St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I pray you a blessed Feast of St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra in Lycia the Wonder Worker, tomorrow, December 6th! Many Years! Chronia Polla to all who celebrate!The Orthros begins at 8:00 am followed by the Divine Liturgy at 9:00 am.

His Eminence Metropolitan Isaiah will be with us this Sunday, to celebrate in anticipation of the Feast of the Conception of the Theotokos by St. Anna.
Sunday Evening, December 8th at 7:00 pm we will celebrate Great Vespers for the Feast of the Conception of the Theotokos by St. Anna.
Monday Morning, December 9th we will celebrate the Feast of the Conception of the Theotokos by St. Anna.

Please refer to the following graphic which illustrates our Holiday Schedule for 2019-2020.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As we begin preparations for the Thanksgiving Holiday, I want to express my gratitude to the Lord and to you, for the blessing and humbling honor to serve as your priest. Our community was founded expressly so people could worship in peace, in a language understood by all, in an atmosphere of joy, with a burning love for the Savior and the Traditions of our holy Orthodox Christian Faith. We started out humble in every way: small numbers, retrofitted space, creating and doing as we went along. In many ways, thankfully, our present reality is not that much different.

No doubt, we have grown and we continue to reach out in an effort to share our Faith and parish. We are entering into our own space. Some might say that our building is not an “authentic” Orthodox church because it will be a remolded, existing building. Please, never allow yourselves to be brought down by such comments, or fall into them yourselves. When we move in, it will be every bit an authentic Orthodox church because Orthodox Christians worship there. We have worked very hard and sacrificed much to accomplish what’s been done in five, short years. The blessings that have been bestowed upon us are nothing short of miraculous.

So, by God’s grace, how did we get here? How do we find ourselves in the position of entering into our own worship space, fellowship space and outdoor space in the heart of a beautiful city?

Perhaps there is no blue print, formula, or road map that will tell us the exact reasons, but I believe it all begins as people walk up the long stairway to the church. Though we are in rented space, the kind folks at St. Thomas More allow us to put signs on the doors that lead up to the church. We have an identity and once entering that door, we climb. We ascend. We trek up those stairs with a goal in mind: to encounter God. We find Him in the smiling faces of fellow parishioners. We find Him through the bloodless sacrifice that is the Eucharist. We find Him in the prayers, hymns, and postures of worship.

Once we climb those stairs and enter into the sanctuary, our experience is collective in every way.

As stated before, on Sundays, we worship completely in English. There are people from a myriad of cultural backgrounds within the walls of our church, but a common language unifies us. No particular group is exalted and none are put down. We are all children in the eyes of God and I am thankful for all of us who enter our doors.

As we worship, we stand. It sort of just worked out that way, even though those, comfortable, padded chairs are always readily available to sit and relax. But worshipping is not relaxing. We stand because we sing. We sing because our parish was established by kind people who wanted to make sure we are all engaged and participating. No doubt, the choir, week, by week, is adding layers and depth to their glorious gift of liturgical song.

But I encourage you all to continue the practice of opening your hymnal and joining their chorus of prayerful voices. However, remember the chairs are there and can be used at appropriate times as we are accustomed. If you are singing with the choir, its hard to chant in a chair.

I’m sure you have also noticed (especially while standing) that I’ve been adding in the inaudible prayers of the Divine Liturgy during Sunday worship. If we are to be an educated, complete and mature community of faith, we need to participate at the deepest levels the entirety of the Liturgy. Gone are the days when those prayers are read silently and mystically. Most parts of the Liturgy that we hear are actually the final expressions of those silent prayers. When we hear the service in full, we become more actively engaged and one with the sacred experience.

Please also be reminded that our practice is to never pass trays during or after worship. We prayerfully count on an active life of Stewardship to sustain our needs. This Sunday, we will bless our collective Stewardship offering. We won’t be blessing dollars or checks, but rather the sacrificial dedication of the People of God. In as much, please bring your pledge card this Sunday, or fill one out on our website so that your offering can be included in our prayer of offering.

So you see, I believe the efforts, blessings, direction and vision of our parish begins and ends with our God who acknowledges faithful people who climb a bunch of stairs and put forth an effort to glorify Him. Soon enough, those stairs will disappear from our pattern of worship.

But don’t worry. There is plenty of work waiting for us around the corner.

With Much Love in Christ, 

Fr. Anthony

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Yesterday, once again, a fatal shooting rang out in an American high school.

I know the area around Saugus High School very well. My son played football against its rival schools. I am seeing in my mind’s eye the myriad of Santa Clarita residents who have been a significant part of my family’s life and represent much joy to my heart, for I was with them for a decade.

And still, once again, I directly know a family who’s child was affected. Yesterday morning, good friend, former parishioner and fellow youth worker received a text from her son, telling his mother that he loves her and does not know what to expect since they were in an active shooter situation, and he heard the gunshots.

Could you imagine receiving such a text from your child?

She was blessed, as her son came home without physical harm. Seven children, however, did not come home. And as my friend said, of the seven children who did not come home, “two are with Jesus.”

I am saddened, sickened and heartbroken about the state of the world in which our children live, as they go to school. In my short ministry, no less than two of my former GOYANs and students have been in a firing line just by being at the wrong place at the wrong time. But really, school should always be the right place at any time. Without question.

My dearly beloved, please, please, pray. Pray for the end of violence. Pray for the calming of anger. Pray for the dawning of peace. Pray for the comfort of souls. Pray for the health of the mind. Pray that guns, or any other weapon, are found in the hands of children who are determined to inflict death upon themselves or others. Pray. Pray. Pray.

As I said the last time this happened to someone I know, this is not a soapbox or a political statement. Please do not loose sight of my message because you may be offended that I am railing against gun violence. But prayers and thoughts must turn into plans and actions. Our children deserve the opportunity to walk through the hallways and courtyards of their schools free of gunfire and bloodshed. Our children deserve so much more.

When will we respond to their plea?

I told my friend that we will pray for her son and his friends at our GOYA Lock-In tomorrow evening. We will chant the Paraklesis to the Theotokos by candlelight. We will secured by the presence of God and be under the protection of the Theotokos. May our children…may everyone’s child, ever find themselves under the canvas of her protection. Always. And everywhere.

Lord Have Mercy. Lord Have Mercy. Lord Have Mercy.