Holy Week guide and service schedule

Dear Mission Faithful,

The blessing of the Lord!

As we are only days away from the end of Great Lent and the beginning of Holy Week, I hope that you have had a spiritually profitable struggle. There is still time to enter into the Fast in preparation for the Resurrection! As Saint John Chrysostom says in his Paschal homily, if any “have tarried even until the eleventh hour, let him not be fearful on account of his lateness.”

Our Holy Week journey begins with Small Compline on Friday night, when we will read the Canon of Saint Lazarus, who Christ raised from the dead, as a foreshadowing of His own Resurrection. There will be many Divine Services during Holy Week, and I would encourage you to attend as many as you can. To that end, I am attaching a document that gives details about all the upcoming services during Holy Week; in addition below are schedules for both the mission and the monastery, so that you might be able to take advantage of the many opportunities next week.

A Practical Guide to Holy Week Services and Pascha

Note: shared services highlighted	Mission of Saints Joachim & Anna	Monastery of Saint John the Forerunner
Apr 26, Friday	Small Compline w/ Canon of St. Lazarus, 6pm	Presanctified Liturgy, 7am Small Compline w/ Canon of St. Lazarus, TBA
Apr 27, Lazarus Saturday	Orthros & Divine Liturgy, 8:15am Cleaning Day, brunch provided Vespers, 5:30pm	Orthros & Divine Liturgy, 6:30am Great Vespers, 6pm
Apr 28, Palm Sunday	Orthros & Divine Liturgy, 8:15am Bridegroom Orthros, 6pm	Orthros & Divine Liturgy, 7am Vespers & Compline, 4:30pm Bridegroom Orthros, 6:30pm
Apr 29, Holy Monday	Presanctified Liturgy, 6am Bridegroom Orthros, 6pm	Presanctified Liturgy, 7am Great Compline, 4:30pm Bridegroom Orthros, 6:30pm
Apr 30, Holy Tuesday	Presanctified Liturgy with Monastery Bridegroom Orthros, 6pm	Presanctified Liturgy, 7am Great Compline, 4:30pm Bridegroom Orthros, 6:30pm
May 1, Holy Wednesday	Presanctified Liturgy, 8am Holy Unction with Monastery Catechism, 7pm	Presanctified Liturgy, 7am Holy Unction, 4pm Bridegroom Orthros, 6:30pm
May 2, Holy Thursday	Vesperal Liturgy, 9am Passion Service, 6pm	Vesperal Liturgy, 7am Passion Service, 7pm
May 3, Holy Friday	Royal Hours & Typika, 9am Unnailing Vespers, 3pm Lamentations with Monastery	Royal Hours & Unnailing Vespers, 8:30am Lamentations, 7pm
May 4, Holy Saturday	Vesperal Liturgy, 9am Midnight Office, Rush, Paschal Orthros & Liturgy, 11pm Blessing of baskets and breaking the fast following	Vesperal Liturgy, 8am Orthros & Divine Liturgy, 11:15pm Breakfast following
May 5, PASCHA	Agape Vespers, 2pm Paschal Trisagion and hymns at Cemetery following	Agape Vespers, 5:30pm
May 6, Bright Monday (St. George)	Divine Liturgy with Monastery	Divine Liturgy, 7am

Much love in the risen Christ,

Fr. John