St. Andrew's

The Beginning of Great Lent 2017

View the schedule of services for the beginning of Lent.

The lenten spring has come – the light of repentance!
O brothers, let us cleanse ourselves from all evil, crying out to the Giver of Light:
Glory to Thee, O Lover of man.

Let us begin the fast with joy! Let us prepare ourselves for spiritual effort!
Let us purify our souls and cleanse our flesh.
Let us abstain from passion as we abstain from food,
Let us rejoice in the spirit and persevere with love,
That we may all see the Holy Passion of Christ, Our God
And rejoice in spirit at the Holy Pascha!

Included below is the archpastoral message of His Eminence, Archbishop Michael, on this, the beginning of Great Lent.

Memory Eternal: Vitali Matveichik

We are extremely saddened by the news of the repose of +Vitali Matveichik, on Sunday, January 22.

Vitali is the son of Brenda and the late +Michael Matveichik, who adopted Vitali as a young child and brought him from Russia to the U.S. to receive life-saving heart surgeries through the “Gift of Life” program. Vitali reposed on Sunday, two days shy of his 29th birthday, from complications relating to the heart issues he continued to struggle with.

A wake will be held on Thursday, January 26, from 2-4 PM, and 7-9 PM, at Roma Funeral Home (539 William Floyd Parkway, Shirley, NY 11967). Fr. John will celebrate a memorial service (panikhida) at 8:00 PM.

We grieve with Brenda and all Vitali’s loved ones who now feel the pain of separation, and we join them in holding Vitali up in prayer before Our Lord. May his memory be eternal!

Baptism of the Servant of God John (Eric)

On Sunday, December 11, the parish community of St. Andrew’s was filled with joy in celebrating the baptism, chrismation, and reception into the Holy Orthodox Faith of the servant of God, Eric, who took the name John in baptism.

Memory Eternal: Theodosis Calpakis

With great sadness we announce the repose of the servant of God Theodosis on Thursday, September 29. Teddy was a beloved part of our community for many years and will sorely be missed. The funeral arrangements are as follows:

Celebrating the Holy Dormition

On Monday, August 15, the community of St. Andrew’s gathered together for the Great Feast of the Holy Dormition – the celebration of the repose, and translation to everlasting-life, of the Mother of God.

This year, despite the difficulties faced by work days and summer camp schedules, Fr. John encouraged the faithful to keep the feast, and indeed 30 of us gathered together for the Festal Divine Liturgy, after which we celebrated the blessing of new flowers and herbs (traditionally in full blossom at this time of year and blessed on this feast). Afterward, we broke bread with a beautiful festive agape meal overseen by Andrea Filak.

This year’s celebration was made all the more beautiful and enriching thanks to the completion of a full set of new blue vestments and altar cloths; a color which is traditionally associated with the Theotokos and her feasts, and which were used for the first time during this celebration. The parish greatly appreciates the generosity of the donors who established this project in memory of their loved ones. We hope that all were spiritually nourished by the fullness of this celebration, and that in the years to come, we will always mark this Great Feast with zeal and love for the Mother of God.

Photos of this year’s celebration may be viewed here.