” In liturgical services, he is referred to as the “bee of the Church of Christ which brings honey to the faithful and with its stinger pricks the heretics.” Numerous works of this Father of the Church are preserved; they include theological, apologetical, ascetical and canonical writings as well as the Holy and Divine Liturgy named after him. This Divine Liturgy is celebrated ten times throughout the year: the First of January, his feast day; on the eve of the Nativity of our Lord; on the eve of the Epiphany of our Lord; all Sundays of the Honorable Fast [Lenten Season], except Palm Sunday; on Great and Holy Thursday and on Great and Holy Saturday. St. Basil died peacefully on January 1, 379 A.D., and was translated into the Kingdom of Christ.

Bishop of Thessaloniki (born 1296 – reposed 1351)

“For a man to know God, and to know himself and his proper rank – a knowledge even possessed by Christians who are thought to be quite unlearned – is a knowledge superior to natural science and astronomy and to all philosophy concerning such matters. Morever, for our intellect to know its own infirmity, and to seek healing for it, is incomparably greater than to know and search out the magnitude of the stars, the principles of nature, the generation of terrestial things and the circuits of celestial bodies, their solstices and their risings, stations and retrogressions, separations and conjunctions and, in short, all the multiform relationships which arise from the many different motions in the heavens.  For the intellect that recognizes its own infirmity has discovered where to enter in order to find salvation and how to approach the light of knowledge and receive the true wisdom that does not pass away with this present world.”

(From his “Topics of Natural and Theological Science” p.358, of The Philokalia, vol 4)

by Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov)

Prayer is infinite creation, far superior to any form of art of science. Through prayer we enter into communion with Him that was before all worlds. Or, to put it in another way, the life of the Self-existing God flows into us through the channel of prayer. Prayer is an act of supeme wisdom, of all-surpassing beauty and virtue. Prayer is delight for the spirit. But the circumstances accompanying this creative work are complex. Time after time we experience an eager upsurge towards God, followed repeatedly by a falling away from His Light. Time and again we are conscious of the mind’s inability to rise to Him. There are moment when we feel ourselves on the verge of madness. Pain forces the cry, ‘Thou didst give me Thy precept to love, which I accept with all my being, but there is no strength in me for this love. Thou Who are love, come and abide in me, and perform in me all that Thou has enjoined, for Thy commandment exceeds my powers. My mind is too frail to comprehend Thee. My spirit cannot see into the mysteries of Thy life. I desire to do Thy will in all things but my days go by in perpetual conflict. I am tortured by the fear of losing Thee because of the evil thought in my heart; and this fear crucifies me. I sink. Lord, save me, as Thou didst save Peter who dared to walk on the water, to go to Thee’

At times prayer seems over-slow in bringing results, and life is so short. Instinctively we cry, ‘Make haste unto me’. But He does not always respond at once. Like fruit on a tree, our soul is left to scorch in the sun, to endure the cold wind, the scorching wind, to die of thirst or be drowned in the rain. But if we do not let go of the hem of His garment, all will end well.

It is vital to continue in prayer for as long as we can, so that His invincible strength may penetrate and enable us to resist every destructive influence. And with the increase of this strength in us comes the joy of hope in final victory.

(from On Prayer, published by Patriarchal Stavropegic Monastery of St. John the Baptist, Essex, 1996, p. 9-10)

The Orthodox Church believes that God is the Creator of heaven and earth. The Creator is present through His handiwork. This means that the material world, being valuable and good, is an important means through which God expresses Himself. The Orthodox Church affirms this conviction through her extensive use of material creation not only for the embellishment of her places of worship, but also in the materials used for worship. For example, when the bread and wine – “the first fruits of creation” – are offered in the Eucharist, they are also a symbolic offering of all creation to God its Creator. Since there is no hesitation in using the gifts of creation, the interior of an Orthodox church is very beautiful. Designed to create an atmosphere which is special, the building is filled with a feeling of joy and an appreciation of God’s bounty. Orthodoxy recognizes that beauty is an important dimension of human life. Through iconography and church appointments, the beauty of creation becomes a very important means of praising God. The divine gifts of the material world are shaped and fashioned by human hands into an expression of beauty which glorifies the Creator. As the pious woman poured her most precious oil on the feet of Our Lord, Orthodoxy seeks always to offer to God what is best and most beautiful.

The Church Interior

The interior of the church is both the background and the setting for Orthodox worship. The art and architecture are designed to contribute to the total experience of worship, which involves one’s intellect, feelings, and senses. The Eucharist and the other sacrament take place in God’s midst, and they bear witness to His presence and actions. Therefore there is a very strong feeling that the church is the House of God and the place where His glory dwells. For this reason, all Orthodox churches are blessed, consecrated and set aside for worship alone.

The church is generally constructed in the form of a cross and is divided into three areas: the narthex, the nave, and the sanctuary.

The narthex is the entrance area. Centuries ago this area was the place where catechumens (unbaptized learners) and penitents remained during parts of the services. In many Orthodox parishes, the narthex is the area where the faithful make an offering, receive a candle, and offer a personal prayer before joining the congregation.

The nave is the large center area of the church. Here the faithful gather for worship. Our parish follows the ancient tradition of having an open nave with no seats.

The sanctuary is considered the most sacred part of the church, and the area reserved for the clergy and their assistants. It contains the Holy Table (or altar) and is separated from the nave by the icon screen, or Iconostasis. This division serves to remind us we often find ourselves separated from God, through sin. However, during the Divine Liturgy, when we have access to the Eucharist, we are reminded that, through Christ, heaven and earth are united and that through Him, we have access to the Father. We enter the Holy of Holies, and the scene becomes one of Heaven on earth. It should be noted that not all services take place within the sanctuary. Many are celebrated in the center of the nave, in the midst of the congregation. In so doing, Orthodoxy emphasizes the fact that the worship of the Church is offered by, and for all the people.

What You See

The Holy Table or Altar is the heart and focal point of the Orthodox Church. It is here that eucharistic gifts of bread and wine are offered to the Father as Christ commanded us to do. The altar, which is usually square in shape, stands away from the wall and is richly adorned. A tabernacle, with reserved Holy Communion for the sick or dying, is set upon the Altar, together with candles. When the Divine Liturgy is not being celebrated, the Book of Gospels rests on the Altar. Behind the Altar is a large cross and icon of Christ’s Resurrection.

The Iconostasis is the panel of icons which separates the sanctuary from the nave. The origin of this very distinctive part of an Orthodox church is the ancient custom of placing icons on a low wall before the sanctuary. In time, the icons became fixed on a standing wall, hence the term iconostas. The Iconostasis has three entrances which are used during services. There is a Deacon Door on either side, and the center entrance which is called the Royal Doors or Beautiful Gates. A curtain usually conceals the Altar when services are not being celebrated. On the right-hand side of the Iconostasis are always the icons of Christ and St. John the Baptist. On the left-hand side are always the icons of the Theotokos (Mother of our Lord) and the patron saint or event to which the church is dedicated.

An icon is a holy image which is the distinctive art form of the Orthodox Church. Icons depict such figures as Christ, Mary His Mother, the saints and angels. They may also portray events from the Scriptures or the history of the Church, such as Christmas, Easter, etc. Icons occupy a very prominent place in Orthodox worship and theology. The icon is not simply decorative, inspirational, or educational. The icon is like a window which links heaven and earth. When we worship we do so as part of the Church which includes the living and the departed. we never lose contact with those who are with the Lord in glory. This belief is expressed every time one venerates an icon or places a candle before it.