Monday, March 14
9 AM – Lenten Hours 6 PM – Canon of St. Andrew
Tuesday, March 15
8:30 AM – Lenten Hours 9 AM –Stuffed Cabbage 6 PM – Canon of St. Andrew
Wednesday, March 16,
9 AM – Lenten Hours 6 PM – Presanctified Liturgy followed by Lenten Meal 7 PM – Catechism Class
Thursday, March 17,
8:30 AM – Akathist of Repentance 9 AM – Kolachi Making 6 PM – Canon of St. Andrew
Friday, March 18
9 AM – Lenten Hours 9:30 AM – Old Testament Class 6 PM – Paraklis Service
Saturday, March 19
10 AM – 3 PM – Easter Craft and Bake Sale 4 PM – Akathist to the Icon of the Inexhaustible Cup
5 PM – Vespers
Sunday, March 20
9 AM – Church School – Youth/Teens 10 AM –Liturgy – Sunday of Orthodoxy Procession with Icons 11:30 AM – Church School – Children 3 PM – OYMT meeting Danbury 4 PM – Sunday of Orthodox Vespers Bridgeport – St. John’s – Mill Hill
Readers Schedule 3/13 – Sandi Fong
3/20 – Luke Mihaylo
3/27 – Susan Sulich
4/3 – Harry Fong
Coffee Hour 3/13 – Faubel
3/20 – Molineaux
3/27 – Gross
4/3 – Penny Social – Natalie/Roz
4/10 – Fundraiser OCMC
4/17 – OPEN
2/24 – Pot Luck/Lenten Cook Off
5/1 – PASCHA
5/8 – Mother’s Day
5/15 – Young
Monday, March 7
6 PM – Prayer Group 7 PM – Spirituality Class
Tuesday, March 8
8:30 AM – First Hour
Wednesday, March 9
7 PM – Catechism Class
Thursday, March 10
8:30 AM – Akathist
Friday, March 11
9:30 AM – Old Testament Class
Saturday, March 12
8 AM – Roll Baking 5 PM – Vespers
Saturday, March 12
DAY LIGHT SAVINGS TIME – Turn clocks ahead One Hour
Sunday, March 13
9 AM – Church School – Youth/Teens 10 AM –Liturgy 11:30 AM – Church School – Children
Readers Schedule 3/6 – Harry Fong
3/13 – Sandi Fong
3/20 – Luke Mihaylo
Without Christ our world is devoid of hope, and for others to know this Christ, they must be able to see Him in us. The light of this very Christ must shine forth through the love of His Church and be made manifest in the works of His people. Without this love there is only darkness upon the face of our world, and the world will remain without hope
Others can not know they need Christ if they do not see Him in us. They do not know this Christ fills hearts and transforms lives if they do not see transformation in us. If we are fearful, angry, judgmental, arrogant or aloof, the world will see nothing in our Christian faith worthy seeking.
If others do not see in you a forgiving heart, how will they know there is forgiveness in Christ? If others do not see in you a heart filled with joy, how will they know they need the very Christ whom you proclaim as your Lord and Savior? If others see in you a judgmental, narrow minded, unhappy person, why would they be drawn to the Orthodoxy you claim is the true faith?
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
About Abbot Tryphon
The Very Rev. Fr. Tryphon is a priest-monk of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROCOR) and abbot of the All-Merciful Saviour Monastery on Vashon Island, Washington.
As the summer months have come to a close many young people are heading off to college, some for the very first time. A scripture passage comes to my mind as I think of these wonderful young people preparing to leave home: “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16).” College professors almost universally enjoy challenging young college students to question authority, yet are taken aback when their own authority is questioned. They know they are addressing a class of impressionable minds and almost make sport of attacking the positions of their students.
My advice to Orthodox students is to refuse to be intimidated and don’t be discouraged. Most of these professors took years to acquire the knowledge and the skill to successfully defend their belief system, or lack thereof, including atheism. These professors usually only ask you to question the authority of those who have instructed you thus far, such as your parents or your religious leaders, but are highly indignant when someone questions their authority. Their pattern of teaching is nothing new, for there have been antagonists like them from before recorded history. Furthermore, their arguments are nothing new, for there were teachers of atheism and other false teachings who confronted the Apostle Paul when he was preaching the gospel in Athens. The arguments may be new to you, but suffice to know these challenges to your faith have been answered by a great many apologists since the beginning of Christianity.
Textbooks, be they geared towards history, science, or philosophy, have always tended to expound anti-Christian viewpoints, and it is important to remember that publishing companies produce textbooks that will sell to such academic mindsets. Christianity may be ridiculed as being closed minded and backward looking, but academics can not claim to be insulated from the same unhealthy trait. Some of the most closed minded individuals I have ever known were academics. I find it interesting that Christian writers expounding the Christian Faith are often accused of being biased, while secularists thinkers expose their own arrogance, hypocrisy and narrow mindedness, disallowing others their freedom of opinion. Dismissing the faith of young people, these pompous academics move to crush that which they themselves do not understand.
The best advice I can offer the young Orthodox Christian heading off to college is this: know from the moment you enter the classroom that the professor is a better debater than you, so don’t place yourself in his scope. If you do, expect to be blown out of the water. Secondly, don’t be embarrassed by your commitment to your Orthodox faith. My experience teaching on both secular and religious campuses is that most students are secretly wishing to find a spiritual basis for the meaning of life. They may secretly envy you for your faith. My final advice, “Be completely humble and gentle, be patient, bearing with one another in love (Ephesians 4:2).”
Build a support system for yourself by gathering together with other college students to form a chapter of the Orthodox Christian Fellowship. Meet on a weekly basis for worship, study, and networking. Get to know your faith to the degree that you can stand up to the best of them when defending your beliefs. If you do, you may one day be the reason an atheist professor finds Christ, and becomes an Orthodox Christian.
“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example…in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.” (1 Timothy 4:12)
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
About Abbot Tryphon
The Very Rev. Fr. Tryphon is a priest-monk of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROCOR) and abbot of the All-Merciful Saviour Monastery on Vashon Island, Washington.
On Sunday October 25th, we celebrated the blessing of our new chandelier during liturgy which has been donated in honor and memory of Max Rosenfield. The Kerpchar Family graciously hosted a wonderful dinner after the liturgy.
Here are some quotes that Father Luke mentioned during service about the chandelier with links to the full articles below:
“Winding through an ever-changing progression of ornamental foliage and beasts is an inscription from Revelation 21:5 “There shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.” This use of this verse on a chandelier has precedent in ancient Romanesque art, and it is fitting to the Orthodox idea of every church as an outpost of the Kingdom of God, shining from within with the light of God’s grace.“ – Andrew Gould, “A Chorus Chandelier for a Timber Frame Church”, Orthodox Arts Journal, January 9, 2014
“A church interior should give a sense to incomers that this is a special place, a sacred space, not separate from but nevertheless distinct from the world outside. If the lighting inside is as intense as daylight, or is just like a well-lit work place, then we have little reminder that this is a place set side. One can think of low lighting as an evocation of the sepulchre from which the resurrection light breaks forth, or the mouth of a spring from which gushes the water of life to “bring life wherever it flows” (Ezekiel 47:9).” – Aidan Hart, “Lighting in Orthodox Churches: Liturgical Principles and Practical Ideas” Orthodox Arts Journal, August 27, 2015
“3And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: 4And they shall see his face; and his name [shall be] in their foreheads. 5And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.6And he said unto me, These sayings [are] faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. 7Behold, I come quickly: blessed [is] he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.” – Revelations 22:3-7
*… because in Orthodoxy the entire temple represents the New Jerusalem. The meaning of the fixture in an Orthodox temple is complex, and can best be understood by examining the word ‘choros’. In ancient Greek, it was the word for a circular clearing in the forest, a meadow. In classical mythology it is the place where lovers gather secretly for trysts, where satyrs and nymphs dance to the pan flute. Churchmen boldly adopted this word to denote the circular liturgical space under the dome, a sunlit clearing in the forest of columns. Here God and man meet for their lover’s dance, and couples hold hands and walk in circles to be married, like the pagans of old. The chandelier is called choros after the circular space that it adorns. It is the wedding crown, an ornament of pure joy to celebrate the union of God and man, like the flowers and birds that ornamented the forest clearing.” – Andrew Gould “Holy Ascension Chorus”, Orthodox Arts Journal, June 14, 2012
“The surviving Byzantine choroi do not include inscriptions, so for our choros we had to choose a text of our own. In consultation with the donor, we settled upon Revelation 21:5 “There shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.” This verse is similar to the inscription on the Aachen corona, however it does not describe the architecture of the city, but only the quality of light, and the eternal triumph of the blessed. It is a verse fitting to the role of the Orthodox choros—an instrument of illumination at the center of a temple which is itself the Heavenly City.” – Andrew Gould “Holy Ascension Chorus”, Orthodox Arts Journal, June 14, 2012
By the Grace of God, Nicholas Mihaly will be ordained deacon by His Grace, Bishop Gregory, on Sunday May 24 at St. Johns Church, 600 Silver Lane, Stratford, CT.
There will be no church service at Danbury on that Sunday. All are encouraged to attend the ordination. There will be a breakfast following the ordination at the Trumbull Marriott Merritt Parkway. The cost is $23 per person. Meal reservation have to be in by May 10. There is a sign-up sheet posted in the church hall.
For those who would like to bowl this also the ACRY bowling Tournament that is being hosted by the Silver Lane Chapter. His Grace Bishop Gregory will be here also. There is a grand banquet the same Sunday, May 24. The cost for the banquet is $50 for adults.
