On Saturday, March 26, members of SS. Peter & Paul gathered to make our annual Easter basket deliveries to families in need.

On Sunday, March 20, we assembled the baskets. As we did with our Thanksgiving deliveries last November, our parish Charity Fund has purchased gifts for children—a mix of treats, school supplies, and other helpful items. We contacted the local school system to help us identify eight families in our neighborhood who are really struggling, who could use some loving encouragement in this season.

Thank you for your generosity, which enables the Charity Fund to purchase these gifts—please consider making a donation to the Fund to support future efforts.

The Brotherhood of SS. Peter & Paul enjoyed lunch together this winter at Four Corners Restaurant. The Brotherhood is a mutual aid society with the goal of benefitting the parish and building friendship among the members.

Joe Uliase shared some photos of his work in progress on the iconostasis and the crucifixion icon.

The crucifixion icon was originally painted by the first pastor of our parish, Fr. Seraphim Oblivantseff. Joe began by cleaning the icon, and discovered that it had been repainted in duller flesh tones at a later date. He was able to restore it to the original colors.

In the days leading up to Christmas, Joe Uliase restored the decorative borders of the icons on our church's iconostasis, or icon screen in front of the altar. The original work had been done in the 1960s and was definitely in need of fresh attention. The result is glowing.

You can also see parishioners at work arranging the multitude of Christmas flowers for the feast. And lastly, Joe has been cleaning our large Crufixion icon, or Golgotha. You can see the brilliant colors again in the Virgin Mary and Saint John, while the Cross still has to be done.

As we've done for many years, the parish collected and assembled the fixings for Thanksgiving and other pantry necessities for families in our neighborhood. We originally planned on aiding eight families, and ending up being able to help ten!

Jane Dougherty visited our parish to present a “Quilt of Valor” to Rick Comshaw, in honor of his service in the armed forces. We were also honored to welcome the quilt-maker herself, Diane Maglaris, who joined Jane in the presentation. At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, Jane explained that these quilts are made as a manifestation of love and respect for veterans. We held a short blessing service for the quilt and then Jane and Diane wrapped Rick in the quilt.

As a special surprise, it turns out Jane is a long-time friend of Valerie and John Wigglesworth, who were also prepared to take photos of the occasion!

Rick served in the Navy for many years, notably during conflicts in Beruit and Grenada, before being discharged in 1991 due to an injury. He accepted the quilt on behalf of all the veterans of the parish, noting that some from previous wars are still in our midst. May God grant Rick, Jane and Diane many years!

Lanah Brigid Phillips, daughter of Jonathan and Larissa Phillips, was baptized on Saturday, June 20.

On the Feast of St. Nicholas, many children gathered for a special celebration. We listened to the story of St. Nicholas, played games and worked on projects connected with his life, decorated the parish Christmas tree, and even had a special Visitor....

In March, the children of the Church School began to make a banner that they could carry in church processions. On the most special occasions—Holy Week, Pascha, or our parish feast day—the whole church goes in procession, carrying the cross, candles, icons, and banners. But these banners are far too large and heavy for children to carry; so they will be making one themselves, just their size. 

One of the beloved features of Great Lent is the Liturgy of Pre-Sanctified Gifts. This is a season of fasting, when we are to limit our food, and even celebrating the Divine Liturgy is usually not permitted on week-days. However, to give us strength for our journey to Pascha, we have these special Liturgies of Pre-Sanctified Gifts each week.

At Saints Peter & Paul, we gather on Wednesday evening for this service. It is called Pre-Sanctified because the Gifts for communion were already consecrated upon the altar the previous Sunday, and held in holy anticipation for this evening. The church is dimly lit and filled with the singing of psalms. Afterward, we share in a supper together.