from the March 2007 newsletter

PLEASE NOTE some copies of the hardcopy newsletter went out with an incorrect date for the beginning of Daylight Saving Time.

PLEASE SET CLOCKS AHEAD ONE HOUR THE NIGHT OF

SATURDAY MARCH 10TH

Lenten Lovingkindness for the Dead

In Ruth 2:20, Naomi exclaims to her daughter-in-law Ruth, “May he (Boaz, her kinsman) be blessed by Yahweh, who has not withdrawn His lovingkindness to the living or to the dead!” The word translated here “lovingkindness” is the Hebrew hesed (in the Greek it is translated eleos, mercy), and it means steadfast love, covenant loyalty. As we Orthodox know from the Resurrection of Christ, God’s covenant loyalty transcends death, and not even the grave can separate us from His love, His power and His kindness. That is why we pray for our Christian dead, commending them to that saving divine mercy.

We do this all the time (asking in our daily prayers, for example, for God’s lovingkindness to be shown to our loved ones), but especially in Great Lent. In our Orthodox calendar, every day of the week has its own special theological theme: Sunday is the day of the Resurrection, Monday commemorates the angels, Tuesday, John the Forerunner, Wednesday and Friday the Cross, Thursday the apostles and St. Nicholas. Saturday commemorates those who rest in the tomb, since Saturday (the Sabbath) was the day of rest. During the Lenten season, the Church sets asides these Saturdays as special memorials for the departed (sometimes called “Soul Saturdays”), and offers special prayers and services for the dead.

At St. Herman’s we also will offer these prayers. This Saturday March 3 and Saturday March 10, for example, we will pray the Trisagion for the Departed after Great Vespers. Please feel free to write on the paper provided the names of any departed loved ones you would like commemorated, and these will be offered to God during those special prayers.

The Fathers speak of our unending progress towards God and His joy. CS Lewis, in his book “The Last Battle”, refers to this journey as going ever “farther up and farther in”. This is what we ask for in these prayers: that those who are with the Lord may know ever more of His covenant love, His boundless lovingkindness, and that they may go ever farther up and farther in, roaming in the limitless fields of His joy, the endless pastures of His Presence. Lent is the time for prayer—for lovingkindness shown to the dead as well as to the living.

Yours in the Lord

Fr. Lawrence

March Events

PLEASE NOTE some copies of the hardcopy newsletter went out with an incorrect date for the beginning of Daylight Saving Time.

PLEASE SET CLOCKS AHEAD ONE HOUR THE NIGHT OF SATURDAY MARCH 10TH

Wed. March 21, 7 pm: Great Canon & Life of St. Mary of Egypt

Fri. March 23, 7 pm: Akathist to the Theotokos

All other Wednesdays & Fridays this month:

7 pm Presanctified Liturgy with Lenten meal (please sign up to bring food)

Sat. March 31, 10 am: Lazarus Saturday Matins; clean-up day for adults; crafts for the children.

FASTING RULES MARCH 2007

Lenten fast all this month as on regular Wed/Fri—NO meat, dairy, eggs, fish, alcohol, olive oil. Allowed: shellfish and all non-animal product foods

Exceptions: FISH, wine & oil allowed on these great feasts:

Sunday Mar. 25 Annunciation

Sunday April 1 Palm Sunday

Remember to fast completely for communion from NOON on those Wednesdays and Fridays of the PreSanctified Liturgy

ORDINATION to the Diaconate

God willing, on Palm Sunday, April 1, HG Bishop SERAPHIM will ordain our own KURT JORDAN to the Holy Diaconate. Please keep Kurt and his family in your prayers as this blessed event approaches.

A BIG BIG Thank you!...to everyone who made the women’s retreat such a big success. Special thanks to Victoria & Julianna for the organizing, and to the wonderful kitchen saints who kept us so well fed all weekend!

Please sign up to bring soup on one of the Wednesdays or Fridays of the Presanctified Liturgy. If we all take a turn, it will make things easier. If you cannot bring a soup, please sign up for another item so we can have a fairly balanced meal. If you cannot sign up, any food you can bring to share will still be gratefully received!

The sign-up sheets are to be found on the bulletin board in the hallway.

NB: There is no page for Mar 21/23, as instead of Presanctified that week we will be serving the Canon & life of Mary of Egypt on Wed. 21^st and the Akathist to the Theotokos on Friday the 23rd

Pray for our catechumens:

Arlee Howell

Jennifer & Gabriel Ness

Peter Schultz

Edmund Buhler

New Akathist by Fr. Lawrence!

Fr. Lawrence's new Akathist to St. Herman is now available from Alexander Press! For more details click the cover image below.

From the February 2007 Newsletter

Great Lent and

the Presanctified Liturgy

Great Lent is characterized not only by fasting but also by the celebration of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts on Wednesdays and Fridays. This service consists of Lenten Daily Vespers (for which reason it is properly served in the evening), to which is added a partaking of the Eucharistic Gifts which were sanctified and consecrated on the previous Sunday (hence the title “Presanctified Liturgy”). At this time of increased spiritual warfare and ascetic exploits, we need the added strength that comes from partaking of the Lord’s Eucharistic Body and Blood more frequently. The Byzantine Church considers that the Eucharist is a time of high and exuberant festival, and that the weekdays of Great Lent, being days of sorrowing for our sins, are not well suited to such exuberance. For this reason, the Church does not pray the Eucharistic Anaphora to sanctify the Gifts of Bread and Wine during these days. Since we nevertheless need the strength the Eucharist provides, we partake of these Gifts reserved from the previous Sunday, so that we can feed on the Lord without praying the Anaphora during the week days of Great Lent.

I would encourage all the faithful to attend as many of these services as possible (fasting from noon)—not only to be strengthened by partaking of the Eucharist, but also to let the music and prayers of this special service fill your heart. We will be singing the Antiphons in the same melody as before, but in a minor key, and singing them as they were intended to be sung—namely, antiphonally, with choir and congregation alternating the verses. These services are times of candle-lit quiet, sober reflection and life-giving penitence, and they radiate the glorious “bright sadness” which characterizes Great Lent. As such, they form the indispensable preparation for Holy Week and Pascha. Lent is scarcely Lent without the Presanctified Liturgy. It comes to us each year as the Lord’s gift to His beloved people.

Yours in the Lord

Fr. Lawrence

Sunday of Orthodoxy Vespers

Sunday February 25

at 6:30 pm.

As per our custom, we will join with St. Innocent Church and Holy Nativity Church for this service, this year at St. Innocent’s, Everson WA

Alternatives for those unable to be at this service will be at All Saints Monastery in Dewdney and at a church in Vancouver –details not available as we go to press here.

February Events

Thurs. Feb. 1: 7.00 pm Vesperal Liturgy for Feast of Meeting; bring candles to be blessed at Liturgy (non-Lenten meal to follow)

Fri. Feb. 9-11: Women’s Retreat w. Frederica Mathews-Greene

Sun. Feb. 11: Meatfare Sunday. Last meat

Thurs. Feb. 15: 8:00 pm Camp fundraising concert Ft. Langley

Fri. Feb 16 : 8:00 pm Camp fundraising concert UBC

Sat. Feb. 17: Youth snowshoeing

Sun. Feb. 18: 1:00 pm after lunch Forgiveness Vespers

(Cheesefare Sunday last dairy)

Lenten Services begin this month:

Mon. Feb. 19: Great Lent begins: Great Canon at 7.00 pm

Tues. Feb. 20: Great Canon at 7.00 pm

All Wednesdays & Fridays this month: 7 pm Presanctified Liturgy with Lenten meal (please sign up to bring food)

Sun. Feb. 25: 6.30 pm Orthodoxy Vespers at St. Innocent’s Church, Everson, WA. (NB LOCATION & earlier time.)

St. Arseny Camp Fundraising Concerts

8 pm

Thurs. Feb 15

at St. Andrew’s United Church, Fort Langley

Fri. Feb. 16

at St. Mark’s Chapel, UBC Vancouver

Kenosis Male Chorus

Resonance Mixed Voice Chorus

Please get your tickets from Dan Steenburgh

$12.50 advance $15 at the door

FASTING RULES

FEB 07

Mon. Jan 29-Feb 4: Fast free

Mon. Feb 5-11: regular Wed/Fri fast

Sun. Feb 11: last Meat

Mon. Feb 12- Sun. Feb 18 ALL foods EXCEPT Meat allowed

Mon. Feb. 19 and remainder of February: Lenten fast like reg. Wed/Fri—NO meat, dairy, eggs, fish, alcohol, olive oil. Allowed: shellfish and all non-animal product foods

YOUTH SNOWSHOEING

at Hemlock! !!!

Saturday, February 17th. Please bring WARM clothing, a substantial lunch, and $15.

More details to come. Any questions call Magdalen or David.

EXPLORING TRADITIONS IN CHRISTIAN WORSHIP

– Sunday Feb. 11, 7 pm. Event open to the public sponsored by The Bridge Community Church, 5521 Brydon Crescent Langley (Brydon is a small street that intersects on the west with 200th Ave, just south of 56th Ave.) Fr Lawrence has been asked to take part as a panelist.