St. Athanasius Orthodox Church • Nicholasville/Lexington Kentucky
Great Lent in the Orthodox Church began on March 2, “Clean Monday,” and continues through most of April. During Lent, Orthodox Christians traditionally engage in deep efforts related to prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and increased attendance of services: all to prepare us for Holy Week and …
In the Orthodox Church, Great Lent (which begins this year on Monday, March 2) is preceded by four weeks of preparation. This season of preparation touches upon what we eat but even more upon our hymns and appointed readings–all of which call us back to God and prepare us for deep repentance. One of …
The twin feasts of Christmas & Epiphany (Theophany) straddle the New Year and together, mark the second-most important season in the life of the Orthodox Church. The Church (or at least those parts of it on the “New Calendar”) marks the Feast of Theophany on January 6. Leading up to …
The Great Feast of the Nativity of our Lord approaches and we ready ourselves for this splendid festival! A number of feasts have marked our journey through the Nativity Fast, thus far–including St. Nicholas Day and St. Herman Day. This past weekend, we welcomed Fr. Silviu Bunta, who led a …
St. Athanasius and our local Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) at the University of Ketuncky were privileged to welcome Rev. Dr. Silviu Bunta, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Dayton. Fr. Silviu visited the Bluegrass Dec. 13-15 and conversed with us on these topics: …
Each year, from November 15 until December 24, the Orthodox Church observes the Nativity Fast. This fasting season has been established by our Church since ancient times for the purpose of preparing our hearts to welcome the Light of Christ at Christmas. Fasting seasons are not only times of …
While September does not feel like fall this year (too hot!) fall is nonethless here. In our parish, September and October are generally months of refocusing, especially in regard to picking up the work of Christian Education and Christian Service. Christian Education Sunday School has resumed (9am …
As we feel the heat of summertime abate every late August, Orthodox Christians look forward to September 1, when we mark the new ecclesiastical year. In 2019, this new church year falls on a Sunday and we will sing together as a community: O Creator of the Universe, Thou didst appoint times by Thine …
The first half of August in the Orthodox Church (Aug. 1-14) is set aside as a special season of fasting and reflection. The two-week Dormition Fast precedes the Great Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, which we celebrate on August 15 every year. This season of fasting is punctuated not only …
As in most Orthodox parishes, summertime at St. Athanasius offers a more relaxed pace of church life, especially compared to the springtime (Lent and Pascha,) early fall (various feasts and “back to school,”) and wintertime (Nativity Fast, Christmas, and Epiphany.) Already this summer, …
