Just received a very good question from one of our catechumens: Are we allowed to eat eggs this week? The answer is yes!
For those interested learning all the ins and outs of our fasting regimen, an excellent resource can be found on the OCA website at http://www.oca.org/OCFasting.asp?SID=2
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Saturday, February 14, 2009
BC Deanery Meeting
On Saturday, Feburary 21st, the BC Deanery meeting will be held at St. John's and St. Nina's, from noon to 2pm. All the parish clergy from across BC have been invited, and all members of the parishes in the deanery are welcome to attend. The deanery meeting is a great opportunity to find out what is going on in the BC Deanery, especially with St. Arseny Camp and the upcoming Archdiocesan Assembly to be held here in BC (Victoria) in 2010.
Friday, January 02, 2009
Happy New Year! (and Theophany is coming...)
Happy New Year! 2008 was both a challenge and a blessing to us all, I think. And undoubtedly the lion's share of both challenge and blessing for many of us came from the merger of St. John's with St. Nina's. It has been a great blessing to me (as I have shared with many of you) to look out from the royal doors and see one family - and that has been the direct result of many individual decisions to get out of our comfort zones to listen, to learn, and to love. May God continue to bless us in this important work He has given us, to make us one as He is one, and to teach us to love Him whom we have not seen in the brothers and sisters that we see week in and week out at St. John's and St. Nina's, our spiritual home.
2009 is already bringing us fresh challenges. We already have the beginnings of a Building Committee to help us try to find the way forward as our family grows. Holy Cross Chaplaincy is committed to establishing itself as an independent entity (the better to minister to all Orthodox students at UBC) and to raising our profile on campus. And I have no doubt that the Lord will bring fresh challenges our way that we are not yet aware of - and, as we rise to the challenges, fresh blessings!
The next great blessing scheduled to come our way is the feast of Theophany. This is the second-greatest feast in the Church calendar, celebrating the manifestations of God (hence the name "Theophany" meaning the "appearance of God") culminating in the ultimate manifestation of the Trinity at the baptism of Christ. It is at this feast that we renew our supply of holy water - the Great Blessing of the Waters is an integral part of the service. We will be celebrating the feast of Theophany with a Vesperal Liturgy at St. John's and St. Nina's on the eve of the feast (i.e., at 7:30pm on Monday, January 5th, so come fasting from about noon on if you are planning to receive communion), at which we will have the Great Blessing of the Waters indoors (so bring your holy water containers!).
The outdoor service of the Great Blessing of the Waters we will reserve for the Sunday after Theophany (January 11th) so that as many of the community as possible can make it. The exact location of the Great Blessing of the Waters has yet to be determined, so I am open to suggestions at this point. We could bless the waters of Trout Lake again, but I am actually partial to the suggestion that we continue the St. Nina's tradition and bless the Pacific Ocean - which would give us rather a lot of scope in terms of location, so, please, let me know where you think would be best! I have also heard rumours that there are a few brave (and hopefully hardy) souls who are actually willing to jump into the water to retrieve the cross, so if you are one of those individuals, please let me know.
The period following Theophany is the time when Orthodox Christians traditionally make arrangements to have their priest over to bless their homes. As you know, I am generally in Vancouver from Thursday evening to Sunday, but I am willing to come in Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings by special appointment, which may be necessary at this special time of the year. Please contact me by e-mail or by phone to make an appointment to have your home blessed. Nothing is needed for a house-blessing other than a good supply of holy water (which you should have obtained at Theophany!), a candle, a few minutes to pray, and a willingness to listen to your priest attempt to sing the troparion for Theophany as you guide him through your home (note that you are welcome to join in as he does so)! You might also want to cover up anything that might be damaged by water-droplets before the blessing...
Finally, one other very important feast-day coming up is our winter patronal feast (as Peter the Medic has christened it) of St. Nina of Georgia, which we will be celebrating on the eve of St. Nina's feast-day with a Vesperal Liturgy at St. John's and St. Nina's at 7:30 pm, January 13th. I look forward to celebrating both of these highly significant upcoming feasts with all of you, united in one Body as one family by the grace and the love of our Lord!
Love in Christ,
Fr. Justin.
2009 is already bringing us fresh challenges. We already have the beginnings of a Building Committee to help us try to find the way forward as our family grows. Holy Cross Chaplaincy is committed to establishing itself as an independent entity (the better to minister to all Orthodox students at UBC) and to raising our profile on campus. And I have no doubt that the Lord will bring fresh challenges our way that we are not yet aware of - and, as we rise to the challenges, fresh blessings!
The next great blessing scheduled to come our way is the feast of Theophany. This is the second-greatest feast in the Church calendar, celebrating the manifestations of God (hence the name "Theophany" meaning the "appearance of God") culminating in the ultimate manifestation of the Trinity at the baptism of Christ. It is at this feast that we renew our supply of holy water - the Great Blessing of the Waters is an integral part of the service. We will be celebrating the feast of Theophany with a Vesperal Liturgy at St. John's and St. Nina's on the eve of the feast (i.e., at 7:30pm on Monday, January 5th, so come fasting from about noon on if you are planning to receive communion), at which we will have the Great Blessing of the Waters indoors (so bring your holy water containers!).
The outdoor service of the Great Blessing of the Waters we will reserve for the Sunday after Theophany (January 11th) so that as many of the community as possible can make it. The exact location of the Great Blessing of the Waters has yet to be determined, so I am open to suggestions at this point. We could bless the waters of Trout Lake again, but I am actually partial to the suggestion that we continue the St. Nina's tradition and bless the Pacific Ocean - which would give us rather a lot of scope in terms of location, so, please, let me know where you think would be best! I have also heard rumours that there are a few brave (and hopefully hardy) souls who are actually willing to jump into the water to retrieve the cross, so if you are one of those individuals, please let me know.
The period following Theophany is the time when Orthodox Christians traditionally make arrangements to have their priest over to bless their homes. As you know, I am generally in Vancouver from Thursday evening to Sunday, but I am willing to come in Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings by special appointment, which may be necessary at this special time of the year. Please contact me by e-mail or by phone to make an appointment to have your home blessed. Nothing is needed for a house-blessing other than a good supply of holy water (which you should have obtained at Theophany!), a candle, a few minutes to pray, and a willingness to listen to your priest attempt to sing the troparion for Theophany as you guide him through your home (note that you are welcome to join in as he does so)! You might also want to cover up anything that might be damaged by water-droplets before the blessing...
Finally, one other very important feast-day coming up is our winter patronal feast (as Peter the Medic has christened it) of St. Nina of Georgia, which we will be celebrating on the eve of St. Nina's feast-day with a Vesperal Liturgy at St. John's and St. Nina's at 7:30 pm, January 13th. I look forward to celebrating both of these highly significant upcoming feasts with all of you, united in one Body as one family by the grace and the love of our Lord!
Love in Christ,
Fr. Justin.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Upcoming Special Services
Just a brief note about three special services that are coming up soon...
Saturday, December 20th, 6pm at St. John's and St. Nina's (1967 Napier Street):
Panikhida (Memorial Service) for Kevin's grandmother and for the newly departed Patriarch Alexey II - followed by our usual Great Vespers service. While Panikhidas are often served more privately as "family affairs", since this will be the first Panikhida served at our mission, and since it is appropriate to "mourn with those who mourn", we will begin the Panikhida at the time we usually begin Great Vespers so that the whole community may join in.
Wednesday, December 24th, 6pm at Holy Resurrection Orthodox Sobor (75 East 43rd Avenue):
Royal Hours and Vigil for the Nativity will be served at Holy Resurrection Cathedral, which Fr. Mikhail Fourik has kindly made available to us (since we learned on very short notice that our chapel will not be available on Wednesday and since Holy Resurrection celebrates the Nativity on the Old Calendar).
Thursday, December 25th, 9am at St. John's and St. Nina's (1967 Napier Street):
Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom for the Nativity. There will be no Hours preceding the service (i.e., Liturgy will begin right at 9am) and no communal meal following the service so that the service should be finished by about 10:30am.
Saturday, December 20th, 6pm at St. John's and St. Nina's (1967 Napier Street):
Panikhida (Memorial Service) for Kevin's grandmother and for the newly departed Patriarch Alexey II - followed by our usual Great Vespers service. While Panikhidas are often served more privately as "family affairs", since this will be the first Panikhida served at our mission, and since it is appropriate to "mourn with those who mourn", we will begin the Panikhida at the time we usually begin Great Vespers so that the whole community may join in.
Wednesday, December 24th, 6pm at Holy Resurrection Orthodox Sobor (75 East 43rd Avenue):
Royal Hours and Vigil for the Nativity will be served at Holy Resurrection Cathedral, which Fr. Mikhail Fourik has kindly made available to us (since we learned on very short notice that our chapel will not be available on Wednesday and since Holy Resurrection celebrates the Nativity on the Old Calendar).
Thursday, December 25th, 9am at St. John's and St. Nina's (1967 Napier Street):
Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom for the Nativity. There will be no Hours preceding the service (i.e., Liturgy will begin right at 9am) and no communal meal following the service so that the service should be finished by about 10:30am.
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