February 12th to February 19th From the Desk of Fr. Gabriel St. Mary Magdalene Weekly E-Bulletin Upcoming Schedule Lazarus Bag Project Deadline We are so grateful to all who have signed up for our Lazarus Bag project +Wednesday, February 12th, this year! Please get your items in by this Sunday so that we can Compline, 6:00 PM. Metanoia, organize the bags and have them blessed and ready to go for Great Lent! 6:30 PM If you did not sign up to bring anything, please consider donating towards the purchase of additional items! +Thursday, February 13th, Choir Rehearsal, 6:00 PM Pre-Lenten Choir Rehearsals We have two rehearsals left until Great and Holy Lent Begins! The first is +Saturday, February 15th, Great on this Thursday, February 13th at 6:00 PM. The next one is two Vespers and Confessions, 4:00 weeks later, on Thursday, February 27th, beginning at 6:00 PM as well! PM Please make every e"ort to attend! +Sunday, February 16th, Hours Meat Fest Announced! and Divine Liturgy, 9:50 AM Mark you calendars for Sunday, February 23rd, as after Divine Liturgy, we will be having our annual Meat Fest Luncheon! Don’t forget to bring +Monday, February 17th, Inter- your favorite meat dishes and appetizers to Church with you, as we say Christian Basketball in Linden, “farewell” to meat until after Great and Holy Pascha! 6:30 PM Inter Christian Basketball Dates +Wednesday, February 19th, The next Basketball Open Gym will take place this coming Monday, February 17th, at Hope Lutheran Church in Linden, beginning at 6:30 Compline, 6:00 PM. Metanoia, PM. All are invited to join us! 6:30 PM Metanoia Class Continues Birthdays We only have 3 weeks left of Metanoia Classes for the semester! This week’s class is on Repentance and Sin, from the Eastern Orthodox Noah Bilas Perspective! Please join us! Ethan Suriano Emmanuel Lazar Watson Deadline for Pilgrimage Sign up! Diaconitza Susan Schlaack The deadline to sign up for our pilgrimage to St. Tikhon’s, Holy Andrew Auxier Transfiguration, and Holy Trinity monasteries is Sunday, March 1st! If you are planning on joining us for these pilgrimages, please see Fr. Gabriel as soon as possible! Anniversaries Andy & Rebekah Humphreys Andrew & Lynne Marko !1 2439 S Long Lake Rd. Fenton, MI 48430 | st-marymagdalene.org | 810-750-1401 From the Desk of Fr. Gabriel St. Mary Magdalene 2020 Lenten Monastery Pilgrimage Trip Itinerary Sunday, March 29th: Divine Liturgy at St. Mary Magdalene in Fenton Michigan. Depart for Holy Trinity Jordanville Monastery, arriving on Sunday Evening. *We will be traveling through Canada, so Passports are required! Monday, March 30th: Morning Services at the Monastery and Breakfast. Tour of the Cathedral, Baptistery, Candle Factor, Incense workshop, and bookstore. Lunch and free time to explore, before departing for St. Tikhon’s Monastery in the evening Tuesday, March 31st: Early Morning Services at the monastery, followed by breakfast and a tour of the Monastery Church, Museum, and Grounds. Lunch, followed by free time in the afternoon. Depending on availability, a visit to see the weeping icon of “The Tender Heart” in Taylor, PA, followed by dinner at Cooper’s restaurant in Scranton. Wednesday, April 1st: Pre-Sanctified Divine Liturgy at the Monastery Church and a bookstore visitation. Departing early afternoon for Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Ellwood City, PA. Thursday, April 2nd: Morning Services and breakfast with the Mothers and Sisters, followed by a tour of the Monastery Grounds and Bookstore. Lunch will be provided, before departing home for St. Mary Magdalene Cost is $340 per person (Cost does NOT include fuel, restaurants, and donations to the monasteries) Email Fr. Gabriel at [email protected] for more information! !2 St. Job the Long Suffering A 5 Week Lenten Study on the Book of Job Monday Evenings at 6:30 PM (March 6th-April 3rd) “Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?” The question of Theodicy is one that has plagued mankind for millennia. “Why does God allow suffering, sickness, and sorrow in this life” is perhaps one of the most common questions asked of Priests in their ministry. During this 5 week Lenten Study, Fr. Gabriel will explain how the “answer” lies in the Book of Job. 2439 S Long Lake Rd. Fenton, Michigan 48430 st-marymagdalene.org From the Desk of Fr. Gabriel “Metanoia” Learning to Change One’s Heart for God In a Christian World now littered with various denominations, each teaching a di!erent version of the same Gospel, have you ever wondered or thought about what the earliest Christians taught, how they worshiped, and what believed? Now is your opportunity to come, discuss, and learn about the fullness of what the Ancient Christian Faith is all about! This 7 Week Class will cover the fundamental beliefs of the Ancient Christian Church, passed down to us from Christ and His Disciples Spring Semester, 2020 Wednesday, January 15th, 6:30 PM: Introduction into Orthodoxy. What is Holy Tradition? Wednesday, January 22nd, 6:30 PM: What do we believe about God? Wednesday, January 29th, 6:30 PM: What is the purpose of man’s existence? Tuesday, February4th, 6:30 PM: What is Prayer? The Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer Wednesday, February 12th, 6:30 PM: Missing the Mark: An Eastern View of Sin Wednesday, February 19th, 6:30 PM: Who is Jesus and What Did He Come Here to Do? Wednesday, February 26th, 6:30 PM: What does the Church believe about Mary? !6 St. Mary MagdaleneFrom the Desk of Fr. Gabriel Lenten Psalm Group Preparing for Pascha by Praying the Psalms The Goal: To draw nearer to Christ and one another during the Lenten Fast, by praying the Psalms together as a community, as we journey together towards Holy Pascha. How it Works: The Orthodox Church divided the book of Psalms into 20 sections (called a Kathisma). In our St. Mary Magdalene prayer group, we will each be assigned a different section each day, throughout the 40 days of the fast. By the end of Lent, our parish will have read through the entire book of Psalms twice. If everyone is keeping up with their individual sections every day, it also means that our parish community together is praying the entire book of psalms daily! Added Bonus: As we go through the journey together, there may be a specific prayer request that you might ask the group to assist you in, whether it is for someone who is sick, suffering, or maybe someone who recently departed. Feel free to email the group email, asking for specific prayer requests to be sent out. What do I Need? All you need is a bible, an email address, and some time each day to pray! How Do I Join? There will be a sign up sheet available at the Church, or you can email [email protected] !3 From the Desk of Fr. Gabriel !5 From the Desk of Fr. Gabriel WOMEN’S LENTEN RETREAT - 2020 HOLY DORMITION MONASTERY Friday - Sunday, March 27-29, 2020 Retreat Schedule: Friday, March 27 5:00 PM Great Compline 6:00 PM Dinner Saturday, March 28 6:30 AM Matins, Hours, Akathist 9:00 AM Divine Liturgy followed by Memorial Service Lunch Lenten Presentation: Acquiring the Gift of the Holy Spirit 12 Noon – 3 PM Part 1, Father John Konklin with Q & A Short Break Part 2, Guest Presenter with Q & A Personal Time 5:00 PM Light Dinner 6:00 PM Vigil (Combined Vespers and Matins) Sunday, March 29 10:00 AM Divine Liturgy (followed by Agape Meal) Suggested Donations: Lodging (per night) $50 Saturday attendance, w/o lodging $35 Please email the Monastery: ASAP if you will need lodging [email protected], as lodging capacity is very limited. If attending on Saturday only for the day, please call (517-569-2873), or email Monastery, no later than Friday, March 13, for capacity planning purposes. (If a cancellation occurs, please notify the Monastery ASAP so that someone else can take your place.) Any questions: Please contact Sharon Foster ([email protected]; ph 231-267-3036) Thank you! !7 From the Desk of Fr. Gabriel The Orthodox Churches of Greater Flint Assumption (Greek) 2245 Baldwin Road ∑ Grand Blanc, MI 48439 ∑ 810-771-4611 St. George (Antiochian) 5191 Lennon Road ∑ Flint, MI 48507 ∑ 810-732-0720 St. Mary Magdalene (OCA) 2439 S. Long Lake Road ∑ Fenton, MI 48430 ∑ 810- 750-1401 St. Nicholas (OCA) 2143 South Center Road ∑ Burton, MI 48519 ∑ 810-744-0070 ~ 2020 Great Fast ~ Pan-Orthodox Divine Services and Potluck Dinners Great Compline (Mondays, 6:30pm) We will be celebrating the Great Compline service together every Monday night at St. George. This beautiful service allows us to experience the Great Fast more deeply. Confessions will be available from 6pm–6:30pm and after the service. Lenten Hours (Wednesdays, 10am) St. Nicholas will celebrate the Lenten Hours every Wednesday. Presanctified Divine Liturgy (Wednesdays, 6pm) We will celebrate the Presanctified Liturgy and the Great Feast of the Annunciation together according to the schedule below. Holy Communion is given at both. To partake of Holy Communion, please be prepared with prayer and fasting (not eating or drinking anything after 12 Noon). Confessions will only be available prior to the Liturgy from 5:30pm–6pm. Potluck Dinners: A Lenten Dinner follows each Wednesday liturgy. Please bring a covered Lenten Dish (no meat, poultry, eggs, dairy, fish, wine, olive oil or their by-products) to the hall prior to the beginning of liturgy. If you have questions, call the church office where the combined service will be celebrated.