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.

Concert of Georgian Music by St. Nino’s Choir

An unforgettable, unrepeatable and unbelievable moment. The sense that you had seen, or heard, or touched something ineffable, unknowable, something transcendent. It was truly a moment in which, with a heartbreaking honesty, you felt that you had directly experienced the mercy of God. It was sacramental in every sense of the word. It reminded us of what music, liturgy, art, life, culture and history are all about: the overwhelming sense of thanksgiving to God for all that we have received and for all that we have not received. A completely uncompromised and unqualified thank you to life, life as an expression of an intimate and immediate communion with God Almighty. Amen.

Continue reading Concert of Georgian Music by St. Nino’s Choir

Christmas Social & Talent Show

On Sunday, January 9 our Parish Church School sponsored a delicious meal following the Liturgy and all enjoyed the food and fellowship.  A meal of pasta Bolognese, baked ziti, penne ala Vodka, sandwiches, and ham was organized by our Church School Coordinator Kathryn Larkin, and prepared by the church school parents.  A full complement of salads, assorted desserts and beverages were also in ample supply.  After the meal was well underway, our annual talent show commenced.  Once again, the all but hidden talents of our young folks emerged to charm and warm the hearts of those gathered. The Talent Show ran about a half-hour, with performances ranging from violin solos to Jiu Jitsu demonstrations.

Each of these performances was well thought out, skillfully executed and obviously, each had been carefully rehearsed in advance.  Together, they bore evidence of the interests and activities of our students in their lives beyond the Parish.  Once again, the wealth of their talent and energy was inspiring; their willingness to share this talent with us was refreshing. Continue reading Christmas Social & Talent Show

Christ is Baptized! In the Jordan!

Sixteen of us celebrated the feast today at Divine Liturgy and thereafter shared a delicious festal agape. Last night, twenty-five persons gathered for Great Vespers and the Blessing of Water. Splashing water on each person’s head after they drank from the font and venerated the Holy Gospels, I recalled many joyous past occasions at this feast. Water anointing seems to bring out a more playful, or perhaps a surprised reaction, on the part of the recipient, as opposed to oil anointing. Here is a feast where getting wet – at least in a very small way – is clearly part of the event. Continue reading Christ is Baptized! In the Jordan!