This coming week at St. Herman's

Just a reminder of

1. Healing service after liturgy this Sunday
2. Ascension Eve, Wed. June 1 is a fast day. However, we will serve VESPERAL LITURGY Wed. evening, followed by a FESTAL meal (all foods allowed.) Therefore, please eat fasting foods before noon on Wed., and abstain from all food after your noon meal before receiving communion.
3. Friday June 3rd is also a fast day, as are the Wed. & Fri. of the week following. More fasting details and other items for June will be posted in the bulletin next Sunday; till then, the Google calendar to the left and the hard copy calendar at church this weekend will provide some information. 

 

Welcome Daniel Pryadko!

Andriy and Hannah Pryadko joyfully welcomed their new son, Daniel, born in the early hour of the morning May 20. 

They are joined by Makariy, Patrick, Lydia and Matushka Ana, and everyone is happy to see the new little addition.

Both mom and baby are doing well, though quite tired!  She did have enough fortitude, though, to text me first thing this morning with the update.

St.Arseny Orthodox Camp 2010

pascha 2011

Heading Home

After an absence of almost five years (we had hoped it would be no more than two), Phil & I are set to return home at the end of the month. We will be very happy to introduce you to the two gorgeous additions to our family, as well as to catch up with old friends and meet all the new ones!

We look forward to the opportunity to live near our Church home and dear dear friends, and we are also hoping that locating ourselves there will enable Phil to continue on in his studies and contribute more fully to the life of the Church in B.C. (Let it be known that he is not intending to start another mission. He is happily just a "lay guy.")

Our move back to B.C. is taken as somewhat a leap of faith, since as of yet we have no employment secured and do not know where we will live. For this reason, I am posting this news here, hoping that perhaps some of you may be able to help ease our transition from New York to B.C.

Phil and I are both looking for work. Phil has many years experience working with developmentally disabled adults and is primarily looking for work in that field, but if other job opportunities arise he is open to considering them as well. I have experience teaching ESL and coordinating ESL programs for immigrants and would like to continue doing so, hopefully part-time.

We are also looking for a home. It will come as no surprise to those who know us that we would like this home to be both close to church and close to friends (close to work is not bad either...). We are wondering if anyone might know of housing possibilities that might suit a family of 4, or perhaps if any of you have suites you would like to rent out.

In addition, if we cannot secure housing before our arrival, we may also be in need of a temporary home. I will be arriving with the girls ahead of Phil, who will be driving out with our stuff. He should be arriving no later than June 10 (but hopefully sooner!).

If you have information you would like to pass on, please speak to Angelina or Br. Cyp to obtain our contact information.

Most of all, please keep us in your prayers, as we prepare for this move while juggling two girls and the end-of-semester crunch.

We look forward to seeing you all soon!

Biss

Anointing Service after Liturgy Sunday May 29

From the days of the apostles, the Church has always asked the Lord to heal its sick, anointing them with oil and laying hands on them with prayer, even as St. James directs in James 5.  The Lord never fails to respond to the prayer of faith, bringing His power upon those who humbly seek Him, whether for the healing of physical or spiritual ills.

Following the directions St. James gives (which presuppose a many presbyters in the local church), the Church’s service books envision seven presbyters gathering together for this service.  Now that the Church (with its presbyters) is more spread out, it is not always possible for seven presbyters to gather together for this service, and the service books recognize this also, allowing the rite to be used by a single presbyter (the norm in most parishes), in an abbreviated rite. 

St. Herman’s (with its single presbyter) will follow this pattern.  At the conclusion of Liturgy on May 29, immediately before the final blessing and dismissal, Fr. Lawrence will offer the customary prayers for the blessing of holy oil and then will lay hands on and anoint any who come forward for prayer.

The Anointing Service can be served anytime.  Recently it has become customary to have the service on Holy Wednesday, where it (sadly) functions as a kind of substitute for sacramental confession.  The typikon knows nothing of this custom, which must be considered a liturgical aberration, especially since it interrupts the flow and progress of the Holy Week services, in which we journey with our Lord from Palm Sunday to the Cross.  (It is for this reason that Archbishop Seraphim once directed his clergy not to serve the Anointing Service on Holy Wednesday, but at other times.) 

We will serve the Anointing Service several times during the Church year.  We serve it now in response to the request of Bishop Irenee, who has discerned a need for healing in the parishes of the archdiocese at this time.