[We are now live-streaming the Divine Liturgy every Sunday morning.]

WE ARE OBSERVING the Exaltation of the Life-giving Cross this weekend. We served the Vigil for the Feast yesterday evening. We serve the Divine Liturgy for the Feast this morning.

59^th ASSEMBLY OF THE DIOCESE of the Midwest takes place Oct 5-8. It will be held on-line. Our parish delegate is Susanna.

SEPTEMBER is SUPPORT OUR SEMINARIANS month in the Diocese of the Midwest. Donations may be ear-marked with the designation SOS.

OUR CHARITY for this third quarter is Holy Dormition Monastery. Our charity for the fourth quarter (Oct-Dec) is FOCUS MN.

REVIEW OF NAMES DRAWN for Today, Sept 13:

Fred & Richie

Michael Thate

Tony Dunlop

Gremillions

Morses

Pavlenkos

Sonia P

Emily P

Swensons

Henry (guest)

Matt (guest)

N Wesches

Barb Tkach

MMadansky

Brennans (guests)

NAMES DRAWN for next Sunday (Sept 20)

Youngbloods (& Gita)

Kristin Oscarson

Pesonens

Stuart K & McKenna (guests)

Axvigs

Cooks

Howard Crawford

Corinne Johnson

Doug & Maureen

Dan Faust

Escobars

Joe Miller

Brad Kampf

Michael Kemp

Tim Ketcher

Knockes

Helen Pregl

River R Slaters

Michael Thompson

Thweats

Alex Wauck

Katie Wesche

Let Fr Paul know when you’re ready to be added to the rotation, or if you need to be taken off, or if you think you’re being overlooked!

If your name is not drawn for a particular Sunday, but you want to come, let Fr Paul know. There are openings created most every Sunday by folks unable to come for one reason or another. Fr Paul fills the openings first with those who ask to come if there are openings. At the same time, make use of our weekday Liturgies. Especially if your name is not drawn for a particular Sunday, consider attending the Divine Liturgy on Wednesday evening or Saturday morning and receive the sacrament. (We are not drawing names for weekday services.)

MINNESOTA EASTERN ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CLERGY ASSOCIATION [MEOCCA] offers its popular ‘Intro to Orthodox Christianity’ Course. This is a 12-week course taught co-operatively by our local Orthodox clergy on the basics of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. These classes are a comprehensive, descriptive survey of Orthodoxy. Fall session begins on Tuesday, September 15, from 7-9 pm. The class is open to all. Classes will be held via Zoom to begin the semester. Register online at https://forms.gle/JuYZfmJGMWEUPpfE6 or www.meocca.org  Feel free to join for an individual session (or two) as well!

SATURDAY MORNING ADULT ED follows the Divine Liturgy on, well, Saturday mornings. We are studying: ‘The Inner Exodus of the Gospel. The Way of Salvation According to the Tradition of the Orthodox Christian Faith.’ The class is open to everyone: inquirers, catechumens and faithful. We’ll go three Saturdays on, one Saturday off. The class is being recorded and can be viewed on our YouTube and/or Facebook page.

OUR ST HERMAN’S CHURCH SCHOOL program offers classes for all our youth: ‘Mother’ Nancy will teach pre-K and K; Maureen, grades 1-5; Brad, grades 6-8; Fr Christopher, grades 9-12. This will be a combination of on-line and face-to-face instruction. An email was sent last week to all parents of our children. Let ‘Mother’ Nancy know if you did not get the email, and would have liked to!

FAMILY CAMP 2020.   Family Camp is on-line this year, on Saturday, October 10.  Fr. Jonathan Proctor and Dr. Michael Lotti of Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in St. Paul, MN, will discuss how the Scriptures and the Orthodox liturgical tradition help us understand and live out the Church’s teaching on the Communion of Saints. Check out the schedule and register today at  www.stmaryscamp.com/family-camp/ 

‘He that eats me even he shall live by Me (Jn 6.57).

Thus speaks Christ the LORD, the Life and Source of life. A tree feeds on the earth, air and light. If a tree does not feed on the earth, the air and the light, will it be able to grow and live? What does an infant at its mother’s breast feed on, except its mother? If it does not feed on its mother, will it grow and live? So it is that our soul will not grow or live if it does not feed on Christ, the Living and Immortal One. The words here are not about life in general, by which nature lives, nor about the stunted life by which pagans live, but rather about the special, divine and eternal life—a life full and joyful. Only Christ gives this life to men, and it comes only to those who feed on Christ. Each man is as great as the food he feeds on, and each man is as alive as the food he feeds on. The words here are not about bodily food, for only man’s body, not man’s soul, is fed by bodily food. Men differ both in physical growth and physical life, but these differences are totally insignificant. However, the difference in spiritual growth and life among men is enormous. While some men, by the growth of their souls, barely raise themselves above the earth, others raise themselves to the heavens.

O LORD Jesus, our true God, our sweet food and our man-loving Nourisher; cast us not away from Thy divine bosom, for we are weak and helpless. Nourish us with Thyself, O our merciful Nourisher.

St Nikolai Velimirovic, Prologue of Ohrid, II, p. 300  

Demonstration of The Apostolic Preaching 1&2