The Apostle’s Fast
The Apostles’ Fast begins tomorrow (Monday, June 8th). The duration of this fast differs from year to year because it begins according to the movable paschal calendar and always ends on the day of the commemoration of the apostles Peter and Paul. The maximum length of the Apostles’ Fast is forty-two days, while the minimum
length is eight days. Having established the Apostles’ Fast in this period of the ecclesial year, the Church emphasizes the exceptional role of the apostles in the work of spreading Christianity. Having received the gift of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, the apostles dispersed to various countries to preach Christ’s doctrine. The Church is apostolic since it is built on the foundation of apostolic preaching and because the succession of the laying on of hands, dating back to the apostles, has been preserved up to the present day.
The day of the commemoration of the holy preeminent apostles Peter and Paul, June 29, belongs to the rank of great Church feasts, although it is not counted among the twelve great feasts. On this day the Church glorifies the “first-enthroned among the apostles and teachers of the whole world”; “they have closed the ever-gaping mouths of the ungodly, they are the dreadful swords of the Spirit, the splendid adornments of Rome, the nurturers of the whole world, the noetic and divinely graven tablets of the new covenant”;3 “the disciples of Christ and foundations of the Church, the pillars and ramparts of truth, the divine clarions of the teachings and sufferings of Christ.”
On the day following the commemoration of Saints Peter and Paul, a divine service in honor of the synaxis of the Twelve Apostles is celebrated. The eleven apostles chosen by Christ, and Matthias, chosen by the apostolic community to replace the betrayer Judas, are included in the ranks of the twelve apostles (see Acts 1:23–26).
Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev, Orthodox Christinity: The Worship and Liturgical Life of the Orthodox Church (volume 4), pp. 369–370.
Next Saturday (June 13th) we will commemorate our June departed at 4:15 p.m. Watch for the usual email, sometime midweek, to submit a request.
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Next Sunday, in lieu of Matins, Ignatius Giesing will be baptized! The service will begin at 8:00 a.m. with the Divine Liturgy immediately following.
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Join Sdn. Thaddeus as he leads a weekly Bible Study on Thursday, June 18th at 7:00 p.m. in our Fellowship Hall and on Zoom. In our upcoming class we will begin with Acts 25:1.
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Bring your children to play from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Bring your own food, water, and sunscreen. Contact Christina Tice with any questions.
- June 19 at Can-Do Playground (Wilmington, DE)
- July 10 at Nichols Park (Landenberg, PA)
- July 24 at Lums Pond Playground (Bear, DE)
- August 7 at White Clay Creek Preserve Lot 2 (Landenberg, PA)
- August 21 TBD (Possible pool party)
- Sept 4 at Glasgow Park (Bear, DE)
Many have donated to the GoFundMe that is now running for Hannah Conover’s medical expenses. In addition to that, our parish will be making a Good Samaritan donation; please free to donate to the Good Samaritan Fund if you would like to contribute through St. Michael’s. Be sure to note or add a memo “Hannah” with your donation (this can be done online too).
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Father Silouan uses an opt-in email service to send out his communications (such as the Weekend Update) to the parish. This is a different service than the parish Listserv.
To sign up, click on “The Latest” in the menu above. Then click on "Email Signup" which is the first item in the drop-down menu.
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Don’t forget you can give tithes and offerings online, including designated funds. There are two ways to do this. First, you can use the green "Give" button on Father Silouan's "Weekend Update" emails. Second, you can use the menu on this page. Click on "The Latest," then click on "Church Connect." Finally click on the blue "Give Online" button.
| Date | Matins | Epistle | |
| Jun 14 | Bergwall | Peck | |
| Jun 21 | Plumley | Wales | |
| Jun 28 | Skomorucha | Bergwall | |
| Date | Coffee Hour | Service Duty | Church Cleaners |
| Jun 14 | M. Tsegay / B. Gabriel / Plumley / Plummer / Santana | Riley / Herninko | Baldychev / Shatley‑Sylvest |
| Jun 21 | Father's Day - Women host the men. | Stultz / Khanamerian | Lennon / Stultz / Morales |
| Jun 28 | Morjana / Hamwi / Najemy / Didonato | Nastase / Najemy | Bunitsky / Davis / Mroz |
| Date | Servers |
| Jun 14 | Bergwall / Sharman |
This Week's Schedule
Monday, June 8th
Apostle's Fast Begins: June 8th - 28th
Tuesday, June 9th
Men's Book Study
at 6:30 a.m.
Weekday Vespers & Fellowship
at 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, June 10th
Hours
at 8:40 a.m.
Weekday Divine Liturgy
at 9:00 a.m.
Thursday, June 11th
Adult Bible Study
at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, June 13th
Monthly Panikhida
at 4:15 p.m.
Ninth Hour
at 4:50 p.m.
Great Vespers
at 5:00 p.m.
followed by
Confessions
Sunday, June 14th
† All Saints of America †
Giesing Baptism
at 8:00 a.m.
Divine Liturgy
at 9:00 a.m.
followed by
Fellowship
Important Dates
Monday, June 29th
Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul
