Weekly Update 02/09/2021 – Fr. Cyril Gorgy
Beloved Holy Resurrection Church family,
I am praying that you are well and safe.
Sunday Divine Liturgy: REGISTRATION to attend Sunday Divine Liturgy is required. Please use this link to submit a request. You will receive an email confirmation with the date and time. You can also virtually join us every Sunday starting at 8am on the HRC’s YouTube channel. Please CHECK your confirmation email and attend church only on the specified TIME and DATE. Due to limited capacity, seating in the church will be pre-assigned to those who received confirmation. When you arrive, a church servant will guide you to your assigned location.
Wednesday Divine Liturgy: No registration will be required for the 7-9am Wednesday Divine Liturgies. All participants are expected to read and STRICTLY abide by the General Guidelines.
HRC Fellowship Meeting: Meeting will be held virtually on Thursday, March 4th from 7-7:45pm. Fr. Gregory will be speaking to us about “Benefiting From Lent”. Please sign up using this link to receive notifications about the meeting. See Flyer
Senior’s Retreat: Please see this link for information on a retreat offered to Senior’s.
Last Sunday’s Sermon: Last Sunday’s Gospel and the next 3 Sunday’s Gospel will all be from the John 6. Chapter 6 from St John is an important chapter where Jesus introduces the Eucharist to the disciples. The chapter starts with the sign (miracle) of feeding the multitude with five barley loaves and two small fish. The multitude ate as much as they wanted, and twelve baskets full of fragments were left over. The multitude then followed Jesus for the food, and Jesus shifted their focus to work for the heavenly bread. And the other half of the chapter focused on Jesus as the Bread of Life, and to abide in Him by partaking of the Eucharist, His Holy Body and His Holy Blood. All church Mysteries/Sacraments are completed by the Eucharist. After baptisim and Chrismation the believer partakes of the Eucharist. After repentance and confession the believer partakes of the Eucharist. After the Unction of the sick, the believer partakes of the Eucharist. After ordination of any of the clerical ranks, the individual partakes of the Eucharist. Also, originally the mystery of Matrimony was celebrated after Matin, and then the newlyweds celebrated the Divine Liturgy and partook of the Eucharist (according to the original Rite of the orthodox church). The latter has been compromised by couples placing greater influence on physical preparation. Therefore the pinnacle and the center of Orthodox worship is in the Eucharist when a believer partakes of the Holy Body and Holy Blood. St. Paul further teaches us that “we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones” Ephesians 5:30. To view the sermon use this link and scroll to 01:13:00.
May our Risen Lord support and protect you and your family by the power of His Holy Resurrection.
Fr. Cyril
“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7
+
General Guidelines
Please sign up ONLY if you are a regular Holy Resurrection Church parishioner. Based on your expressed need to partake of the Eucharist, please review and abide by the following guidelines prior to attending church on your assigned day:
- Please STAY HOME IF YOU ARE SICK, or if you have a history or are experiencing symptoms of respiratory illness, including FEVER or COUGH.
- If you have traveled in that last TWO WEEKS, please do not sign up to attend a Divine Liturgy until, TWO WEEKS have passed since you returned and you do not have any COVID19 symptoms, or you have been tested negative twice.
- If you were in direct contact with anyone that tested positive for COVID-19, please do not sign up or come to the church services, whether with symptoms or not, until you are tested negative.
- If you test positive please do not sign up or come to the church services until you are tested negative, for two consecutive tests, regardless of the time it takes to be tested negative twice.
- You will receive an email from the church with the day and time of the Divine Liturgy that you are scheduled to attend.
- No Walk-ins will be allowed for any reason.
- You should attend the Divine Liturgy at the church you regularly attend.
- Every church will take all the precautions necessary to ensure your safety, but your attendance is entirely your choice, and the church does not accept any liability.
When you come to church:
- Arrive on time. The church gate will ONLY be open at the beginning of the service and will remain closed for the duration. No one will be permitted to open the church door other than the church servant assigned by the clergy.
- Your body temperature may be taken prior to entering the church.
- You are required to wear a mask that completely covers your mouth and nose at all times during the service.
- You should sanitize your hands when entering the church.
Inside the Church:
- You must keep a minimum distance of 6 feet at all times between you and others that are not in your household. The Church will have pre-assigned seating to ensure proper social distancing.
- Each family (same household) should seated together.
- Please do not touch anything or anyone inside the church including icons, relics, clergy, and deacons, etc.
- For Ologea (Al Barka), the priest will wash his hands, cut it and distribute it. You will take it with your hand without touching the priest.
Partaking of the Eucharist:
- Please bring your own head covering, corporeal (for communion) and water to use for partaking of the Eucharist.
- Each family should come forward together to receive the Eucharist. As every family is approaching please maintain 6’ away from other families.
- During communion, you will remove your mask, open your mouth wide and slightly tilt head back so the priest can place the Holy Body.
- When taking the Holy Blood, open your mouth wide and slightly tilt head back and the priest will pour the Blood from the spoon into your mouth.