Once again the faithful at St. John the Divine brought joy to needy 3rd world children through their act of kindness and generosity. For some children this will be the first present they have ever received! A small blessing for us to give a large blessing to those receiving. Thank you all who have contributed and made this year's donation a success!

Celebrating the re-entry of Cveta into the church community and the 40 day blessing of newl-born Vera.

St. John the Divine participates in Doors Open Windsor - 09/28/14

On Sunday, September 25, 2016, St. John the Divine participated in Doors Open Windsor.   This is the fourth time we participated in this bi-annual event.  101 visitors came to our church, asking questions about our history, and the Orthodox Christian faith.

Downstairs, we served  pastries, and beverages to those who came.   We showed them hospitality and shared more of our history and  Centenial Celebration from last  year.

On Sunday, September 18th, we celebrated the feast of The Elevation of the Holy Cross.  This is one of the Great Feasts of the Church, commemorating two things --- the finding of the true Cross by Empress Helen in 326 A.D., and the recovery of the Cross from the Persians in 627 A.D. by Emperor Heraclius.

There is a unique feature to the Cross that we use for this service.  Embedded inside the cross is a sliver of the True Cross.  It was a gift made to Fr. Constantine's grandfather.  The cross now has its home at St. John the Divine.

The Children of St. John the Divine  learned about the Orthodox Church this year through crafts, songs, games, and even snacks. Take a look at the fun they had.

Blessed art Thou, O Christ our God, who hast revealed the fishermen as most wise by sending down upon them the Holy Spirit: through them Thou didst draw the world into Thy net. O Lover of Man, Glory to Thee (Troparion).

When the Most High came down and confused the tongues, he divided the nations. But when he distributed the tongues of fire, he called all to unity. Therefore, with one voice, we glorify the All-Holy Spirit! (Kontakion).

It was a blessing to have our Dean Fr. Geoffrey Korz and his family visit our Parish this weekend.

He participated in Great Vespers Sat. evening and the Divine Liturgy on Sunday.

On Mother's Day we had a memorial service commemorating all our departed mothers, grandmothers, godmothers and any women dear to us.

May their memory be eternal.

Come Receive the Light, from the Unwaining Light, and Glorify Christ, Who is risen from the dead.

Today the grave holds Him Who holds creation in His palm. A stone covers Him, Who covers the heavens with virtue. Life sleeps, and hell trembles, and Adam is set free from his bonds. Glory to Your dispensation, through which, when all things were accomplished, You presented to us an eternal rest, even Your most Holy Resurrection from the dead.

On Great and Holy Friday the Orthodox Church commemorates the death of Christ on the Cross. This is the culmination of the observance of His Passion by which our Lord suffered and died for our sins. This commemoration begins on Thursday evening with the Matins of Holy Friday and concludes with a Vespers on Friday afternoon that observes the unnailing of Christ from the Cross and the placement of His body in the tomb.

A big thank you to everyone who worked tiressly to make this Holy Week & Pascha memorable.

On the evening of Great and Holy Wednesday, the Sacrament or Mystery of Holy Unction is conducted in Orthodox parishes. The Sacrament of Holy Unction is offered for the healing of soul and body and for forgiveness of sins. At the conclusion of the service of the Sacrament, the body is anointed with oil, and the grace of God, which heals infirmities of soul and body, is called down upon each person.

Thy bridal chamber, O my Saviour, do I behold all adorned, and a garment I have not that I may enter therein. Illumine the garment of my soul, O Giver of Light, and save me .

On the Sunday before the Feast of Great and Holy Pascha and at the beginning of Holy Week, the Orthodox Church celebrates one of its most joyous feasts of the year. Palm Sunday is the commemoration of the Entrance of our Lord into Jerusalem following His glorious miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead. Having anticipated His arrival and having heard of the miracle, the people when out to meet the Lord and welcomed Him with displays of honor and shouts of praise. On this day, we receive and worship Christ in this same manner, acknowledging Him as our King and Lord.

On the third Sunday of Great Lent, the Church commemerates The Precious and Life Giving Cross.

There is a unique feature to the Cross. Embedded inside is a sliver of the True Cross. It was a gift made to Fr. Constantine's grandfather.

The Cross now has its home at St. John the Divine.

It was with great joy that we officially welcomed Ben Blake into our church family. John Karloff was his sponsor.

On February 7, the parishoners of St. John the Divine celebrated their annual Godparent Sunday.  Godparents and their Godchildren  reconfirmed their baptismal vows and received communion together. 

Celebrating the re-entry of Alison into the church community and the blessing of the newly-born Anita Wendy

On Sun. Jan 10 we celebrated Holy Theophany with the Blessing of the Water.

This age old tradition commenced in the fourth century, when St. Basil the Great, the father of philanthropy, wanted to distribute money to the poor in his Diocese. He commissioned women to bake sweetened bread, in which he arranged to place gold coins.  Thus the family in cutting the bread to nourish themselves were pleasantly surprised to find the coin.

This tradition is very much alive in our Orthodox homes and churches.  The one who finds the coin is considered to be blessed especially for the New Year.