From the 2008 Sept Newsletter

Finding Healing

Since the days of the apostles the Church has always looked to her Lord to find healing. One of the ways she does this today is through the Service of Anointing. This service can be performed with only one presbyter, and is sometimes combined with the Divine Liturgy as the priest calls for all who have need of healing to come forward after the Liturgy to be anointed.

(This was the practice of our sister church in Edmonton, who made this anointing available to its faithful
four times per year.)

In many churches, the service is offered on the Wednesday of Holy Week, as the church invites her children to come forward for the healing of soul or body as part of their Paschal preparation. Classically, however, this service calls for all the presbyters of a church (or at least a symbolic seven presbyters) to gather together and anoint the faithful. Since most local parishes do not have seven priests, this classic pattern is rarely served.

Happily, we will have the opportunity to gather a number of priests together for this service when our bishop comes this September.

On Saturday Sept. 20, Archbishop Seraphim will preside at this Anointing Service at St. Herman’s at 10 AM., accompanied by a number of the local presbyters from the Deanery.

I would encourage all Orthodox who feel the need for the Lord’s healing touch to come to St. Herman’s that evening and find the healing He desires for them.

Yours in the Lord,
Fr. Lawrence
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