St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As we take our first steps; entering into the most solemn of Orthodox spiritual experiences, that is Holy Week, then turning to most celebratory of any, possible experience, that is the joy of the Resurrection, I pray that we, as a Christian community and family, will share in each of these realities together.

I pray that your Lenten walk has been productive, challenging, fruitful and reflective. If it has not, let your Holy Week be all of these things – and more!

Come to the divine services of the Church. Immerse yourselves in the salvific history of God’s redemptive plan. He now puts it into action, fully and completely. His Son is the Sacrificial Lamb. We are the recipients of His unyielding generosity and forbearing love. We may all know and appreciate this on the surface, but to have an intimate knowledge of these blessed realities, we need to make them part of our own lives and prioritize our time accordingly. Active participation in the services of Holy Week and Pascha are the first and best steps toward such a goal.

We welcome Fr. Gregory Floor and His Family, who will join us later this Holy Week. We are thankful to receive them home, and look forward to his Holy Week blessings, for the first time in Fr. Gregory’s young, priestly ministry.

We welcome Michael Stearns from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, to help with our chanting. His wife Kristin will join us Holy Wednesday. Michael is a graduate of Hellenic College and Holy Cross School of Theology and served as a priest in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. He is a wonderful man with many spiritual blessings.

I thank Michael Petrogeorge for producing this week’s Bulletin…FROM CHINA, while he’s attending a conference for his work. What a commitment

Thank you to George Sergakis, who is chairing our Anastasi Dinner, as well as his crew who will be providing the opportunity for us to break bread (eat lamb) together following our Paschal vigil and celebration.

I appreciate the work of our Sunday School for offering our Holy Friday Retreat. Our teachers have an amazing experience awaiting the children of our parish.

Thank you to all of our ushers, church musicians, parish council members, altar servers and helpers for Holy Week and Paschal services. They require the prayerful commitment of many individuals who dedicate themselves to the Lord at this precious time.

Lastly, please support the efforts of Christopher Zambos and his crew who are offering our Palm Sunday Pancake Breakfast in the hopes of raising critical funds for our mission trip to Project Mexico. There are still spots remaining to participate in the trip. Please contact me if your are interested. We depart on August 16th and return on August 22nd.

If I’ve forgotten any individuals or groups, please forgive me. I’m not used to typing these messages in daylight.

May we find ourselves well-prepared to raise our Paschal tapers high; with enthusiasm and awe-filled love for our God who has snatched us from the brink of death.

The time is here! Let’s enjoy and participate together! Kalo Pascha!

With Love in Christ,
Fr. Anthony

“Hey Fr. Anthony, what’s with the hat?”
– Several St. Anna Parishioners

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As we quickly approach the end of Great Lent and begin to turn our thoughts and prayers toward The Saturday of Lazarus, Palm Sunday, Holy Week and Pascha, I want to call attention to something, that quite honestly…has caught your attention.

Since the beginning of Great Lent, I have worn the traditional kalimafkion, or Orthodox clerical hat. Some priests wear them all the time. Some would never imagine placing it on their head. Some appreciate them. Some do not.

There was a time in the history of our Archdiocese, when priests were not permitted to wear “the ole stovepipe.” Assimilating into American and western traditions was the desire of our church leaders. Priests who would come here from Greece, in the early days of our experience, were given money for a haircut, a clean shave and a black suit.

In most recent times, traditional garb from Orthodox Motherlands have found their way back into this country. Some priests wear cassocks or robes, while other Orthodox clergymen choose to wear western collars. Incidentally, you have seen me, comfortably wearing both – at any and all times. I do not look negatively upon any of these traditions, for they are all part of Orthodoxy in America.

Years ago, His Eminence Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver released an Encyclical that stated he has no preference for how priests of his Metropolis choose to dress (collar and suit or cassock and hat) as long as we never look down upon our brother priests who dress differently than ourselves.

As always, wise and paternal advice from His Eminence.

Since I have been asked a few times now, why I am “suddenly” wearing the hat during services, I want to explain. Indeed, you don’t see me wearing the kalimafkion often. But you have seen it before. I wore it last year as well – only during Lent and Holy Week. Just like this year.

The entire demeanor of the Church changes during the Fast. The sanctuary is darkened. The music has a somber tone. The altar and the priest are vested in dark purples and muted hues.

The reason a priest wears a clerical hat, at any time of the year, is out of humility before the Lord and as a symbol of spiritual discipline. I choose at this time, to heighten these principles within myself, and to illustrate them to the parish.

For me, and I learned this from my Spiritual Father, the covering of my head during the divine services of Lent allows me to focus more clearly upon the themes, lessons, readings, and messages of these precious days. It is a penitential act. It is a pious (not pietistic) act of humility. It is something different, that helps define something…different.

Great Lent is different than the rest of the year.

Holy Week is different than even the days of Lent.

Pascha is more different, still, than anything else that’s been described.

So, when the Resurrection arrives, the hat gets put away for another year.

Please do not misunderstand, I don’t hang up spiritual discipline with the kalimafkion. My feeble attempts at true humility and pious practice don’t get put in a box until next spring (though regrettably, my actions speak otherwise), I just appreciate a heightened awareness during Lent. And the “silly hat” helps me accomplish this.

The days of the Lenten Fast are near completion. There is only one more, short week until the transitional days of the Saturday of Lazarus and Palm Sunday. Please, in way that you may feel is beneficial to your struggle, to your ascetic practice, to your pious discipline, engage yourself in the Good Fight and make the most of what’s left. It’ll be good for your soul.

With Much Love in Christ,

Fr. Anthony

DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST,

FRIDAY, MARCH 24th IS THE EVE OF THE ANNUNCIATION, ONE OF THE TWELVE MAJOR FEASTS OF THE CHURCH.
GREAT VESPERS FOR THE FEAST AND THE 4TH STANZA OF THE AKATHIST HYMN BEGIN AT 7:00 PM.

COME VENERATE THE PARISH’S NEW ICON OF THE ANNUNCIATION.

THE INTRODUCTION TO OUR PARISH LENTEN RETREAT BEGINS, FOLLOWING SERVICES WITH A LIGHT MEAL.

WE WILL WELCOME DR. EVE TIBBS AS OUR RETREAT SPEAKER.

SATURDAY, MARCH 25th IS THE FEAST OF THE ANNUNCIATION.

ORTHROS BEGINS AT 9:30 AM.

DIVINE LITURGY BEGINS AT 10:30 AM.
A LENTEN LUNCHEON, HOSTED BY OUR WOMEN’S MINISTRY TEAM, AND OUR PARISH LENTEN RETREAT WILL BEGIN DIRECTLY FOLLOWING THE DIVINE LITURGY; CONCLUDING AT 3:00 PM.

TONIGHT’S PASTORAL MESSAGE IS REALLY, MORE OF A VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:

COME TO VESPERS.
COME TO THE LITURGY.
COME TO THE RETREAT.
COME SAY “HI” TO EVE.
COME SAY “HI” TO HER HUSBAND, STEVE, WHO IS ALSO COMING TO WITNESS FOR HIMSELF, OUR DYNAMIC PARISH.
COME SAY “CHRONIA POLLA ” (MANY YEARS) TO EVERYONE NAMED EVANGELOS OR EVANGELIA.
“COME AND SEE.” – JOHN 1:39

LOVE IN XC,
FR. ANTHONY