September & New Church Year

With September 1st, the Orthodox Church marks the start of a New “Church Year.” There is a kind of “reset” with the feasts that we celebrate, too. For instance, our first “Great Feast” of the new year is the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, which “begins” the events that ultimately lead to our Lord’s Death & Resurrection. Another major feast at the beginning of the year is the Feast of Exaltation of the Cross, reminding us–-6 months before we celebrate Holy Friday & Pascha-–that everything is about the Cross! As classes resume and people get back into their fall routines, there are several important moments to note in this month:

• A New Catechesis (Christian Teaching 101) Series begins Wednesday, September 3 Classes begin at 720pm each Wednesday (immediately following our regular Wednesday Vespers at 630pm.) Newcomers and inquirers are welcome at these classes — alongside our official catechumens. The weekly series will conclude in mid-December.
• Sunday School Resumes in its various forms with Children’s Sunday School beginning on Sunday, Sept. 7 immediatetely after the Liturgy (20-30 minutes) and Adult Sunday School starting again each Thursday on Sept. 11. The link for the those virtual Adult classes (where you can particpate online) are here.
• Our Annual Parish Meeting is scheduled for immediately after the Liturgy on Sunday, September 21 (with childcare being offered as well as pizza lunch for children and participants.) We will soon post the link with all relevant information relating to the meeting here.
• The St. Herman Fall Campout (joined by multiple parishes) is scheduled for September 26-28 at the Falls Creek Campgrounds near Lake Cumberland. Full information on the campout is here. And a Facebook Group about the Campout can be found here.
• Our Archbishop Alexander is planning his final visit to St. Athanasius before his retirement this October 25-27. Please mark your calendars for this festive weekend (when we also celebrate the newly-canonized St. Olga of Alaska! Learn more about the archbishop here.

We welcome those who are in (or close to) Madison County to consider a visit our daughter community, St. Nina Mission (213 Pauline Drive #5, Berea, KY,) which helps extend the reach of the Orthodox Faith along the I-75 corridor & Wilderness Trail. St. Nina Chapel is drawing people from Somerset, London, Corbin, and beyond. We are now serving services twice a week on Tuesdays (630pm) and Saturdays (6pm.) We also are trying to serve two Sunday Liturgies per month in Berea. Our lead priest at St. Nina this year will be Fr. David Thatcher, who can be reached at fr.david@bluegrassorthodox.org.

Below is a collection of photos from August 2025, showing the full range of our parish life. We hope these photos and the depth of our Faith inspire you to visit St. Athanasius Orthodox Church and/or our St. Nina Mission in Berea! If you have questions about our calendar or any aspect of our Faith or parish life, please reach out to our associate pastor Fr. Giorgi Lomsadze at fr.giorgi@bluegrassorthodox.org.