On Wednesday, March 4, we begin the penitential season of Lent with the Blessing and Imposition of Ashes and Mass at 7:30pm, followed by a pot-luck Lenten meal.
Vespers for the Sunday of Orthodoxy will be celebrated at St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Washington DC at 5PM on March 8. This very moving service, with participants from many Orthodox jurisdictions serving together, marks the triumph of the Orthodox faith over false teaching, especially concerning the veneration of icons. The speaker this year will be Bishop Joachim of the Greek Archdiocese, who grew up in the DC area, and who is now also on the faculty of Holy Cross Seminary in Brookline, MA.
Lent is a time of more intense self-examination, fasting, study, and service. To aid us in our Lenten journey, services for this month are as follows: on Wednesday, March 11, the Eve of St. Gregory the Great, Mass will be at 7:30pm (Vespers at 7); on Friday, March 13, at 7pm, we begin a study of the prophecies which are read at the Paschal Vigil, and end with Stations of the Cross and Litany of the Holy Cross; on Wednesday, March 18, Mass for the Eve of St. Joseph will be at 7:30pm; on Friday, March 20, a continuation of our Lenten study and Stations; on Wednesday, March 25, we will celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation at 7:30pm (preceded by Vespers and followed by a pot-luck meal); Class and Stations will be on Friday, March 27.
Our food contributions for the Food for Hungry People weighed in at 111 pounds. These canned and packaged good were donated to the Manna Food Center, which has locations in Silver Spring and Gaithersburg.
Read the complete March newsletter here.