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Bulletins

Weekly Bulletin for July 30, 2023

Weekly Bulletin for July 30, 2023

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Weekly Bulletin for July 23, 2023

Weekly Bulletin for July 23, 2023 Vacation Bible School 2023

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Pastoral Letters

Pastoral Message July 16, 2023

Modern Israeli City of Haifa, and the view from Mount Horeb, just below “St. Elias’ Cave” 
Photo Was Taken while descending the mountain on our St. Anna Pilgrimage
 to the Holy Land in 2018

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

During the Month of July, especially toward the end, we have so many opportunities for spiritual blessings. Paramount among them, of course, is the Feast of St. Anna. Our Parish Name Day and the commemoration of her Falling Asleep in the Lord. Also, a great blessing to us is the Feast of St. Elias (in Greek), known as St. Elijah in the Old Testament on July 20th. The Holy Prophet Elijah is one of the greatest of the prophets. He was born in Tishba of Gilead into the Levite tribe 900 years before the Incarnation of the Word of God. And of course, it is the Name Day of our own, Fr. Elias Koucos, and our sister parish of Prophet Elias in Holladay, UT.

Saint Epiphanios of Cyprus gives the following account about the birth of the Prophet Elijah: “When Elijah was born, his father Sobach saw in a vision angels of God around him. They swaddled him with fire and fed him with flames.” The name Elijah (the Lord’s strength) given to the infant defined his whole life. From the years of his youth he dedicated himself to the One God, settled in the wilderness and spent his whole life in strict fasting, meditation and prayer. Called to prophetic service, which put him in conflict with the Israelite king Ahab, the prophet became a fiery zealot of true faith and piety.

During this time the Israelite nation had fallen away from the faith of their Fathers, they abandoned the One God and worshipped pagan idols, the worship of which was introduced by the impious king Jereboam. Jezebel, the wife of king Ahab, was devoted to idol worship. She persuaded her husband to build a temple to the pagan god Baal, which led many Israelites away from the worship of the true God. Beholding the ruin of his nation, the Prophet Elijah began to denounce King Ahab for impiety, and exhorted him to repent and turn to the God of Israel. The king would not listen to him. The Prophet Elijah then declared to him, that as punishment there would be neither rain nor dew upon the ground, and the drought would cease only by his prayer. Indeed, the word of Elijah was a torch (Eccles. 48: 1). The heavens were closed for three and a half years, and there was drought and famine throughout all the land.

During this time of tribulation, the Lord sent him to a cave beyond the Jordan. There he was miraculously fed by ravens. When the stream Horath dried up, the Lord sent the Prophet Elijah to Sarephta to a poor widow, a Sidonian Gentile who suffered together with her children, awaiting death by starvation. At the request of the prophet, she prepared him a bread with the last measure of flour and the remainder of the oil. Through the prayer of the Prophet Elijah, flour and oil were not depleted in the home of the widow for the duration of the famine. By the power of his prayer the prophet also performed another miracle: he raised the dead son of the widow.

After the end of three years of drought the Merciful Lord sent the prophet to appear before King Ahab, and promised to send rain upon the earth. The Prophet Elijah told the king to order all of Israel to gather upon Mount Carmel, and also the priests of Baal. When the nation had gathered, the Prophet Elijah proposed that two sacrificial altars be built: one for the priests of Baal, and the other for the Prophet Elijah who served the True God.

The Prophet Elijah told them to call on their gods to consume the sacrificial animals with fire, and he would call on his. Whichever was first to send fire on the sacrifice would be acknowledged as the true God. The prophets of Baal called out to their idol from morning till evening, but the heavens were silent. Towards evening the holy Prophet Elijah built his sacrificial altar from twelve stones, the number of the tribes of Israel. He placed the sacrifice upon the wood, gave orders to dig a ditch around the altar and commanded that the sacrifice and the wood be soaked with water. When the ditch had filled with water, the prophet turned to God in prayer. Through the prayer of the prophet fire came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, and even the water. The people fell down to the ground, crying out: “Truly, the Lord is God!” Then the Prophet Elijah had all the pagan-priests of Baal put to death, and he began to pray for rain. Through his prayer the heavens opened and an abundant rain fell, soaking the parched earth.

King Ahab acknowledged his error and repented of his sins, but his wife Jezebel threatened to kill the prophet of God. The Prophet Elijah fled into the Kingdom of Judea and, grieving over his failure to eradicate idol worship, he asked God to let him die. An angel of the Lord came before him, strengthened him with food and commanded him to go upon a long journey. The Prophet Elijah traveled for forty days and nights and, having arrived at Mount Horeb, he settled in a cave.

The Lord told him that the next day Elijah would stand in His presence. There was a strong wind that crushed the rocks of the mountain, then an earthquake, and a fire, but the Lord was not in them. The Lord was in “a gentle breeze” (3 Kings 19: 12). He revealed to the prophet, that He would preserve seven thousand faithful servants who had not worshipped Baal.

Later, the Lord commanded Elijah to anoint Elisha into prophetic service. Because of his fiery zeal for the Glory of God the Prophet Elijah was taken up alive into Heaven in a fiery chariot. The Prophet Elisha received Elijah’s mantle, and a double portion of his prophetic spirit.

According to the Tradition of Holy Church, the Prophet Elijah will be the Forerunner of the Dread Second Coming of Christ. He will proclaim the truth of Christ, urge all to repentance, and will be slain by the Antichrist. This will be a sign of the end of the world.

The life of the holy Prophet Elijah is recorded in the Old Testament books (3 Kings; 4 Kings; Sirach/Ecclesiasticus 48: 1-15; 1 Maccabees 2: 58). At the time of the Transfiguration, the Prophet Elijah conversed with the Savior upon Mount Tabor (Mt. 17: 3; Mark 9: 4; Luke. 9: 30).

Orthodox Christians of all times, and in all places, have venerated the Prophet Elijah for centuries. 

In iconography the Prophet Elijah is depicted ascending to Heaven in a fiery chariot, surrounded with flames, and harnessed to four winged horses. We pray to him for deliverance from drought, and to ask for seasonable weather.

With Love in XC,

Fr. Anthony Savas
Protopresbyter

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Bulletins

Weekly Bulletin for July 16, 2023

Weekly Bulletin for July 16, 2023 Bishop Constantine Visit, July 2023 Vacation Bible School 2023

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Pastoral Letters

Pastoral Message July 9, 2023

That with an iron stylus and lead, They were engraved in the rock forever.

Job 19:24

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Last week, a man was caught on video carving his and his fiancé’s initials into a wall of the Roman Coliseum. And let’s be totally honest, you who saw this in the news: we all breathed a collective sigh of relief, finding out that he is not American. He’s from England, BTW.

Wow, talk about the ugly tourist – marking up an ancient treasure for his immature and immediate enjoyment. The Italian government did not take such an offense lightly, and they plan on prosecuting to the fullest extent of the law. In his letter of apology, he claimed that he didn’t know The Coliseum was of a historical importance and was embarrassed, after the fact, to learn of its significance. Not a very strong defense, if you ask me. 

“Ivan+Hayley 23” is now there forever. And in a couple thousand years, perhaps it will also be of a historical significance.

I have wonderful news for the good people of the St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church who, like young Ivan, have the desire to write love notes on sacred structures. Except in our case, we won’t call the police, and I’ll even supply the markers!

Starting this Sunday, following the Divine Liturgy, head out to the north parking lot of the church building and sign one of the buttress beams that are going up in the new Sanctuary. These angled beams will support the weight of the building after we remove the front and center post that would be blocking the front of the solea. They will be attached to a new beam in the center of the ceiling and stretch across the nave, connecting to the existing posts in what will be our side aisles. 

Please feel free to write your names, scroll a little prayer, offer your grateful message to our loving God. There is plenty of room on these structures for everyone to share their sentiments. Even though these beams will be covered and finished as part of the church interior, you will always be able to look up and know that your heart-felt message to God is part of the permanent structure of our worship space. 

We will make the beams available to be signed right up until they are ready to be installed; in about ten days or so. Please don’t be disappointed if you are unavailable this weekend. You’ll have ample opportunity to take part in this joyful (and legal) act of graffiti. 

As a reminder, please be aware that we will be hosting our Annual Parish Name Day Picnic a few days early this year, coinciding with the archepastoral visit of His Grace Bishop Constantine of Sassima, the Auxiliary Bishop of the Metropolis of Denver. We will celebrate Saturday Evening Great Vespers on July 22nd at 5:00 pm followed by a fantastic pulled pork BBQ picnic, hosted by Elaine Peterson and her Name Day Picnic Committee. The Hierarchical Divine Liturgy will take place the following day, Sunday the 23rd.

We will STILL celebrate our Name Day Great Vespers on Monday, July 24th at 5:00 pm WITHOUT a picnic and we will STILL celebrate the Dormition of St. Anna Orthros and Divine Liturgy on Tuesday, July 25th. 

Once again, please take the opportunity to write your prayerful message or just sign your name on a structural beam. Make your mark on the forever-history of our church. However, please know that anyone who writes “Ivan+Hayley 23” will be reported to the Sandy Police Department.

With Much Love in XC,

Fr. Anthony Savas
Protopresbyter

Categories
Bulletins

Weekly Bulletin for July 9, 2023

Weekly Bulletin for July 9, 2023 Bishop Constantine Visit, July 2023 2023 Summer Lecture Series

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Bulletins

Weekly Bulletin for July 2, 2023

Weekly Bulletin for July 2, 2023 2023 Summer Lecture Series