Weekly Services
Monday: Great Compline at 4 pm
Wednesday: Pre-Sanctified Liturgy at 5:30 pm—followed by community dinner and book study
Friday: Pre-Sanctified Liturgy at 9:30 am; Akathist to the Mother of God at 7 pm
Saturday: Great Vespers at 5 pm
Sunday: Divine Liturgy at 9:30 am; Pan-Orthodox Vespers at neighboring parishes
We invite you to join us this Great Lent as we journey together to Pascha. Our Lenten theme this year is “Ascending Toward the Bridegroom.” We hope to provide you with opportunities to grow in your relationship with God and to ascend the ladder of your spiritual life to meet Him. In keeping with this theme, our Lenten book study this year will be Thirty Steps to Heaven, based on St. John Climacus’ Ladder of Divine Ascent.
Visit the weekly event posting on our website for more info and to order a copy of the book through our parish bookstore:
We begin preparations for our Lenten journey on February 13, three weeks before Lent begins. During this pre-Lenten period, the Church offers us three themes on which to focus: humility, repentance, and the second coming of Christ, the Bridegroom of our souls. At the conclusion of this preparatory period, we embark on the journey of Lent at the Vespers of Forgiveness—a special service during which all the faithful exchange forgiveness with one another as a final step of preparation before beginning the great fast.
Once Great Lent begins on March 7, the Church offers us many opportunities to gather for prayer during the week with the services of Great Compline, Pre-Sanctified Liturgy, the Akathist to the Mother of God, the Feast of the Annunciation, the Great Canon of St. Andrew, and Pan Orthodox Vespers (held weekly at parishes throughout the Front Range.) See below for more details about service times, or visit our website for a full schedule of services.
Sundays during Great Lent are special, as each one is assigned an important theme. We particularly invite you to join us on the first Sunday of Lent with your favorite icon for a special procession celebrating the Triumph of Orthodoxy. On the third Sunday, please join us for the feast and procession of the Cross, as well as our celebration of “Godparent/Godchild Sunday.” On this special day, make sure to attend with your godparent or godchild and receive Holy Communion together.
We have other special events planned for this Lenten season, as well as additional tools to help you along your journey. See below for a full schedule of retreats, a teaching Liturgy, Koliva-making class, almsgiving opportunities, Project Mexico fundraisers, and more! We also invite you and your family to participate in the “Eleos Project”: Throughout Lent, we will invite you to keep a vigil lamp lit in your home as a visual reminder of your calling to meet the Bridegroom of your soul. Download a pamphlet on this project HERE.
Our journey to Pascha is guided by the three primary disciples of our Christian life: prayer, fasting, and charity. If we only attend services and keep the fast, but we do not pay special attention to extending our love for God to our brothers and sisters in need, we are missing out on a key element of Lent. Our Philoptochos (Friends of the Poor) provides many opportunities to practice charity through its annual Lenten Food Drive, times to serve at the Community Kitchen, and more. Also, don’t forget to add your monetary contributions to the poor box located in the Narthex.
Our Lenten Journey concludes on April 15 and with it, we enter into the Feasts of the Raising of Lazarus and the Triumphal Entry of our Lord into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Please mark your calendars to be with us during Holy Week, April 17- 24, and join us for our annual Pascha BBQ.
Becoming a healthy parish requires each member of the Body of Christ to take seriously their commitment to our Lord. We do this by focusing first on our relationship with Him and walking with Him in our daily lives. We walk with Him through remembrance of Him, our corporate and private prayer, and our love and service towards others. The walk with Christ is not easy; it is a walk following our Lord as He goes toward His voluntary death. However, we know it is also a walk to His Resurrection as He opens the way for us to follow Him into Paradise. We hope you will join us for this walk as we ascend toward the Bridegroom as He ascends the Cross—and through the Cross, He lifts us to Heaven.
We look forward to this year’s journey to Pascha as we focus on ascending to Christ. To view all our services and events please visit our online calendar HERE.
Dates to Remember:
February 13: Triodion Period Begins with the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee
February 26: Teaching Liturgy, Koliva-making, and Pancake Breakfast
February 28-March 4: Pre-Lenten Pilgrimage and Retreat at St. Paisius Monastery in Safford, AZ
March 6: Sunday of Forgiveness; “Forgiveness Sundaes” Project Mexico Fundraiser
March 7: Clean Monday (Great Lent begins)
March 11-13: Parish Lenten Retreat with Fr. Stephen Freeman: “The Christian Perspective on Shame”
March 13: Sunday of Orthodoxy Icon Procession
March 27: Sunday of the Cross w/Procession; Godparent/Godchild Sunday
April 7: Great Canon of St. Andrew, 6 pm
April 8-10: Pan-Orthodox Youth Retreat in Estes Park
April 16: Liturgy for the Raising of Lazarus; palm folding, church decorating, and Lenten breakfast
April 17: Liturgy and Procession for Palm Sunday; Project Mexico “Muffins for Missions” Fundraiser
April 17-23: Holy Week
April 24: Great and Holy PASCHA; Annual Pascha BBQ
