Beloved brothers and sisters,
This is Community Bulletin #45 of Saint Ignatius Parish in Belfast
Contents of this Bulletin:
- This Week in the Life of the Church: Readers Service on the 9th of August
- A Pastoral Word: Clean the Temple
- News and Announcements: Readers Service, Faith & Fellowship Meeting, Metropolitan’s Visit, Parish Register
This Week in the Life of the Church
Blessed Dormition Fast!
The Dormition Fast is a short but strict fasting period observed from 1 August until 14 August, preparing us for the celebration of the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos on 15 August.
On weekdays during the Fast, we abstain from meat, fish, dairy products, eggs, and wine. On Saturdays and Sundays, wine is permitted, and on the Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord (6 August), both fish and wine are permitted.
May this fasting season be fruitful for our repentance and spiritual life!
A reminder, that the next Readers Service of Hours & Typika (without priest) is already this coming Sunday, 9th August, at 11:00 am. Everyone welcome!
Saints and Feasts of the Week
*The saints named here accompany the days of the week as living witnesses of Christ. Only the principal saint or feast of each day is listed here, in keeping with the liturgical order of the Church.
- Sunday, 2nd of August – 9th Sunday of Matthew,
- Monday, 3rd of August – Isaacius, Dalmatus, & Faustus, Ascetics of the Dalmation Monastery
- Tuesday, 4th of August – Holy Seven Youths (‘Seven Sleepers’) of Ephesus
- Wednesday, 5th of August – Holy Martyr Eusignius of Antioch
- Thursday, 6th of August – Transfiguration of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
- Friday, 7th of August – Martyr Dometius of Persia and two disciples
- Saturday, 8th of August – St. Emilian the Confessor, bishop of Cyzicus
- Sunday, 9th of August – 10th Sunday of Matthew, The Holy Apostle Matthias
Hymns of the Week
*The hymns listed here are those that shape the prayer of the Church for the week, following the liturgical order and hierarchy. They are offered as an aid to prayer and may be used, as each is able, in personal prayer or a simple prayer rule at home.
RESURRECTIONAL APOLYTIKION IN TONE EIGHT
From the heights Thou didst descend, O compassionate One, and Thou didst submit to the three-day burial, that Thou might deliver us from passion; Thou art our life and our Resurrection, O Lord, glory to Thee.
APOLYTIKION OF THE TRANSFIGURATION IN TONE SEVEN
When, O Christ our God, Thou wast transfigured on the mountain, Thou didst reveal Thy glory to Thy Disciples in proportion as they could bear it. Let Thine everlasting light also enlighten us sinners, through the intercessions of the Theotokos. O Thou Bestower of light, glory to Thee.
KONTAKION OF THE TRANSFIGURATION IN TONE SEVEN
Thou wast transfigured on the mount, and Thy Disciples, in so far as they were able, beheld Thy glory, O Christ our God; so that, when they should see Thee crucified, they would remember that all Thy suffering was voluntary, and could declare to all the world that Thou art truly the effulgent Splendor of the Father.
Epistle and Gospel Readings:
*The Epistle and Gospel of the Sunday that begins the current liturgical week
- Epistle: 1 Corinthians 3:9-17
- Gospel: Matthew 14:22-34
The Sunday and daily Scripture readings may be read online via the Archdiocesan website: https://www.antiochian-orthodox.com/calendar
A Pastoral Word: Clean the Temple
At the end of the Epistle reading last Sunday (1 Cor 3:16-17), St Paul says:
Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
Indeed, which temples are we? Are we truly a temple dedicated to the Most High God—the one and only God, as the First Commandment teaches us: “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3)? Or have we become temples dedicated to mammon, as our Lord warns us (Matthew 6:24)—to money, possessions, comfort, ambition, pleasure, or any other passion that quietly takes the place of God?
I hope our answer is the former.
Through Holy Baptism and Holy Chrismation, Orthodox Christians become living temples of God and vessels of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit truly dwells within us. The real question is not whether He is present, but how deeply we allow His presence to transform our lives. That depends upon our willingness to cooperate with His grace through prayer, participation in the Holy Mysteries, reading the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Holy Fathers, and through repentance and fasting.
Repentance is not something we practise only occasionally. It is the daily work of every Christian, every day of the year. Yet, in her wisdom, the Church gives us special seasons devoted to more intense repentance and spiritual renewal. It is no coincidence that these fasting periods prepare us for the greatest feasts of the Church: Great Lent before Pascha, the Nativity Fast before Christmas, and now the Dormition Fast before the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. They are seasons of preparation, purification and renewal.
Think of how we prepare our homes before welcoming honoured guests. We clean every room thoroughly. We bring out our best plates and glasses. Everything is put in order. Everything is clean, beautiful and ready.
If we do this for our guests, should we not do even more for God?
The Holy Spirit dwells within us, and in the Divine Liturgy our Lord Jesus Christ comes to dwell in us as we partake of His most precious Body and Blood. Does not such a temple deserve to be cleansed and prepared?
We ourselves are like the Holy Chalice from which we receive the Eucharist. Every priest cleanses the Chalice with the greatest care and reverence after each Divine Liturgy. It is carefully protected, honourably stored, and treated as one of the holiest objects in the Church.
Should we not care for our own souls with at least the same reverence? Should we not seek to keep both body and soul pure, so that we may worthily receive Christ within us?
We are the temples of God, and these temples should be kept clean at all times. If a stain appears, clean it immediately. Let us not let those stains and dirty to pile up, so that we will require a painful “deep clean”.
There is a well-known saying of the late Archpriest Dmitry Smirnov of blessed memory. During a radio interview, speaking humorously about outward displays of piety, he remarked that all one really needs is: “Pray, fast, and listen to Radio Radonezh [an orthodox radio station in Russia].” It became one of the best-known Orthodox memes in the Russian-speaking internet. Like many good jokes, however, it contains a profound truth.
Especially during the fasting seasons, we should indeed devote ourselves more intentionally to prayer, fasting, and listening. Listening not simply to an orthodox radio, but first and foremost to the Word of God proclaimed in the Church, read in the Holy Scriptures, and revealed to us through prayer and our communion with Him whose temples we have become.
Let us clean the temples!
News and Announcements
- Readers Service at the Church, Sunday 9th August, 11:00 am – Please come to the church this Sunday for the Readers Service (without priest) of Hours and Typika. Service is followed by light refreshments and fellowship. Address: Cullen Memorial Hall, Methodist Complex, 381 Donegall Road, Belfast, BT12 6GR
- Faith & Fellowship Meeting this Thursday, 6th of August, 7:00 PM – Join us on Zoom this Thursday for a Faith & Fellowship meeting. We will say the Paraklesis to the Most Holy Theotokos and have a conversation about Feast of Transfiguration and Dormition of the Theotokos. Everyone welcome! Link: https://ucl.zoom.us/j/93643306643.
- Visit of Metropolitan Silouan to the Parish on the 5&6th of September – Please mark your calendars from now and make every effort to attend this blessed weekend, when our father and Metropolitan, His Eminence Silouan, will be visiting our parish.
We will have quite an intensive program for that weekend. We are still finalising some of the details but so far, this is the plan:
5th September, Saturday
– 5:00 PM – Great Vespers
– 6:00 PM – Inauguration of Young Adult Ministry (YAM) in the parish. His Eminence will sit down for a spiritual conversation with the youth of parish (more details to follow in the next weeks)
6th September, Sunday
– 9:30 or 10:00 am (exact time TBC) – Baptisms and Chrismations of our catechumens, presided over by Metropolitan Silouan
– 11:00 am – Hierarchical Divine Liturgy followed by the parish lunch and fellowship with Metropolitan Silouan - Parish Registration Form Reminder – Thank you to everyone who has already completed the parish registration form. Your response is greatly appreciated and will help us in planning and supporting parish life more effectively.
If you have not yet registered, we kindly encourage you to do so. Maintaining an up-to-date parish register helps us better understand the size and needs of our parish community, improve communication, and plan for the future as our parish continues to grow.
The registration form can be completed online using the link below: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/2CN1yeinMb
Thank you for your support and commitment to the life of St Ignatius Parish. - Have you visited our Parish Library yet? Our library offers a growing collection of Orthodox books for adults and children: spiritual classics, lives of the saints, theology, Church history, and books for young readers. A good spiritual book can deepen our understanding of the faith and accompany us in our spiritual life.
You can browse the catalogue and request books online through the parish website. All the information about borrowing books, together with the online request form, can be found here: https://saintignatiusbelfast.org/library
Our librarians, Michael and Porphyrios, will be happy to help if you are looking for something to read. You can contact them at: library@saintignatiusbelfast.org
