St. Athanasius Orthodox Church • Nicholasville/Lexington Kentucky
Over the past three weeks, most of us have accepted that social distancing is something we absolutely must do for the sake of our loved ones and our neighbors. Sadly, for us Orthodox Christians, our ongoing efforts at social distancing will include Holy Week and the Feast of Feasts (Pascha) itself. …
By now, almost all of us have had at least two weeks to process the reality the whole world is facing: nothing in our life is normal now or in the medium term. Sadly, for us Orthodox Christians, this period of time includes the remainder of Great Lent, Holy Week, and the Feast of Feasts …
Last Friday, our parish shared the painful news that–in light of the novel Coronavirus’ proliferation–we would be asking our brothers and sisters to refrain from attending divine services, in accordance with instruction from our archbishop. At the time, most of us–including …
A Pastoral Word from Fr. Justin Patterson: With the spread of the Coronavirus COVID-19, our churches have had to make excruciatingly difficult decisions about what faithfulness looks like. After much prayer and careful consideration, our Archbishop Alexander has instructed his diocesan communities …
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 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 …
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 …
