February 2019Holy Apostles

Orthodox Mission

3214 N St. Vancouver, WA www.holy12.org

V. Rev. Matthew Tate, Dean, Mission Deanery

503-659-3646

Continued On Page 3

Holy Apostles Newsletter

Diocese of tHe west

What a tender scene the Meeting of the Lord shows us! The venerable elder Simeon, holding the infant God in his hands, on either side of him are the righteous Joseph and the Most Holy Mother of God. Not far away is the Prophetess Anna, an eighty-year-old faster and woman of prayer. Their eyes are all directed toward the Savior. Their attention is absorbed by Him and they drink in spiritual sweetness from Him, which feeds their souls. You can judge for yourself how blessed was the state of these souls!However, brethren,

we are called not only to think about this blessedness, but also to taste it in reality, for all are called to have and carry the Lord in themselves, and to disappear in Him with all the powers of their spirit. When we have reached that state, then our blessedness will be no lower than that of those who participated in the Meeting of the Lord. They were blessed who saw it; we shall be blessed who have not seen, but believed. Pay attention. I will show you briefly how to achieve this. Here is what you should do.1. First of all, repent. Remember that

nothing must be done in spiritual life without repentance. No matter what anyone endeavors to seek, let the beginning of it be repentance. Just as a house cannot be built without a foundation, nor a field be sown or planted without first being cleared, so also without repentance we cannot begin our spiritual search; anything begun without repentance was begun in vain. Thus, first of all, repent—that is, weep over everything bad that you have done, and resolve to do only what is pleasing to God. This will be like turning your gaze and your whole body towards the path of

Feb 10 - Baby Sprinkle for Lena

Feb 12 - Mat. Mary’s 1 year Memorial

Feb 14 - 6pm Pannikhida for Mat. Mary followed by Vespers and Litya for Meeting of The Lord

Feb 15 - 9am Divine Liturgy Meeting of the Lord

Feb 17 - Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee

-Annual Parish Meeting

Feb 19 - 21 - Mission Deanery Retreat

Feb 21 - 9am Diaconate Ordination for Rdr. Alexei @ Church of the Annunciation

Feb 24 - Sunday of the Prodigal Son

Mar 3 - Sunday of the Last Judgment

Mar 10 - The Sunday of Forgiveness

Mar 11 - Great Lent Begins

Mar 24 - Diaconate Ordination for Sbd. Alex @ Holy Apostles

Upcoming Feast Days, Special

Services, and Events

Watercolor painting by Jennifer Bascom

Какую умилительную картину представляет нам Сретение Господне! Глубокий старец Симеон, держащий на руках младенца Бога, по ту и другую сторону его – Иосиф Праведный и Пресвятая Дева Богородица; невдали – Анна Пророчица восьмидесятичетырехлетняя постница и молитвенница. Очи всех устремлены на Спасителя. В нем исчезают они вниманием и из Него пьют духовную сладость, питающую души их. Можете судить, как велико было блаженство сих душ!..

Но, братие, и мы все призваны не к мысленному только п р е д с т а в л е н и ю сего блаженства, а к действительному его вкушению, потому что все призваны иметь и носить в себе Господа и исчезать в Нем всеми силами своего духа. И вот, когда достигнем мы сего состояния, тогда и наше блаженство не ниже будет блаженства тех, кои участвовали в Сретении Господнем. Те были блаженны – видевше; мы же будем блаженны – не видевше, но веровавше. П р и л о ж и т е внимание. Я коротко укажу вам, как сего достигнуть. – Вот что

сделайте и делайте. 1. Прежде всего покайтесь. Помните, что

в духовной жизни без покаяния ничего сделать нельзя. Чего бы кто ни искал, начало всему да будет покаяние. Как без фундамента нельзя строить дома и как, не очистивши поля, нельзя ни сеять на нем, ни садить, так без покаяния ничего нельзя предпринимать в духовных наших исканиях, что б вы ни сделали без него, все – всуе. Так, прежде всего покайтесь, то есть оплачьте все худо сделанное и решитесь на одно богоугодное. Это будет то же, что обращение взора и всего тела на путь в сретение Господу и первое вступление на сей путь. 2. Затем, храня постоянно неизменным

чувство покаяния, устройте для себя такой

Homily on the Meeting of the Lord-St. Theophan the Recluse

H. A. Newsletter Feb. 2019

Community AnnounCements Please pray for the following members of Holy Apostles and those of the local Orthodox Christian

community: Katherine and Dionysius, Vera, Olga Veter-Eluska, Emilia Vaganova, Lena, Brendan, Dn. Mark, Silouani, and Kh. Judy. Also, please continue to support Katherine and Dion in meeting the heavy burden of their medical bills by contributing to their GoFundMe account: https://www.gofundme.com/help-the-mcmonigles-overcome-cancer

Memory Eternal! ВЕЧНАЯ ПАМЯТЬ! In mid-January two long-time members of Holy Apostles fell asleep in the Lord. Please continue to pray for the souls of the newly departed servants of God, Anatoliy Tregub and Jim Buchfuehrer and for their loved ones, Lyudimila Tregub and Rhonda Reed Buchfuehrer.

Baby shower for Lena Cooper at 1pm on February 10th. Please join us in a gathering to welcome Baby Boy Cooper at the home of Joanna Donnor. See email from Adrienne for more details.

House Blessings! Fr. David will resume house blessings for Holy Apostles parishioners on February 11th. Be sure to sign-up if you haven’t done so yet!

Holy Apostles now has weekly catechism/inquirer classes on Wednesday nights! Due to this new offering, we have moved the reader’s vespers service to 5:30pm with classes beginning at 6pm. Many thanks to Rdr. Joseph along with Matthew and Catherine Namee for taking on this needed ministry!

The 2019 Parish-Wide Meeting is scheduled for February 17th immediately following the fellowship meal. We ask that you do whatever it takes to attend this important meeting. We are also asking for teens to please assist us by volunteering to watch the children during the meeting. Thank you!

Rdr. Alexei will be ordained to the diaconate at 9am on February 21st at the Church of the Annunciation. Please arrange your schedule so that you can attend this very momentous occasion! The hospitality team at Annunciation has asked that everyone bring a potluck dish for the meal afterward. Watch your email for more details to come! Axios!

St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church will be holding its 3rd Annual Great Chili Cook Off on Sun., Feb. 10th at 5pm at their location 14485 SW Walker Rd, Beaverton, OR. Come and support this lovely parish, enjoy a wonderful meal, and cast your vote for your favorite chili of the night! All are welcome!

Basics of Orthodoxy Classes are in progress at St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church in Beaverton on Friday evenings at 7pm (7:30 during Paraklesis and Great Lent). All are welcome to attend this series of 12 classes which started on January 18th. Topics include Church History, Prayer, Iconography, Spirituality, Theology, and more!

Holy Trinity Cathedral is hosting a workshop and fundraising event on March 2nd from 9am - 5pm to address the issue of Human Trafficking. Guest speakers include Metropolitan Nikitas (Director of PAOI at UC Berkeley and former Metropolitan of Hong Kong), Detective Chad Opitz from the Oregon Human Trafficking FBI Task Force, Alexandra Pierce, PhD, of Innovations Human Trafficking Collaborative, and Tom Perez, MDiv, Director of the EPIK Project. Registration is required. Breakfast and Lunch included. www.tinyurl.com/march2signup

Save the Date! The 2019 St. John’s Family Camp will take place from Sunday, July 28 to Friday, August 2 and the theme will be “The Mysteries of the Church,” so mark your calendars! Registration information will be coming soon!

“Meeting of the Lord” Continued from page 1 род жизни и поведения, чтобы на каждом у вас шагу или при каждом движении был как бы преднаписываем в вашем внимании Господь и Спаситель наш. Такой порядок сам собою устроится в вас, если: а) все, что ни делаете, вы будете делать во славу Господа и Спасителя, делать ради Христа. Тут разумеются не одни большие дела, а всякое вообще действие. Ибо смотрение и слышание, молчание и говорение, ястие и питие, сидение и хождение, труд и покой, все вообще может быть посвящаемо Господу и освящаемо Его именем Всесвятым. Так как минуты не бывает, чтоб мы не были за каким-либо делом, то, устроившись так в делах своих, вы поминутно будете сретать Господа, во славу Его обращая все дела свои. Сие исполнить и плод от сего получить вы можете тем удобнее, если при этом: б) в порядок дел своих повседневных вставите чины молитвенные – и церковные, и домашние, и вообще поставите законом быть строгими исполнителями всякого устава Святой Церкви до малой иоты, без суемудрий и кривотолкований, в простоте сердца. Как содержание каждого молитвословия есть Господь и наше к Нему обращение, то, совершая его или участвуя в нем, вы будете сретать Господа в сочувствиях и услаждениях своего сердца. Если затем: в) промежуток остающегося времени вы наполните чтением Писаний о Господе, или слушанием беседы о Нем, или своеличным размышлением о Нем и о великом деле спасения, совершенном Им на земле, то сами увидите, что ни внутри вас, ни вне не останется ничего, что не носило бы напоминания о Господе, не преднаписывало Его вниманию вашему, не изводило ваш дух во сретение Ему. 3. Не должно, однако ж, забывать, что все сии труды и

занятия суть только приготовительные. На них одних останавливаться не должно, а надо устремляться далее. Как из пищи, принимаемой нами в грубом виде, выделываются потом тонкие стихии жизненные, так из сих занятий, видимо совершаемых, осязаемых, должны образоваться в духе тончайшие расположения или устремления ко Господу, именно: под трудом посвящения всех дел Господу должно качествовать устремление всех желаний нашей души единственно к Господу; под исполнением всех молитвословий или участием в богослужениях должно слагаться в сердце сочувствие только ко Господу и Господнему; под чтением и слышанием Писаний о Господе должно лежать в основе охотное устремление внимания ума нашего к единому Господу. Те труды суть возделывание поля, а сии стремления – восход посеянного; те – ствол и ветви, а сии – цвет и плод. Когда возникнут в нас сии расположения, это будет значить, что дух наш весь своим сознанием и своим настроением изшел в сретение ко Господу. И как Господь везде есть и Сам ищет сретиться с духом нашим, то взаимное их сретение после сего устрояется само собою. С тех пор дух наш начнет вкушать блаженство Симеона Праведного, то есть начнет носить в объятиях своих сил и стремлений Господа, Который есть полное их насыщение и удовлетворение. Это то, что называют вкушением Господа, покоем в Нем, умным Богу предстоянием, хождением пред Господом, непрестанною молитвою – предмет трудов, желаний и исканий всех святых Божиих. Сего блага сподобиться желаю всем вам, празднующим

ныне Сретение Господне. Если б кто, жалуясь, сказал: желателен плод, но труд достать его слишком тяжел, тому можно ответить так: хорошо, есть легче способ, или способ простее сложенный. Вот он! Покайся; затем, ревнуя об исполнении всякой заповеди Божией, ходи неотступно пред Господом, устремляясь к Нему всем вниманием ума, всеми чувствами сердца, всеми желаниями воли. Устроившись так скоро сретишь Господа. Он внидет в тебя и упокоится в тебе, как на объятиях Симеона Праведного. Чем-нибудь еще облегчить труд, необходимый в искании сретения Господа, уже нет никакой возможности. Молитва Иисусова: Господи Иисусе Христе, Сыне Божий, помилуй мя – сильно и мощно может помогать в сем труде. Но, опять, не сама по себе, а под условием устремления всех сил нашего духа к Господу! – Трезвитеся убо и бодрствуйте (1 Пет. 5, 8). Вышних ищите… и живот ваш сокровен да будет со Христом в Боге (Кол. 3, 1, 3). – Тогда, соделавшись един дух с Господем (1 Кор. 6, 17), узрите и обымете сего Господа, и возрадуется сердце ваше, и радости вашея никтоже возмет от вас (Ин. 16, 22), ни в сей век, ни в будущий. Аминь.

H. A. Newsletter Feb. 2019  �

meeting the Lord, and taking the initial step upon that path.2. Next, keep this state of repentance constant; establish for

yourself a manner of life and conduct that would make every step or movement something directing your attention to our Lord and Savior. Such an order of life will establish itself naturally, if: a) you do everything that you do for the Glory of the Lord and Savior, for Christ’s sake. Here we mean not only great deeds, but all deeds. For, seeing and hearing, silence and speaking, food and drink, sitting and walking, work and rest can all be dedicated to the Lord and sanctified by His All-Holy Name. There isn’t a minute when we are not doing something; so, by thus dedicating your activity, you will be meeting the Lord minute by minute, directing all of your activities to His glory. You can even more conveniently do this and reap fruits from it if you also: b) insert into the order of your daily activities the practice of prayer—both in church and at home; and in general make it your rule to be a strict fulfiller of all the rules and order of the Holy Church to the last iota, without vain elaboration and distorted commentary, and with simplicity of heart. As the content of all prayer is the Lord and our turning to Him, by doing it and participating in it you will be meeting the Lord through your heart’s sympathy and delight. If after this: c) you fill all your interim time with reading the Scriptures about the Lord, listening to talks about Him, or with your own contemplation of Him and the great work of salvation that He wrought on earth, then you will see for yourself that nothing will remain within us or outside of us that does not bring remembrance of the Lord, bring Him to your attention, or carry your spirit to meet Him.3. Just the same, you should not forget that all of these labors

and occupations are only preparation. You should not stop at them, but rather strive onward. Just as food taken in rough form later imbues refined elements needed for life, so must these occupations performed visibly and tangibly turn into a spirit of a very refined inclination or striving toward the Lord. Namely, the labor of consecrating all our activities to the Lord should have the quality of reaching with our whole soul’s desire only for the Lord; when we do all our prayers or attend the Divine services, a feeling should form in our hearts of accord only with the Lord and what is His. Underlying our reading and hearing the Holy Scripture about the Lord should only be the eager directing of our mind’s attention toward the Lord alone. These labors are that very working of the field, and these strivings are the growth of what has been sown. The first are the stem and branches, the latter are the flower and fruit. When these inclinations come up in us, it will mean that our spirit has gone out with all its consciousness and disposition to meet the Lord. Since the Lord is everywhere, and He Himself seeks to meet with our spirit, their mutual meeting will then come about by itself. From that moment on, our spirit will begin to taste the blessedness of Righteous Simeon; that is, it will begin to bear in the embrace of its powers a striving for the Lord, Who is its complete satiety and satisfaction. This is what is called tasting the Lord, rest in Him, mentally standing before the Lord, walking in the presence of the Lord, and ceaseless prayer—the object of all God’s saints’ labor, desire, and seeking.I wish that all of you who celebrate the Meeting of the Lord be

vouchsafed this blessing. If anyone complains that he would like the fruit but the labor it takes to get it is too hard, the answer is: Good. There is an easier method, a method simpler than the one laid out. Here it is! Repent; then, with zeal for keeping all of God’s commandments, walk unfailingly in the Lord’s presence, striving for Him with all your mind’s attention, all your heart’s feelings, and all your will’s desires. If you thus dispose yourself, you will soon meet the Lord. He will come down to you and abide in you, as in the embrace of Righteous Simeon. There is no other way to lighten the labor needed to seek a meeting with the Lord. The Jesus Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, is powerful and strong to help in this work. Again, however, not by itself; but under the condition that all the strength of our spirit be directed toward the Lord! Be sober, be vigilant (1 Pet. 5:8). Seek those things which are above … and your life is hid with Christ in God (Col. 3:1, 3). Then, having become one in spirit with the Lord (cf. 1 Cor. 6:17), you will behold and embrace the Lord, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you (Jn 16:22), neither in this age, nor in the age to come. Amen.

Christ, by entering the Jordan, sanctified it, and with it all creation. Material creation once again became “very good” as it was in the beginning. The central sign of God’s sanctification of all things through the feast of Theophany is the act of blessing the homes of faithful Christians. The priest visits all members of the Church to pray with them in the place where they live, and to bless their surroundings with Holy Water. He asks God to have mercy on the house, to rid it of every evil and to fill it with every blessing. Thus the house itself, together with the members of the family, is “filled with all the fullness of God”.All who reside in the household should make every effort

to be present for the Blessing. When a home is blessed, the priest brings everything

needed for the blessing:•Holy water• A “krupilla” (brush for flinging the holy water),•Bowl for the water•Candles•Theophany icon Many pious homes supply a bowl, candles and the family

Theophany icon. The family should provide the priest with a list of names

for all dwelling in the house and for all family members they wish to pray for with a clear distinction between living and deceased family members. The bowl and icon should be placed on a clean table with

a white cloth on it, preferably near the family icon corner. It is good for candles to be lit. The house should be clean, with all radios and televisions off. The priest will bless all rooms of the house. In homes

with children, it is always good for the little ones to carry a candle or a small cross and “lead” the priest throughout the house. An elder member of the house may also do this.

H. A. Newsletter Feb. 2019

Getting Ready for House Blessings

The basic order for a simple home blessing is as follows.• The bowl of water, icon and lit candles are placed on a

clean table. If there is a censer, it may be lit. • The priest begins the service with a blessing and the

Trisagion prayers (O heavenly King through the “Our Father”.) It is always preferable that the eldest or another member of the family say the Trisagion prayers.• After this the entire home is blessed, with the family

walking with the priest holding candles and the Theophany icon while the Theophany Troparion is sung over and over:Theophany of our Lord, Troparion, Tone I —When Thou, O Lord, wast baptized in the Jordan,/ the

worship of the Trinity was made manifest;/ for, the voice of the Father bare witness unto Thee,/ calling Thee His beloved Son;/ and the Spirit in the form of a dove/ confirmed the certainty of His word./ O Christ our God, Who hast appeared and enlightened the worlds,// glory be to Thee!It is a very good idea for the family to sing this troparion,

and know it by heart. Otherwise, of the priest has many houses to bless, his voice will get tired!• Upon finishing blessing the house, the family gathers

again at the table, and a short litany is said for the welfare of the family. The priest should have been provided a list of all family members, including those who are ill and reposed• After this a short prayer, and the service is ended.• Sometimes the family wants to give the priest a little

something to eat; depending on the time the priest has, he may stay and visit. It is a pious custom among some to give the priest a

donation at this time, but this should never be thought of as a requirement. The priest comes to the home because he wants God’s blessing to be upon it, and to know those in his flock better and to be available to them.

“There are few things more vital to our lives than our homes. In our homes we pray, we work, we talk to others, we order our lives, we work out our marriages, etc. What more important place to reclaim for the Kingdom of God – or is it better to continue living in a place which is occupied by the enemy. For the most effective working out of our salvation, we must drive the enemy out of our homes, and keep him at bay by our prayers, our righteous life, and the annual sprinkling by Holy Water at Theophany.”

- Fr. David Moser

Dear Church Family, On February 17th Holy Apostles parishioners will

participate in the General Parish Assembly or Annual Parish Meeting in the Nave of the church immediately following the fellowship meal.

This meeting will hold special significance for Holy Apostles this year given our unique status as we await our permanent replacement priest. This is an opportunity for us to come together and review the previous year and all the changes that it has brought about and to look ahead to plan and envision what the Holy Apostles of tomorrow will look like.

In addition to hearing reports from Fr. Matthew Tate, various parish council members, the church school director, and catechism teachers, we will also attend to the following:

• Amend some of our bylaws in order to come into compliance with the requirements of our diocese pertaining to the officer titles on the parish council

• Elect two new voting members to the parish council• Elect delegates to the Diocesan Assembly and the All-

American Council• Review and approve the proposed budget for 2019 • Assess our current service times and decide on

whether it would be beneficial to adjust any of them• Address member participation regarding church

stewardship, ministries, and tithing • Discuss building improvements and church site

updates• Discuss coming changes including upcoming

ordinations and how the services at Holy Apostles will be affected

• Plan for upcoming community building activities (Pascha party, campout, feast day picnic, etc.)

All parishioners and voting members of Holy Apostles are expected to attend this very important meeting.

What is the difference between a parishioner and member? According to the statutes of the Orthodox Church in America, a parishioner is one who, by virtue of Baptism and Chrismation, is a member of the Body of Christ and incorporated into a local Parish community as a Parish member. A Parishioner has a reasonable expectation for pastoral care in accordance with the Orthodox tradition. He or she enjoys full benefits of participation in Parish life. He or she has the duty to sustain, strengthen and witness to the Orthodox Faith; to live according to the teaching of the Church; to participate in the religious services; to partake of the Holy Sacraments; to fulfill acts of Christian mercy; to support and help the Church.

A Voting Member of the Parish is a Parishioner who is at least eighteen years of age; Receives the Sacrament of Confession at least once a year in the Parish or, with the permission of the Parish Priest, elsewhere; Receives Holy Communion at least once a year in the Parish; Has been a Parishioner for a period of time fixed by the Diocesan Authority; and fulfills financial obligations as

established by the All-American Councils, Diocesan Assemblies, and the Parish. A Voting Member has accepted the right, privilege, and responsibility to vote in Parish Assemblies. A Voting Member may be considered for election to office in appropriate Parish bodies. A Voting Member is eligible for election as a delegate to the Diocesan Assembly and the All-American Council.

Holy Apostles has so far never sent any delegates to the Diocesan Assembly or to the All-American Council other than our priest. This year will be the first time that we elect such delegates and it us unclear if there will be an All-American Council this year, so there is a chance that whomever we elect this year will not have the opportunity to attend.

The 2019 Diocesan Assembly is currently scheduled for October 15-17. Stay tuned for more details.

May we have a wonderful and productive Parish Assembly and may we continue to serve, grow, and bond together in Christ through the prayers of the Theotokos and the Holy Apostles to whom this beloved little church is dedicated. May it be blessed!

With love and prayers, Tazsa WellsHoly Apostles Parish Council President

H. A. Newsletter Feb. 2019  �

God Grant You Many Years! Многая лета!

Feast Days- St. Makarios 1/19 (2/1)

Dustin Keirstead- St. Maximus the Confessor 1/21 (2/3)

Charlie Burkett- Venerable Maximus the Greek of Russia 1/21 (2/3)

Maxim Domico- St. Xenia, Fool for Christ 1/24 (2/6)

Kseniya Lyssenko St. Nicetas of the Kiev Caves 1/31 (2/13)

Nikita Kakorin BirthDays

Zachary Keirstead - February 15Edwin Baxter - February 16Lena Cooper - February 21

What will Happen at the Parish Assembly ?

Holy Apostles Annual Parish Meeting

Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee

2/17/2019

H. A. Newsletter Feb. 2019