For Prisoners and Their Salvation, Let Us Pray to the Lord
Today has been set by the Assembly of Bishops as "Prison Ministry Awareness Sunday." In nearly every Church service we pray a litany for prisoners and their salvation. The Church understands that no one is beyond repentance, that no one is beyond the Love and Grace of God. We ask that you continue to keep in your prayers all of those in prison. After all, our Lord himself was a prisoner. On this Sunday, July 28th and next Sunday, August 4th, our parish will be doing a special collection to support Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry (OCPM, a ministry of the Assembly of Bishops). Please consider giving your financial support to help the Church bring the light of Christ into the darkness of prison.
"I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me."
- Matthew 25:36
Dormition of the Theotokos
On August 15th, the Holy Orthodox Church celebrates the falling asleep of the Mother of God. This Great Feast is preceded by two weeks of fasting and prayer. Please take a look at our parish calendar to see the services our parish will be offering on an almost daily basis throughout the Dormition Fast.
Transfiguration of Our Lord - August 6th
We encourage all faithful of our parish to make a pilgrimage to the Orthodox Monastery of the Transfiguration in Ellwood City to celebrate their patronal feast day. Holy Cross will not be offering the Divine Liturgy on the day of this Great Feast. Fr. Spyridon will be at the Monastery celebrating with the monastic community. We will be offering Great Vespers for the Transfiguration in our parish the night before (August 5th). Please see the end of the bulletin for the schedule of services at the monastery for their feast day.
Bible Study
Starting on September 11th, our parish will be offering a weekly bible study. Our bible study will start at 6 pm in the Church with prayer. Invite your friends!
Pastoral Meetings by Appointment
Father Spyridon is available by appointment to serve your pastoral needs. Please do not hesitate to contact him via email or phone to set up appointments.
OCF - Orthodox Christian Fellowship
OCF, Orthodox Christian Fellowship, is the college ministry of the Assembly of Canonical Bishops. OCF is a student-led ministry that helps college students find a local parish, meet other Orthodox Christians, and stay involved in the life of the Church. If you are headed to college or are a high school senior planning to attend college after graduation, please get in touch with Fr. Spyridon so he can forward your contact information to OCF. OCF is a tremendous ministry that the Church offers--please take advantage!
Parish Website Under Construction
Over the next few weeks, you may notice updates coming to the parish website. Be sure to visit the website over the next few weeks to see the changes.
Commemoration Slips
You will now find commemoration slips at the candle stand. These slips are for people to be added to our parish prayer list. Names should be added of people who have recently fallen ill, pregnancies, newborns, or recently departed. If the person is not an Orthodox Christian, their name should be added only under the non-Orthodox spot. If there is someone you wish to have commemorated who departed this life more than 40 days ago, please give the name directly to Father and he will pray for them during Proskomedia. After filling out the commemoration slip, please place it in the small basket on the candle stand. The altar boys will collect them during Liturgy so that they can be added to our prayers.
Sign Up For Emails!
If you would like to receive emails from Holy Cross including the weekly bulletin and other important announcements, please sign up on the Email List Sign-Up sheet, located on the candle stand. If you have already signed up for emails and have not yet recived them, please let Father know so that he can make sure we keep you updated!
Prayer List
Please keep the following in your prayers:
Living:
- Psa. Sarah and the child to be born of her
- Newborn Infant Susanna
- Mary Ann
- Virginia
- Betty
- Helen
- Janet