2024 Festival Weekend Church Tours & Talks


Saturday

1 PM        Welcome to the Church of Saint Anna – An Introduction to the Orthodox Christian Faith (Rev. Fr. Seraphim Ivey, Saint Anna Parish)

2 PM        The Native Missionary Movement in Asia and into the Fullness of Faith (Fr. Joby Kurien Thomas, Believers Eastern Church, India)

4 PM          Byzantine Art & Architecture of the Orthodox Christian Church (Jessica Rentz, ABD, The Catholic University of America)

5 PM        Great Vespers

6 PM        Welcome to the Church of Saint Anna – An Introduction to the Orthodox Christian Faith (Rev. Fr. Seraphim Ivey, Saint Anna Parish) 

8 PM        Health & Healing in the Eastern Orthodox Church (Rev. Fr. Christopher Flesoras, PhD, Saint Anna Parish) 

9 PM        Questions and Answers about the Orthodox Christian Faith

 

Sunday

Noon       Welcome to the Church of Saint Anna – An Introduction to the Orthodox Christian Faith (Rev. Fr. Seraphim Ivey, Saint Anna Parish) 

2 PM        The Native Missionary Movement in Asia and into the Fullness of Faith (Fr. Joby Kurien Thomas, Believers Eastern Church, India)

4 PM        The Intimacy of Prayer (Rev. Fr. Christopher Flesoras, PhD, Saint Anna Parish)  

6 PM          Byzantine Art & Architecture of the Orthodox Christian Church (Jessica Rentz, ABD, The Catholic University of America)

7 PM        Questions and Answers about the Orthodox Christian Faith

 

Blessing of the Phaouropites (this Sunday)

At the close of Liturgy on Sunday, September 1, we will celebrate the Feast of St. Phanourios with the blessing of the phanouropites or bread of St. Phanourios. "Little is known of the holy Martyr Phanourios, except that which is depicted concerning his martyrdom on his holy icon, discovered in 1500 among the ruins of an ancient church on Rhodes, when the Moslems ruled there. Thus, he is called "the Newly Revealed." The faithful pray to Saint Phanourios, especially to help them recover things that have been lost. Because he has answered their prayers so often, the custom has arisen of baking a Phanouropita ("Phanourios-Cake") as a thanks-offering.” If you would like to prepare a bread, helpful links are found below: https://miakouppa.com/recipe-phanouropita-or-fanouropita/ http://miakouppa.com https://leitesculinaria.com/51410/recipes-greek-cake.html

Please place the bread on the table set on the sole (in front of the icon of Christ).

The Feast of Ss. Joachim and Anna & the Roseville Greek Food Festival (VOLUNTEER)

A feast of our beloved parish, which commemorates both Saints Joachim and Anna, will be celebrated on Monday, September 9.   We also celebrate our festival on the Saturday and Sunday closest to this feast.  Historically, it is a weekend on which we will welcome thousands of our friends and neighbors to our Church campus to explore our Orthodox Christian faith, receive our hospitality, enjoy our cuisine, and celebrate our cultures and faith.  Simply, it’s a beautiful weekend of prayer, fellowship, and food, and as one of the recently departed stewards noted, a weekend that further shares the blessings of Saint Anna with the Roseville community that so needs her example, love, and prayers.

Our festival team, made up of stewards from near and far, have been working for months in anticipation of September; God bless them for all of their efforts! At this time, I invite and encourage you to volunteer this weekend.  Please click here to volunteer

For those newer to our community and the Orthodox Christian Faith, this is one of the bestknow your fellow parishioners and ways to get to share the love of Christ that you’ve found in the Church.  




Project Mexico & St. Innocent Orphanage: the Grand opening of Casa Cuna San Felipe

Below is a note from Isabella Pucilowski, one of our young adults who participated in a volunteer team at Project Mexico this summer. We thank her and all the volunteers for their stewardship just over the border.  

May our Lord continue to bless the ministry of Fr. Nicholas, the staff, and the children at Project Mexico and St. Innocent Orphanage. And when the time comes, we also look forward to supporting Isabella when she returns to Mexico.  

+fr. Christopher 

__________



Fathers and friends, thank you so much for supporting me so that I could participate in Project Mexico’s homebuilding trip this summer! My experience there was so memorable that I plan to return long term. The Orphanage is growing, which is wonderful, and with growth comes need. They recently celebrated the grand opening of Casa Cuna, their infant orphanage (and the first Orthodox Infant Orphanage in North America!). This is wonderful news as it means they can welcome more children! This also means they must build more housing for the female staff.

Please see the email attached from Father Nicholas if you are interested in donating to their building fund for female staff housing! Thank you so much!



- Isabella Pucilowski

GRACIAS EN TODO



Project Mexico welcomed you along with over 250 guests to our 16-acre ranch in northern Baja on Friday, June 28th, to celebrate the grand opening of Casa Cuna San Felipe, the only Orthodox Christian Infant Orphanage in North America. This landmark event marked a significant milestone in our mission to provide a safe, nurturing environment for vulnerable infants.



The grand opening ceremony was a joyous occasion, blessed by nearly a dozen Orthodox priests from parishes around the world. Their presence and prayers underscored the deep spiritual commitment and global support for our mission.



Casa Cuna San Felipe stands as a testament to our dedication to the care and well-being of orphaned infants, providing them with a loving home grounded in Orthodox Christian values. This new facility will offer these children not only a place to live but also a foundation of faith, love, and security.



As our ministry continues to grow, so do our needs for additional housing. One of our most pressing needs is the construction of long-term housing for our female missionaries.  The project will cost between $150,000 - $200,000.  These dedicated women play a crucial role in the day-to-day care and upbringing of the children, and providing them with suitable housing is essential to the continued success of our mission.



We invite all our supporters and those who believe in our cause to contribute to our Nanny Housing Fund at the button below. Your generous contribution will help us build the necessary housing to support our missionaries and ensure the continued care of the children at Casa Cuna San Felipe.



In Christ,



Father Nicholas Andruchow

Executive Director and Priest




Recent Visit of Metropolitan Constantine of Denver and a Word of Thanks

We enjoyed welcoming His Eminence Metropolitan Constantine of Denver to our parish this past weekend.  Great Vespers, Sunday Services, Chrismations, a potluck…thanks be to God for all the moments that made his visit so meaningful for all of us.  Thank you to Bobby Gallagher for beautifully capturing some moments (photos are attached); the first photo of His Eminence testifies to the joy of his ministry and time with us.  We pray that our Good Lord grants His Eminence every blessing in His ministry. Axios!

This weekend got me thinking: We are truly blessed with a breathtaking Sanctuary. In the years ahead, we will continue beautifying the space with liturgical fixtures, stained-glass windows, woodwork, fabrics, mosaics, and mural icons, all to the glory of God. Thanks be to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and for the attention to detail by our Building Committee, the architect, and our craftsmen, who have produced an awe-inspiring and truly holy space for us to worship therein. 

As beautiful as the space may be, it pales compared to the people.  This isn’t a simple platitude but rather a truthful statement about our faithful.  The genuine kindness, the helpfulness, the hospitality, the joy, the faith that radiates in smiles, whether young or older, are blessings.  And we should never take these blessings or charismata for granted, God forbid!  They are to be treasured, nurtured, and shared; this is our blessing as Orthodox Christians; we share what God has given us.

As I express my gratitude to you, the beloved faithful of Saint Anna, please continue to pray, read Scripture and the lives of the Saints, give of your time, your talent, and your treasures to God, find joy in being with your brothers and sisters in Christ at the parish, invite others to the parish for services and fellowship, and seek the intercessions of Saint Anna for a world in desperate need of healing and hope.  Whether what we have is rare or not, I’m unsure, but I’m thankful.