October 1st, 2022

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever!

Dear parishioners and friends,

Today we celebrate the feast of the Protection of the Mother of God, when she appeared in the Monastery Church of Blacherne in Constantinople in 911 as a sign of her protection of the faithful. We still celebrate her presence in the Church and her protection of us her children. As we deal with difficulties and challenges there is no doubt that she is and will continue to be our defense and hope.

As we begin October and fall, there are many up coming events to focus on.

SUNDAY ECF-EASTERN CHRISTIAN FORMATION (Grades Pre-K to 8)

On Sunday, Oct. 9 at 12:30pm we will gather for the second session of this school year. Please plan to attend. ALL parish children are requested to participate since this is the main parish-based catechetical monthly gathering, specifically geared for the grammar school children. Even if your children attend a Catholic School, our Byzantine Catholic tradition and spirituality is also unique and different. It is necessary for our children to understand that. We begin at 12:30pm and all parents are invited to hang out/help out too. Lunch is provided. Themes are presented in 20 minute segments concluding with music and singing and dismissal at 2:30pm

ST. BASIL’S HOMESCHOOL COOP is currently meeting on e a month on the second Friday at 10am. For more information please contact Angela Wynn at [email protected]

BYZANTeen YOUTH GROUP 

The Youth Group is meeting once a month on the third Saturday at 5pm. The Teen group is for high school level students and is a forum for catechesis as well as socializing and outreach including charitable projects. The ByanTeen Youth Group is led by Bethany Doyle. For more information please contact Bethany at [email protected]

EVENING ICONOGRAPHY 

By request, Fr. Elias will be offering an evening iconography class, especially for those who are busy during the day. This special class will be offered in 8 possible sessions, although the icon can be completed in 5 sessions, so if you miss some that is ok. This class will be focused on a close-up of the faces of Jesus and Mary from the Our Lady of Tenderness Icon also known at The Virgin of Vladimir. All materials will be provided. The cost of 30$  per person covers that for the entire class. Please contact Fr. Elias for more information or to register at [email protected]

Classes take place from 6-10pm on the following evenings. You can arrive as time permits and Father will be working with students at varying speeds so if you are slow or fast, or late or need to leave early, you will be accommodated. 

Thursday, Oct. 20
Monday, Oct. 24
Tuesday, Nov. 1
Thursday, Nov. 3
Monday, Nov. 7
Thursday, Nov. 10
Monday, Nov. 14
Thursday, Nov. 17

ST. BASIL YOUNG ADULTS

A young adult group has been forming and meeting at St. Basil’s and are planning a number of social events for October and beyond. On Oct. 29 our Young Adults will be participating in the “Tough Mudder” 10k obstacle course….of course that doesn’t mean you need to run it….a cheering section is welcome too! Next meeting is on Monday, Oct. 3 at 7pm at St. Basil’s. This group is for young adults from college age to 39. The group leader is Pierre; for more information call Pierre at 415-579-8161

THANKSGIVING CHRISTMAS MARKET

At St. Basil’s we are blessed to have so many wonderfully creative individuals. Our Byzantine Tradition recognizes that artists, whether they work in paint, stone, word and melody (and other mediums too) participate uniquely in creation, inspiring the world to look higher and deeper at the beauty that surrounds us. By seeing that beauty we get a glimpse of the glory of God.

After a challenging two + years of pandemic, we are now together again and we would like to invite the artists of our parish to be a part of our parish Christmas market over Thanksgiving Weekend (Friday-Sunday).

Reserve a table or two and price your creations, whether they be painted, sculpted, woven or baked. From your sales we ask that you donate back 20%. This event is not so much a fundraiser for the parish, as it is a place to affirm the creative members of our community. Please contact Father Elias to reserve space for this special holiday event at [email protected]

PRE CHRISTMAS  CLEANING

mark your calendars! We will have a parish cleaning and fixing day for the Nativity Fast/ Christmas on Saturday, Nov. 12 from 9am to 3pm.

Thank you for all you do for St. Basil’s. As we have more visitors and new parishioners, we ask that you all help in keeping our Temple and grounds and Hall, clean. Please pick up and throw away any garbage that you see. After the children color or play or eat, please put all items into their proper place for the next child.  Since we do not have “staff” but rather depend on the kindness of volunteers, it is important we each do our part to keep St. Basil’s beautiful.

May God bless you all!

Please note that on Saturday, Oct. 8 and 15, there will be no distribution of Holy Communion and the vespers served will be reader vespers.

Fr. Elias