Month: March 2024

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Thank you to all who faithfully and enthusiastically participated in our Parish Lenten Retreat. Last evening’s Salutations Service and Dr. Jeannie’s presentation were inspiring and incredibly thought provoking. She reminded us of the rich spiritual heritage that we have received, and our great responsibility to share, preserve and celebrate it. The Orthodox Church is the unapologetic ancient, unaltered, and Apostolic Church of Christ. Live it! 

Among the usual stack of attached flyers which come with the Weekly Bulletin, I am including an encyclical from His Eminence Metropolitan Nathaniel of Chicago. His Eminence has been named the Locum Tenens of the Metropolis of Denver until such time that a new Metropolitan is elected and enthroned. What does “locum tenens” mean? For those of you who’s Latin is a bit rusty, the term literally means “to hold the place of.” The Holy Eparchial Synod of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, headed by Archbishop Elpidophoros gave the temporary responsibility of our Metropolis’ daily administration to Metropolitan Nathaniel. Therefore, he will now be commemorated in all divine services for the time being. 

We are told that the same Synod is preparing their list of three names of worthy candidates for the office of the Metropolitan of Denver, to be sent to His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. There the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate will vote for our future hierarch from those names given to them. Let us pray that the Holy Spirit will guide, bless, and inspire the process.

I pray that your Lenten journey continues to be fruitful and yield much spiritual joy. No doubt, participation in the Lenten Services, individual prayer and readings, meditation upon Holy Scripture, kind and generous giving, and an overall sense of love and appreciation for Christ will propel you to the joy of the Resurrection in the coming weeks. 

Please know that I will be gone for the entirety of next week, until Friday evening’s Salutations Service. I will be traveling to Denver with my family.

Enjoy a peaceful and lovely evening.

With Love in Christ,

Fr. Anthony Savas
Protopresbyter

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This evening, we will begin our long-anticipated journey into Great Lent. We will carve out time in the course of our daily lives and dedicate ourselves to a greater appreciation for Christ’s ministry unto us. We will walk with our Lord in preparation for His passion, suffering, crucifixion, removal from the cross, His burial, and finally, His resurrection. Are you ready to walk this path? Are you prepared to enter into a more substantial and rigorous life of prayer? Are you eagerly anticipating the redemptive acts of our Savior? Are you ready to begin the Fast?

Partnered with our individual acts of prayer, fasting and giving of alms, the Church invites us to participate in the multitude of services that take place only this time of year. Following is a brief synopsis of what you can expect. Please take every opportunity to be with us, enjoying the blessings of our new worship space, and to come together as a community in prayer. 

SUNDAY EVENING GREAT VESPERS OF FORGIVENESS

This service takes place only once. It is the literal transition from pre-Lenten preparations to the actual throws of the season. We are steeped in the necessities of seeking and offering forgiveness for any offense against us, or for any transgression against our brothers and sisters. The service is a solemn and beautiful gateway to the days and weeks ahead. Great Vespers concludes with the opportunity to ask the forgiveness of all in attendance. 

Key Hymn: As the vestments in the church change from celebratory gold to penitential purple;

“Turn not Your face from your child, for I am afflicted; hear me speedily. Give heed to my soul and redeem it.” 

GREAT COMPLINE

Great Compline is a somber service or repentance. It encourages us to turn away from worldly things toward God our Savior. Specifically, it is a service of prayer before sleep, so it includes prayers asking for God’s protection as we approach the end of the day and the coming of darkness upon us. This service is offered weekly on Monday evenings during the five weeks of Great Lent. It puts us in a frame of mind that we require His loving protection from the temptations that tear us away from His loving embrace.

Key Hymn: “Lord of the Powers, be with us. For in times of distress, we have no other help but You. Lord of the Powers, be with us.” 

THE DIVINE LITURGY OF PRESANCTIFIED GIFTS

Also simply known as the Presanctified Liturgy, this unique and lovely service is celebrated weekly on Wednesday evenings. It is also accompanied by a potluck dinner and lecture from various speakers from both within and from outside our parish. Unlike the Divine Liturgy which is a celebration, this service is somber, reflective, penitential and weighty. An additional Lamb (consecrated Body of Christ for Communion) is prepared during Sunday Liturgies before each Presanctified Liturgy (thus the name, “presanctified”). Offering the Eucharist in this unique way reminds us that the weekdays of Lent are steeped in humility and the process of repentance. The service is partly Vespers with additional elements of the Liturgy. Though the Presanctified Liturgy is defined by a dignified stillness, it is still one of the most dynamic services of the Church.

Key Hymn: Psalm 140 “Let my prayer arise as incense and let the lifting of my hands be an evening sacrifice.”

SALUTATIONS TO THE THEOTOKOS AND THE AKATHIS HYMN

These services, chanted on the first four Friday evenings of Great Lent, are actually portions of the full prayer (The Akathist Hymn) that is chanted in its entirety on the fifth Friday of the Fast. It is a joyful poem, or cannon of hymns dedicated to the Theotokos and her unrepeated ministry in the world, and her proximity to Jesus Christ. We are continually reminded that her intercessions are important, comforting and peaceful. Portions of the Great Compline are also included in this service, reminding us that we are still in the season of Lent.

Key Hymn:

“O Champion Leader, I your City now inscribe to you triumphant anthems as the tokens of my gratitude, being rescued from the terrors, O Theotokos. Inasmuch as you have powers unassailable, from all kinds of dangers free me, so that unto you, I may cry aloud, Hail, O unwedded Bride.”

My dearly and much beloved in the Lord, please take the time to be active and prayerful participants in these divine prayer services. You will be richly and spiritually inspired to continue the course of the Fast and emerge victoriously at the end. 

With Much Love Christ,

Fr. Anthony Savas
Protopresbyter

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Tomorrow’s Gospel reading is Matthew 25:31-46, the parable of the Last Judgment. It reminds us that while trusting in Christ’s love and mercy, we must not forget His righteous judgment when He comes again in glory. If our hearts remain hardened and unrepentant, we should not expect the Lord to overlook our transgressions simply because He is a good and loving God. Although He does not desire the death of a sinner, He also expects us to turn from our wickedness and live (Ezek. 33:11).

The time for repentance and forgiveness is now, in the present life. At the Second Coming, Christ will appear as the righteous Judge, “Who will render to every man according to his deeds” (Rom. 2:6). Then the time for entreating God’s mercy and forgiveness will have passed.

As Father Alexander Schmemann reminds us in his book Great Lent (Ch. 1:4), sin is the absence of love, it is separation and isolation. When Christ comes to judge the world, His criterion for judgment will be love. Christian love entails seeing Christ in other people, our family, our friends, and everyone else we may encounter in our lives. We shall be judged on whether we have loved, or not loved, our neighbor. We show Christian love when we feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit those who are sick or in prison. If we did such things for the least of Christ’s brethren, then we also did them for Christ (Mt.25:40). If we did not do such things for the least of the brethren, neither did we do them for Christ (Mt.25:45).

As tomorrow is the third week of the Triodion (pre-Lenten) Period, it is the last day for eating meat and meat products until Pascha, though eggs and dairy products are permitted every day during the coming week. This practice of limited fasting prepares us gradually for the more intense fasting of Great Lent. For all of you who are new to the Church, please take the time to discuss your Lenten goals, fears, and expectations with me. Send an email, send a text, or give me a call.

Great Lent is a time of spiritual strengthening, healing and revitalization. It is not meant to be a time of frustration, rejection and obligatory practices. Everyone of us comes to this time of year equipped with differing experiences and time spent in this kind of sacred preparations. The important thing is that we dedicate this time to our relationship with God. 

Great Lent will begin next Sunday evening with the celebration of Great Vespers of Forgiveness. The church will turn the page from pre-Lenten lessons and practices and head straight into the beauty of the Great Fast. May it be fruitful and edifying.

With Love in Christ,

Fr. Anthony Savas
Protopresbyter

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Next Saturday Morning, March 9th, and for the following two Saturdays, we will gather in the church for what have been collectively known as the “Saturday of the Souls” Liturgies. Technically, only the first of the three are specifically dedicated to the memories of our departed in Christ. The other two, are in memory of the Holy Ascetics and the Miracle of the Kollyva by St. Theodore of Tyron. There will be general Memorial Services chanted at all three, and the Faithful are encouraged to make and bring Kollyva (boiled memorial wheat) in honor of their departed loved ones. 

These services are celebrated on the two Saturdays before the beginning of Great Lent, and on the first Saturday once Great Lent has commenced. For the many, many people who are new to Orthodoxy and to St. Anna’s, as well as everyone who needs a prayerful reminder on the importance of Great and Holy Lent, Holy Week, The Crucifixion of Christ and His glorious Resurrection, you need only look to the divine services, appointed readings, ascetical practices and teaching opportunities during these coming, sacred days. 

I have attached this year’s Lenten Schedule of Services as well as the flyer for our parish Lenten Retreat. The Fast begins on March 18th, and though that may seem far away, it is literally just around the corner. The schedule of speakers and host ministries of our Wednesday Evening Lenten Potluck Dinners and Lectures is nearly complete and I will send that information out shortly. Each of this year’s speakers brings a unique experience, fresh perspective and engaging delivery. You will not want to miss a single one of them.

Seems like each year we have a scheduling discrepancy between the Lenten Schedule and the times printed in the Bulletin Calendar. We will make every effort to make sure there is no confusion or mistake in our communication, but always refer to the Lenten Schedule on the Flyer. You can’t go wrong there. 

This will be the first Lenten Journey in our new worship space. I look forward to every hymn, prayer, reading, and message that will be shared up through our celebration of Pascha. Let us not take a single moment for granted or allow ourselves to be lulled into a spiritual laziness by not attending services. We get our what we put in. And we have every good reason to receive every blessing afforded to us. Get ready. We are set for an amazing journey.

With Love in Christ,

Fr. Anthony Savas

Protopresbyter