Let us set out with joy upon the season of the fast… and with prayers and tears let us seek our Lord and savior.
Great Lent – A Time of Renewal
On Monday, February 19, we begin the holy season of Great Lent. It is a very valuable season of the Church Year and the appointed time for our spiritual renewal. In truth, it is a Gift from God.
Great Lent is an excellent time to put aside all those things that make us displeasing to ourselves, to others and to God. Someone once suggested an item called a spiritual wastebasket.
The wastebasket is a very valuable piece of equipment. A generous use of this item is important for efficiency in an office or a home or wherever needed. Possibly, a wise and generous use of a spiritual wastebasket could also be the secret for spiritual efficiency & blessedness. Many of our lives are encumbered with things that should go into this type of wastebasket. [Read more…]
Sunday of Orthodoxy & Greater Akron Area Lenten Mission Vespers Schedule
SUNDAY OF ORTHODOXY
Our Greater Akron Community will gather together on Sunday evening, February 25, 2018, at 5:00 pm, for Vespers of the Sunday of Orthodoxy at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church. Our speaker is Father Ian Pac Urar, Rector of Presentation of Our Lord Orthodox Church, Fairlawn, Ohio. A dinner presentation will be given by Dr. Orwa Nasser on Christianity in the Holy Land: Building Churches in Palestine. [Read more…]
Pray Your Way Through the Psalms This Lent!
It’s almost that time again! This Lent, join the St. Elia Prayer Group as we once again unite to pray the Psalms together throughout the fast, which for Orthodox Christians begins this year on February 19. You do not need to be a member of St. Elia Akron to join. All you need is a Bible and a little bit of time to set aside each day.
The prayer group also offers the opportunity for us to pray for one another, for our parish, and for any special intentions any of us may have. [Read more…]
Annual Holy Friday Grave Watch Vigil
Holy Friday is one of the most solemn days within the life of the Orthodox Church. On this day, we witness our Lord willingly give His life for our sake. We watch our Lord’s crucifixion by the hands of those He came to save.
An ancient tradition in the Orthodox Church is the Holy Vigil at the Tomb of Christ also referred to as Grave Watch. After our Lord died on the Cross, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea took the body of Jesus, bound it in linen cloths with spices and buried it in a new tomb. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary sat opposite the tomb watching as their Lord was buried. The Church has joined with these two women in keeping watch over Jesus’ tomb. The Holy Vigil is our opportunity to help keep watch over our Lord’s body as He descends into Hell to loosen the bonds of death. What better way to understand the death and resurrection of Jesus than to participate in the Vigil by His tomb? [Read more…]
Great and Holy Friday — April 13, 2012
This is a day unlike any other day. There is no Divine Liturgy and Holy Communion is not received on this day.
At 9 a.m. the Royal Hours will be prayed before the Cross of our Crucified Lord on Golgotha as we keep the silence and fast of this day
At 6 p.m. the Vespers of the death and burial of Christ will be served. During the Holy Gospel of the Vespers, the Body of Christ will be taken down from the Cross as Joseph of Arimathea took Jesus down
from the Cross. Reverently, the Icon of our Crucified Lord will be taken into the Altar. [Read more…]