The month of June is a month of important feast days in the Church year. We begin on June 3 with the celebration of the great feast of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was given by God to the Apostles, enabling them to carry on Christ’s work in the world. As is our custom at St. Gregory’s, we will read the story of this event – describing how the Apostles were able, through the Holy Spirit, to preach in the languages of those around them – in as many languages as are represented in the parish. This year, we will hear this story in about a dozen different languages.
The Feast of the Holy Trinity, when we give thanks for the revelation of one God as three Persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – will be celebrated on Sunday, June 10. The Feast of Corpus Christi, on which we celebrate the institution of the Sacrament of Holy Communion, will be observed on the Sunday within its octave, June 17. Sunday, June 24, is the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist when we celebrate God’s work in the Forerunner of Our Lord. The Feast of Ss. Peter & Paul, the patrons of the Patriarchate of Antioch, will be celebrated with Liturgy at 7:30 pm on Thursday, June 28. Vespers will be sung at 7PM and a pot-luck supper will follow the Mass.
The Parish Council has called for a work day on Saturday, June 16, beginning at 10AM. There are a number of tasks around the church building which need to be done and everyone is encouraged to come and help with these.
Congratulations to Candace Archer, who has received a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the University of Maryland.
We look forward to a visit from Sister Margarete on the weekend of July 1, after she attends a choir workshop at St. Vladimir’s Seminary in Crestwood, NY. Her father, Deacon Gregory Roeber, will also be with us and speak about his recently published book: Changing Churches: An Orthodox, Catholic, and Lutheran Theological Conversation (Eerdmans, 2012). This would be a good time to invite Lutheran friends who may be curious about Orthodoxy.
Thanks to Subdeacon Jerome for taking care of the parish garden – weeding, mulching, watering, planting, mowing – all things that have made it so beautiful and healthy. (Since God has provided more warm sun and rain than usual for this time of year, we may have lilies blooming on Pentecost instead of the usual blooms at Dormition.)
View the full June newsletter here.