Early Start March 31
To accommodate our host parish's meeting, we will be starting at 9:00am for the hours and 9:30am for the Liturgy of St Basil.   Look forward to seeing you there!
 
Upcoming Services

• Wednesday (3rd): Presanctified liturgy at 6:30pm (17 Regent St.)  followed by some soup
• Friday (5th): Akathist service at 7:00pm (249 Rhodes Ave)
• Sunday March 31st:  Hours and St Basil's Liturgy  9:00am (17 Regent St.)

Thank You
Thank you to Anna and Melody for hosting our second akathist, the prayer service was beautiful and the food amazing!   We also had a series of firsts with Fr. Paul of our liturgy at Annunciation on Monday and Pre-Sancitified Liturgy on Wednesday.  It truly is a blessing to be able to pray together as a community.  A reminder that you will pretty much miss lent if you only show up on Sundays. 

Cleanup Crew
We need volunteers to help setup the church on Sundays about 45 minutes before the service.    (ie 8:15 am tomorrow).  This will hopefully alleviate the burden on Fr. and a small group that have been doing it.   Please sign up here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dkBE_ieiI8Bhhdmh68DgPboJDDdOiFL3JI920jSI2k0/edit?usp=drive_web&ouid=100380447218779408151
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Icons
Does anyone have a nice icon  (written or printed) at home that would be appropriate for an upcoming feast?  Anyone with some icon calendar taking up space?  We need it!  In particular we need St Mary of Egypt, Christs Entry to Jeruselem, Lazurus, the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, Ascension, Pentecost...  Please talk to Subdn Michael if you have one of these.

 Oridination Photos
Axios to our new Clergy!    It was a beautiful event in Ottawa, thanks to our gracious hosts of Christ the Savior.   Please find photos from the Ordination on our Photo Page or on our Diocesan Site.

Upcoming Services

• Wednesday (27th): 1st Presanctified liturgy at 6:30pm (17 Regent St.) followed by meal and parish meeting
  
• Friday (29th): Akathist service at 7:00pm followed by fellowship/reception (1050 Broadview Avenue, common room).  Please let us know if your coming to plan for food
• Sunday March 31st:  Hours and 1st St Basil's Liturgy  9:30am (17 Regent St.)
  

Parish Meeting after Presanctified Liturgy Wednesday March 27
We would like to invite everyone to a group discussion following our first Pre-sanctified liturgy this Wednesday, March 27th, which will begin at 6:30pm. Instead of our regular custom to break bread in silence, we would like to take the opportunity to meet and discuss recent developments for a future semi-permanent home for our church community

Upcoming Services

• Sunday March 24th: Ordinations in Ottawa / No service in Toronto
  
  • There will be no service at St. Silouan this Sunday, March 24th due to the ordinations happening in Ottawa.
    
• Monday (25th): Potential Annunciation Service (TBD) (17 Regent St.)
  
  • There is the possibility that we may have a service for Annunciation on Monday - we will keep you posted.
    
• Wednesday (27th): Presanctified liturgy at 6:30pm (17 Regent St.) followed by meal and parish meeting
  
• Friday (29th): Akathist service at 7:00pm followed by fellowship (1050 Broadview Avenue, common room)
  
• Sunday March 31st:  Hours and St Basil's Liturgy  9:30am (17 Regent St.)
  

For Those Coming to Ottawa
Saturday March 23rd vespers with H.E. begins at 5 pm - a Soul Saturday Panakhyda will begin prior to that at 4:30 pm.  After vespers there will be a informal get together at a nearby restaurant/pub. 

Please be advised that His Eminence has moved the liturgy start time on Sunday March 24th to 9:30 am. The ordinations to the Sub-diaconate will begin promptly on the heals of the start of the service - so be sure to give yourself some cushionroom if you're the type who likes to arrive just as liturgy begins. This is the work of the faithful, to pray with the Metropolitan so that the grace of God will come upon those being ordained to carry the ministry of our church. 

(Limited) parking is available behind the church hall (58 Arthur Street), which is around the corner from the church. There are also three or four pay lots within two blocks of the church, and if you arrive early enough, you should find free street parking as well.

Do reach out to the clergy and parish council if you need assistance to come. 

Parish Meeting  after Presanctified Liturgy Wednesday March 27
We would like to invite everyone to a group discussion following our first Pre-sanctified liturgy this Wednesday, March 27th, which will begin at 6:30pm. Instead of our regular custom to break bread in silence, we would like to take the opportunity to meet and discuss recent developments for a future semi-permanent home for our church community.

As we begin the journey towards the joy of the resurrection we have some tools the church has given to enable the Metanoia (conversion) of our lives we are called to.  

1. Prayer
   • Great Canon of St. Andrew, Wednesday 7pm March 13th @ St George Lower Hall (17 Regency St) 
   • Akathist Friday 7pm @ Reader Michael's Home (16 Kenmark Blvd steps away from Kennedy Station)
   • Our usual Typica at 9:30 Sunday @ St George Lower Hal
   • Sunday of Orthodoxy vespers at 7pm St. Volodymyr's (400 Bathurst St, Toronto,)
   • Join us every Wed and Friday of Lent for Pre-Sanctified and Akathist respectively.  Remember that you'll miss lent if you only come on Sunday
   • Personal Prayer, try to take some of the time freed up by simplicity of life to pray, especially the Prayer of St Ephrem.  Follow the daily Old Testament story of mans fall (Genesis), way of life (Proverbs), and prophecy of salvation (Isaiah).
2. Fasting and Simplicity
   1. In Lent we ascetically fast from meat & cheese in anticipation and preparation of the Resurrection.   In addition, try to joyfully and soberly feast when we do eat.  This can reset your relationship with food.
   2. Take some time to simplify your life and seek chasity;  What is controlling you, instead of serving you?  Some suggestions are social media, news, and other entertainment media.  Try to replace it with beautiful things, such as relationships and prayer. 
3. Alms Giving and Service
   1. Who is weakest in your life, and could use some attention or help?    Is there a place that serves the poor that is in your heart that you could give to?   How can you alleviates someones suffering and give them some joy?
   2. We fast so others can have, how can that time and money saved by cooking a large simple meal for multiple days be used for His glory.

Remember these tools can be a sword or a scalpel depending on how you use them. The four Sundays before lent are our guide to how to use these tools:

• Humility - the sinful cry of the Publican versus to the false righteousness and hypocrisy of the Pharisee
• Repentance - the coming to “his self” of the prodigal son versus the cold righteousness of the older brother
• Love of the least - the fruit of true repentance by which we will be judged at the Last Days
• Forgiveness - how to enter the Gates of the Kingdom and Paradise

Some Other Announcements

• Home Akathist services - sign up online via the link emailed out and/or speak to Reader Efraim
• No Service in Toronto on March 24 due to the ordinations, please speak to Dn. Paul and Theda if you need a ride or place to stay in Ottawa!  Click here to let us know if you're coming.
• Phos will be held after the meal is wrapping up in the back stage, please tone down conversations when we start
• Please wait until after the communion prayers to setup the church, we must all adjust to having a shared temporary space.  
• Dont forget to reach out to anyone that may seem to be sitting or standing alone .
• We continue to need peoples help to setup for the services, please come around 8:45pm on Sunday and 30 minutes before other services if you can. 
• Do see Nick and Aubrey if your interested in Youth Group
• Want to help out in any way, have ideas?  Please see Theda. 

  

Thank you to everyone who attended our first service in Regent Park!  We are looking forward to seeing you in the future.     Photos are on our photo page. 

See you next Sunday for Typica and then begin Great Lent with us at Forgiveness Vespers @ 7:00pm!

See you tomorrow at 9:30am!