Thank you to all who made our Holy Week and Pascha at St. Vladimir’s such a success this year! Last year we had just a skeleton crew present to serve the services due to the pandemic. It was so nice to have more people able to attend this year! God willing next year will be without any pandemic measures at all! Our choir worked incredibly hard to prepare for these holiest of days – please take a moment to remember our choir members in your prayers. And if you get a chance: thank a choir member for their many, many hours of preparation for the sake of our parish family! But not just the choir: the sisterhood worked liked crazy to make our holy days successful, as well as all those who serve in the altar, our brotherhood, and many, many more who worked quietly behind the scenes – hoping only for a reward from the Lord. Please remember all who exerted such herculean efforts in our parish family. The Lord knows them by name even if you don’t.

BUT HERE IS THE THING: the celebration just BEGINS at Pascha. Sometimes we think that is the end. Let’s set things straight now – Pascha is the beginning of the celebration!

This week we have services every night at 6:00 p.m. and every morning at 8:00 a.m. That is Pascha every day for a week! Of course no one can go to every service, but everyone can go to at least one or two during this special week. And should. And we can almost say “must”, for how can we celebrate the Feast of Feasts and the Day of Days for just a few hours? We can’t! We need to celebrate in earnest for Bright Week, and really continue to celebrate during these 40 days – until the Ascension of the Lord. Please join us! In person if you can, and virtually if you can’t. As St. John Chrysostom says in his homily read on Pascha night: “...the table is fully laden, delight ye all...” The Holy Church lays out the banquet of faith – but it will not force feed us. It is up to us to receive with love the free gift of God: the Paschal Divine Services which so nourish us spiritually. May God grant us all the strength to receive this gift by participating in the Divine Services this Pascha week!
FULL BRIGHT WEEK SCHEDULE HERE