March Services & Holy Week
+Wednesdays: Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. Prepare for Communion by saying pre-Communion prayers and keeping a strict fast from noon. Services begin at 5:00pm with the Ninth Hour, and are followed by a Lenten potluck and sometimes a short video.
+Pan-Orthodox Vespers: Each Lenten Sunday, Colorado Orthodox gather at one church for Vespers and fellowship - our chance to unite with brethren in our region and worship in our sister parishes. The remaining schedule is as follows:
*Veneration of the Cross (Mar 7): Holy Theophany, 2770 N. Chestnut St. Colorado Springs. Homilist: Fr. Lawrence Gaudreau.
*St. John Climakos (Mar 14): St. Mary’s, 19485 N. Calhan Hwy. Calhan. Homilist: Fr. Anthony Karbo.
*St. Mary of Egypt (Mar 21): Archangel Michael, 2215 Paseo Rd. Colorado Springs. Homilist: Fr. Barnabas.
+Mar 19: The Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos will be offered together with Small Compline.
+Mar 25: Annunciation to the Theotokos. One of the Twelve Great Feasts, the Annunciation marks the beginning of the Incarnation of the Word of God. Fish, wine and oil are permitted, so let's have a "fishluck" after the service.
+Mar 27: Lazarus Saturday. God willing, Andrew Stegon and Trevor Hardin will be Chrismated this day. After Liturgy, we'll have a potluck and put together the palms and willows for Palm Sunday.
+Palm Sunday: Palms/willows will be blessed and distributed at Vespers. Remember to bring them back Sunday morning for a Procession at the end of Liturgy.
+Bridegroom Matins is named for the parable of ten virgins who await the bridegroom. At midnight, while half have gone to buy more oil for their lamps, the bridegroom comes and the virgins who were prepared enter the bridal hall with him. This service focuses on the second coming of Christ, whose date we cannot predict.
+The final Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts will be celebrated on Holy Wednesday. There will be no meal.
+The Mystical Supper Vesperal Liturgy marks the institution of the Eucharist. The reserved sacrament (particles of communion set aside for the sick) is prepared and placed in the tabernacle. Fast for Holy Communion by abstaining from lunch. The tomb is moved to the center of the church following this service.
+Matins of Holy Friday. This service centers around twelve Gospel readings (Passion Gospels) that take us from Christ’s last discourse with his disciples to His deposition in the tomb. Traditions connected with this service include: 1) ringing the bell before each gospel (once for the first, twice for the second, etc.). 2) kneeling during each gospel, and 3) holding candles through the service. Please use one of the wax guards available in the narthex.
+Royal Hours of Holy Friday. In accordance with Byzantine custom, the women of the parish are invited to bring flowers to decorate the tomb during this service. This is a strict fast day.
+Vespers of Holy Friday (Descent from the Cross). At the conclusion of this service, the burial shroud of Christ (Epitaphion in Greek, Plashchanitsa in Slavonic) is brought from the altar and laid in the tomb. As we come forward to venerate the shroud, we make two prostrations, kiss the Gospel Book and feet of Christ, and make a final prostration.
+Matins of Holy Saturday is the burial service of Christ. Central to this service is the singing of lamentations which take us from mourning to wonder at the unfolding mystery of Christ’s triumph over death by death. Toward the conclusion of this service, we follow the shroud as it is carried around the church. As we reenter, we pass beneath the shroud into death with Christ.
+Vesperal Divine Liturgy of Holy Saturday marks Christ’s Descent into Hades. The blessing and distribution of loaves (dinner rolls are fine) and wine, together with dates or figs, is called for at the conclusion of this service. Anyone who would like to bring one or more of these refreshments is encouraged to do so. We'll share this light repast and prepare the church for Paschal services. Please stick around and pitch in. The reading of the Acts of the Apostles commences at 9pm. There will be a sign-up sheet in the narthex.
+Nocturns, Matins and Divine Liturgy of Holy Pascha begin in darkness. No lights are on or candles lit except in the altar. When the priest comes onto the ambo and sings “Thy resurrection, O Christ our Savior…”, the acolytes and nearby faithful light their candles from the priest’s candle. The faithful may begin to light each other’s candles as we commence the procession around the church. Altar servers lead, followed by the choir, the priest and then the faithful. Some men are needed to stay in the church during the procession and move things around. On the porch, there's a gospel reading, a dialogue between priest and choir, and we reenter the church to commence Matins and Liturgy. At the conclusion of Liturgy the blessing of Artos (the Bread of the Presence) is called for. A volunteer is needed to bake this special bread (Popadija can provide a recipe and instructions). The Paschal kiss is exchanged as the faithful come forward, and the priest distributes red eggs. There will be a sign-up sheet to bring these. Downstairs, Father will bless Paschal baskets, which should be arranged on the head table. Our baskets will form our meal together.
+We return the afternoon of Pascha Sunday for Agape Vespers. There will be a sign-up sheet to read the Gospel in a foreign tongue. A volunteer is needed to organize an egg hunt for the kids. We'll share a potluck meal after this service.
Senior Warden's Message
We introduce a new feature to the bulletin this month, a regular message from the Senior Warden of the Parish Council intended to keep you informed and encourage your participation in parish events…
"As Lent is now officially underway, it is tempting to relax a little bit and let our attendance at services slide, at least until Holy Week. Perseverance in our struggles is one of the most difficult aspects of the great fasts. All of us grow tired with the increased requirements the Church places upon us, but we must remember why we struggle. One of the weekday canticles of the Syrian Church states that if we wish to know the meaning of mourning (and by extension prayer, fasting and watchfulness), we need only remember that we mourn when we see the depths and severity of our sins and sickness. There is only one cure for the sickness of the soul, to follow the road of sorrows laid out by our Lord for our salvation. A little known example of extreme perseverance is the last Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie (d. 1975). Orthodox Ethiopia had survived many wars with Islamic neighbors and the Catholics of Portugal and Italy. Shortly after assuming the crown, the Emperor was driven from the battlefield and into exile by the hypocritical Italians. For years his appeals rang out before God and the Western nations on behalf of his people, who suffered many massacres and persecution. When the time came, God heard his pleas and liberated Ethiopia, and the Emperor returned. Rather than relax, Haile Selassie continued to speak out against prejudice, aggression, and war. Even until his death at the hands of the communist rebels, he stood before God and the world for peace and the Orthodox faith. I know Abuna Barnabas would love to see our temple full during this season. The question is; are we going to relax or are we going to struggle even to the end of our days? The choice is ours to make." --Phillip Orton
Confession
All who expect to receive Holy Communion on Pascha must come to Confession during Lent. Please prepare yourself by examining your conscience, and try to come prior to Palm Sunday as there is not a great deal of time available during Holy Week.
Paschal Flowers
Flowers may be individually sponsored as we do with poinsettias for Christmas. There will be a signup sheet in the hall. Easter lilies are $10. Please sign up soon, as Easter and Pascha are the same day this year and flowers need to be ordered early. You may take your flower home on or after Mother's Day. If you plant it in your garden, it should come up annually.
Youth Transportation Policy
In obedience to our bishop, the Parish Council has formulated an official policy on transportation of youth to parish-sponsored events…
"For the protection and safety of the youth of our parish being transported to parish-sponsored youth activities or events away from parish premises we will:
- Require the use of drivers who are reasonably older than the youth they are transporting, and who do not have adverse driving records
- Prohibit the driver from being alone in a vehicle with one youth unless the driver has the advance approval of the Rector or a youth ministry supervisor
- Require the parish and each driver to maintain liability insurance with limits to satisfactorily protect the parish and other sponsoring organizations from liability
- Receive prior written permission from the parent or guardian for any youth that participates in any youth event or activity sponsored by the parish away from parish premises. Emergency contact information will be recorded on the permission slips to be kept on file with the parish, and the driver will keep copies of the slips during the trip.
- Supply itineraries and event details either verbally or in writing to the parent or guardian, and notify them as soon as is possible of any significant changes made during the trip
- Assure the driver assumes responsibility for returning passengers safely to the parent or guardian. The driver will contact the Rector or a youth ministry supervisor at the completion of each trip
- Abide by all the provisions of the Supervision of Church Workers and Children and General Supervision and Two-Adult Policy as contained in the POLICIES, STANDARDS, AND PROCEDURES OF THE ORTHDOX CHURCH IN AMERICA ON SEXUAL MISCONDUCT.
January Treasurer's Report
Beginning Balance: $2303.88
Total Deposits: 4717.97
Total Expenses: 4340.67
Ending Balance: 2681.18
Gain(Loss) 377.30
March's special collection is for OCMC.
Parishioner Profile: Stegon, But Stay Here
Andrew Stegon is preparing to follow in the footsteps of St. Alexis Toth, North America's (so far) only convert saint, whose return to the faith of his forefathers precipitated a mass exodus of Greek/Byzantine Catholics from the Unia back to Orthodoxy. The journey of St. Alexis, and Andrew, was the path also taken by the original founders of our parish, who brought St. Michael's into Orthodoxy in 1903.
Andrew grew up in East Pittsburgh, PA, where his Carpatho-Rusyn parents settled after leaving their home in Sredne, a locale in modern Ukraine. His father was a dye-setter for Westinghouse. Originally Orthodox, Andrew's family became Uniates in 1929, amidst all the chaos and confusion that overshadowed American Orthodox Church life following the Bolshevik Revolution. He grew up attending St. Mary's Byzantine Greek Catholic Church, where he served as an altar boy. The rector was a certain Monsignor Powell, but their Bishop Tkatch often filled in. Andrew has vivid memories of the priest expecting that the censer be red hot when it was handed to him. "I want smoke," he'd demand, and servers knew better than to disappoint. Andrew also remembers Msgr. Powell's common refrain, "We should have stayed Orthodox." As with many Uniate communities, the process of forced-Latinization was painful.
Faith was born in Albuquerque, but grew up all over the country since her father worked in zinc smelters and moved wherever there was employment. She was raised Baptist, with a pastor in the family. One day, while waiting tables at her grandmother's restaurant in Donora, PA, a very friendly customer came in. Three months later, she married him. It was Andrew. He must have really liked the coffee. They settled in Brentwood, PA, and eventually had 4 children (with 9 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren). Despite their different religious backgrounds, they felt it was important for their children to have a firm spiritual foundation, so all were reared as Catholics.
Andrew's vocation has always been cars. He attended a GM training school in dealership management in Flint, MI, and worked many years assisting a dealer before he was let go for knowing more than his boss' son (the heir apparent). He next went to work for Chrysler.
In 1973, the couple saw an ad that would change their lives. A real estate developer was advertising free trips to Pueblo West for anyone who would come out and look at property. Andrew and Faith were curious, but not naïve. "We spent two weeks practicing how to say 'no' [to the pitches]", they recall. When they got here, however, they couldn't resist the beautiful vistas. It was love at first sight. They moved later that year, and went to work establishing their own business. For years, the couple owned and operated Colorado Precision Car Care.
In the absence of a Byzantine Catholic church, the couple tried attending a Roman Catholic parish, but Andrew couldn't take the watered down liturgical rite. With the closest Uniate parish being in Denver, they made the long pilgrimage on special occasions, but often made do with listening to tapes of Slavonic liturgical services. They attempted to start a Uniate mission, with the Denver priest holding services in Colorado Springs as a central location for the dozen or so Uniates in Southern Colorado, but that was ultimately unfruitful. From time to time, they also visited St. Michael's. In those days, however, our parish wasn't quite the community it is now, so it was a bit intimidating for the visitors.
A few years back, Victor Moss, an associate and friend, strongly encouraged them to give St. Michael's another try. The new priest hadn't done anything really terrible yet, so it seemed safe. After attending a few services and having their home blessed, Andrew and Father Barnabas began speaking about his joining our parish. While Faith's preferences are more Pentecostal, she's glad Andrew is going to church again. God willing, he'll join St. Michael's on Lazarus Saturday, along with Trevor Hardin, about whom you'll read next month.
Recommended Reading
Several months ago, advance orders were taken for The Life of St. Brigid of Ireland, illustrated by Zachary Lynch. To date, only half the requested copies have been purchased, which keeps a considerable proportion of bookstore funds tied up. Seven are still available ($12.95 each), so buy one - first come, first served - even if you didn't place an advance order. We also have Paschal greeting cards, eggs wraps, holy water bottles and much more. That being said, this month we recommend Eric Schlosser's expose Fast Food Nation, an excellent antidote for any burger cravings this Lenten season. Once you know how these "food products" are made, be assured of a helpful buzz-kill. We also recommend the film Food, Inc., based on the book.
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