On Thomas Sunday, the parishioners of ASONA and guests travelled to Gateway Park to celebrate our annual parish picnic. The day was in the low 70's with an occasional stiff breeze, but the comfort and happiness of the day prevailed. We greeted each other with the Paschal Greeting, "Christ is Risen! Indeed, He is Risen!", and sang the Paschal Troparion to bless the food. What a feast was provided! And part from this bubbles, tug-of-war, and an ASONA-style Easter Egg Hunt all took place with joy. See the gallery below for highlights from our picnic. … [Read more...]
ASONA 2025 – Great Lent, Holy Week, and Pascha
Great Lent, Holy Week, and Pascha have passed, and ASONA is continuing the Paschal celebration. As a part of remembering our heart warming journeys, here are some photo galleries to remind us all what we have just been through. Glory to God! Christ is Risen! Great Lent Lazarus Saturday Baptisms Holy Week Pascha … [Read more...]
Weekly Bulletin for Sunday, April 27, 2025
Click here to download PDF … [Read more...]
Paschal Epistle of the Ruling Hierarch of the Western American Diocese
“The angel cried unto her that is full of grace: O Pure Virgin, rejoice, and again, I say rejoice; for Thy Son hath risen from the grave on the third day…” Paschal Matins – 9th Irmos To the Reverend Clergy, Monastics and Laity of the Western American Diocese CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN! The day of Christ’s Resurrection, Pascha, is a time of joyousness, light and new life – I am come that they might have life, and that they may have it more abundantly (John 10:10). A life in Christ is a life centered not on something transient and fashionable, but it is a life focused on the stability of eternity in God. It is a life of happiness and joy free of the passions and temporal … [Read more...]
Weekly Bulletin for Sunday, April 13, 2025
Click here to download PDF … [Read more...]
Weekly Bulletin for Sunday, April 6, 2025
Click here to download PDF … [Read more...]
The Beauty of Modesty
by His Grace, the Right Reverend Alexei, Bishop of Sitka and Alaska Humility, chastity, and modesty are virtues that especially adorn the most Pure Virgin Mother of our God. Modesty is itself one of the fruits of the Spirit enumerated by Saint Paul. Modesty is a kindness towards one’s neighbor, a humble goodness that provokes neither envy nor desire, and love that thinks more of others than of self. When we pray in Church, we are especially called to modesty, which enables us to approach God with that humble and contrite heart that He will not despise. Our Lord Himself was modest, modest about His miracles, modest in His speech, modest in His example, modest in the washing His disciples' … [Read more...]
What Is Authentic Interior Worship?
by Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon Perhaps among the least appreciated, and seldom thought on, descriptions of Jesus our Lord is the one given by John the Baptist: “His winnowing shovel is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor; and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Matthew 3:12). Threshing is a violent activity. It is done by pounding the grain repeatedly on a stone floor with a shovel or a flail, in order to separate it from the husks which enclose it. The discarded husks are called chaff. When this beating of the grain has been done, the thresher uses his shovel to throw it into the air, so that the wind … [Read more...]
Weekly Bulletin for Sunday, March 30, 2025
Click here to download PDF … [Read more...]
The Reason Orthodox Christians Cross Themselves from Right to Left
Orthodox cross themselves from right to left. first we will describe the mechanics of making the cross, then explain why it is indeed important that we make the sign of the cross correctly. Placing the cross on oneself 1) We place our thumb and first two fingers together in a point, and our last we fingers flat against our palm. The three fingers together represent the Holy Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and the two fingers in the palm represent the two natures of Christ. 2) We touch our forehead, then our belly, tracing the vertical part of the cross. 3) From our belly, we bring our hand up to our right shoulder, touching it. 4) We finish placing the cross on ourself by … [Read more...]
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 48
- Next Page »
