Today's Scripture Readings
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August 12, 2010/July 30, 2010
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Parish Life
SPECIAL PARISH MEETING – Sunday, February 1
On Sunday, February 1 we will conduct a special parish meeting to discuss the purchase of a home and property next to our cemetery. For more information, please contact Michael Mickel.
Presentation on the life of St. Tikhon – Saturday, January 31 - canceled
Unfortunately, because of the lasting effects of last weekend’s snowstorm, we need to cancel the presentation on St. Tikhon originally scheduled for this Saturday at St. Michael’s Church in Philadelphia.
Memorial Meal + Parish Anniversary – February 8
Sunday, February 8, we will serve a 40th Day Panikhida for +Marie Vass. Afterwards, her memorial meal will be combined with our parish anniversary celebration. The menu will include Chicken Kiev, with many homemade salads and desserts. Everyone is invited.
Sisterhood Meeting – February 15
The Sisterhood will meet to discuss a variety of issues and plan events for 2026. All women of the parish are encouraged to attend. We need your ideas and commitment to volunteer. Thanks!
UPDATES: Pilgrimage to Armenia & Georgia – Aug. 30 to Sept. 12, 2026
Aug. 28 – Sept. 12, 2026: The Pilgrimage Center of the Patriarchal Parishes is organizing a pilgrimage to Armenia (week one) and Georgia (week two). You may travel both weeks or for one week of your choice. The English group is still accepting reservations, but the Russian group is full, with a waiting list.
To express your interest and join the Telegram group to receive all the trip details, please register here: register here > > >
Cost: Both weeks: $2,175. Armenia only: $1,175. Georgia only: $1,000. All prices are for double occupancy and exclude airline tickets. First deposit is due February 22.
House Blessings
To schedule your house blessing, leave your contact information at the candle desk. Fr. John will call you to schedule a convenient time for this important service.
How to Prepare for the Blessing of your Home? A lighted candle, an icon or cross, and a bowl for holy water should be placed on a table covered with a clean tablecloth, preferably white. All radios, TVs, computers, etc. should be turned off. All who are present in the house should come together and stand by the table where the service takes place. The first names of the members of the immediate family should be clearly printed on a sheet of paper for commemoration.
New Iconography
Several new wall icons and murals are currently being written for our church. Eight medallion-icons for the side walls and four large murals for the back wall will be installed over the course of the next few months, starting in December. Please consider making a donation or sponsoring the entire cost of an icon. A donation list is available at the candle stand. For more information, please contact Victor Marinich. Thank you very much for your generosity and support. Updated: Review Icons Here > > >
Vigil Candles: On the Altar and near St. Barbara
We have three vigil candles that are always burning – two near the large icon of the Holy Great-Martyr Barbara which holds a piece of her relics, and one on the holy altar table. These vigil lights burn from Sunday to Sunday. To have these candles burn 24 hours a day on behalf of someone we are praying for is quite a special blessing. We continue to accept donations to have these three vigil candles burn each week either for the health/salvation of the living and/or in memory of a departed loved one. A $15 donation will keep all three candles lit for one week. Schedule your candle offering with Elena Loyko.
To help the Ukrainian refugees donate to these organizations:
Sponsor a Ukrainian Family
Uniting for Ukraine: https://www.uscis.gov/ukraine
Coffee Hour
If you would like to sponsor a coffee hour or offer help, please contact Anna-Zumrat Shkurba. Also, each week we need volunteers to help with serving and clean up during coffee hour.
Transportation to Church
Do you need transportation to Church? Or would you be able to bring a parishioner, who doesn’t drive, to church from time to time? If you answered “yes” to either question, please contact Alexey Shevelkin. He is coordinating our parish’s efforts to offer transportation to parishioners who can’t get to church on their own. Thank you for your assistance.
Submit your NEW 2026 Pledge
The mission of our parish is to spread the Word of God, to grow, to expand, to improve, and not just to preserve our traditions. Our parish shouldn’t become stale but pursue holiness. We strive to fulfill the mission of our parish, through prayer, work, and sacrifice. Prayer – because we are called to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17); work – because we are taught to increase the talents given to us (Matt. 25: 14-30); and sacrifice – because "everyone to whom much is given, from him will much be required" (Luke 12:48). Please be generous as the Lord is generous to you. When completing your pledge for the new year, please consider raising your level of giving. Our church cannot operate without your financial contributions. Our parish will grow only through your prayers, work, and generous sacrifice. OFFERING PLEDGE FORM.
When you are generous, you are not bestowing a gift, but repaying a debt. Everything you possess materially comes from God, who created all things. And every spiritual and moral virtue you possess is through divine grace. Thus, you owe everything to God. More than that, God has given you his Son, to show you how to live: how to use your material possessions, and how to grow in moral and spiritual virtue. ---St. John Chrysostom
O Lord Save and Preserve
With much anguish we see the tragic events continuing in Ukraine. More than five million refugees have fled the country, and thousands of civilians and soldiers have been killed in this fratricidal war between two Orthodox countries. Countless others are injured, displaced and at the threshold of economic ruin. So much death, destruction, suffering and hatred have been caused by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
As Orthodox Christians, we do not support violence and aggression. We fervently pray for the immediate cessation of bloodshed, for the complete restoration of peace, for the well-being of the people in Ukraine and for the rebuilding of Christian love between the peoples of Russia and Ukraine. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ commands us to love one another as our Heavenly Father loves us.
Let us always remember that first and foremost, we are Orthodox Christians. And our Holy Orthodox Church, throughout history, has united Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, and people of all ethnicities into the one, true, Orthodox faith.
We are brothers and sisters in Christ, and because we are brothers and sisters, we cannot stand idle or keep silent during these dreadful days. Our parish continues to collect funds to help the suffering people of Ukraine. We keep praying for peace, and we call upon our hierarchs to do everything in their power to stop hostilities. Lord have mercy!
The parish of Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church does not have any affiliation with the Russian or American governments. We receive no financial support from any governmental or church institutions. Our entire budget (100%) is funded by the generous donations of our parishioners and friends and by the various fundraising events we conduct.