st mary outside

Looking Ahead at St Mary (August 10 – 18)

Beloved in Christ,

Below you will find this week’s schedule, as well as some important notes about upcoming events.

THIS WEEK: August 10 – 18, 2025

This Week: We follow the Dormition Fast through August 14; on Friday, August 15, regular Friday fasting day except fish is allowed for Dormition.         

Sun, Aug 10 at 5:00 pm – 20/40 Fellowship Meeting @ White Crow (1236 E Waterman)

Mon, Aug 11 at 6:00 pm – Paraklesis Service to the Mother of God

Thurs, Aug 14 at 4:45 pm – Festal Matins ~ Dormition

Thurs, Aug 14 at 6:00 pm – Divine Liturgy ~ Dormition

Sat, Aug 16 at 4:30 pm – Confession

Sat, Aug 16 at 5:00 pm – Great Vespers

Sat, Aug 16 at 6:00 pm – Biblical Greek

Sun, Aug 17 at 9:00 am – Matins

Sun, Aug 17 at 10:00 am – Divine Liturgy

Sun, Aug 17 at 10:30 am – Catechism Class

Sun, Aug 17 at 11:30 am – Teen SOYO Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser & Pool Party to Follow

Sun, Aug 17 at 5:00 pm – Lord’s Diner

Mon, Aug 18 at 6:00 pm – Ladies Night Out @ Carrabbas (3409 N Rock Rd)

Other Notes

(1) DORMITION FAST: August 15 is the great feast of the Dormition (“Falling Asleep”) of the Mother of God. In preparation for that feast, we follow the Dormition Fast August 1 – 14. During that fast, in addition to the extra services and increased almsgiving, we abstain from meat and dairy products on all days of the week, as well as wine on all days except on Saturdays and Sundays, when it is allowed. Fish and wine are both allowed on August 6, for the great feast of Transfiguration.

(2) TEEN PANCAKE FUNDRAISER & POOL PARTY: Our Teen SOYO group will host a Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser on Sunday, August 17, during Coffee Hour. In order to prepare, our teens need to sign up for different jobs on the 17th, such as making egg casseroles, mixing the pancake batter, flipping pancakes, setting up, cleaning up and anything else that comes up. Following the fundraiser, the teens are invited to Tracy Namee’s for a Pool Party.

(3) ORTHODOXY ON TAP: On Sunday, August 24, from 5-8 pm, Orthodoxy on Tap meets at Old School Tap House in Kechi. In addition to the fellowship, Warren Farha (of 8th Day Books) will be speaking about CS Lewis and Orthodoxy. Everyone is invited to attend!

(4) TEXT MESSAGE GROUP: Our new text message system through tithe.ly is now up and running. We need anyone who wants to receive text messages from the church to sign up for this service (even if you had already signed up using our previous Remind system). You can join by following these quick steps:

– Text the phone number 855-516-9861 with the following phrase in the message box: STMARYTEXT

– Click on the link sent back to you via text and fill out your name (having your name will make it much easier for us in the future to create separate groups, such as the Parish Council, the Belles of St Mary, etc.).

– Check the box giving permission to receive texts.

– Click the “Submit” button.

Once you have done this, you should be automatically added to our text message list. Contact Fr Aaron if you have any issues.

(5) METROPOLITAN SABA’S WEEKLY TEACHING: Metropolitan Saba’s weekly teachings will resume in September. In the meantime, I want to share an excellent article/interview from OYM (Orthodox Youth & Young Adult Ministries), “What’s Your Ministry? Raising Saints in the Modern World”:  What’s Your Ministry? Raising Saints in the Modern World

(6) TEACH ME THY STATUTES PODCAST: If you would liketo listen to this week’s Teach Me Thy Statutes podcast (with Fr Aaron & Jason Ewertt), you can find it here: Teach Me Thy Statutes.

(8)  PASTORAL VISITS: If you would like a pastoral visit for any reason, or if you know of a family member/parishioner who needs a visit, please feel free to contact me via cell phone at 204-6725.

Yours in Christ,

Fr Aaron