HOLY APOSTLES ORTHODOX CHURCH
Currently meeting in Twin Chimneys Office Park
10760 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, Maryland 20705
Archpriest George Johnson, Rector; [email protected]
Ph: 301-931-3400, church, 301-572-5738, rectory
www.holyapostlesorthodoxchurch.org
OUR FUTURE CHURCH HOME
MARCH 2011 PARISH BULLETIN
THOUGHTS AT THE THRESHOLD OF THE HOLY FAST
OF GREAT LENT
Money! Power! Honor! These are the temptations that, unfortunately,
many people are unable to resist. This is the source of all the disputes,
disagreements and divisions among Christians. This is the root of people's
forgetting the "one thing needful" which is proposed to us by the true Christian
faith and which consists of prayer, acts of repentance, and sincere, un-hypocritical
charity to our neighbors. The Holy Church always calls us to this, but especially
now, during the Great Fast!
What is required of us Christians is not some kind of "exalted politics," not
lofty phrases and hazy philosophy, but the most humble prayer of the Publican:
"God, be merciful to me, a sinner!", acts of repentance, and doing good to our
neighbors, which proceeds from a pure heart. It is for the practice of all of this that
the Church has established Great Lent!
How powerfully, colorfully, graphically, and convincingly, with what ardent
inspiration is all of this spoken of in the divine services of Great Lent! No one
anywhere has such a wealth of edification in this regard as do we Orthodox in our
incomparable Lenten services, which, to their shame, the majority of Orthodox in
our times do not know at all.
Archbishop Averky of Syracuse (+1976)
A Child’s Lent Remembered
The following excerpt is taken from Ivan Shmelyov's “Anno Domini, a
wistful recollection of life in his pious, old-fashioned, well to-do home in preRevolutionary Moscow” – From “Orthodox America”
Clean Monday
I waken from harsh light in my room: a bare kind of light, cold, dismal. Yes,
it's Great Lent today. The pink curtains, with their hunters and their ducks, have
already been taken down while I slept, and that's why it's so bare and dismal in the
room. It's Clean Monday today for us, and everything in our house is being
scrubbed. Grayish weather, the thaw. The dripping beyond the window is like
weeping. Our old carpenter, Gorkin, "the panel man", said yesterday that when
Lady Shrovetide leaves, she'll weep. And so she is--drip...drip...drip... There she
goes! I look at the paper flowers reduced to shreds, at the gold-glazed "Shrovetide"
sweet cake--a toy, brought back from the baths yesterday; gone are the little bears,
gone are the little hills--vanished, the joy. And a joyous something begins to fuss in
my heart; now everything is new, different. Now it will be "the soul beginning"-Gorkin told me all about it yesterday. "It's time to ready the soul," To prepare for
Communion, to keep the fast, to make ready for the Bright Day.
"Send One-eye in to see me!" I hear Father's angry shouting.
Father has not gone out on business; it's a special day today, very strict.
Father rarely shouts. Something important has happened. But after all he forgave
the man for drinking; he cancelled all his sins; yesterday was the day of
Forgiveness. And Vasilli Vasillich forgave us all, too, that's exactly what Ira said in
the dining room, kneeling: "I forgive you all!" So why is Father shouting then?
The door opens; Gorkin comes in with a gleaming copper basin. Oh, yes, to
smoke out Lady Shrovetide! There's a hot brick in the basin, and mint, and they
pour vinegar over them. My old nurse, Domnushka, follows Gorkin around and
does the pouring; it hisses in the basin and a tart steam rises a sacred steam. I can
smell it even now, across the distance of the years. “Sacred.” That's what Gorkin
calls it. He goes to all the corners and gently swirls the basin. And then he swirls it
over me.
"Get up, dearie, don't pamper yourself," he speaks lovingly to me, sliding the
basin under the skirt of the bed. "Where has she hid herself in your room, fat old
Lady Shrovetide. We'll drive her out. Lent has arrived. We'll be going to the
Lenten market, the choir from St. Basil's will be singing 'My soul, my soul arise;'
you won't be able to tear yourself away."
That unforgettable, that sacred smell: the smell of Great Lent. And Gorkin
himself, completely special, as if he were kind of sacred, too. Way before light, he
had already gone to the bath, steamed himself thoroughly, put on everything clean.
Clean Monday today! Only the kazakin is old; today only the most workaday
clothes may be worn, that's "the law". And it's a sin to laugh, and you have to rub a
bit of oil on your head, like Gorkin. I'll be eating without oil now, but you have to
2
oil the head, it's the law, "for the prayer's sake." There's a flow about him, from his
little gray beard, all silver really, from the neatly combed head. I know for a fact
that he's a saint. They're like that, God's people that please Him. And his face is
pink, like a cherubim's, from the cleanness. I know that he's dried himself bits of
black bread with salt, and all bent long he'll take them with his tea, "instead of
sugar."
But why is Daddy angry with Vasilli Vasillich, like that?
"Oh, sinfulness..." says Gorkin with a sigh. “It's hard to break habits, and
now everything is strict, Lent. And, well, they get angry. But you hold fast now,
think about your soul. It's the season, all the same as if the latter days were come.
That's the law! You just recite, "O Lord and Master of my life...' and be cheerful."
And I begin silently reciting the recently memorized Lenten prayer.
The rooms are quiet and deserted, full of that sacred smell. In the front
room, before the reddish icon of the Crucifixion, a very old one , from our sainted
great-grandmother who was an Old Believer; a "Lenten" lampada of clear glass has
been lit, and now it will burn unextinguished until Pascha. When Father lights it-on Saturdays he lights all the lampadas himself--he always sings softly, in a
pleasant-sad way: "Before Thy Cross, we bow down, O Master," and I would sing
softly after him, that wonderful refrain: "And Thy holy Resurrection, we glorify!”
A joy-to-tears beats inside my soul, shining from these words. And I behold
it, behind the long file of Lenten days--the Holy Resurrection, in lights. A joyful
little prayer! It casts a kindly beam of light upon these sad days of bent.
I begin to imagine that now the old life is coming to an end, and it' s time to
prepare for that other, life, which will be – where? Somewhere, in the heavens.
You have to cleanse the soul of all sinfulness, and that's why everything around you
is different. And something special is at our side, invisible and fearful. Gorkin told
me that now, "it's like when the soul is parting from the body." THEY keep watch,
to snatch away the soul, and all the while the soul trembles and wails: "Woe is me, I
am cursed!" They read about it in church now, at the Standings.
“Because they can sense that their end is coming near, that Christ will rise!
And that's why we're given Lent, to keep close to Church, to live to see the Bright
Day. And not to reflect, you understand. About earthly things, do not reflect! And
they'll be ringing everywhere: 'Think back! Think-back!" He made the words boom
inside him nicely.
Throughout the house the window vents are open, and you can hear the
mournful cry and summons of the bells, ringing before the services: thinkback...think-back. That's the piteous bell, crying for the soul. It's called the Lenten
peal. They've taken the shutters down from the windows, and it'll be that way, poor
looking, clear until Pascha. In the drawing room, there are gray slipcovers on the
furniture; the lamps are bundled up into cocoons, and even the one painting, "The
Beauty at the Feast," is draped over with a sheet. That was the suggestion of His
Eminence. Shook his head sadly and said: "A sinful and tempting picture!" But
Father likes it a lot--such class! Also draped is the engraving that Father for some
reason calls "the sweet-cake one"; it shows a little old man dancing, and an old
woman hitting him with a broom. That one His Eminence liked a great deal, even
laughed. Ali the house folk are very serious, in workday clothes with patches, and I
3
was told also to put on the jacket with the worn-through elbows. The rugs have
been taken out; it's such a lark now to skate across the parquet. Only it's scary to
try--Great Lent: skate hard and you'll break a leg. Not a crumb left over from
Shrovetide, mustn't be so much as a trace of it in the air. Even the sturgeon in aspic
was passed down to the kitchen yesterday. Only the very plainest dishes are left in
the sideboard, the ones with the dun spots and the cracks – for Great Lent. In the
front room there are bowls of yellow pickles, little umbrellas of dill sticking out of
them, and chopped cabbage, thickly dusted with anise--a delight. I grab pinches of
it--how it crunches! And I vow to myself to eat only Lenten foods for the duration
of the fast. Why send my soul to perdition, since everything tastes so good anyway!
There'll be stewed fruit, potato pancakes with prunes, "crosses" on the Week of the
Cross...frozen cranberries with sugar, candied nuts... And what about roast
buckwheat kasha with onions, washed down with kvass! And then Lenten pasties
with milk-mushrooms, and then buckwheat pancakes with onions on Saturdays...
and the boiled wheat with marmalade on the first Saturday...and almond milk with
white kissel, and the cranberry one with vanilla, and the grand kuliebiak on
Annunciation .... Can it be that THERE, where everyone goes to from this life, there
will be such Lenten fare! And why is everyone so dull-looking? Why, everything is
so...so different, and there is much, so much that is joyous. Today they'll bring the
first ice and begin to line the cellars--the whole yard will be stacked with it. We'll go
to the "Lenten Market," and the Great Mushroom Market, where I've never been...
I begin jumping up and down with joy, but they stop me: "It's Lent, don't dare! Just
wait and see, you'll break your leg!"
Fear comes over me. I look at the Crucifixion. He suffers, the Son of God!
But how is it that God... how did He allow it? I have a sense that herein lies the
great mystery itself--GOD.
(Translated from Russian by Maria Belaeff)
4
Service & Events Schedule for March and
the Beginning of April 2011
3/3 – Thursday 7-9 PM Choir Rehearsal
3/4 – Friday 7 PM Meeting of the St. Joseph the Patriarch Young Adults at the
Rectory – Pizza party and the last meeting before Great Lent – The next meeting
will be on the evening of Bright Friday, April 29th
3/5 – Saturday 5:00 PM Evening Vigil
3/6 – Sunday 9:40 AM Hours & Divine Liturgy – Forgiveness Sunday,
Commemoration of the Casting Out of Adam from Paradise (Cheesefare Sunday) –
Today, our agape meal consists of Bliny, or Russian-style crepes with the
appropriate trimmings – Please generously donate for the luncheon in support of
the needs of the parish – After the agape meal and Sunday school, weather
permitting, a prayer service will be held at the St. Joseph’s Chapel
3/6 – Sunday 6:30 PM First Vespers of the Great Fast, called Forgiveness
Vespers – In this service, the faithful gather to ask forgiveness of one another to
properly prepare for a holy observance of the fast.
3/7 – Monday 6:30 PM Great Compline with the Reading of a portion of the
Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete – The morning of this day is the beginning of
the Great Fast
3/8 – Tuesday 6:30 PM Great Compline with the Reading of a portion of the
Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete
3/9 – Wednesday 6:30 PM Great Compline with the Reading of a portion of the
Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete
3/10 – Thursday 6:30 PM Great Compline with the Reading of a portion of the
Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete – a brief choir rehearsal follows the service
3/11 – Friday 6:30 PM Matins & First Hour
3/12 – Saturday 8:40 AM Hours & Divine Liturgy – the First Saturday of Great
Lent – The 1st and 2nd findings of the Head of St. John the Baptist Holy Great
Martyr Theodore the Recruit
3/12 – Saturday 5:00 PM Evening Vigil
Please Note! – The clocks should be changed to reflect Daylight Savings time
this night – We lose an hour from our night!
5
3/13 – Sunday 9:40 AM Hours & Divine Liturgy of St. Basil – The First Sunday
of Great Lent – the Sunday of Orthodoxy – Immediately following Liturgy will be
the Moleben for the Conversion of Those in Error – After the agape meal and
Sunday school, weather permitting, a prayer service will be held at the St.
Joseph’s Chapel
3/15 Wednesday is when Metropolitan Hilarion is scheduled for knee surgery –
Please keep our dear Vladyka in your prayers
3/16 – Wednesday 6:30 PM Ninth Hour & Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified
Gifts
3/17 – Thursday 7-9 PM Choir Rehearsal
3/18 – Friday 6:30 PM Matins & First Hour – The names of all the faithful
departed whom the parishioners commemorate are read at Matins
3/19 – Saturday 8:40 AM Hours & Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom –
Commemoration of the Departed – Kolyva will be blessed and served after the end
of the service
3/19 – Saturday 5:00 PM Evening Vigil
3/20 – Sunday 9:40 AM Hours & Divine Liturgy of St. Basil – The Second
Sunday of Great Lent and St. Gregory Palamas – After the agape meal and Sunday
school, weather permitting, a prayer service will be held at the St. Joseph’s
Chapel
3/22 – Tuesday 6:30 PM Ninth Hour & Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
– The Holy Forty Martyrs of Sebaste
3/24 – Thursday 7-9 PM Choir Rehearsal
Wednesday, 3/23, through Friday, 3/25, the Lenten Pastoral Conference of the
Eastern American Diocese will be held at St. John the Baptist Cathedral in
Washington, D.C. – Father George and Father Deacon Damian will be in
attendance – please remember the pastors during this meeting
3/26 – Saturday 5:00 PM Evening Vigil with the Bringing out of the Holy Cross
3/27 – Sunday 9:40 AM Hours & Divine Liturgy of St. Basil – The third Sunday
of Great Lent & the Veneration of the Precious and Life-Creating Cross – After the
agape meal and Sunday school, weather permitting, a prayer service will be held
at the St. Joseph’s Chapel
3/30 – Wednesday 6:30 PM Ninth Hour & Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified
Gifts
3/31 – Thursday 7-9 PM Choir Rehearsal
6
4/1 – Friday 6:30 PM Matins & First Hour – The names of all the faithful
departed whom the parishioners commemorate are read at Matins
4/2 – Saturday 8:40 AM Hours & Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom –
Commemoration of the Departed – Kolyva will be blessed and served after the end
of the service
4/2 – Saturday 5:00 PM Evening Vigil
4/3 – Sunday 9:40 AM Hours & Divine Liturgy of St. Basil – The Fourth Sunday
of Great Lent and St. John of the Ladder – After the agape meal and Sunday
school, weather permitting, a prayer service will be held at the St. Joseph’s
Chapel
7
Announcements for March 2011
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit
the fatherless and widows in their affliction….
Our parishioner, Olga Prisekin, has lost a lot of her eyesight and her hearing. She
would be grateful for help with grocery shopping at one of her favorite stores,
either MOM’s or Trader Joe’s. If you would like to help Mrs. Prisekin by driving
her to the store, the best way to let her know would be to tell her at church. It’s
easier to communicate with her by writing things down on paper; phone calls are
difficult. She is a resident of the Riderwood retirement community between the
Calverton shopping center and Cherry Hill road.
Betty Chisholm also lives in Riderwood. She had a recent fall that makes it not now
possible for her to come to church. She has been with our parish since the
beginning, right after she and Don moved into Riderwood. She would love a call or
a visit.
Another Riderwood resident is Dorothy Dague who would also welcome visitors.
If you have a bit of extra time and would like to pay them a visit, give them a call!
For more information please ask Matushka Deborah.
Books for Spiritual Growth (great for gifts too!)
These books are for sale in our bookstore and should be a part of every Orthodox
Christian’s library.
Father Seraphim Rose, His Life and Works by Abbot Damascene
Confession, the Holy Mystery of Repentance by Father John Townsend
Orthodox Dogmatic Theology by Father Michael Pomazansky
Facing Islam, by Ralph Sidway, is a primer for Christians on the faith of
Mohammed and the challenges that are rising in our own time from this ancient
enemy of Christ and His Church
Bright Faith by Father Artemy Vladimirov: Talks with Western Orthodox
Christians – Here is a quote from the book:
“For Christians, the miracle of all time is the Holy Liturgy, and the Church itself is
the first circle of paradise, heaven on earth. No matter what our circumstances, our
hearts should be at peace because God Almighty, our Savior Jesus Christ, is with us
as He promised, to the end of the world. The darker the world and the crueler its
habits, the lighter is the Church with its celestial laws and rules, warmed by Christ’s
life and love. The weaker we feel ourselves, the swifter we are to run to the Church.
If we have true faith and a sense of kinship with the saints, who are our
intercessors and elder brothers and sisters, we need have no fear of being misled, of
falling into delusion or “prelest.” Whether we are confessors or parishioners,
bishops or laymen, we are to have strong hope, a sober mind, and a peaceful heart,
walking in the light of Almighty God’s wisdom and love.”
We have other books for sale and you can also borrow books from our library.
Please take advantage of this opportunity for spiritual help and learning.
8
Purchase of Books, Candles, Prosphora and Other Items
Please remember when buying anything from the church to record the item name,
quantity, and $ amount on the columned paper at the candle stand. Also indicate
your purchase on the “for” or memo line of a check, or on a slip of paper with your
name attached to cash and leave your check or cash in the wicker basket. By so
doing, you will make possible a correct accounting by our treasurer.
Our Choir
Our choir, as you can hear, is very effective, but small, and new members are
always welcome, particularly women singers. If you can sing and would like to
participate, please speak with our choir director, Reader Christopher Johnson. The
ability to read music is also very helpful, but not required. Rehearsals are held on
Thursday evenings from 7 to 9 (see the schedule), and attendance at them is
required (which is directly related to the choir’s effectiveness).
St. Juliana Sisterhood
Our Sisterhood, under the protection of St. Juliana of Lazarevo, always welcomes
new members. Any Orthodox Christian woman who is a member of the parish (see
below in “Good Stewards, Good Neighbors”), and is a regular communicant is
invited to be a part of the Sisterhood. Annual Sisterhood dues are $10.00 (not to
be confused with parish membership pledges). The Sisterhood undertakes various
projects for the support of the parish. To join, please obtain a membership form at
the candle stand, fill it out and turn it in with the dues to Matushka Anastasia, the
Sisterhood treasurer.
Our Sunday School
These classes are available for the 2010-2011 year:
1) 3 to 6 years old, taught by Sophia Blahut
2) From 7 to 9 years old, also taught by Sophia Blahut – The pre-k through k
and first through second grade classes will be working together this year –
The two classes will share materials and class area, and separate to do age
appropriate activities while doing prayer time and the occasional game or
project together
3) From 10 to 12 years old (no students in this age bracket at this time)
4) From 13 to 15 years old (no students in this age bracket at this time)
5) From 16 to 18 years old, taught by Reader Christopher Johnson – The class
for older teens will be a study of the scripture readings for the day – Each
student will be required to make at least one observation or ask a question
relating to the readings, followed by discussion
6) Adult Catechesis by Father George and Father Damian Dantinne – Various
subjects according to need
Church Cleaning & Flowers
Friday is cleaning day & we adorn the church with donated flowers, whenever
possible. A couple of dedicated souls are working at this and could use additional
help. If you would like to donate flowers or if you would like to enter the decoration
9
and cleaning rotation with through your time and effort, please contact Mariya
(313.618.7646) or Claire (301.807.8495 or [email protected]).
Holy Apostles Chariots
We are blessed to have many Orthodox people in the community who are
interested in attending our services. A few are unable to bring themselves to the
services. If you need a ride or if you can offer a ride please contact Kyrill Shillenn
(301.989.0748) to coordinate.
Confession
It is right and good that we should want to receive Holy Communion and prepare
for it through repentance and confession. The best time for this is on Saturday
evening, not only because there is plenty of time, but because attendance at
Saturday evening Vigil is a traditional part of preparation. If, however, because of
distance or other considerations (pre-arranged with Father George), it is
necessary to confess on Sunday morning before the Liturgy, we should arrive at
church for this purpose no later than 9:00 AM. Also, it is necessary if one is
unable to attend vigil, that Saturday evening be spent quietly and prayerfully,
preparing for confession and reading the pre-Communion prayers. As Orthodox
Christians, we should do our best to preserve the traditions of the Church.
St. Joseph the Patriarch Young Adults
Every other Friday evening at 7 PM, people 18 to 35 meet at the rectory for
fellowship and edification. Currently the regulars are preparing for “Orthodoxy
Awareness Week” which will take place in March. Everyone in this age range is
welcomed to this great opportunity to network with other coming-of-age Orthodox
in the comfort and informality of a home setting.
Dressing for Church
While it is important to feel at home in our parish, it is also important to remember
that when we gather for services, we are here for prayer and the worship of God. In
this light, there are traditional customs of dress that should be observed. No one
who is not a small child should wear shorts. Girls and women should wear head
coverings and skirts. Shirts and blouses should cover the shoulders. Any revealing
and borderline-modest clothing is not appropriate. Slogans should not appear on
apparel. A Church service is neither the time nor the place for advertisement or
self-promotion.
Good Stewards, Good Neighbors – Membership at Holy Apostles – A
standard element of the Orthodox Christian life is membership in an Orthodox
parish. Parish membership is the way to demonstrate the seriousness of our
commitment to maintain not only our individual or household Orthodox life, but to
maintain our mutual Orthodox life as a parish community, or, as the Holy Apostle
puts it, to “bear… one another’s burdens.” By committing to keeping the parish
supplied and in place, we are instruments of God’s providence. At the same time
that we give of our substance, we provide the proper circumstances to supply each
10
other’s spiritual needs.
If you regularly attend services, please consider also that being one of the living
stones that St. Peter speaks of entails material contribution. We read in the Acts of
the Holy Apostles, that time when the spiritual temperature of the new-born
Church was at its height, that the members gave very generously of their substance,
in fact, they gave everything. While we do not live in their circumstances and are
not now called upon to pool everything for the sake of physical survival, we do live
in a time of spiritual incoherence and great hostility to the Faith.
We each need, therefore, to do all we can to secure, maintain and grow our parish
so that it may continue to serve as a harbor for those who seek spiritual peace and
refuge from the stormy sea of this life.
A good foundation for giving is 10% of income. Some of us are doing this already.
Those who so give can testify that God takes care of such benefactors. First of all,
they are remembered in prayer at every Divine Service. Let all who read this be
stimulated to become one among the choir of benefactors. To become a member of
the parish, please see our Treasurer, Dorothy Johnson.
Save These Dates!
July 16-17, 2011 – our 10th Anniversary Parish Weekend
God willing, our Diocesan Bishop, Metropolitan Hilarion, will be in attendance,
and he has blessed also the attendance of the Myrrh-Streaming Iveron Icon of
Hawaii. We have made airline reservations for the steward, Reader Nectarios, to
bring the icon for our parish weekend.
We have also arranged for the Icon to visit three other churches: Holy Trinity in
Baltimore (MP), St. John’s in Washington, and Holy Cross in Linthicum (Antioch).
We are sure that these other parishes will share in the costs, but we should all do
our part because of the inestimable blessings given to us. Any donation to defray
the costs of the Metropolitan’s visitation and the Icon’s journey will place the donor
among the church’s benefactors who are perpetually prayed for.
11