SCHEDULING ACTIVITIES DURING GREAT LENT: As we enter this most sacred period of Great and Holy Lent, the Church and all her organizations are reminded that our activities and attitudes should be consistent with the sober and self reflecting disposition of the season. For this reason, all activities of organizations of the Church scheduled between February 19th - April 8th must be cleared with Fr. Michael to insure that they do not conflict with the weekly Lenten services and that they appropriately reflect the nature of the season. Only such sanctioned meetings will be given permission to be posted in the Familian and Weekly Bulletins.

Thoughts on Great and Holy Lent: Just as our Lord retreated into the desert as an occasion for reflection, prayer and introspection, so too are we called to follow His example as we prepare to meet Him in His Holy Passion and Saving Resurrection. We remember that by engaging in the ascetical exercises of prayer and fasting our Lord taught by example and gave us the Way to overcome the devil’s temptations. As Orthodox Christians, we are called by the Church to follow our Lord into the desert and to struggle in such ascetical exercises so that we might mortify the passions of pride, greed, lust, anger, gluttony, envy and sloth. In this way we will come to know the Lord in a more perfect way and at the same time enter into more healthy and fulfilling relationship with others. In order to assist us in such ascetical exercises, the Church invites us to partake in the rich array of Divine Services and programs listed as follows: