Prayers for the Sick and the Traveling

Our sister, Elisabeth Chisholm, continues her recovery. Please keep her in your prayers. God willing, we plan to bring her to church once a month via medical transport. She and Don live at Riderwood Village. Betty is currently staying in the Renaissance Gardens nursing home of Riderwood. She would like to have visitors. You can call her at 301-572-6797.

Continue to remember in prayer Andrew, father of Elizabeth and father-in-law of Edmund Sweet. His recovery from his heart operation is positively progressing. Also, continue to remember in prayer Dyonisia Ryan who has been battling cancer. We received a note from her that her latest reports have been very good. Father George heard her confession, administered Holy Unction and gave her Holy Communion before she started chemotherapy.

John Swenson has been traveling in Spain and Russia and we anticipate his return on the 10th right before the parish feast. Welcome home, John!

A Missionary Visitor – Archbishop Hilarion of Australia and New Zealand recently accepted under his mantle Indonesian converts to Orthodoxy. Archimandrite Father Daniel Byantoro, who can be viewed as an apostle to Indonesia, has been with us several times to tell his story and inspire us in our own work at Holy Apostles. So far, we have scheduled two Monday evenings when he will lead us in a study of St. Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians. He will also give a repeat of his talk that he gave at the rectory in June, The Great Mandate of Evangelism and the Holy Trinity. We look forward to continuing to help him as we can. Let us all respond to this great missionary work of his with generosity. We have also been able to help him to schedule a weekend in Atlanta at St. Mary of Egypt parish. If anyone knows of a church that would like to host Fr. Daniel to speak, please let him or Fr. George know.

Parish Groups and Activities – Holy Apostles welcomes participants in a number of groups and activities. Please see the leader or coordinator listed for more information. Choir – Christopher Johnson, Director Sunday School and other catechesis – Father George Wednesday evening class – Father George St. Joseph the All-Comely Young Adults – Christopher Johnson

In our Bookstore – How to Life a Holy Life, by Metropolitan Gregory of St. Petersburg (1784 – 1860). Here is a sample from this wonderful book. It is the first of 6 instructions on How to Conduct Ourselves when People Praise Us:

“When people praise you, be very circumspect, because then you are in a dangerous situation. Many people do not know the true value of things and of actions, and therefore they value and praise things that in the sight of the Lord God and of sensible people are worth nothing. And because praise is pleasing to our self-esteem and vainglory, and self-esteem and vainglory are gullible, we eagerly accept another’s false praise as true praise, put a halt to seeking perfection, become more imperfect, die unreformed, and perish. Therefore, consider as impartially as possible whether what others praise in you deserves praise from the Lord and from prudent people, because only that which is worthy of praise from the Lord God and from people devoted to Him should be important for us. What does praise from people matter, when we are unworthy of praise from the Lord God?”

Bishop’s Visit Delayed – Unfortunately, Bishop Gabriel of Manhattan, who planned to visit and serve with us the weekend of July 28th and 29th had to cancel. As can be seen from the ROCOR website, his good offices are required in South America. He hopes to be able to come sometime this fall.

Fasting – Wednesdays and Fridays are to be observed as fast days by Orthodox Christians in commemoration of our Lord’s suffering and death. A wall calendar with fasting indications can be gotten at the back of the church for $3. Here is a brief indication of the meaning of the colors and symbols in the calendar.

Days shaded in pink with no other symbol indicate a vegan diet (no animal products permitted except shell fish) and no use of wine (any alcohol) as a beverage or in cooking, and no use of olive oil in cooking or as dressing.

Days shaded in pink with a grape cluster are the same as above regarding animal products, but the use of wine and olive oil is permitted.

Days shaded in pink with a fish are as above, except consumption of vertebrate fish is permitted, along with wine and olive oil. On all other days, we abstain from vertebrate fish, wine and olive oil.

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 9:15. 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. We should do our best to preserve the traditions of our Church and to be considerate of others by not causing a delay in the beginning of Divine Liturgy.

Purchase of Candles, Prosphora and Other Items – Please remember when buying anything from the church to record the item, quantity, and $ amount on the columned paper at the candle stand. Also indicate on the check memo line, or on a slip of paper with your name attached to cash, what a donation is for. You will be helping our Treasurer immensely in his accounting.

Volunteer needed to run the Candlestand. See above…. Please speak to Fr. George if you would like to help out with the candlestand.

Cleaning the church – We are trying a new method of asking folks to help clean every Sunday after the Liturgy. Please volunteer to help out with cleaning the church.

Flower volunteer needed – would you like to help with beautifying the church with flowers? Please let Fr. George know if you are interested.

St. Joseph the All-Comely Young Adults Group – Please contact Christopher Johnson if you would like to find out more about this group which was founded for young adult Orthodox Christians, approximately ages 18-35. The group meets during the agape meal on the last Sunday of each month, and plans other scheduled activities periodically. Recently they sponsored Fr. Daniel Byantoro’s talk, The Great Mandate of Evangelism, and the Holy Trinity.

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 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 great spiritual incoherence and hostility. 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. As has been repeatedly pointed out, 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, Damian Dantinne.

Our Building Fund – we have a building fund. We hope and pray, that one day with God’s help, we will build a beautiful church dedicated to our patron saints, the Holy Apostles, to the glory of God. To this end, we ask that our parishioners and friends keep this prayer in their daily prayers. According to His will, may God grant us to see the day of the dedication of the new church.