A group of parishioners from Saint Elizabeth Orthodox Church participated in a building project recently in Port Orchard.
Saint Elizabeth Church at the Kitsap Fair
Our parish's annual booth at the Kitsap Fair is up and running. Some very impressive people have stopped by. Come be one of them!
New Orthodox Studies Series
This evening following Vespers at 6:30 we begin a new series on our parish Orthodox Studies Inquirer Course. It is entitled "With All the Saints: Human Sanctity in the Orthodox Tradition" and explores who the saints are, why we commemorate them, and how we are called to enter their ranks.
Christ is Risen!
We at Saint Elizabeth Church greet all of our friends with the radiant celebration of Christ's Resurrection. To hear a sample of the hymns sung during Passion Week, go to the Liturgical Chant page of our website and choose the link there to a recording of the Canon for Holy Saturday.
The First Presanctified Liturgy of Great Lent
This evening we celebrate the first Presanctified Divine Liturgy of Lent. Join us at 6:30 for this solemn and majestic service. A lenten potluck meal will follow, so bring something to share with others if you can.
The First Week of the Great Fast
Join us at Saint Elizabeth every evening at 6:30 this week as we enter the Holy Fast. Great Compline with the Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete will be served Monday through Thursday, and the Presanctified Divine Liturgy will be served Friday.
The Beginning of the Lenten Triodion
Icon of the Publican and the Pharisee in Saint Michael's Orthodox Church in Louisville, Kentucky.
Throughout the world today Orthodox Christians mark the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, known for the Gospel account in Luke 18 read at the divine liturgy that juxtaposes the self-righteousness of the Pharisee with the deep humility and repentance of the Publican.
On this Sunday we also begin singing hymns in preparation for the Great Fast, which itself begins on Monday, February 27. These hymns are taken from the ancient book of lenten hymnography called the Triodion. One is Open to Me the Doors of Repentance, sung in English beautifully below.
Holy Theophany
A joyous feast of Holy Theophany to all!
The Royal Hours of Christmas
Join us at Saint Elizabeth Friday at 10:00 am to celebrate the majestic service of the Royal Hours of Christmas!
Prepare, O Bethlehem,
For Eden has been opened to all.
Adorn yourself, O Ephratha,
For the Tree of Life blossoms forth from the Virgin in the cave.
Her womb is a spiritual paradise planted with the fruit divine;
If we eat of it, we shall live forever and not die like Adam.
Christ is coming to restore the image which He made in the beginning.
--Hymn of the Prefeast of Christmas
Festal Vigil Tonight!
Join us this evening for the vigil celebrating the Great Feast of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the Temple. We begin at 6:00. And tomorrow, join us at the divine liturgy at 10:00 am.
Religion, Politics, and Scandal in Byzantium!
This Wednesday in our parish Orthodox Studies course we will turn to the place of Christianity in the political life of Byzantium, looking at various cases of Christian statecraft as well as cases of deviation from it. The class begins after vespers at 6:30.
Study of Saint Luke
This evening after vespers at 6:30 we will continue our exploration of the Gospel of Saint Luke. Visitors are welcome!
Missionary Priest to Guatemala Visits Our Parish
Father Juvenal (Repass) visited Saint Elizabeth today to give a presentation to our people about the Orthodox Church in Guatemala and his upcoming missionary journey there. He will be working to support the tens of thousands of Mayans who have recently converted to Orthodoxy in rural areas of the country, where there are very few priests. Keep him in your prayers!
The Orthodox Church in Byzantium This Evening
This evening at Saint Elizabeth we will return to our series on the history of the Orthodox Church in Byzantium. Have you ever wondered what "caesaropapism" is, and where the term came from? Come this evening at 6:30 to find out!
Saint Luke Bible Study Meets This Evening
Come to Saint Elizabeth this evening at 6:30 for daily vespers, and plan to stay afterward for our parish Bible Study class.
Last time we met we introduced the Gospel of Saint Luke, talking about its author and some of the themes it contains. For example, we discussed how this "Gospel for the Gentiles" traces Jesus's human lineage back beyond Abraham to Adam, the father of the human race, whereas Matthew's "Gospel for the Jews" terminates its genealogy with Abraham, the father of the Jews. All the canonical Gospels are for Jews and Gentiles alike, but how interesting it is to see the ways in which Luke brings attention to the universal theme of human salvation in Christ!
This week we will be discussing the first six chapters of Luke's Gospel. So read those chapters and bring your Orthodox Study Bible (or any Bible you have) for what should be a very interesting discussion!