St. Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church

Serving Emmaus and the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania

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URGENT UPDATE Re: COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

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UPDATED MARCH 19, 2020

From March 14-31, except for worship services, all events at St. Paul’s are canceled or postponed, and our service schedule is limited. Attendance at services is to be by clergy, chanters and altar servers only.

This decision, in obedience to His Eminence, Metropolitan Joseph, is to help facilitate the social distancing that is being called for by medical professionals to help slow the transmission of the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) infection so that we will not overwhelm our hospital facilities especially as the elderly and infirm will need medical care.

Live-stream video of church services is available via the parish Facebook page at the appointed service times.

For more information, if you are a member of our parish, please check your parish email.

I also urge you to read the Mar. 13 encyclical on this subject that was sent to us by His Eminence, Metropolitan Joseph, as well as the official policy letter sent out on Mar. 17.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Andrew

Exploring Orthodox Christianity: A Lenten How-To Series

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EXPLORING ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY is a six-week experience for anyone interested in understanding better the faith, teachings, history, worship and practices of the Orthodox Christian Church. This Lent Unit (Saturdays Mar. 7 – Apr. 11) is complemented by an Advent Unit held in the Fall.

This evening program begins with 5pm Vespers on Saturday night, followed by a common potluck fasting meal (roughly 6pm, no meat or dairy, please), a short presentation and discussion. One or more church members will give the presentation(s) and moderate the discussion. Each evening’s program should wrap up by 7-7:30pm.

This program is recommended for all interested (including Orthodox Christians, non-Christians or non-Orthodox Christians) and is also part of the standard preparation for formally enrolled catechumens of the parish (those who have made a commitment to become Orthodox Christians).

TOPIC SCHEDULE FOR LENT 2020 (subject to adjustment as needed):

March 7: How to Interact with Your Priest
When should you call the priest? What is the proper relationship with your priest? What are realistic expectations of him? What are the major life events where he needs to be notified and asked for help? What does healthy obedience to a father-confessor look like?

March 14: How to Fast
What is the purpose of fasting? What kind of fasting is normal for most Orthodox Christians? What are the foods one can and cannot have during a fast? How do the fasts throughout the year differ? What if you have a medical condition that makes it hard to fast?

March 21: How to Be a Good Steward
What does it mean to tithe? What is really expected of a Christian by God? How do we love one another? How do you find your ministry in the church community? What is the right amount to give of one’s time, talent and treasure?

March 28: No class this evening due to the Lenten retreat happening all day

April 4: How to Interact with Saints and Angels
Who are the heavenly hosts? What is the Divine Council of God? How does someone become a saint? How do you venerate saints and angels? Do we pray to them or pray with them?

April 11: How to Pray at Home and Church
What is prayer? What is a prayer rule? (Is it necessary to have one?) How do you make Christ’s presence apparent at home? How do you keep from getting distracted during prayer? How do you pray the Jesus Prayer? (Is it necessary to have a prayer rope?) What does it mean to meditate?

Lenten Retreat Mar. 28: The Gospel of the Kingdom

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What is *A* Gospel? What is *THE* Gospel? And how do we respond?

The answers might not be what you think.

On Saturday, Mar. 28, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick will explore these questions in a Lenten retreat in a series of 4 talks. Each talk is about 45 minutes, followed by a 15 minute Q&A.

There is no cost for the retreat, and it is open to all who may be interested.

SCHEDULE:

9am: Welcome & Coffee

9:30am: Talk #1: What is A Gospel?

10:30am: Break

11am: Talk #2: What is THE Gospel? (Part 1)

12pm: Lunch (Lenten Potluck — bring a dish to share!)

1pm: Talk #3: What is THE Gospel? (Part 2)

2pm: Break

2:30pm: Talk #4: How do we respond to the gospel?

3:30pm-4:30pm: Break

5pm: Great Vespers

Jan. 18 – Feb. 29: The Early Church (Saturday Night Class)

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On Saturday evenings at St. Paul’s, a 7-week educational series on the earliest years of the Church — from the first through third centuries — is being taught by Dr. Cyril (Gary) Jenkins, Van Gorden Professor in History at Eastern University and Director of the St. Basil Center for Orthodox Thought and Culture.

The schedule for each evening is as follows:

    5pm Great Vespers
    5:45pm Potluck Meal (bring a dish to share)
    6pm Short Lecture with Discussion

Syllabus

18 Jan: The Church of the First Century I
Sources and the Apostolic Church

25 Jan: The Church of the First Century II
The Church of the Late First Century and the Ferment of Heresy

1 Feb: The Church of the Second Century I
Martyrdom and Apologists

8 Feb: The Church of the Second Century II
Gnosticism and Catholicity

15 Feb: The Church of the Third Century I
Athens and Jerusalem: Montanism, Origen, and the Greeks

22 Feb: The Church of the Third Century II
The Emergence of Latin Theology: Hippolytus, Cyprian, and Tertullian

29 Feb: The Church of the Third Century III
The blood of the Martyrs is the seed of the Church

Christmas 2019 and Theophany 2020 Schedule

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annunciation-nativity-meeting

December 25 is the feast of the Nativity According to the Flesh of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ! We will celebrate the feast at the following services:

Tuesday, Dec. 24 – Christmas Eve
8am Royal Hours of the Nativity
9:30am Vesperal Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great

Wednesday, Dec. 25 – Christmas
8am – Festal Matins
9am – Festal Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom

Notes on the Feast
Although the Festal Divine Liturgy is what most of us think of as the “primary” service for this feast, it is the other services that really contain the wealth of our Holy Church’s teaching about the Nativity of our Lord and its significance. If you have never attended these other services, please take the opportunity to do so this year. They are among the most beautiful services of the festal cycle.

If you would like to read more about this great feast, click here.

The Outdoor Water Blessing for Theophany at Little Lehigh Creek in Emmaus
The Outdoor Water Blessing for Theophany at Little Lehigh Creek in Emmaus

Theophany is the feast of the Baptism of Jesus Christ, when He began His public ministry by being baptized by St. John the Forerunner (John the Baptist) in the Jordan River. This act not only introduced Him to the world, but also made Christian baptism possible (by His blessing of the waters) and made plain the three Persons of the Holy Trinity—the Father speaking from the heavens, the Son being baptized and the Holy Spirit descending on the Son in the form of a dove. Theophany means “the appearance of God” and refers to this revelation of the Holy Trinity.

As part of the celebrations of this great feast—which is second in rank only to Pascha (Easter) and thus more important than Christmas!—holy water is blessed for use throughout the year, especially for the blessing of all parishioners’ homes.

Following is the schedule of services for Theophany 2020:

Friday, Jan. 3
8:30am – Royal Hours of Theophany

Sunday, Jan. 5 – Paramon (Eve) of Theophany
8am – Matins of the Eve of Theophany
9am – Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom with the Great Blessing of Water (bring your holy water bottles!)
12pm- Outdoor Blessing of Water at the Emmaus Wildlands Conservancy (3701 Orchid Pl., Emmaus, PA 18049)
5pm – Great Vespers for Theophany (with Litia and Artoklasia)

Please note that the eve of Holy Theophany (January 5) is appointed to be kept as a strict fast day—no meat, poultry, fish with backbones, dairy, wine or oil are to be consumed.

Monday, Jan. 6 – The Feast of Theophany
8am – Festal Matins for Theophany
9am – Festal Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great for Theophany with the Great Blessing of Water (bring your holy water bottles!)

To read more about Holy Theophany, click here.

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St. Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church

Planting the Seeds of Orthodoxy,
Cultivating Christian Community

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610.965.2298

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156 E. Main St.
Emmaus, PA 18049

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