An Outpouring of the Holy Spirit
Our celebration of the Feast of Holy Pentecost this year will be unlike any previous one in the memory of St. Michael’s Parish.  Not only will we receive that Comforter Whom our Lord promised to send to us, but also the grace of the Comforter will be made abundantly manifest in the reception of many catechumens into the Holy Church.  Over the course of Pentecost weekend, God willing, the families of Jerad Libhart and Cathy Hoosier, as well as Judy Morley, will be united to Christ in the midst of His Holy Orthodox Church.

On the Eve of the Feast, Saturday afternoon, the majority will receive Holy Baptism.  This process will begin at 3:30 pm.  It cannot be stated with precision how long it will take to minister the sacrament in this manifold form.  Vespers may not begin at precisely the appointed time.  Hopefully, anyone who plans to attend Vespers will come early for the baptisms.  We will celebrate Vespers once the baptisms are completed.  On the day of the Feast, the remainder of the catechumens will have their prior baptisms fulfilled and completed through the sacrament of Holy Chrism.  This will begin prior to the Divine Liturgy at 9:00 am.

Following the completion of the Divine Liturgy, we will have a Parish Barbeque to celebrate the Feast with joy.  This BBQ will serve as our annual summer picnic, which will be linked from now on to the Feast. The meat products this year will be grilled and served by Zachary Lynch.  Zachary, as most of us know, has been accepted to study at St. Tikhon’s Seminary in South Canaan, PA, beginning this fall.  Therefore, the BBQ will also serve as a fundraiser to help him and his growing family in some small way with the costs they will incur over the course of his studies.  Please be generous in making a donation to our “scholarship” for Zachary on that day.

At approximately 3:00 pm, we will return to the church and celebrate the Vespers of Pentecost or Kneeling Vespers, which is the first time that we sing “O Heavenly King” and the first time that we kneel at prayer.  Green is the color for this Feast, and it is customary to adorn the church with foliage.  May this be a day of rejoicing in our Lord’s fulfillment of His promise!

Services This Month
+The Feast of Our Lord’s Ascension on the 17th marks His bodily going up into Heaven at the end of the forty days of Pascha.  From this day, we await His sending down of the Holy Spirit upon us all.
+We will join our brothers and sisters at Ss. Constantine & Helen Parish for the celebration of their Feast on the 21st.  This will be a concelebration of all the clergy of our Rocky Mountain Deanery, who will retreat for a meeting after the Divine Liturgy

Best of Bessemer
Mark your calendar for Saturday, June 23rd, the day of the 2nd Annual Best of Bessemer on Mesa Avenue Festival.  This is a street festival held between Evans Ave. and Santa Fe from 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm.  Most importantly, St. Michael’s will have a display this year and YOU are going to man it!  We plan to sell books and icons, as well as distribute free literature on Orthodoxy and answer the questions of passers-by.  There will be a sign up sheet available soon to volunteer for a shift.  Manly men will also be needed to transport, set up and knock down our booth.  Parish Council members Eleni Wingate and Kristin Lynch have volunteered to coordinate this effort.

For Sale
There are still a few unneeded items from the church and rectory for sale.  Speak with Fr. if interested in any of the following:

• Two adjustable, metal bed frames on rollers: make an offer.
• Four wooden, interior doors, one with handle included: make and offer.
• One large mirror in wood frame, approximately 4’10” by 2’5”: make an offer.
• As approved by the Parish Council, the pews that were removed to make room for the choir are also for sale and will hopefully be purchased by members of our community.  Current asking price: $275 each.

Menaion
Several volumes of the Menaion are still available for sponsorship.  The cost to sponsor a volume is $50 and proceeds will go toward the choir fund.  Please speak with Popadija.  Sponsors will have a recognition sheet included in their sponsored volume.

Website
Did you know that you can sign up to receive The Messenger online, saving our parish the cost of printing and postage?  Visit orthodoxpueblo.org, click on “Newsletter” and follow the instructions.

From the Parish Council
The Parish Council would like to invite every member of this parish to be more active stewards of God's gifts to us, and in thanksgiving offer them back to His Church.  We want to encourage you to continue to contribute your time, talent and treasure.  We believe that God will grace us and increase his provision for us as we are faithful.

As you may recall, at our Annual Meeting in January, parish members voted to approve a budget with a deficit of $8000.  Monthly income has been approximately $4000, yet our expenses each month exceed this by some $200.

We didn't want to focus only on money, although it is a critical issue.  St. Michael's and the greater Pueblo community need your help in many ways.  Stewardship entails giving our time and talent, as well as our treasure.  If we believe that all we have, even life, comes from God as a free gift, then it is equally true that the only way we can give back to God is freely in many ways. Consider the greatest gift ever given – our Lord's free gift of His life for us.

We, the Parish Council, ask you to help in the following ways:

* Reevaluate and increase your monthly giving as
  you are able
* Encourage others to come to church
* Pray that God will bless our parish
* Consider giving your time and individual
  talents to special projects
* Suggest specific goals we could accomplish
  together to grow our parish

Thank you for your prayerful consideration.

John Stuemky, Senior Warden      Tom Lynch
Betty Savage, Junior Warden      Kristin Lynch
Eleni Wingate, Treasurer        
Pavel Holder, Secretary

Gabriel Wilson Ties The Knot
Even as weddings go, Gabriel and Sara’s was a beautiful one.  The term “bittersweet” was used repeatedly, since our joy at Gabriel and Sara’s union is mixed with sorrow that we will be losing our red-bearded brother.  Remember them both in your prayers, and remember to keep in touch:
Gabriel and Sara Wilson
27 Lampson Court
Copthorne Common Road
Copthorne, West Sussex
RH10 3SL

Treasurer’s Report
Beginning Balance March:                                $1004.42
Income:                                                              4057.88
Expenses:                                                           4188.07
Gain (Loss):                                                         (130.19)
Ending Balance:                                                   744.23

Recommended Reading
It may seem ironic that the best book I’ve read on child rearing has been written by a monastic, but that’s how I feel about Children in the Church Today: An Orthodox Perspective, by Sister Magdalen (SVS Press, 1991).  This book is a must read for all Orthodox parents who want their children to keep the faith.  While modern parenting books emphasize psychology and sociology, Sr. Magdalen emphasizes the role of prayer and discernment, thus bringing the oft-missing element of spirituality to bear.  As the jacket description aptly summarizes, Sr. Magdalen’s thesis is essentially that “if children are conceived, born, and brought up surrounded by prayer and love, they will grow up as spiritual persons and thus fulfill their human vocation.”  We can only pray she is right.  Her suggestions certainly can’t hurt!  Want to be a good parent?  Become a Hesychast even as a married person in the world. 

Also re-read and highly recommended is Fr. Schmemann’s Of Water and the Spirit, which has thoroughly refreshed my appreciation and understanding of the beauty and significance of each and every step in the liturgical sacrament of Holy Baptism.  Particularly nourishing in light of modern sophistication is his treatment of the Rite of Exorcism, which is not some hold over from days of medieval superstition, but a real act of casting out real demonic forces.  Schmemann’s unapologetic credence in these forces as the Church understands them reminds us that evil is not quite so dramatic as we see in Hollywood, but is subtler and thus far more insidious.

Volunteers Are Needed For Coffee Hour and Church Cleaning

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Support St. Michael's Choir

Join us in hosting the 1st annual festival of the

American Orthodox Choral Association

Saturday 19th May
Free Concert 11 am
Hoag Theatre, PCC
(Corner of Orman Ave. & Arthur Ave.)
*
With guest choir
Konevets Quartet - St. Petersburg, Russia

*

Banquet 1:30 pm
Rosario’s Restaurant
($12 adults, $6 children)
*
Ask any choir member for your ticket today!