Holy Cross Orthodox Church

On Sunday, November 23 there will be a Memorial service following Divine Liturgy for Father George Calciu, a great confessor of the Orthodox Faith. Father George reposed on the Feast of the Entry of the Theotokos, November 21, 2006. During his life on earth he suffered and was tortured for 22 years in the diabolic prisons of Communist Romania. Father George is known around the world, and to members of our parish, for his commitment to Christ in the face of persecution, as a righteous pastor, and as a witness to God's love and forgiveness.

A Patronal Feast Day Vigil service be held at 6pm on Saturday, November 15th, also commemorating their 20th Anniversary year. Fr. Ernest Arambiges, will be the homilist. Directions can be found on their website.

Tuesday night’s Romanian Evening with the Frantz family was truly a blessing. Thirty parishioners and guests began the evening celebrating vespers together. A Romanian dinner followed with homemade stuffed cabbage, mititei (mici), salad and lots of wonderful desserts. The Floyd and Ancuta conducted a slide presentation focusing on both ministries — Floyd’s addictions program and Ancuta’s Family Center. Their work is amazing. Floyd’s program is now part of the Patriarch’s education and outreach program. Ancuta has served fifty mothers all of whom have graduated from the program are keeping their babies and living productively — I am truly sorry that more of you weren’t able to enjoy the food, fellowship and celebrate the wonder of their ministries! ...

On November 16th Aster Tsegaye will be giving a presentation at coffee hour on Ethiopia, along with Ethiopian food, to raise money for the Ethiopian orphanage. Plan to attend!

The next 'Soup and Saints' will take place in the parish hall after Vespers this Saturday, November 1st. We will discuss the life of a saint and enjoy a light meal with soup. All are welcome!

From Bsp. THOMAS:

Beloved in Christ,

God bless you.

For those of you who have gotten a copy of the new Orthodox Study Bible (including both Old and New Testaments), you may find these files useful. They are 1- and 2-year plans for reading the entire Bible in small, daily chunks. [Downloads: One-Year Plan; Two-Year Plan]

Yours in Christ,

+Bp. THOMAS

St. Mary's Orthodox Church in Hunt Valley will have an all Arabic Liturgy on Wednesday, October 29 at 7 pm. This is the first of the Arabic liturgies that will be held every last Wednesday of the month at St. Mary's.

Following Vespers on Thursday, December 4th at 7:30pm, Monica Burnett will give a presentation on her impressions of daily life in Palestine. Monica is an HC parishioner, Patristics instructor, and recent Holy Land pilgrim.

God-willing, the Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God will visit Holy Apostles for a Vigil and Liturgy during Thanksgiving weekend. There will be a Vigil on Friday evening, November 28th, at 6:30 PM, and Hours & Divine Liturgy on Saturday morning, the 29th, at 8:40 AM. Let your loved ones know, and bring a friend!

The icon was discovered at the root of a tree in the year 1295 in Russia. You can read about it's history at http://www.holycross-hermitage.com/pages/Orthodox_Life/kursk_icon.htm .

Time, Talent and Treasure information is now available. If you need additional copies of the form or need descriptions of the various ministry rolls, please visit our "T3" page!

Remember: Stewardship Sunday is November 9th.