Author: St. Andrew's

Prayers, Aid, Requested for Japan

The Holy Synod of Bishops of our Church has requested all parishes to remember the victims of the ongoing disasters in Japan, and to request financial aid for relief efforts there. Additionally, the OCA’s Metropolitan Council has earmarked an initial $5,000 contribution to the work of the International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC). All parishes have been requested to aid the IOCC in its work. Collections towards the IOCC’s relief efforts will be taken up at St. Andrew’s during the next two weeks – the funds of which will go directly to the IOCC’s Japan Relief fund. You may read more about the IOCC’s request for aid here.

Although our aid and generosity should be given freely to anyone who is suffering, regardless of race or religion, it is important to note that the Orthodox Church of Japan is a sizable community, with 20 parishes in the affected areas. Currently, one Japanese Orthodox priest is among the many missing victims of the disaster. (Update: Fr. Taguchi and his wife have been located, although their parish and rectory were flooded by the tsunami.)

May our Lord grant peace and healing to all those who are afflicted and suffering. May the souls of those whose lives have been lost find rest in a place of peace, where all sickness, suffering, and sighing have fled away — and may their memories be eternal!

Image: Shiho Fukada (International Herald Tribune) reposted under fair use (non-profit/educational).

Great Lent Has Begun

This Sunday, our parish community celebrated the first Sunday of Great Lent – the Sunday of Orthodoxy – with a procession with icons, recalling the triumph of holy images over the iconoclasts in the Early Church. (Photos from our procession may be seen here.)

During the entirety of Great Lent, the Presanctified Liturgy will be celebrated every Wednesday night at 7pm. Confessions may be heard before this service, and may also be heard following Vespers on Saturday evenings. Please speak with Fr. John if you would like to arrange a confession at an alternate time.

To assist in our Lenten effort, the Sisterhood of our daughter parish, St. John the Theologian (Shirley, NY) has organized a Lenten Retreat at the Orthodox Monastery of All Saints (Calverton, NY). It will be held Saturday, March 26, 2011, from 9:00am to 3:30pm. Reservations are requested; you may contact Elaine DelGigante at 631-846-4739 for more information.

Finally, it is with great sadness that we learned that Mark Guyer’s mother, Mary, reposed in the Lord on Sunday, March 6, 2011. Please remember her, Mark, and the Guyer family in your prayers. Grant rest eternal in blessed repose, O Lord, to the soul of the newly-departed handmaiden of God, Mary, and make her memory to be eternal!

Pre-Lenten Retreat

Mother Raphaela, Abbess of Holy Myrrhbearers Monastery in Otego, NY, will be visiting our parish this weekend. On Saturday, she will lead the parish in a Pre-Lenten Retreat, titled Living and Growing With Christ.

The order of the day is as follows:

  • 9:00 AM Welcome and Sign-in
  • 10:00 AM Morning Prayer: The Third Hour
  • 10:45 AM First Session
  • 12:30 PM Lunch (included in registration cost)
  • 1:30 PM Second Session
  • 3:00 PM Break
  • 3:15 PM Final Session
  • 5:00 PM Vespers (please note, Vespers will not be served at its usual time of 7:00 PM)

A suggested donation of $15 will be collected at the door.  This will defray the cost of the lunch and transporting Mother Raphaela.  Any extra funds will benefit the parish.

If you are planning on attending, please let us know by registering.  You can do so by contacting Virginia Jerosh at vginjon56@aol.com, or by phone at 631-271-4209 — please do not delay!  While we will accept unregistered parishioners at the door, we need to know the number of participants, particularly to prepare the day’s lunch and refreshments.

Please join us for what promises to be a spiritually profitable and well-spent day.