624 Park Rd, Ambridge, PA 15003

(412) 266-2030

stmaryambridge@protonmail.com 

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory Forever!

Slava Isusu Christu! Slava Na Viki!

This week's note from Fr. Anthony:

Dear Parishioners,

This Wednesday evening, we will celebrate the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete at 6:00pm at St. Mary's. This is a beautiful service of repentance in which we beseech God's mercy upon us. The full service has over 300 prostrations. We will be doing an "abbreviated version" that should last roughly two hours. You are welcome to come late or leave early. You are not required to do the prostrations if you are unable, please just come and pray. All that's to say, this service is quite a workout so wear comfortable clothes! I strongly encourage all who have been attending our Adult Ed class to come for this as this is a key moment in Byzantine Lent.

Due to the Canon being celebrated Wednesday evening, I will celebrate Typika with Holy Communion at 7:00am at St. George Wednesday morning so there is an opportunity to receive our Lord in the Eucharist this day.

Because the Canon is so physically taxing, there is a mitigation for wine and oil in the traditional fasting scheme from Wednesday to Friday. The men's group will meet after the Canon for fellowship and refreshments. At the request of parishioner and cantor Catherine Richthammer, we will also be launching a St. Mary's Women's Group, which she will oversee. There will be a brief meeting following the Canon for refreshments as well as discussion of what the group will entail. The idea is to have the men's and women's group at the same time each month.

This Saturday is Akathistos Saturday. We will pray the Akathist hymn, a beautiful Marian devotion native to the Byzantine Rite at 8:15am followed by 9:00am Divine Liturgy at St. George.

Next Wednesday, March 25th is the one of the 12 Greats Feasts, the Annunciation. It is the sole weekday of Lent in which Divine Liturgy is celebrated, ideally in the evening. We will have a 1:00pm Divine Liturgy at St. George and a 6:00pm Vesperal Divine Liturgy with guest homilist Fr. Ladis Cizik followed by our final Adult Ed class at St. Mary. Each liturgy will be offered for the intentions of the respective pirohy workers of each parish, who have been working very hard this Lent.

We will have an Easter Basket making class at St. George's on Saturday March 28th at 10:00am following Divine Liturgy for Lazarus Saturday. This is a great opportunity to learn the spiritual meaning of what we put into our Easter baskets and to be exposed to a beautiful Rusyn custom.

Please sign up if you wish to join us for our parish field trip to Christ the Bridegroom Monastery for Bridegroom Matins on Wednesday, April 1st at 10:00am. Bishop Robert will not be able to celebrate this year, but it will still be a wonderful opportunity to visit the Monastery for its patronal feast and see the nuns.

In Christ,

Fr. Anthony