March 13, 2016 Weekly Bulletin

Holy Trinity Orthodox Church

Fr. Luke Mihaly Welcome to Holy Trinity Parish 74 Joes Hill Road Today is the Sunday of Danbury, CT 06811 Forgiveness. The Epistle Rectory (203) 748-0671 Cell (203) 482-6223 is Romans 13:11-14:4. The Gospel is from [email protected] Matthew 6:14-21. www.holytrinitydanbury.org Christina of Persia.

Diocesan Website: www.acrod.org Holy Trinity is a diverse and welcoming parish of Camp Nazareth: the Carpatho Russian http://www.campnazareth.org Diocese, under the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acroddiocese His Grace, Bishop Gregory of Nyssa, is our Twitter: https://twitter.com/acrodnews diocesan ruling hierarch. You Tube: Divine Liturgy is offered Divine Liturgy for Coffee Jesus Christ and His Holy https://youtube.com/acroddiocese Sunday at 10 am. As Hour and Fellowship. Orthodox Church. reminder only those Come down and meet Fr. If you have any questions Orthodox Christians who Luke and the parishioners. about the Orthodox are properly prepared are Church, our Faith, or our invited to receive Holy Our parish offers many parish please feel free to Communion. opportunities to pray, to contact Fr. Luke. He is study and learn more about Everyone is invited more than happy to meet downstairs following with you and talk.

Schedule of Services and Events for this week Sunday, March 13 - Wednesday, March 16, 6 PM – Saturday, March 19, 10 AM Panachida for Metropolitan Presanctified Liturgy followed by – 3 PM – Easter Craft and Nicholas, Max Rosenfield, Lenten Meal Bake Sale Offering envelopes 2 Nicholas Fedyna, Harry and Wednesday, March 16, 7 PM – Korwatch Saturday, March 19, 5 PM – Upcoming Events 3 Catechism Class Vespers

Penny Social 3 Monday, March 14, 9 AM – Thursday, March 17, 8:30 AM – Sunday, March 20, 9 AM – Lenten Hours Akathist of Repentance Knitting Group 3 Church School –

Youth/Teens Women’s Retreat 3 Monday, March 14, 6 PM – Thursday, March 17, 9 AM - Canon of St. Andrew Kolachi Lenten Cook Off 4 Sunday, March 20, 10 AM – Tuesday, March 15, 8:30 AM Thursday, March 17, 6 PM – Liturgy – Sunday of – Lenten Hours Canon of St. Andrew Orthodoxy Procession with Icons

Tuesday, March 15, 9 AM – Friday, March 11, 9 AM – Stuffed Cabbage Lenten Hours Sunday, March 20, 11:30 AM – Church School – Tuesday, March 15, 6 PM – Friday, March 18, 9:30 AM - Old Children Testament Class Canon of St. Andrew Sunday, March 20, 3 PM – Wednesday, March 16, 9 AM Friday, March 18, 6 PM – OYMT meeting Danbury – Lenten Hours Paraklis Service

Mark Your Calendar Page 2

Readers Schedule Offering Envelopes | Presanctified Liturgy Catechism Class 3/20 – Luke Mihaylo Weekly Offering This Lent we will be have our Catechism Class. 3/27 – Susan Sulich Envelopes: Pick up your having Presanctified Please feel free to bring a 4/3 – Harry Fong weekly offering envelopes Liturgies on Wednesday Lenten dish, and bring an for 2016 in the hall. WE evenings at 6 PM. inquisitive mind to learn Coffee Hour will collect all the Pledge Following Liturgy we will more about our Orthodox 3/20 – Molineaux Forms on Sunday, March have a light Lenten Faith. covered dish meal. 5 unless you hand them in 3/27 – Gross beforehand. During the meal we will 4/3 – Penny Social/Natalia/Roz 4/10 Fundraiser OCMC Thank you to all of our roll baker! We got a lot done and we had fun! 4/17 – OPEN 4/24 – Pot Luck/Lenten Cook Off 5/1 – PASCHA Lenten Fast fixed limitation on the quantity oil (i.e., olive oil) and wine (i.e., 5/8 c- Young As we begin Lent together, the following minimal fasting of food to be eaten. all alcoholic drinks). regulations are designated for our On weekdays in the first week, On weekdays (Monday to Friday Help Re-stock Our Kitchen: clergy and faithful: fasting is particularly severe. inclusive) in the second, third, Decaf Coffee. 1) Monday, March 14 (Clean According to strict observance, fourth, fifth and sixth weeks, one Monday), the first day of the Fast, is in the course of the five initial meal a day is permitted, to be Lunch meat available: a day of strict abstinence; likewise days of Lent, only two meals taken in the afternoon following ham, provolone cheese in Great and Holy Friday, and Great are eaten, one on Wednesday Vespers, and at this one meal and the other on Friday, in both xerophagy is to be observed. the kitchen. $4.00 per and Holy Saturday, namely April 29 and 30 are days of strict abstinence. cases after the liturgy of the During Holy Week: On the first pound. On these days, no meat or dairy Presanctified. three days there is one meal each products may be eaten. On the other three days, those day, with xerophagy; but some try Cooking and Baking 2) All Wednesdays and Fridays who have the strength are to keep a complete fast on these Sessions: We will be during this entire Season are days of encouraged to keep an absolute days, or else they eat only making Stuffed Cabbage abstinence from meat. fast; those for whom this uncooked food, as on the opening proves impracticable may eat days of the first week. On Holy on Tuesday March 15th at 3) Meat and meat products may not be eaten during all of Holy Week, on Tuesday and Thursday (but Thursday one meal is eaten, with 9:00 a.m. namely April 25 through April 30. not, if possible, on Monday), in wine and oil. On Great Friday 4) For the evening Pre-sanctified the evening after Vespers, those who have the strength follow Send a card: Martin Liturgy, a minimum three-hours fast when they may take bread and the practice of the early Church Howley is in a rest home in from all food and drink must be water or perhaps tea or fruit- and keep a total fast; those unable Litchfield and would so observed before the reception of juice, but not a cooked meal. to do this may eat bread, with a . . . At the meals on little water, tea or fruit-juice, but appreciate hearing from his Holy Communion. Normal fasting from midnight is still practiced Wednesday and Friday not until sunset, or at any rate after parish family. Marty’s before the Liturgies of St. John xerophagy is prescribed. [the Burial Service] at Vespers. On address is Fernwood Rest Chrysostom and St. Basil the Great. Literally this means 'dry Holy Saturday there is one meal Home, 400 Torrington Rd., These are the minimal eating'. Strictly interpreted, it after the Liturgy of St. Basil, with signifies that we may eat only wine but not oil. [This material is Litchfield, CT 06759. You requirements to observe during this Season. But for those of vegetables cooked with water taken from the introduction to The can also call him at 860- stronger body and more willing and salt, and also such things Lenten Triodion. In modern 567-9558. spirit, I wholeheartedly as fruit, nuts, bread and honey. practice, the above rules tend to be recommend the penitential In practice, octopus and somewhat relaxed, and they have practices of a sterner quality shellfish are also allowed on always been relaxed for children which the time-honored traditions days of xerophagy; likewise and the infirm. Fast as you are and customs of our Holy Orthodox vegetable margarine and corn able, and consult Fr. Luke as Church have handed down to us. or other vegetable oil, not needed. As you eat less physical On weekdays (Monday to Friday made from olives. But the food, it is important to increase inclusive) during the seven weeks of following categories of food your intake of spiritual food – Lent, there are restrictions both on are definitely excluded: Meat; prayer and reading scripture and the number of meals taken daily and animal products (cheese, milk, the fathers of the Church. on the types of food permitted; but butter, eggs, lard, drippings); when a meal is allowed, there is no fish (i.e., fish with backbones);

What’s New

Page 3 Clothing Drive | Easter Bake Sales We are now collecting The first of our two and general help on Birthdays March for our 4th clothing Easter Bake Sales will Saturday. Please sign up in be this Saturday March the hall today so we know drive. Vida Bundra 24 19th and Sunday March where we have holes in 20th. We will need help coverage. Also, we do still Marika Gutzman 25 setting up and sugaring have some craft tables (Names day)

cookies on Friday, March available if you would like to th Orestes Mihaly 26 18 and people to work have one, see Susan Sulich. the bake table, kitchen Julia Kozlov 28

Michael Browne 30 Penny Social | Icon Procession

Our 2nd annual Penny Social a gift card for merchandise or We will be having a procession Knitting Group: Our knitting is scheduled for Sunday April service that would be great. with icons next Sunday at end group will be meeting Sunday, 3, 2016. Thank you for your We will need help with setup of liturgy. Children are asked March 13th immediately donations, we have many the week of March 21st, to bring in their favorite icons following coffee hour. All ages items and will continue to dates TBD. We are looking for the procession around the and experience levels welcome. accept donations through for bakers to make desserts church. We will be March 13th. As a reminder, we that we can sell at the event commemorating the restoration If you would like to learn to knit, will accept any item with a tag and will also need volunteers of icons in the Church. see Suad for a list of supplies to or in its original packaging and the day of the Penny Social to bring and if you have any are also looking for gently used help sell tickets, runners to questions. collector’s items including deliver the prizes and kitchen china, glassware, jewelry and help. New England Deanery home décor. Women’s Lenten Retreat: We If you can volunteer some of will be hosting an overnight We are still in need of some your time in any of these women’s retreat on March 25- items for the larger raffle areas, please contact Kristen 26 at Camp Hi-Rock in Mt. prizes. We would be Szymanowicz at Washington, MA. Details are in appreciative of higher value [email protected] items and gift cards. If any or 203.529.3144. Thank the attached flyer. Cost is $85 parishioner has a business or you! per person which includes frequents one and can donate overnight accommodations, and 3 meals. Please let Susan Upcoming Events Sulich know if you are interested in attending. Final Forgiveness Sunday – Sunday, Orthodox Youth Mission Penny Social – Sunday rd day to make reservations and Team Meeting – Sunday April 3 Following Divine March 13 for payment is Sunday, March March 20th 3:00-5:00 p.m. Liturgy 13th. Knitting Group – Sunday, Adult Leaders 2:15. Danbury th Trip to Taylor, PA to visit March 13 Church Council Meeting – the Myrrh Streaming Icon – th Laser Tag Fundraiser – Tuesday March 22nd 7:00 Saturday, April 9 Sunday, March 13 p.m. Second Easter Bake Sale – Tuesday, March 15, 9 AM – Deanery Women’s Lenten Saturday, April 16 Stuffed Cabbage making Retreat – Friday March Iconography presentation 25th—Saturday March 26th Thursday, March 17, 9 AM – by Deacon Evan Freeman – Camp Hi Rock, Mt. Kolachi Cookie Baking Sunday, April 17 Washington, MA First Easter Bake Sale – Orthodox Youth Mission Saturday, March19 to Sunday, Team Safety and Tool March 20 Training – Saturday April 2nd 12:00-4:00 p.m. Bridgeport

Page 4 Weekly Bulletin

Elder Sampson: The drunkard, the fornicator, the proud─he will receive God’s mercy. . . .

Holy Trinity Orthodox Church The drunkard, the fornicator, the proud—he will receive God’s mercy. But he who does not want 74 Joes Hill Rd to forgive, to excuse, to justify consciously, intentionally … that person closes himself to eternal Danbury, CT 06811 life before God, and even more so in the present life. He is turned away and not heard [by God].

“… a place of refuge full of love and joy.” + Elder Sampson, Orthodox Word #177, “Discussions & Teachings of Elder Sampson”

St. Macarius of Optina: Do not allow the spark of discord and enmity to smolder. . .

“Do not allow the spark of discord and enmity to smolder. The longer you wait, the more the enemy tries to cause confusion among you. Be watchful, so that he does not mock you. Humility destroys all of his schemes.”

+ St. Macarius of Optina, quoted from Living Without Hypocrisy: Spiritual Counsels of the Holy Elders of Optina

St. the Syrian: Do not fall into despair because of stumbling. . . .

“Do not fall into despair because of stumbling. I do not mean that you should not feel contrition for them, but that you should not think them incurable. For it is more expedient to be bruised than dead. There is, indeed, a Healer for the man who has stumbled, even He Who on the Cross asked that mercy be shown to His crucifiers, He Who pardoned His murders while He hung on the Cross. ‘All manner of sin,’ He said, ‘and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men,’ that is, through repentance.”

+ St. Isaac the Syrian, The Ascetical Homilies of St. Isaac the Syrian, Homily 64, “On Prayer, Prostrations, Tears, Reading, Silence, and Hymnody

St. John the Wonderworker: Concerning the Reception of the Holy Mysteries on Pascha

“The Lamb of God communicates with us on the holy and light-bearing night of Resurrection. We pray for this when we are just beginning to prepare for Lent, and afterwards many times during the course of the Great Fast: that the lord would vouchsafe us to partake of the Holy Mysteries on the night of Holy Pascha. At that time the grace of God acts in a special way upon We’re on the Web! men’s hearts. We partake of the Christ Resurrected, we become partakers of His Resurrection. holytrinitydanbury.org Of course, we must prepare ahead of time, and, having already communed during Great Lent, receive again the Holy Mysteries. Before Paschal Liturgy there is no time for a proper confession; this must be done earlier. And then, on that light-bearing night, having received general absolution, to draw near to the Divine Lamb, the pledge of our resurrection. No one should leave the church prematurely, rushing away to eat the meat of animals instead of receiving the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.”

+ St. John the Wonderworker, Man of God: John of Shanghai & San Francisco

Lenten Cook-off and Pot luck Palm Sunday, April 24 we will have a Lenten cook off

and Pot luck coffee hour. Bring your favorite recipe to share with your parish

family.