2024 Nativity Encyclical of Gregory Metropolitan of Boston and Toronto
Celebrating the Feasts of Saint Nicholas and the Nativity of Our Saviour
Dear and Faithful Orthodox Christians,
Thanks to God for our joyous Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord, God, and Saviour Jesus Christ!
These have been truly remarkable and grace-filled days! Bringing our gifts of prayer, chanting, our offerings to support the Church, and our community spirit of fellowship, it was as if we ascended mystically to Bethlehem and stood in the Church at the cave with the Magi and the Shepherds as our Christian companions. Following the Nativity Services of Royal Hours, Vesperal Liturgy, the Great Vigil, and then the Divine Liturgy of Nativity Day, the joy of the Feastday resounded throughout our Luncheon and the happy singing of Christmas Carols.
Saint Nicholas Church magnificently decorated for Nativity
And just over two weeks before, our Nativity Fast had been illumined at the Feast of our holy patron Saint Nicholas! We can recall now the compunctionate All-night Vigil Service, the Hierarchical Liturgy that was celebrated on the Feast of Saint Nicholas with our Metropolitan Gregory of Boston and Toronto, who presided, together with John, Bishop of Woodside, New York. Father Protodeacon George and I were also accompanied by a number of visiting clergy including our beloved Elder and Abbott Isaac of Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Father Sergey from Saint Seraphim Parish, Father Pedros of Saint Mark’s Cathedral in Boston, Father Bohdan and Presbytera Donna, from the Parish of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, Father Demjan of Saint Andrew’s in Saskatoon, and our own dear Father Ephraim, monk.
Metropolitan Gregory and Clergy at the Vigil on Saint Nicholas Feast
On Saint Nicholas morning before the Liturgy, Reader Elijah from Boston was ordained to the Subdeaconate. May God grant him strength to serve Christ’s Church with diligence and joy!
Ordination of Subdeacon Elijah
In his sermon at the Liturgy, Metropolitan Gregory encouraged us to continue in our steadfastness in the Faith and to act with Christian compassion towards others as Saint Nicholas did. The Metropolitan outlined that Saint Nicholas exemplifies using, ‘the right hand of exactness and zeal in matters of the Faith, without compromise, never adding nor subtracting, and using the left hand of compassion, having a compassionate heart with our brethren and towards all. Then peace reigns in the Church.’ After the Liturgy we celebrated the Feast with a Luncheon in the Church hall which was filled with vibrant conversations, and delicious food.
On the Sunday after Saint Nicholas day, the Hierarchical Liturgy was celebrated by Metropolitan Gregory. After the Liturgy, we received a special blessing as the sacred relics of the holy Martyr Saint Maurice of the Theban legion and relics of several of his martyred fellow Soldiers were brought into the Church for veneration. Encompassed with grace and wonder that the sacred relics of these ancient martyred Saints were present before us, we reverenced them with honour, giving thanks for the mercy of God. This was followed by a second Parish Luncheon and a Question and Answer period with Metropolitan Gregory. There was a wide array of interesting questions and the discussions covered areas including: the introduction of Christianity and Orthodoxy in Japan, the different categories and levels of interpretation that the Fathers reveal in the holy Scriptures, and many others, an enlightening conversation for us all.
Metropolitan Gregory, Bishop John and Clergy on the Feast of Saint Nicholas
And now as we progress to the great Feast of Theophany, celebrating the Baptism of Our Saviour and the manifestation of the Holy Trinity, may we rejoice now in this Feast of Lights, and come to draw from the blessed waters, and receiving sanctification from Our Saviour Jesus Christ, may He receive our worship and join it together with the Angels in Heaven.
As King David prophesied, and we have seen fulfilled, ‘The waters saw Thee O God, the waters saw Thee and were afraid. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of glory hath thundered, the Lord is upon the many waters!’ (Psalm 76)
Services for Theophany:
Friday January 17, 2025 – Royal Hours and Typika for Theophany
6:30 pm Royal Hours
Saturday, January 18, 2025 – Eve of Theophany
8:30 am Vespers and Divine Liturgy followed by the first Blessing of the Waters
3:30pm Vigil of Theophany
Sunday, January 19, 2025 – The Theophany of Our Lord and God and Saviour, Jesus Christ
9:00 am Divine Liturgy followed by the Great Blessing of the Waters
After Coffee Hour we will proceed to Lake Ontario to bless the waters there.
With prayers and blessings of the Feasts!
Father Anthony
Celebrating the Upcoming Feast of Saint Nicholas
St. Nicholas English Orthodox Parish
Dear and Faithful Orthodox Christians,
As the Feast of our holy Patron Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker approaches, and as we continue our Fast in preparation for the Feast of the Nativity of Our Saviour, it is a good time for us to look back and consider the many blessings we have received from Christ through the intercessions of Saint Nicholas!
Chief among these blessings, we are grateful to God that we have Hierarchs and Clergy that are diligent and faithful in our holy Orthodox Faith! And secondly, we are blessed with a caring and loving community of Faithful, journeying together on the path of salvation with the help of our Saviour and the Saints.
I am reminded of the words the Priest says quietly during the Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, ‘For all these things we give thanks unto Thee, to Thine Only-begotten Son, and to Thy Holy Spirit, for all Thy benefits which we know, and which we know not, benefits manifest and concealed which have been wrought for us.’
We recall with thanksgiving and joy so many blessings: the baptism of our brother Anthony in March, receiving our dear sister Gabriela into the Church in May, celebrating the Liturgy of Saint James the brother of God for the first time at Saint Nicholas in November, receiving the magnificent icon of Saint Elizabeth the Grand-Duchess and New Martyr, written for us at Holy Nativity Convent, and the vibrant discussion we had together at our talk, ‘On the Divine Liturgy’ in October. The excitement of our parishioners who participated at the Saint Peter the Aleut Camp in August, being blessed by the prayers of our Elder Isaac and dear Mother Seraphima, and for me personally, the honour of serving at our Church of the Mother of God in Calgary and visiting the faithful in Montreal. Most recently on December 9th, we all rejoiced together at the holy Baptism of George and Paraskeve, the newly illumined.
With all these blessings and so many others in mind, we will come together to honour Saint Nicholas our heavenly intercessor in just a few days. There will be the Vigil and Hierarchical Liturgy with our Metropolitan Gregory and other visiting clergy, a celebration Lunch and a talk with the Metropolitan on the following Sunday. Let us put aside as much of the daily commotion as we can and dedicate time for prayer with our beloved Saint. Come to the Vigil in his honour for the full evening, for as your able for a few hours of the Service, and rejoice in the Liturgy on his Feast Day. In our homes also we should pray his Dismissal Hymn in our Icon Corner:
Saint Nicholas Dismissal Hymn – Tone 4
The Truth of things hath revealed thee to thy flock, * as a rule of Faith, and Icon of meekness, and a teacher of temperance. * For this cause though hast received the heights by humility, * riches by poverty.* O Father and Hierarch Nicholas,* intercede with Christ God that our souls be saved.
Celebrating The Feast of Saint Nicholas – Wed Dec 18 and Thurs Dec 19
We will celebrate the Feast of Saint Nicholas with the following Services and activities:
6:30pm Wednesday Dec 18, Vigil on the Feast of Saint Nicholas
8:45am Thursday Dec 19, Hierarchical Divine Liturgy with Metropolitan Gregory, Bishop John, Elder and Abbot Isaac, and visiting clergy
Festive Luncheon following the Divine Liturgy on Thursday Dec 19.
3:30pm Saturday Dec 21, Vigil Service
8:45am Sunday Dec 22, Hierarchical Divine Liturgy with Metropolitan Gregory presiding
Q&A with Metropolitan Gregory at Coffee hour following Divine Liturgy
Honouring Saint Nicholas
As our forbears have done for centuries, we look forward to coming together on these festal days to honour Saint Nicholas. Saint Nicholas, the wonderworking Bishop of Myra! The defender of Orthodoxy at the First Council! The instructor in humility! The Protector and Father of our Church.
Let us make real our thanks to God for our blessings and attend and participate in as much as we can!
O Saint Nicholas, the Wonderworker of Myra, intercede for your flock, for we call upon thee with faith!
Father Anthony’
Exaltation of the Holy Cross and Instruction on the Divine Liturgy
Exaltation of the Holy Cross
and Instruction on the Divine Liturgy
–Message from Father Anthony–
Dear and Faithful Orthodox Christians,
We have all entered into a new Orthodox Liturgical Year, and already celebrated the first Great Feast of the Nativity of the Mother of God. This week we gather in the Church on the evening of Thursday Sept 26 at 6:30pm and the morning of Friday Sept 27 for the Divine Liturgy at 9:00am to worship at the second Great Feast of the year — the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord!We will honour Christ at His Feast with Vigil prayers, the Divine Liturgy, and then an Instruction on the Great Mystery of the Liturgy at 6:30pm on Friday Sept 27.
Icon of the Exaltation of the Cross
Evening Instruction on the Divine Liturgy
6:30pm Friday Sept 27
At 6:30pm on Friday September 27th, we invite you to participate in an Instruction on the Divine Liturgy. This will be an opportunity for us to come together as a Parish, to deepen our Faith, to ask questions and thereby enhance our participation in the Liturgy with greater spiritual insight. This will include a discussion on the preparation of the Offering of the Liturgy, as well as the structure and both the practical and spiritual meaning of the Divine Service. The talk will be in the Church Hall followed by a gathering in the Church itself to underscore the discussion. Please join us on Friday beginning at 6:30pm.
Exaltation of the Honoured and Life-giving Cross
Vigil 6:30pm Thursday Sept 26
Divine Liturgy 9:00am Friday Sept 27
Instruction on Divine Liturgy 6:30pm Friday Sept 27
On Thursday evening at the great Vigil we will chant:
Today the Cross is lifted up, and all the world is sanctified. For Thou, while throned with the Father and with the All-holy Spirit, by stretching out Thy hands thereon, hast drawn the whole world to Thyself, that it might know Thee, O my Christ.
In a homily by Saint John of Kronstadt he reminds us of the importance of keeping this Feast, saying,
‘The Cross of the Lord is being raised! On it was crucified the God-man, the only begotten Son of God, who deigned by His sufferings and death on the Cross to redeem mankind from eternal torment!’
Then for three hundred years the Cross was hidden, resting in the earth, and for three hundred years the Church of God, the believers in the Lord were under a terrible cross of persecution and martyrdom. Then, the pious Emperor Constantine appeared on the royal throne, with his mother Helen. The Lord revealed His Cross to Constantine in the Heavens and with this sign, this victorious ensign of Christ, he conquered the pagan enemies of Christ and ended the persecutions. (312 A.D.) Saint Constantine favours Christians, accepts the Christian faith himself, zealously honours the Crucified One and not only allows, but commits everyone – clergy, senate, army, and people to reverently worship Christ.
Empress Helen, his mother, journeys to the holy land and uncovers the precious Cross of the Lord in Jerusalem and it is solemnly raised from the ground, elevated, exalted, oh joy! All the Christians come to behold the holy Cross, and worshipping fall down in prostration crying, Lord have mercy!
And we Orthodox Christians following their example praise Christ and worship the holy Cross on this Feast as they did. As Prophet Isaish foresaw:
‘And the glory of Lebanon shall come to thee, with the cypress, and pine, and cedar together, to glorify My holy place; and the place of My feet will I glorify! … And thou shalt know that I am the Lord that saveth thee and delivereth thee, the God of Israel.’ (Isaiah:60)
And as King David pronounces:
‘Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship the footstool of His feet; for He is holy.’ (Psalm 98:5 Septuagint; Ps 99:5 KJV). And again, ‘Let us worship at the place where His feet have stood.’ (Psalm 131:7 KJV Ps 132:7).
Therefore beloved Christians kindle your love for Our Saviour and the Feasts of the Church and come with piety to worship Him at His holy Feast, that through the hymns, readings, prayers and instruction, by exchanging our time in worldly pursuits with spiritual pursuits, we may receive from Him divine grace and mercy.
We will close with this beautiful Hymn of Vespers as we await the blessed days ahead.
‘As the Cross is lifted up, it urgeth all of creation to praise the immaculate Passion of the One Who was lifted up thereon.
For by means of the Cross, He made the dead to live again, making them beautiful, granting them the Heavens as dwelling place, because He is compassionate.’
With prayers in Christ,
Father Anthony
Feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul
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Icon Fresco of Saints Peter and Paul circa 375 AD
Catacomb of St Thecla, Rome
Feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul
Dear and Faithful Orthodox Christians,
Honouring the holy Apostles in the keeping of their fast, we now prepare to rejoice in the grace-filled days of their Feast. Tomorrow, Thursday July 11, we begin our Vigil at 6:30pm, and on Friday July 12 at 9am (June 29 according to the Church Calendar) we will celebrate the sacred and Divine Liturgy of the Feast.
Consider how different was the beginning of these two men! And yet, united in love of Christ, they gave themselves entirely to Him and His Church, and through these two and their companion Apostles, the whole world has received the enlightenment of the Salvation of Our Saviour.
Peter a simple fisherman, walked with God incarnate, received the fullness of the Holy Spirit on the great day of Pentecost, and filled with all knowledge of the mysteries of God set forth to build up the faithful on the rock of the Orthodox Faith. And Paul, who had been fiercely persecuting the Church, encountered Christ the True Light on his journey to Damascus. Receiving the restoral of his physical sight and illumined with spiritual revelations he tirelessly preached Christ, and often through difficult journeys, in trials and deprivations, He persevered until the end that we might come to the True Faith.
The power of Christ, His victory over death, the forgiveness of sins, and the light of Truth were made manifest to the world and to us through their labours in love.
Now, let’s hear from them directly! As Saint Peter declared in his second Epistle, having already been shown of his coming departure from this life by Christ:
Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.
Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;
Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.
Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.
For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. (2 Peter 1:12-21)
Saint Paul from prison writing to the faithful at Phillipi calls them and us to continue to advance in our faith even as Paul does,
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which
are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded.
(Phillipians 3:13-15)
Desiring to encourage us to reach the heights, Saint Paul continues:
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are
lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. (Phillipians 4:8)
The Feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul this Friday, and the Feast of the twelve Apostles on Saturday are days of rejoicing, and days to renew ourselves. As they have spoken to us confirming that they were eyewitnesses of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and received His heavenly revelations, they call us even now to pursue and advance in our Faith even in times of difficulty, and to raise our minds to things true, and just, and heavenly.
As our ever-memorable Metropolitan Andrew said to us in prayer on their Feast in 2020,
‘May the prayers of Saints Peter and Paul cover us and make us zealous for the Orthodox Faith and piety;
that on the great and final day we may be found in their company, praising God unto the ages. Amen.’
With prayers in Christ,
Father Anthony
Icon of Saints Peter and Paul by Photios Kontoglou
Treasured at Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline