St.Vladimir Orthodox Church

July 24, 2021

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, Tone 4

Readings
Romans 10:1-10
Gospel: St. Matthew 8:28-9:1

Saturday, July 24 at 6pm - Vespers
Sunday, July 25 at 10am - Liturgy

Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, Patron and Protector of this Parish

Readings
Galatians 1:11-19
Gospel: St. John 10:1-9

Wednesday, July 28 at 10am - Liturgy

Sunday is not the feast day of Saint Vladimir, that is on Wednesday July 28th but since it is a Wednesday, not many of our faithful will be free to attend the scheduled Liturgy, therefore we will celebrate St. Vladimir this Sunday, July 25th with a great feast, God willing.

Did you miss the Bulletin last week? Did you notice that there was, somewhere along the line, a hiccough (hiccup!) and the Bulletin only went to the few people I send directly to? Never mind, you will find the one that was missing as a separate file this week. Please try to break the habit of ignoring the Bulletins. It takes me a lot of effort to write it, but when I ask people if they have read the Bulletin, most say, NO. Most important - this is the way I am able to communicate with everyone week by week and I think that it is important.

Peter Togni, That's Peter Anthony Togni to the Musical and Arts World, received an award for his composition Sea Dreams. It was entered into the East Coast Music Award - Classical Composition and he won! Congratulations Peter - but we miss you.

That isn't the only news to come from the Togni family, Peter and Patricia's son, Luke has been appointed Research Fellow at the St. Bonaventure's Franciscan Institute of St. Bonaventure University in New York, Congratulations to him.

Wow! Have you noticed the new tent that Mark found? You can't exactly miss it, the outside altar is constructed in it and there is a photo on the right here. It provides a lot more room than the small gazebo we have been using. Besides that you will notice that there is a vent at the top of the roof allowing the hot air to escape. Thank you for finding it Mark.

We are blessed that we now have the two canopies keeping the sun off of us, and the altar tent, plus a gazebo that we can use, as we need it. We also have a large tent that we could put up if we should need it. God seems to be blessing us in many ways. For that we thank Him heartily and further determine that we will protect His Church, His Body.

You may have heard rumours that we are looking for a new home. We did look at a building vacated by the Catholics but it was already sold. It would not have done for us because we don't have enough money to think of buying a church of our own. We are not particularly looking for a new home even though we do not have water, and the Anglicans could theoretically repossess at any time. It's no good. We don't give enough. And that's the truth. If we want the parish, the Church to grow we have to hurt. Lots of Ukrainian and Russian Churches in the west were built on Perogies (Yum! Yum!) I don't think Nova Scotia has that tradition - Yet! I believe they are easy to make and can even be Lenten. I have friends in Perogy Country; I'll ask how to make them with a genuine recipe.

Another request: We need Prosphora makers. No experience is necessary, just willingness to pray and mix water with yeast, salt and flour and combine them in the correct proportions, kneed them for about 15 minutes, let rise, bash down, emboss with the seal, let rise again, bake, and deliver to the church in time for Proskomedia. Colin has supplied a very good website. Note, contrary to popular belief, we don't add sugar to the yeast, but if you put about a half teaspoon of the flour into the warm water, the yeast will be very pleased with the snack, and will multiply. We also don't use oil, at all. The recipe on our website is wrong and I shall ask Alina to remove it.

Thank you to all who do read these bulletins. I may have to send those who don't to be encased in Carbonite, or drop them into the Sarlacc; two very nasty fates, just ask the Star Wars folk.

My love for my people is not infinite, as God's is, but I do come third or perhaps fourth. May God bless all of us.

Love in Christ,
-- Father David

July 17, 2021

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, Tone 3

Readings
Romans 6:18-23
Gospel: St. Matthew 8:5-13

Saturday, July 17 at 6pm - Vespers
Sunday, July 18 at 10am - Liturgy

Holy Royal Martyrs of Russia: Tsar Nicholas II, Tsaritsa Alexandra, Crown Prince Alexis, and Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia
Saturday, July 17 at 10am - Liturgy

I want to point out the notice that Alina sent to the Parish Council regarding the Chemical Toilet that is tucked away in the little room in the basement:

Dear all, I would like to remind everybody that we have to maintain our compostable toilet at least weekly so that it would work and compost waste properly. There is a printed schedule on the wall in the bathroom. If some weeks I'm not there, someone else has to step in and do it. It doesn't take more than a few minutes to spray inside the toilet (weekly), add some microbes (every other week or so) and then pull out and rotate the handle 36 times to mix and air everything. Please make sure to mark the date and your name on the sheet so that we could keep a track of it! Thank you very much!

And spider flowers in the basement need to be watered too if neither me nor Leslee are around. -- Alina

This is so important. We do not have a water supply and this is the only sort of toilet we can have. Please be sure to look after it.

I spoke to the Archbishop on Monday evening at which time he suggested that a drive to us would be something he would look forward to. I would not be surprised if he motored down and be with us sometime during the summer. I assured him that we would look forward to an Archpastoral visit. I'm not sure that we are quite up to a complete Hierarchical Liturgy, but we'd certainly try hard and have a darned good feast afterwards.

Have you noticed how Cameron has stepped up and taken over the reins of the choir? He is being helped by Allison, Matushka Ksenia and Emmelia of the "Eleven" plus others who sing when and as they are able.

It has been brought to my attention that our church building is situated the wrong way round. Anglican churches are invariably built with the altar to the east, just as Orthodox churches are, look at St. Augustine's and others. There is not much we can do with our building, we can't turn it round without making a great deal of mess, which none of us would want to clear up, but we can turn the outside services around. I've therefor asked that the altar gazebo be placed at the eastern end of the lawn. Let's try that and if it works alright, we'll move the children's equipment to the other end of the garden.

I want to warn, and I include myself as usual. It is a sin to make a judgement about anyone. We may not agree with decisions that those around us make, but not any one of us has the right to judge. Judgement is the right of God alone. There are so many issues assailing us in this 21^st Century, issues that are perhaps a little more insidious than were faced in the 20^th Century.

(That century had two World Wars and other wars during which in excess of 108 million people were killed with another 50 million worldwide dead of the "Spanish Flu", 500 million people were infected, which was about one third of the world's population, and that number I suspect is the tip of an iceberg.)

Can you believe it? During this 21st Century, we have faced a crisis that could easily have become as rampant as that "Spanish Flu". Miraculously, the science and learning that has been accrued since the twentieth Century has saved many during this present pandemic. Vaccines were developed faster than was thought possible, and we must thank God for all that led up to the saving of people. God always has had to make good out of human wrongdoing.

There are so many insidious problems assailing us during our present century, people I know are having problems with gender assignment. God in His wisdom makes us male and female but for some that seems not to be enough; the possibility exists now, that one born male or female could be medically changed. Within our society, men can marry men, and women can marry women, we can be judged for being vaccinated for Covid or for not being vaccinated.

You and I might call some things sinful, but dare I look at another human being, a child of God, and say, "You have made a wicked choice?" I may hope that a person will find his or her way amongst all that assails, but I dare not judge. It is one of the things that Jesus was very clear about: "In the same way you judge, you will be judged." See The Lord's Prayer, and Saint Matthew 7:1-5. My brothers and sisters, pray that neither you nor I fall into judgement. It will become more and more difficult I'm certain, but judging others is not for us, which again does not mean that we must approve, it means that we may not make a judgement.

I personally have spent far too much time in my life judging others, for which I earnestly ask God to forgive me. The very opposite of judgement is love and the Love of Christ on the Cross is the proof of that. "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." (Saint Luke 23:34)

I do not wish to say anything further!

May God Bless every one of us, and may He keep us in His love,
In Christ,
-- Father David