St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas
Electronic Newsletter
March 14/27, 2011
3nd Sunday of Great Lent / Veneration of the Cross
Announcements
Prayer Requests
Schedule of Divine Services in the Coming week
Fasting in the Coming week
“Come, Adam and Eve, our first father and mother, who fell from the choir on high / through the envy of the murderer of man, when of old with bitter pleasure ye tasted from the tree in Paradise. See, the Tree of the Cross, revered by all, draws near! Run with haste and embrace it joyfully, and cry to it with faith: O precious Cross, thou art our succor; partaking of thy fruit, we have gained incorruption; we are restored once more to Eden, and we have received great mercy.”
– From the service for the Sunday of the Precious Cross
Announcements
This coming Sunday, and throughout the coming week, we will venerate the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of our Lord. The Cross will be brought out for veneration at the end of the Vigil service on Saturday night, and many of the hymns and readings this weekend will focus on the meaning of the Cross for us as Christians: both the meaning of Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross and the meaning of the Cross in our own lives as followers of Christ.
It would be good for as many of us as possible to be present at the end of the Vigil service on Saturday, and to prepare to receive Holy Communion on Sunday.
Please look at our calendar of services for the remainder of Lent, and make your plans now to attend as many services as you can, for the good of your soul. In particular, you should plan if at all possible to attend the services in the 5th week of Lent (April 4-8) — including the Feast of the Annunciation — and during the week of our Lord's Passion (April 18-24).
Our new facility brings with it many new maintenance and upkeep tasks. Matushka Marina and Reader David Hawthorne need volunteers to help get all the work done.If you can give a few hours of our time to help care for God's house, please contact Matushka Marina, Reader David or Deacon Nicholas and we'll tell you how you can help.
We have updated our list of things our parish needs. If you or somebody you know wish to supply one of these items, please contact us.
Prayer Requests
For the Health and Salvation.
- Kateryna (Kayla) Bayda.
- Alexander (Yuliya Guzman's father)
- David and Elizabeth Ash.
- Priests Jean and Grégoire and all the faithful and suffering of Haiti.
- The suffering people of East Japan.
For a more complete listing, please see our parish prayer list. Anyone can make requests.
Schedule of Divine Services in the Coming week
Saturday 3/26. Commemoration of the Departed.
- 4PM Confession
- 5PM Vigil
Sunday 3/27
- 10AM Divine Liturgy
- 12:45PM Church School
- 6PM at Sts. Constantine and Helen in Dallas. Pan-Orthodox Vespers
Monday 3/28
- 7:30PM Great Compline or Moleben
Wednesday 3/30
- 6:00PM Lenten Hours
- 7:00PM Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
Friday 4/1
- 7PM Small Compline with the Akathist Hymn to the Theotokos
- 8PM Pannykhida
Saturday 4/2. Commemoration of the Departed.
- 4PM Confession
- 5PM Vigil
Sunday 4/3
- 10AM Divine Liturgy
- 12:45PM Church School
- 6PM at St. John the Baptist in Euless. Pan-Orthodox Vespers
Our ongoing calendar of services is posted here, including entries for the remainder of Great Lent:
Our "Redeeming the Time" blog usually has at least several posts a week – http://www.orthodox.net/redeemingthetime.
Fasting in the Coming week
Throughout Great Lent, we abstain from all animal products, wine and oil on weekdays. Wine and Oil are allowed on weekends. Fish is allowed on Palm Sunday and on the Feast of the Annunciation.