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October: The Best is Yet to Come
The opening of Trinity House has been postponed for a few weeks because of a number of issues: permits, finishes, and furnishings. Please bear with us. Life’s delays teach us patience, if we are willing. We’ll enjoy things that much more upon com-pletion. Stay tuned.
Nevertheless, we will welcome His Eminence Archbishop Melchisedek to the parish for his annual visitation October 1-4. He will take the opportunity to visit with the Orthodox Christian Fellowship, tour the Chapel and Trinity House, and celebrate the Divine Liturgy with us on Sunday.
In other news, Inquirer’s Class will continue every Sunday in October at 6:30 p.m. in the Parish Hall, while the Adult Study group meets there on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. The Women’s Book Study meets every other Thursday at 10 a.m. at the Rectory, 562 Lanceshire Lane. For more information about these groups, visit our website, holytrinity-oca.org, or call the Parish Office, (814) 231-2855.
Sunday School has commenced once again with a record potential enrollment of 45 students. Many thanks to Deacon Mark and all the Sunday School teachers for their time, their dedication, and especially their prayers on behalf of our children: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and he will not depart from it when he is old” (Proverbs 22:6).
In addition to the commemoration of St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki on October 26, the Saturday preced-ing the feast is always a Soul Saturday, a time to remember the departed in Christ. I recently ran across a quote from Fr. Dr. Stelios Muksuris’ talk at the 2013 International Conference on Liturgical Renewal in Boston and wanted to share it, especially because of all the superstitious practices associated with the end of October in our culture:
Those fallen asleep, like the saints who are glorified, remain full members of the sacramental Church and so continue to offer the worship due to God together with the living, albeit in a different phase of their existence. This unity was first conveyed by the ancient catacombs where Christians gathered for the Eucharist and later on up to our own day, by the cemeteries that surround local parish churches.
Make sure you commemorate your departed loved ones by leaving their names on the commemoration slips in the narthex when attending Divine Liturgy on St. Demetrius Soul Saturday, October 24, at 9 a.m. (The non-Orthodox should be clearly marked with an asterisk [*].)
Finally, note that the annual meeting will be held on Sunday, November 8, following the Divine Liturgy. Nominations are currently being accepted for the Council offices of Treasurer, Secretary, and Building Chair. Since no motions may be made from the floor, please submit any proposed motions to the Council by its October meeting for consideration.
From the Rector’s Desk,
Fr. John
