Fr. John blessed three inquirers to join the ranks of the Catechumen of the Orthodox Faith on Sunday, February 3, 2013, who together with our existing catechumen, will prepare through study and prayer for reception into the Church. We pray that, by the Grace of God, our catechumen will be prepared to receive the sacrament of Holy Chrismation during the solemn services of Great & Holy Saturday, this year — the eve of Pascha, when in the early church candidates would be baptized into the faith and then participate fully in the celebration of Our Lord’s Resurrection.
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Remembering Fr. Alexander Schmemann
Today marks the 29th anniversary of the repose of the +Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann, one of the great theological writers of our times. Fr. Alexander, known the world over through his powerful books, including For the Life of the World, was a major figure in the Orthodox Church in America’s receiving independence (autocephaly) in 1977. You can read more about his life on the website of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, where for years he served as dean. Read more here. Additionally, you can see a special CBS aired following Fr. Alexander’s death in 1983, called “For Our Times: The Spirit of St. Vladimir’s” by clicking here.
May the memory of the ever-venerable Protopresbyter Alexander be eternal!
Diocese Holds First ‘Children’s Choir Workshop’
On Saturday, December 1, 2012, the Diocese of New York & New Jersey’s Commission on Liturgical Music held its first ‘Children’s Choir Workshop’, hosted by our parish here at St. Andrew’s. Led by noted diocesan conductor and musician David Lucs, the workshop was a fun-filled and inspiring day, as David creatively engaged the group of eight enthusiastic young girls who joined this program’s initial run.
Students learned several hymns, especially those related to the season of the Nativity which is upon us: the Feast of Saint Nicholas, the Holy Nativity, and the Holy Theophany, and were given booklets of liturgical music to take back to their homes and parishes along with their newly-acquired skills in liturgical music. The children took advantage of the personal attention to clear up some misconceptions as well; among the most interesting, that on celebrations, we don’t actually sing “God Grant you many ears!” Others learned that a Nativity irmos does not actually begin with “Christ is bored, glorify Him!” Thankfully, our intrepid instructor was able to gently reorient the young students to a more traditional understanding of how these hymns should go! In addition to the instruction in signing, the students shared meals together, got to know each other, and establish friendships with fellow Orthodox youth from nearby parishes.
St. Andrew’s is thankful to the Diocesan Commission on Liturgical Music, in particular Doreen Bartholomew and Carol Wetmore, for the honor of being able to host this event; to David Lucs for the wonderful instruction he provided; and to His Grace Bishop Michael for his presence, teaching, and encouragement throughout the workshop. We hope our own parish’s youth who participated had a good experience, and hope that they will now join us in the choir sometime soon! We look forward to sending even great numbers of our youth to future workshops.
Photos from the event can be viewed here.
Bishop Michael Celebrates Feast of St. Andrew
On November 29, the eve of our Patronal Feast of Saint Andrew, our parish was honored to welcome our diocesan archpastor, His Grace Bishop Michael, for the celebration of the Vesperal Liturgy. We were also honored to be joined by Fr. David Cowan, rector of Holy Trinity Church in Yonkers NY and secretary to His Grace, as well as Fr. Seraphim Joa, a recent graduate of St. Vladimir Seminary and an assistant priest at Holy Trinity Church in East Meadow NY. Joining in the celebration of the Liturgy were a wonderful contingent of parishioners, who would have been otherwise unable to join in the feast due to their work and school schedules.
Continue reading Bishop Michael Celebrates Feast of St. Andrew
Clothing Drive a Success
Thank you to all who supported our 2012 Clothing Drive. We collected quite a few donations – over 50 fully laden bags. These donations will benefit United Veterans’ Beacon House, and will help the lives of struggling veterans on Long Island. The collection of the items took place a few days before Thanksgiving, having been postponed for several weeks due to Hurricane Sandy.