We begin this month with the Finding of the Holy Cross on May 3, a feast which celebrates the discovery by St. Helena of the True Cross of Christ, as she made her pilgrimage to the Holy Land in the 4th century, searching for the sites associated with the events of our Lord’s earthly life and building churches to commemorate those events.
The Rogation days (Monday and Tuesday before Ascension), in which we pray particularly for the bounty of the earth, will be anticipated on Sunday, May 17 with a procession outside to the Mary garden. The Feast of the Ascension will be celebrated on the Eve, May 20, with Vespers at 6:30pm and Mass at 7pm. A pot-luck supper will follow. On Sunday, May 24, we will observe the Sunday in the Octave of the Dedication of our church building (on May 21, 2017).
We end our fifty-day celebration of Pascha with the great Feast of Pentecost on May 31. The Vigil will be observed on Saturday, May 30, with Liturgy at 10am. This service recalls the Paschal Vigil in that it includes the Blessing of the font and the singing of the Litany of Saints. A pot-luck brunch will follow this service. After Mass on Pentecost, we will read the story of that first Pentecost in as many languages as are represented in our parish, echoing our Paschal declarations of “Christ is Risen” in many languages.
Many thanks to those who contributed baby items for our National Baby Shower (sponsored by Orthodox Christians for Life) collection and to Jennifer Caldwell for delivering these items to the Shady Grove Pregnancy Center.
We bid farewell to Subdeacon Kevin (Keivan Shahrokhi) this month as he retires and moves to Tennessee to be near family. Keivan has been at the heart of our parish life at St. Gregory’s for more than twenty years, serving at the altar and, as Sacristan, taking responsibility for vestments and candles and managing the training and service schedule for acolytes. He bakes our holy bread and has served many terms on the parish council (as president several times). Keivan was tonsured as a Reader by Bishop THOMAS in 2006 and ordained Subdeacon by Bishop JOHN in 2017. We will especially miss his wonderful Persian food at coffee hours! Thank you, Subdeacon Kevin and may God bless you in the coming years!
Read the full May newsletter here.