St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I look forward to being with you for tomorrow’s services, fellowship, and for our Fall Parish Assembly. The Fall Assembly is the more important of the regularly scheduled parish-wide meetings in that we accept our ministry committee reports, approve the new budget, get important updates and lift up candidates for the Parish Council. 

Going further into next week, please know of a couple differences to our typical liturgical schedule. 

Firstly, the front doors and north door to the church building will be closed all of next week from Monday through Saturday, as the cement floors in the foyer, front hallway, the new narthex and new sanctuary will be resurfaced. This is a messy and smelly process, so next week is a good week to keep away from those areas, given the Thanksgiving Holiday.

For those coming to church on Tuesday, November 21st for the Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos, the west gates will be open, and you are asked to come directly into the church from the south sliding doors. Once again, we ask for your understanding and flexibility during the construction process. We’ve stretched your patience, a break is coming, and we thank you. 

Also, please be aware that beginning with the Feast of the Theotokos, all weekday and Saturday services will return to our former schedule from a few years ago: Orthros at 9:00 am and Divine Liturgy at 10:00 am. Especially during the dark mornings of the winter, I believe this will be an added incentive for greater weekday participation. Let’s test it out next week!

And speaking of next week’s Feast:

The second great feast of the Theotokos is the celebration of her entrance as a child into the Jerusalem Temple (the icon of this Feast adorns the right side of the west wall in the new sanctuary) and like the feast of her nativity, this feast of Mary is without direct biblical reference. But like the nativity, it is a feast filled with important spiritual significance for the Christian believer.

The texts of the service tells how Mary was brought as a small child to the temple by her parents in order to be raised there among the virgins consecrated to the service of the Lord until the time of their betrothal in marriage. According to Church tradition, Mary was solemnly received by the temple community which was headed by the priest Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist. She was led to the holy place to be “nourished” there by the angels in order to become herself the “holy of holies” of God, the living sanctuary and temple of the Divine child who was to be born in her.

There is no doubt that the verses of the Old Testament Psalm 45, used extensively in the services of the feast, provided a great inspiration for the celebration of Mary’s consecration to the service of God in the Jerusalem Temple.

Hear, O Daughter, and consider and incline your ear; forget your people and your father’s house, and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your Lord, bow to him . . .

The princess is decked in her chamber with gold-woven robes, in many-colored robes she is led to her king, with her virgin companions, her escort, in her train.

With joy and gladness they are led along, as they enter the palace of the king.

Instead of your fathers shall be your sons; you will make them princes in all the earth. I will cause your name to be celebrated in all generations, therefore, the peoples will praise you forever and ever.

Ps 45.10–17

The Orthodox Church understands these words of the psalm to be a prophecy directly related to Mary the Theotokos. According to the Gospel of Saint Luke which is read at the Vigil of each of her feasts, Mary herself speaks the following words:

My soul magnifies the Lord and my Spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden. For behold, hence-forth all generations shall call me blessed; for He who is mighty has done great things for me and holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.

Lk 1.47–50

The main theme of the feast of Mary’s entrance to the Temple, repeated many times in the liturgical services, is the fact that she enters the Temple to become herself the living temple of God, thus inaugurating the New Testament in which are fulfilled the prophecies of old that “the dwelling of God is with man” and that the human person is the sole proper dwelling place of the Divine Presence (Ezek 37.27; Jn 14.15–23; Acts 7.47; 2 Cor 6.11; Eph 2.18–22; 1 Pet 2.4; Rev 22.1–4).

Today is the preview of the good will of God, of the preaching of the salvation of mankind. The Virgin appears in the temple of God, in anticipation proclaiming Christ to all. Let us rejoice and sing to her: Rejoice, O Divine Fulfillment of the Creator’s dispensation.

Troparion

The most pure Temple of the Saviour, the precious Chamber and ­Virgin, the Sacred Treasure of the Glory of God, is presented today to the house of the Lord. She brings with her the grace of the Spirit, which the angels of God do praise. Truly this woman is the Abode of Heaven!

Kontakion

The fortieth chapter of Exodus about the building of the tabernacle is read at Vespers, together with passages from the First Book of Kings and the Prophecy of Ezekiel. Each one of these readings all end with exactly the same line, “for the glory of the Lord filled the house [tabernacle] of the Lord God Almighty” (Ex 40.35; 1 Kg 8.11; Ezek 44.4).

Once again on this feast, the Old Testament readings are interpreted as symbols of the Mother of God. This “glory of the Lord” is referred to the Mother of Christ and it “fills” her and all people after her who “hear the word of God and keep it” as the Gospel of the festal liturgy proclaims (Lk 11.37–28). The epistle reading at the Divine Liturgy also proclaims this very same theme (Heb 9.1–7).

Thus, the feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple is the feast which celebrates the end of the physical temple in Jerusalem as the dwelling place of God. When the child Mary enters the temple, the time of the temple comes to an end and the “preview of the good will of God” is shown forth. On this feast we celebrate—in the person of Christ’s mother—that we too are the house and tabernacle of the Lord. (From the OCA)

. . . We are the temple of the living God, as God said, “I will live in them and move among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

2 Cor 6.16; Is 52.11

With Love in Christ,

Fr. Anthony Savas

Protopresbyter

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Though Veterans Day was observed yesterday, today is the official Day. Thank you to those who serve, those who served, and their families for providing the freedoms and security we hold dear. May the Commander of the Lord’s heavenly armies, Archangel Michael keep you safe and forever keep peace here and abroad. Similarly, to last year, I am sending Veterans Day Greetings from our Nation’s Capital, Washington D.C. Enjoy a blessed Liturgy tomorrow and a lovely week ahead. 

Much Love in XC,

Fr. Anthony Savas
Protopresbyter

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Thank you to the many people who came for our prayer service last night, in hopes that God would send His protection and upon the innocent people in the war-torn areas of the Middle East, the Holy Land, and Ukraine. Lord have mercy on them!

As we are rounding into the month of November, please pay special attention to the Liturgical Calendar, for there are many Feasts commemorated in that month – literally from the first day to the last; with several in-between. Celebrating weekday services is a special blessing in our Orthodox tradition and I invite you to avail yourselves of these opportunities for Grace!

Also, please keep in your prayers our shipment of liturgical furnishings that should be leaving the Athenian Port of Piraeus this next week. Our construction schedule is still on track to get us into the new sanctuary by Christmas. Let’s pray that everything coming from Greece will make it across the sea and land, arriving safely at our doorstep.

The iconostasis, iconostasis icons, altar table, bishop’s throne, pulpit, chandeliers, sacrament table, narthex furnishings and lamps will all be the finishing touches that will complete the transformation of our sacred space. As unbelievable as it sounds, we are almost there! Years of prayers, goals, plans, and dreams are materializing right in front of us. I thank you for your prayerful dedication to our Savior, and for the peace and joy, which help define our community. What St. Anna’s has accomplished in a very short amount of time is testament to your faith, your love for one another, and your devotion to the One, Triune God. Glory be to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit!

And as a repeated reminder, we are excited to host our Family Vacation Bible School in November. Children, grades K-5 and invited to come with their parents and siblings to learn about the immediately aforementioned Holy Trinity. This is something new we are trying, so please bring your families and enjoy a wonderful half day of fun and learning. See the attached flyer for more information.  

With Blessings and Gratitude,

Fr. Anthony Savas
Protopresbyter

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I trust and pray you are all well. Congratulations to the community of St. Anna for a parish assembly meeting last Sunday. The two short motions both passed unanimously. We will move forward with the selling of the duplex home that Marios Poulos donated to the St. Anna parish (subject to the blessing of Metropolitan Isaiah) and the proceeds from the sale of the house will be used for the completion of our construction efforts. We will be forever grateful for the many contributors and benefactors of our parish.

Please be aware that we will be celebrating the divine services this Thursday, October 26th for St. Demetrios the Great Martyr and Myhr-Streamer. Orthros will begin at 8:00 am followed by the Divine Liturgy at 9:00 am. Blessings to all who celebrate on that day, including His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, formally the Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. 

Lastly, for families, please plan ahead for something new and exciting. We will be having a one-day Vacation Bible School on Saturday, November 18th from 10 am to 3:00 pm. You may recall that VBS had to be scrapped this past summer due to heightened construction activity. In our desire to postpone, not cancel, we have revamped the program for families. Activities, lessons and discussions will be prepared for all ages, including moms and dads, yiayias and papous! Seriously, this is going to be so much fun! VBS, Yay!

Oh, and Utah just beat USC tonight for the fourth straight year. Yes, that is a spiritual experience. 

Much Love in Christ,

Fr. Anthony Savas
Protopresbyter