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CLICK HERE: For info about Great and Holy Pascha
| . Christ IS Risen! Truly He IS Risen! Great and Holy Pascha - 2009 |
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Holy Week Photos
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Palm Sunday - 04/12/09
The Feast of our Lord's triuphant Entry into Jerusalem!
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Preparing the Tomb - 04/15/09
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Many more folks showed up than we expected
to prepare the tomb to receive the plaschanitsa (epitaphion) on Holy
Thursday afternoon. Many hands, including those of the children, made very light work. Sadly, Thursday's services were canceled because Fr. Adam was to ill to serve. Alas, next year!
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Vespers of Holy Saturday (Served Friday Afternoon) - 04/17/09
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The Noble Joseph (of Arimathea) when he
had taken down Thy most pure and spotless Body from the tree, wrapped
it in fine linen, annointed it with spices, and placed it in a new
tomb.
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Guarding the Tomb of the Burried Christ - 04/18/09
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Fr. Adam and some of the children spent the night in the nave of the
Church keeping watch over the tomb. The children took turns reading the Kathismata from the Psalter throughout the evening. This is traditionally done out of
love and respect for the crucified Body of our Christ who will rise and
upon us burried in the tombs of our sinfulness, bestow life! The
children gave it their best shot!
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Holy Pascha Photos
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Great and Holy Pascha! - 04/19/09
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Blessing the Pascha Baskets - 04/19/09
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Beautifully prepared baskets full of the richest and most filling traditional (and some non traditional!) foods from which we had fasted for the previous 47 days were laid open with lit candles in them waiting for the Paschal blessing. See the Pascha information page for more detail on what goes into a traditional Pascha basket.
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The Blessed Breaking of the Great Fast - The Agape Meal - 04/19/09
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A meal was shared among those gathered for the basket blessing,
consisting of both basket food and also dishes prepared especially for this Agape
love meal of Great Pascha. This is the great feast which follows the
Great Fast, but it is a mere reminder of the wedding feast of heaven
which Christ has made ready for us to partake of.
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Pascha games and Fellowship - 04/19/09
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The children had a fun an educational egg hunt with the contents of the
eggs telling in a small way the story of our lenten journey to the
empty tomb. The beautiful day was perfect for realxing and enjoying the
Christ filled day that was so special.
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|  . O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power, and idle talk.
|  . But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Thy servant.
|  . Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own transgressions, and not to judge my brother, for blessed art Thou, unto ages of ages. Amen. .
| CLICK HERE: For images from the Feast of the Triumph of Orthodoxy at Wilkes Barre's Holy Resurrection Cathedral (OCA)
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Let us begin the lenten time with delight … let us fast from passions as we fast from food, taking pleasure in the good words of the Spirit, that we may be granted to see the holy passion of Christ our God and his holy Pascha, spiritually rejoicing.
Thy grace has arisen upon us, O Lord, the illumination of our souls has shown forth; behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the time of repentance (Vesper Hymns) | 
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Catechumen Byron 'Michael' Mosser
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As many as are preparing for illumination draw near. Pray, ye who are preparing for illumination!
Reveal, O Master, Thy countenance to those who are preparing for holy illumination and who long to put away the pollution of sin. Enlighten their minds. Secure them in the faith. Establish them in hope . Perfect them in love. Show them to to be honorable members of thy Christ, who gave Himself as a deliverance of our souls!
St. John's parish is blessed to have among us a few catechumens and enquirers as well as several folks who have made "first contact" and have begun to show interest in Holy Orthodoxy. On Lazarus Saturday, April 11th 2009, Catechmen George (Byron) Mosser will be grafted onto the Body of Christ and be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit through the Holy Mystery of Chrismation. Byron has been in preparation for the last year and will partake of the sacred mysteries in the Body and Blood of Christ for the 1st time this day as well. The infant Joshua will be baptized into the Body of Christ on Sunday, April 26th 2009.
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Fr. Adam received Byron as catechumen
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The children greet the bishop as he arrives.
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Eis Polla Eti Dhespota! - 03/15/09
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The bishop vests in the middle of the Church
Johnny and his buddy
The Children escort His Grace to the Church
Church President, the Reader Joseph, gretts Vladykho Tikhon
Fr. Adam greets Vladykho
clergy stand to greet the bishop
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mary Ann scrubs the floor
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Preparations as we make ready to welcome Vladykho Tikhon and our brothers and sisters from the Wilkes Barre Deanery - 03/15/09
St. John's in Nanticoke hosts the first of several Lenten Mission Vespers on St. Gregory Palamas Sunday, March 15, 2009. This slideshow has photos of our preparations; thoroughly cleaning the Church Parlors, long overdue replacement of dead light bulbs in our ceiling, setting up for the repast, and more.
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Steve and Daisy clean windows
Jim sweeps the ceiling?
Iconostasis after the lights have been replaced- How lovely!
Bat in our belfry? Nope, it's just Torrie changing light bulbs
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With the Saints Give Rest to the Souls of Thy Servants who have Fallen Asleep...
The Church calendar provides many occassions when we are asked to face up to the fact of death. Good Friday is one such occassion. So is Holy Pascha (Easter). Sunday is another day. Every Sunday is a "little Pascha", celebrating Christ's victory over death. On the Church calendar every year, there are special Memorial or "Soul" Saturdays which provide another opportunity for us to face up to death. On these Saturdays the Divine Liturgy is celebrated and special prayers are offered for our deceased loved ones. We pray for the dead especially on Saturdays since it was on the Sabbath day that Christ lay dead in the tomb, "resting from all His works and trampling down death by death." Thus in the New Testament, Saturday becomes the proper day for remembering the deadand offering prayers for them. (From: "Memorial Saturdays in the Orthodox Church" Light and Life Publishing Co.)
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Now the powers of Heaven do serve invisibly with us. Lo, the mystical sacrifice is upborne, fulfilled! - 03/11/09
On Wednesday evening, 3/11/2009 at 6:00 pm St. John's celebrated the first of our weekly Liturgies of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts. The Church in Her wisdom provides this opportunity for us to partake of the Body and Blood of Christ during the Lenten weekdays (wherein no Divine Liturgies may be served) so that we may fight the good fight, complete the 40 day fast, to preserve the Faith undivided, to crush the heads of invisible serpents, to be shown to be conquerors of sins and, without condemnation, also to attain unto and worship the Holy Resurrection.
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Let us attend! The Pre-Sanctified Holy Things are for the Holy!
Wisdom, Let us attend! The light of Christ illumineth all!
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O Lord, save Thy people and bless Thine inheritance, Grant Victory to the Orthodox Christians over their adversaries, and by virtue of Thy Cross, preserve Thy habitation. - 03/08/09
St. John's celebrated the Sunday of Holy Orthodoxy with a procession of icons around the temple. Because the full service would be celebrated later that day at Holy Resurrection Cathedral in Wilkes Barre, we concentrated on the procession in the parish and the children follwed Father Adam throughout the Church while the choir sang the tropar of the feast. This is an event that the children look forward to every year.
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Great Cannon of St. Andrew of Crete - 03/02/09
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Forgiveness Sunday Vespers - 03/01/09
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Orthodoxy in America
