Holy Week and Pascha
The services of Holy Week and Pascha are a journey with Christ.  They are not mere historical reenactments of events already past, in which we pretend not to know what is coming and then feign surprise at what takes place.  Rather, they are means of taking part in these very events themselves.  This implies that we are to be participants rather than spectators; not simply to observe, but to experience the reality of Christ’s Passion and Resurrection.

*Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday commemorate the Raising of Lazarus from the Dead and Christ’s Entry into Jerusalem.  Following the Liturgy of Lazarus Saturday we will tie together the palms and willows that we will hold throughout the Liturgy of Palm Sunday.  Though the people of Jerusalem held palms as symbols of Christ’s royalty, these do not grow in the frozen north and so the northern Slavs substituted willow branches.  These will be blessed and distributed at the Vespers of Palm Sunday, and the remaining palms/willows will be available Sunday morning.  We are to hold them throughout the Liturgy of Palm Sunday, and will carry them in our procession around the church.

*Bridegroom Matins takes its name from a parable in Matthew of ten virgins who go out to meet the bridegroom.  They are not sure precisely when he will come.  Five take sufficient oil for their lamps, five do not.  The five who come unprepared have to return to buy more oil.  At midnight, while these are gone, the bridegroom comes and the virgins who are prepared enter the bridal hall with him to begin the marriage feast.  The bridal hall is the Kingdom of Heaven.  The Bridegroom is Christ.  He comes at an hour we least expect.  We must “watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (Mt. 25.13).  This service is focused on the coming Judgment, which will take place at a time we cannot predict.  The only way to be ready for that moment is to strive, with God’s help, to be ready at every moment.
*We will celebrate the final Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts on Holy Wednesday, when the Prayer of St. Ephrem is said for the last time.  There will be no potluck following this service.  It has become the modern custom in the Greek Orthodox Church to administer the sacrament of Holy Unction on this day.  Those who have need may attend this service at St. John’s.

*The Mystical Supper is a Vesperal Divine Liturgy of St. Basil that marks the institution of the Eucharist.  The reserve sacrament (particles of holy communion set aside for the sick) is prepared at this time and placed in the tabernacle, the little church that sits at the back of the altar.  Fast for Holy Communion by eating no lunch and only a light breakfast if needed.  The tomb, known also as Golgotha, is moved to the center of the church following this service.

*Matins of Holy Friday is also known as The Order of the Passions of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  This service centers around twelve Gospel readings that take us step by step from Christ’s last discourse with his disciples to His being laid in a new tomb by Joseph and Nikodemos.  Customs surrounding this service vary.  One tradition is to ring the bell before each gospel reading (once for the first, twice for the second, etc.).  The bell is rung after the priest announces the gospel and as the choir sings “Glory to Thy Passion, O Lord!”  If someone would like to do this, please let Father know beforehand.  Two other customs are: 1) to kneel during each gospel reading, and 2) for the faithful to hold candles throughout the service.  If you wish to hold a candle, please use one of the wax guards that will be available.

*Royal Hours of Holy Friday are the First, Third, Sixth and Ninth Hours celebrated in succession.  Each Hour centers around a prophecy, epistle and gospel reading, together with thematic hymnography.  In accordance with Byzantine custom, the women of the parish are invited to bring flowers to decorate the tomb during this service.  Consider also this note from the Typikon: “No meal is served in the refectory, and on this day of the Crucifixion we eat nothing, according to the words which the Lord spoke to the Pharisees: ‘The day will come when the Bridegroom shall be taken from them and then they shall fast’ (Mt. 9.15).  But if, as frequently happens, anyone is weak or very old and cannot keep the fast, let him be given bread and water after sunset.”

*Vespers of Holy Friday is also known as the Vespers of the Descent from the Cross.  At the conclusion of this service, the burial shroud of Christ (known as the Epitaphion in Greek or Plashchanitsa in Slavonic) is brought out from the altar and laid in the tomb.  As we come forward to venerate the shroud, which bears the corpus of Christ, we make two prostrations, kiss the Gospel Book and the feet of Christ, and make a third prostration.

*Matins of Holy Saturday is the burial service of Christ.  A central part of this service is the singing of the Lamentations.  This series of hymns, many of them sung as if by the Mother of God, embody a transition from mourning to wonder – wonder at the unfolding mystery of Christ’s triumph over death by means of death itself.  Toward the conclusion of this service, we follow the shroud as it is carried thrice around the church.  When we reenter the church, we pass beneath the shroud and thereby pass with Christ into the tomb and Hades.

*The Vesperal Divine Liturgy of Holy Saturday marks Christ’s Descent into and Harrowing of Hades.  This is also the traditional time for baptisms, which explains the great number of Scripture readings (15).  These were read in church to give enough time for the catechumens to be taken next door to the baptistery, receive Holy Illumination, and return to church for the remainder of the service.  At this time, Lisa Budisavljevic will be received into the Orthodox Church.  This is a service you want to wear comfortable shoes for.  At the conclusion, the blessing and distribution of loaves and wine is called for.  If anyone would like to bring some dinner rolls, please let Father know ahead of time.  Volunteers are then needed to prepare the church for Paschal services.  The reading of the Acts of the Apostles will commence at 9 pm.  There will be a sign-up sheet in the narthex.
*The Nocturnes, Matins and Divine Liturgy of Pascha begin in near total 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…”, then the acolytes and faithful come forward and light their candles from the priest’s candle.  With this, we commence the procession around the church.  Coming back to the porch, there is a gospel reading (in Byzantine tradition), a dialogue between priest and choir, and we reenter the church and commence Matins and Liturgy.  At the conclusion of Liturgy the blessing of Artos (symbolizing the Bread of the Presence) is called for.  A volunteer is needed to bake this special bread.  The Paschal kiss is exchanged as the faithful come forward, following a similar order to Forgiveness Vespers, and red eggs are distributed by the priest.  There will be a sign-up sheet to bring red-dyed eggs.  We will then go down to the hall where Father will bless Paschal baskets, which should be arranged on the head table.  Our baskets will form our meal together.
*We will return that afternoon for Paschal/Agape Vespers.  There will be a sign-up sheet to read the gospel in a foreign language.  Father Stephen and the faithful of St. John’s will join us for this service and the potluck meal to follow.  The barbeque will be available, so bring your own meat to grill (if you wish) and a side or two to share.

*On Bright Tuesday we will have services for St. Tikhon.  Another procession is called for, and we will go for brunch after Liturgy.

*Following Liturgy on Thomas Sunday (1st Sunday after Pascha), there will be a minimal coffee hour as we will go to Roselawn Cemetery for grave blessings and a picnic lunch.  We will bless the graves of Archpriests Theodore, Peter and Jaroslav, as well as others by request.

*St. George’s Day is also Father & Popadija’s Slava, which will be celebrated at the rectory at 5 pm.  Everyone is invited for the service and meal to follow!

Please remember to turn off cell phones when entering the church.

Parishioner Profile: The Budisavljevic Family

Rade, Lisa, Sara, Simon, Amelia and Caden Budisavljevic are one of the newest – and largest – families at St. Michael’s.  The past few months have been a momentous time for them: Caden was baptized, Rade made his confession and returned to the Church, he and Lisa were married, the whole family celebrated their Slava (First Martyr Stefan) and very soon, God-willing, Lisa will be received into the Orthodoxy as well.  Their story also illustrates once again the small world of Orthodoxy in North America.

Rade was born in Oakville, ON, in 1959 and grew up in Niagara Falls.  It was Zivka Drobac, Popadija Lela’s baba, who introduced his parents to one another.  Rade even dated Popadija’s aunt at one time, but that was before he met Lisa!  Lisa is a Pueblo native, born here in 1967.  Don’t let her warm smile fool you – she was a police officer for five years and reluctantly resigned in order to be there for Caden, her and Rade’s son.  Caden has three siblings from Rade’s first marriage: Sara (’90), Simon (’92) and Amelia (’94).  So what made Rade and family give up Niagara Falls for Pueblo?  Rade was moved here in 2003 by his company, Multi-Serve, which provides steel mill services.  By God’s providence, he happened to move in next to Lisa.  Rade and Lisa’s parents did the rest, arranging their marriage over the course of a couple years.  They were just good friends at first.  Though they felt something for each other, Rade didn’t think Lisa would want to inherit three kids and Lisa didn’t think Rade would want to have any more children. Eventually they realized these were false assumptions.  Both recall a summer barbeque shared by their extended families that ended up feeling like they were already one, big family.
It was only a matter of time before this de facto situation became a reality.  Then Caden was born and he was God’s way of brining them all back to church (It helped that Cyprian visited Lisa in the hospital after Caden was born and prayed for them both).  Rade grew up in a tightly knit, Serbian Orthodox parish where his friends from church were his friends outside church as well, but like many young men he drifted away from his faith when he moved away from home and went to college.  It wasn’t that he ever renounced his faith, but “I started doing everything else and neglecting my relationship with God.”  As for Lisa, she was raised Catholic and had a very positive experience with her childhood faith, but likewise she went through the teenage phase of searching and rebellion – a phase that only ended a few months ago when she came to St. Michael’s and began attending services not only for the sake of her new family, but for herself as well.  “Not only do I love the services, I love the church and the people.”  As makes sense given her Catholic background, Lisa appreciates the history and ceremony of Orthodoxy.  She will be received into the Church at the Holy Saturday Vesperal Liturgy.

Rade and Lisa want St. Michael’s to be a part of their lives, and to be a part of St. Michael’s.  Rade hopes to make up for lost time in his children’s spiritual upbringing and both are looking forward to a Sunday School.  They felt really welcomed when they were married in the Church and many of our parishioners came to their home for their Slava afterward.  Both of them want to see St. Michael’s grow.

Parish Finances and Stewardship
As a regular monthly feature we will begin to print the parish’s income, expenses and loss or gain for the previous month.  This is intended to make everyone aware of our stewardship level, which is lamentable at present.  There are so many things we want to accomplish at St. Michael’s, particularly as regards accessibility of our facilities, but currently the concern is with meeting our basic bills.  Remember, Brothers and Sisters, we do not give to the Church only because the Church needs our money.  Rather, we give primarily because we need to do so – this is our way of showing that we love the Lord with all our strength (Deut 6:5).  In order to be a Steward of St. Michael’s, we (even clergy) are expected to give a minimum of 5% of our income.