Join Our Lenten Pilgrimage to Pascha! - St. Athanasius Orthodox Church • Nicholasville/Lexington Kentucky

Our parish family at St. Athanasius is grateful to be on the cusp of Great Lent–a special season of fasting and prayer that leads us to the sacred days of Holy Week and Pascha. In Holy Week and Pascha (April 24-May 2,) we ourselves will become witnesses to the Cross, Death, and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ! We heartily invite you to join us in our Lenten Pilgrimage that will take us to the Cross and Resurrection of our Lord. Our parish is fully open for in-person worship and we invite visitors to simply come. (You can read our full Covid-19 approach below.)

What is Great Lent? To learn more, we invite you to read through our Lenten Guide for 2021 (hard copies are available at the church.) Also, while our full church calendar can be accessed here, you may prefer pdf views of March and April. Please explore these resources and feel free to reach out to our pastor, Fr. Justin, if you have any questions! Great Lent is a perfect time to visit the Orthodox Church.

Practically, some special moments in the coming month include:

Sunday, March 7: 955am Visitors’ Sunday & 1145am church tour
Wednesday, March 3: 720pm In-Person “Audio-Visual Tour of Great Lent”
Various In-Person 4pm “Super Saturday” Kids Education Programs
Online Adult Christian Education (write to Fr. Justin for more info)
Full Schedule of Lenten Services starting on March 14 (in-person and broadcast)
Various Youth Events (in-person)
Various St. Elizabeth Sisterhood Events (in-person and online)
Various Fellowship Events (in person, mostly)
April 10: Hybrid Lenten Retreat with Abbess Christophora of Holy Transfiguration Monastery
April 24-May 2: Holy Week & PASCHA (with giant tent for services and fellowship to accommodate maximal number of people!)

How is our Parish Handling Covid-19?

We are grateful to God that (as of the beginning of March) we have had no verifiable of transmission of Coronavirus in our parish! You can read our updated Parish Covid Guidelines describing the practical measures our community is taking to slow the spread of Covid. (You can also read the archpastoral word that the bishops of the Orthodox Church in America have sent out to encourage us all as we begin Lent.) We remind our parish faithful and visitors of some basic guidelines when we gather at the church:

wash hands upon entering the church
wear masks while worshipping and moving through the corridors
try to maintain 6 ft. of social distance between families
try to fellowship outdoors (going indoors in inclement weather)
don’t come to church if you feel sick or have a temperature

These common-sense practices have been working well and we are excited that we are anticipating a gradual relaxation of these practices as conditions continue to get better! If you have any questions about these guidelines or wish to visit with our priest, please reach out to Fr. Justin by email or by texting or calling him (859-361-2823.)

Here are some photos of our parish life in January, February, and early March of 2021: