St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church

O Theotokos, we shall never be silent.
Of your mighty acts, all we the unworthy;
Had you not stood to intercede for us
Who would have delivered us,
From the numerous perils?
Who would have preserved us all
Until now with our freedom?
O Lady, we shall not depart from you;
For you always save your servants,
From all tribulation.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The above hymn from the Paraklesis Service to the Most Holy Theotokos typifies the entirety of the service. It serves as a reminder that as we glorify Christ, our God, we honor His mother. As we sing praises of gratitude, we include her in our acts of thanksgiving. Our love for her is uncontainable, therefore she is ever on our lips in chanting praises to her. If her prayers on our behalf reach the foot of her Son’s throne, how can they not be heard? She is our fervent intercessor before God. She is our protection. She is our deliverance. Her prayers are offered on hour behalf to the glory of her Son and our God. May she ever be mindful of the predicaments and sufferings of the people. Please find attached, once again the diptych form that you are encouraged to fill out and bring with you to tonight’s ( and all) Paraklesis Service(s).

Most Holy Theotokos Save us!

Please contact me if you are interested in coming to the GOYA Event for August – RSL vs. the Seattle Sounders on August 14th, following Great Vespers for the Dormition of the Theotokos. Tickets are still available.Please read the attached flyer for our Parish-Wide Drive for August. Much-needed items are being collected for those in need. 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

These past two days have been filled with great joy and spiritual satisfaction. As an Orthodox Christian community which carries the name of St. Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, we enjoyed a lovely service of Great Vespers, including the Blessing of the Loaves and the Procession/Veneration of her holy Relic. Then on the morning of the 25th, we celebrated the Divine Liturgy in honor of the Ancestor of Christ; His maternal grandmother. 

For those who participated in these divine services – I am truly appreciative. Thank you for making the Matron Saint of our church a priority in your spiritual lives. 

If for any valid reason, you were unable to come to one of these services in the immediate past, two days, you have yet another opportunity.

On Friday, July 26th at 7:00 pm we will pray the Paraklesis Service to St. Anna at 7:00 pm.

Through her prayers and intercessions, we receive countless blessings. When we gather to pray; honoring her name, and praising Christ, Who is of her very Grandson, we express, in no small terms, our heart-felt gratitude for the impact she has in our lives. If we truly regard her impact and find tender solace in her presence, we will express such thanksgiving through our participation in our liturgical life. Especially when it comes to services for St. Anna.

 Our church should have been filled, at least for Great Vespers on the evening of July 24th. Please, my beloved in the Lord, we can and should do better by her.

As Orthodox Christians, we are a worshipping people. This is my call to worship. 

With Much Love in Christ,

Fr. Anthony

How good and pleasant it is
    when God’s people live together in unity!
It is like precious oil poured on the head,
    running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
    down on the collar of his robe.
It is as if the dew of Hermon
    were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing,
    even life forevermore.

Psalm 133:1-3

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Indeed! Fellowship in His Name is the greatest opportunity for coming together as a parish family. As our parish of St. Anna’s is soon to celebrate our Five Year Anniversary, we must look to every opportunity, as the Psalmist proclaims, to receive the Lord’s blessings through our sacred fellowship. We are a community established in Christ, grounded in His Church, obedient to Sacred Tradition, interceded for by the Saints and engaged in a blessed & sacred relationship with the Theotokos, and especially her mother, our Matron St. Anna. As is continually evident, our St. Anna offers her prayers unto the Lord for the direction, sustenance, mission, success, direction, motivation and purpose of our parish.

We are the subject of her prayers!

We are a product of her prayers! 

We are an answer to her prayers!

In honor of our great Matron Saint Anna, who through Christ, has blessed our community, delivered to us her precious relic, has identified a proper space to establish our church, and continues to direct our path, we will come together in these next several days to commemorate her precious Fest of the Dormition of St. Anna – our parish Name Day. Let the Festivities begin:

Sunday, July 21st at 3:00 pm

Annual Name Day Picnic
At our New Church Location – 9201 South 1300 East Sandy, Utah.

Chaired by Elaine Peterson and hosted by the Men’s Ministry Team, this is our opportunity to come together, have an amazing time, get an outdoor feel for our new grounds, enjoy delectable cooking, watch our kids have fun, dance to the music of Chris Dokos (no, I will not be playing this time) and most importantly, engage in fellowship. I hope and pray that you are planning on coming. This should be our biggest picnic celebration of our five years – on our new property!!!

Wednesday, July 24th at 5:00 pm

Great Vespers for the Dormition of St. Anna

Included in our state-holiday-family-traditions, should be our attending Great Vespers for our Parish Feast. Wednesday evening services are scheduled late enough in the day as to not compete with your time at the park, and early enough in the evening to not compete with your evening BBQs & fireworks. We will gather together to pray Vespers as we lift up and venerate her holy Relic. We will be joined by visiting clergy and parishioners from area communities. Please don’t miss out!

Thursday, July 25th at 9:30 am and 10:30 am

The Feast Day of St. Anna’s! Please join us for the Orthros at 9:30 am followed by the Divine Liturgy. The Women’s Ministry Team has put together a simple, yet appropriate fellowship gathering following services. The Name Day of our parish affords us the opportunity to once again, gather in blessed fellowship; united under the banner of St. Anna’s Dormition – her falling asleep in the hope of the Resurrection of which her maternal Grandson provides! Please, be with us for the Divine Services of our parish Feast.

As a special blessing and surprise, I would like to inform you that our latest icon has arrived from Brasov, Romania; completed by the hand of our iconographer Andreea Ioana Bagiu. This latest contribution to the spiritual life of our parish, the icon of St. Anna Praying in her Garden, will be available this Sunday for veneration, before it is framed and placed on the wall above her altar shrine. Andreea has been most generous with her time and gifts to the glory of God and for the benefit of our community. I am ever thankful that she continues to provide our parish with hand-written iconography filled with God’s grace and infused with her love and tenderness for Christ and His Church.

Many, many people have worked so hard to make all of these events possible. Please take the time out of your busy summer plans and give thanks to the maternal influence that protects and inspires us. To be a church of St. Anna, the mother of the Theotokos, is indeed a blessing and an honor. As we gratefully acknowledge her prayers and intercessions she brings to Christ on our behalf, let us do so by coming together for the sacred services and fellowship opportunities that are provided in her name.

St. Anna Pray for Us!

With Much Love in Christ,

Fr. Anthony Savas

We will be promoting our 2019 Vacation Bible School during this Sunday’s Activities. Register your children. Volunteer to help. Please take part in this essential ministry, dedicated to our children’s love for the Lord, the Scriptures and His Church.