St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church

Yes Lord, look down from Your holy swelling place and bless all these animals, as you blessed the flock of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and of all Your faithful servants. Multiply them, grant them health, strength and productivity; render them robust and successful in the various services which they render so that their owners, having derived abundant benefits from them, may engage in all good works which are pleasing to You, and may glorify on earth Your Holy Name, of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Excerpt from the Prayer of St. Modestos

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I trust and pray you are well and are enjoying this busy and blessed season in preparation for the Nativity of the Incarnate Logos – the Birth of Christ. As you receive this message, you will notice that there are several attachments. Each one of them represents important activities, programs, opportunities and services. To be sure, there is a flurry of activity taking place now and in the coming days.

Please take the time to thoroughly read through your Bulletin and the attached fliers. They all serve a purpose.

However, I would like to call your attention to this Saturday’s service; our annual St. Modestos Pet Blessing.

No doubt, this is not the most critically important service in our liturgical calendar. But make no mistake, it is important. St. Modestos was not an obscure, historical figure from an insignificant place, in a by-gone time. He was the Patriarch of Jerusalem and a highly respected and beloved hierarch of the Church. He came to be known as the Patron Saint of Animals, not so much for a dedication to the environment, but rather through pastoral concern for his flock. As they attended to, well, their flocks. Or their herds, or their heads of cattle.

Living in an agricultural society, St. Modestos understood that people’s livelihood and security revolved around the care and health of their animals. He understood that Christ sanctifies all of creation and the relationship between human kind and the irrational beasts helps to refine our stewardship for the world entrusted to us.

We have a responsibility to respect, care for, protect and yes, even pray for the well-being of all God’s creatures. We are all placed upon this earth to live in harmony and tend to the delicate balance that is natural life. 
That is not to say, that our own household pets are excluded from such prayers. Our pets are members of our families. They bring us joy, they avail us the opportunity to bear responsibility and they bring out the best in our humanity.

Service animals, police animals, rescue animals and comfort animals do their jobs – just the same as you and me. They undergo training, are subject to testing and are formally under review – just like many of us at work. We pray for their health and abilities to keep us safe, peaceful and secure.

This Saturday at 2:00 pm in the church parking lot, we will come together and pray for our pets. As cute as the gathering may be (and it is extremely cute) it is still a legitimate prayer service. I did not author the prayers or make up the words. It’s in my Priest’s Service Book. It is an opportunity to thank God for the blessings He bestows upon us, the creative ways in which He brings us joy, and the celebration of companionship and family.

Even if you don’t have a cat or a dog…or a fish or a gerbil or a lizard,…feel free to join us for a lovely afternoon.

I also ask that you bring a monetary donation that will be sent to the Humane Society of Utah in support of their precious work.

I look forward to seeing you in front of the fire hydrant on Saturday morning.

With Love in Christ,

Fr. Anthony

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