Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Christ is Risen!
Truly He is Risen!
What a blessing it is to greet and communicate with you in the absolute joy of the Resurrection. I am so grateful for all of the leaders, volunteers, and brother clergy who worked so hard to bring dignity to our Lenten services, solemnity to our Holy Week experiences, and lavish elation to the commemoration and celebration of Pascha.
Now that things are beginning to normalize a bit, I’d like to call your attention to some important aspects of our worship. Our time together within the holy sanctuary that is our St. Anna church, is our introduction to, and experience of a heavenly eternity. As a people, we are as we worship. I’d like to share some reminders and introduce you to some directives that have come to us from His Eminence Metropolitan Constantine of Denver.
As for the reminders: as you see and experience each and every Sunday, we can get quite crowded. This is a good thing. And the reality is that we do have room for everyone. It just takes some patience and awareness on all our parts.
Whether you are a couple, or a family, please be courteous of fellow worshippers and use only one chair per person. Don’t spread out, save seats or not allow people to take seats around you. Please, move to the center of the church and keep the outside seats available to people who come in after you. It just takes a bit of perception and courtesy to make room for everyone.
Hey, remember that we are “congregational singing church?” We are! Please, I want to hear you all singing out and following along with the choir, especially in the common parts that repeat. We chose our specific hymnal because it makes it possible for people in the congregation to sing along with the choir. Don’t be shy. Sing your praises on high!
I ask this personally. I love the fact that we have so many children, especially babies and toddlers in church. You know I am an absolute advocate for our families worshipping together. Baby sounds and even upset-baby sounds are normal, and within reason, are quite acceptable. But especially during the reading of the Epistle and Gospel, and during the Sermon, please, if your child is getting really fussy and getting very loud, the considerate thing to do is to quietly go into the lobby for a while where you can still hear everything in the overflow space. Come back in when things have quieted down. It is very difficult to concentrate and speak when in competition with a little person who does not know any better and can’t control him or herself.
Hey, another reminder: the andidoro, or blessed bread that we receive, either following Communion or by the hand of the priest as we depart from Liturgy is blessed. There should be no crumbs on the ground following worship. Please, reverently cup it in your hands, consume the blessed bread, and try not to allow any portion of it to fall to the ground. It may be a small gift, but it is not an insignificant one.
More ushering stuff – and maybe I have already, sort of mentioned it. I am working with the ushers to be, and I have to admit, this has been my instruction, to be “pleasantly aggressive.” I know, that sounds worse than my intended desire. When an usher comes to a row with one or a couple of people that need to be seated, and there are seats available on that row, but you are already standing in those spaces, please move to the center of the church, rather than having people feel badly that they showed up and have to climb over you. It really is so much easier to just slide over. We all leave at around the same time anyway.
Please do not let young kids climb in, on or around the Baptismal Font. I am in the process of designing a cover that will go over the top of it, but still, those few stairs can be dangerous. And the adult Baptismal Font is a sacred church object, not a jungle gym. Please be mindful of its intended purpose.
Also, if you see anyone saving spaces, allowing their child to scream or jump off the Baptismal Font, please also refrain from nasty comments or dirty looks. We are all here together, for the glory of God and in celebration of His love for us. Let’s keep it chill. Love on another.
As we are crowded during Sunday worship, if for any reason you need to stand in the back row, please refrain from leaning back against the wall. In the very near future, all walls will be covered with iconography. And it’s not like they aren’t designed to be in an active space. The paint is durable and can stand up to a normal amount of co-existence with people. But leaning back on the sacred images is not normal wear and tear. Let’s be aware of the space around us.
Did I mention you are all invited to sing with the choir? I did? I did. So again, feel free to sing!
Once the Resurrection season has completed, we are accustomed to resume the practice of kneeling at the Epiklesis, or the time of the Liturgy when we call upon the Holy Spirt to descend and transform the bread and wine offering into the Body and Blood of Christ. I will get into the historic and theological reasons at another time. But, His Eminence has instructed us that we will be returning to a more ancient, and yes, the more correct practice of not kneeling in the church on Sundays. Again, I will take the time to educate us all on the practice later on. But for now, please be aware that this is coming. To people more new to the Faith, perhaps you have read about Sunday kneeling. If you are 90 years old and grew up in a Greek Orthodox parish in the United States, chances are, that is the only practice you have ever known. His Eminence desires to bring our Metropolis into unity with best practices and proper traditions.
He has also instructed us to have non-Orthodox worshippers and Catechumens receive blessings as we depart from the Liturgy rather than in lines for Communion. Again, best practices and commonality within the Church.
Please enter the church during worship at the appointed times and follow the instructions of the parish council and ushers in the narthex. Exiting the church sort of goes by the same guidelines, but I understand that needing to leave for a minute is not as predictable and scripted as when we enter. Please, just limit the movement as much as possible for the sake of the focus of fellow worshippers.
Please, my beloved in the Lord, take these requests as they are intended; to make our worship experience as smooth as possible. All to God’s glory. I remain,
With Love in our Risen Lord,
Fr. Anthony Savas
Protopresbyter