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Great and Holy Pascha April 28, 2019 MARCH—APRIL 2019 The Antelope Valley beacon Volume 7 Issue 2 Great and Holy Pascha April 28, 2019 Plagal of the First Tone Christ is risen from the dead, by death, trampling down upon death, and to those in the tombs He has granted life. Saints Constantine and Rev. Father John Beal For confirmation or Helen Greek questions on any event, Orthodox Church please contact www.stsch.org E-mail: sylvarobinson001 43404 30th St West [email protected] @gmail.com Lancaster, CA 93536 (661) 945-1212 P AGE 2 THE ANTELOPE VALLEY BEACON The Extraordinary Spiritual Feast & fasting, praying, avoiding defile- ly few, and the reading of the Holy our Regular Preparation ment of soul and confessing our Gospel by fewer than are present APPROACHING THE FAST before sins. The difference between the by the time the Holy Eucharist is the Lord's Pascha we confront time celebration of Resurrection on any shared with the people. as a cycle: before any feast of the given Sunday and Pascha is merely Reflecting back to the macro-cycle Spirit we go through a period of a matter of scale – Christ is the of Great Lent before Pascha, we conscious preparation in order to constant that makes the whole can see that the Orthodox norm is receive the benefit the Lord is lay- year cohere in Him. to make an effort in time to receive ing out for us. As Orthodox Chris- There was a time not too long ago the Lord. Brothers and Sisters in tians we are taught from a young when pious Orthodox Christians Christ – let us not be like the fool- age that the Feast of Feasts, the were in the habit of partaking of ish virgins who had provided no oil Lord's Resurrection is the main the Holy Gifts only at Great Feasts. for their lamps at the crucial hour, event of our Church life, and the Pascha, Nativity, Dormition and when Bridegroom arrived at mid- whole point of being an Orthodox Annunciation had become some night, and by their negligence con- Christian is to fully immerse our- of the only feasts on which most demned themselves to be left out selves in his saving Death and Res- Christians dared to approach the of the Wedding Banquet! urrection. Chalice. And because they partook Each Eucharistic Liturgy is a Pascha We know that we must go through of the Gifts so infrequently, each provided for our spiritual suste- the Great Fast of 40 days before occasion of it came only after pre- nance throughout the year. Do we entering Holy Week, an effortful paratory fasting and sacramental skip Lent to enter Holy Week with askesis that focuses all of our facul- repentance (as abstention from no effort in prayer, fasting and ties of mind, body and spirit on the Holy Eucharist 3 weeks running alms? Do we come to next Sun- goal of purification, of putting off excommunicates a member who day's Eucharist without compunc- our sinful passions and working must then be atoned into Com- tion, careless of the hour of our harder to live virtuously. We make munion through a priest's absolu- arrival? tion). Happily, these days parish- more recourse to prayer and fast- Behold the Bridegroom comes ioners feel welcome to take the ing so that when the season of Lent at midnight, And blessed is the Holy Eucharist more frequently, is complete we may be able to en- servant whom He shall find even each time it is offered. This is ter the week of our Lord's Passion, watching, And again unworthy more in keeping with the spirit of Death and Resurrection with our is the servant whom He shall the early Church. senses cleansed, fully responsive to find heedless. Beware, there- the Life that flows from the Empty But as we conform more to the fore, O my soul, do not be Tomb of Christ. ways of our deep ancestors who weighed down with sleep, Lest Great and Holy Pascha fulfills our received the Holy Mysteries with you be given up to death and desires for the fullness of the Life in joy at every opportunity let us also lest you be shut out of the Christ to the measure we make like them keep the holy disciplines Kingdom. But rouse yourself ready for it. But the event of Resur- of fasting and prayer in prepara- crying: Holy, Holy, Holy, are rection occurs for us weekly –for tion. There was a time not outside You, O our God! Through the that great event we gather in this living memory when the hearing Theotokos have mercy on us! of the Matins Resurrectional Gos- holy temple on Sundays through- –Troparion of Holy Monday out the year to celebrate the Mys- pel was understood as necessary Bridegroom Matins tery of Holy Eucharist in Divine Lit- for reception of the Holy Gifts. urgy. And for each of those celebra- Now only a small number of pa- With Love in Christ, tions, we make ourselves ready to rishioners come for Matins. Even receive the Gifts just as we do for the kairos at the beginning of the Fr. John Christ's Great and Holy Pascha by Divine Liturgy is heard by relative- VOLUME 7 ISSUE 2 PAGE 3 FELLOWSHIP HOUR SCHEDULE Date Event Sponsor Mar 3 Meatfare Luncheon—Parish Assembly Hellenic Center Mar 10 Cheesefare Luncheon Potluck Church/Elaine Grado Mar 17 Coffee Hour Pva. Medea Beal Mar 24 Coffee Hour Hind and Elias Qarmout Mar 31 Coffee Hour Mitzi Bouras Apr 7 No Coffee Hour Apr 14 Coffee Hour Kelli Koukourikos Apr 21 Palm Sunday Fish Luncheon Hellenic Center Apr 28 Pascha Agape Luncheon Church & Hellenic Center Anyone interested in doing a memorial luncheon or interested in sponsoring a Fellowship Hour, may contact Helen Poulos at 661-618-8607 (Cell). Yes, Helen! 2019 LENTEN SERVICES Mar 2 Sat 9/10 AM Sat. of Souls Matins/Liturgy/Memorials Mar 9 Sat 6:00 PM Cheesefare Great Vespers & Compline Mar 10 Sun 1:00 PM Forgiveness Vespers—start of Great Lent Mar 11 Mon 8:00 AM Clean Monday Matins with Canon Mar 13 Wed 6:00 PM Pre-Sanctified Liturgy, No Lenten soup meal Mar 15 Fri 7:00 PM 1st Salutations to the Theotokos Mar 20 Wed 6:00 PM Pre-Sanctified Liturgy, Lenten soup meal after Mar 22 Fri 7:00 PM 2nd Salutations to the Theotokos Mar 27 Wed 6:00 PM Pre-Sanctified Liturgy, Lenten soup meal after Mar 29 Fri 7:00 PM 3rd Salutations to the Theotokos Apr 3 Wed 6:00 PM Pre-Sanctified Liturgy, Lenten soup meal after Apr 5 Fri 7:00 PM 4th Salutations to the Theotokos Apr 10 Wed 6:00 PM Pre-Sanctified Liturgy, Lenten soup meal after Apr 11 Thu 8:00 AM Matins w/Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete Apr 12 Fri 7:00 PM Akathist Hymn to the Theotokos Apr 17 Wed 6:00 PM Pre-Sanctified Liturgy, Lenten soup meal after Apr 19 Fri 6:00 PM Pre-Sanctified Liturgy, Lenten soup meal after Apr 20 Sat 9/10 AM Saturday of Lazarus Matins/Liturgy. Hall not available. PAGE 4 THE ANTELOPE VALLEY BEACON Be The Bee BEETREAT! www.Y2AM.org YouTube.com/Y2AM be the bee Join the BeeTreat Team for a day of prayer and fellowship as we open our hearts to God and each other. Steve Christoforou will lead a track specially designed for youth (6th- 12th grades). Christo Pappademos, who is a graduate of Holy Cross Seminary and the Pastoral Assistant at St. Katherine GOC in Elk Grove, CA, will lead a special track for youth (2nd– 5th grades); Christian Gonzalez will lead a track specially designed for adults of all ages. The young adults (age 18-30) will meet at St. Spyridon at 7 pm on March 9th for coffee, dinner and discussion. This is the FIRST time the BeeTreat team has been in Southern Cali- fornia and this retreat is open to ALL in SoCal. www.gosfyouth.org "Be the Bee" San Diego Retreat! Location: St Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church | 3655 Park Blvd | San Diego, CA 92103 Cost: $10 per participant Questions: Contact Bill Navrides at [email protected] Hosted by: Y2AM (The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Department of Youth and Young Adult Minis- tries), the Metropolis of San Francisco Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries, and St Spyr- idon Greek Orthodox Church. To Register: www.gosfyouth.org Click on flyer or Y2AM.org/BeeTreats VOLUME 7, ISSUE 2 PAGE 5 NOTICES Memorial services Jan-Feb 2019 A memorial was offered for the loved ones of Alex Memorials and Manal Abuata We are providing a form on A memorial was offered for the grandparents of which Parishioners can notify Fr. Peter Bouras John of planned memorials. Please ask for the form at the can- A 40-Day memorial was offered for Nick Zorba by Tandy Zorba and family dle stand. If possible, please sub- mit the form at least one Sunday A Six-Month memorial was offered for Vasiliki by prior to the planned date. Betty Minagossian According to the rules of the A memorial for Radovan and a 6-Month memorial Church memorials are not permit- for Milca was offered by Seveta Nikolich and Alex- ander Patananan ted: from the Saturday of Lazarus through Thomas Sunday. Also, A 19-Year memorial was offered for Victoria by memorials are not allowed on the Fotini Astrinakis Great Feast Days of the Lord and A 27-Year memorial was offered for Constantinos of the Theotokos.
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