Parish Potluck (this Sunday) & Weekly Lenten Reflection
Great and Holy Lent will begin Sunday evening with the Service of Forgiveness at 6 p.m. We will gather for the Service of Holy Unction on Monday evening at 6 p.m. The Weekly Bulletin will include a schedule of Lenten services so that we can all plan our calendars accordingly.
We are fortunate to have not only Fr. Stephen Howell share in the ministry of our parish, but also Fr. William Weir from the Holy Assumption Serbian Orthodox Church in Fair Oaks. He graciously comes to the parish most Tuesday afternoons (just not this upcoming Tuesday) to assist with Holy Confession. During Great Lent, he will also prepare a brief reflection in anticipation of the upcoming Sunday. An introduction to the Sunday of Forgiveness – Cheesefare Sunday, is provided below.
We thank Fr. Stephen, Fr. William, Fr. George (in Reno), and Fr. Jon (in Modesto) for their priestly examples and ongoing service to the Church. Although a priest may "retire," his vocation continues; sometimes it takes a different form but remains an offering to the Lord for which we should all be grateful. May our High Priest and Savior of our souls continue to bless their ministries and their families.
Please bring a part of our pre-Lenten meal (just no meat) for our parish potluck. During the potluck, we will briefly discuss the role of godparents; thanks be to God. we need approximately 40 individuals to serve as sponsors at upcoming baptisms and chrismations on the Saturday of Lazarus and the Saturday before Pentecost.
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Forgiveness Sunday-Cheesefare Sunday
Rev. Fr. Bill Weir
This Sunday is known as Forgiveness Sunday or Cheesetare Sunday. The three previous weeks taught us about humility and repentance through the Publican and Pharisee, the prodigal son and the final judgment. This Sunday, the day before Great Lent begins, we call "Cheesefare" as a reminder that the time for a physical diet which excludes dairy products and meat begins on Monday. The title "Forgiveness Sunday" comes as a reminder of our spiritual "diet" for Great Lent. The Gospel from St. Matthew prescribed for Sunday begins with the words: "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will forgive you." In the verses preceding this lesson, our Lord had just taught the people how to pray what we call "The Lord's Prayer", which also speaks of forgiveness of others as a condition which must be fulfilled before we will be forgiven. We all know the familiar words: "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." Forgiveness of others means retraining from judging others and opens the door to our thoughts and words of personal repentance to be heard and accepted by our Lord and Savior.
Our Lenten fast is much r11ore than a set of rules dealing with what we eat and drink. A true Lenten fast includes all our senses and physical being. With our eyes we should avoid watching or reading things that have no spiritual reward. With our ears we should avoid listening to sounds like gossip and idle talk, which produce no good. Our mouths should be engaged in words of prayer and praise of God and not uttering words of anger or judgement. Our feet should not be dancing or taking us to places that do good to our spiritual lives. Our hands should be engaged in the activity of serving others by doing good and almsgiving.
May our Lord and God strengthen us spiritually so we may weaken ourselves with the dietary and spiritual restraints and guidance the Church encourages during this coming Great Lent. May we be led properly and stay on the narrow path of Great Lent so that the joy of the words "Christ is Risen" resound in our hearts and spirit on the day of Pascha.
Philoptochos Membership Tea (March 1)
Sunday of Orthodoxy Great Vespers
St. Baldricks - An Opportunity to Support Childhood Cancer Research
Fr. Christopher will again be shaving my head in support of cancer research for children. What a privilege it is to offer a small token of support in addition to our prayers and financial gifts to benefit cancer research for children. We call to mind children, family, and dear friends we’ve lost due to cancer, as well as their loved ones who grieve their passing. This year, most notably, we remember Aldo Pineschi, of blessed memory, who brought our team - the Bald and Beautiful - together. Tragically, he, too, lost his life to cancer. Although sorely missed, he remains an inspiration to so many of us as a philanthropist par excellence. To donate, please visit,
Saturday, MARCH 5th
Keaton Raphael Memorial (KRM)
Fund St. Baldrick’s
The Westfield Galleria
Benefit for childhood
cancer www.childcancer.org
St. Anna Youthful Steward selected to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America’s “Girl Delegate to the United Nations” Program
It is with great joy that we announce that Grace Jurrens was accepted into the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America’s “Girl Delegate to the United Nations” Program. As the congratulatory letter noted, Grace, a high school senior, was selected because of her personal and scholastic achievement, as well as her commitment and service to the Church and community.
As a participant in the Girl Delegate Program, Grace will participate in the 69th Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations from March 9-March 14. To learn more about last year‘s program, visit, https://www.goarch.org/-/girl-delegates-24
We express our congratulations to and prayers for Grace. May our Good Lord, through the intercessions of St. Anna, grant her and the other delegates, every blessing!
Fire Relief
Reverend Fathers, Stewards, and Friends of St. Anna Parish,
Sadly, the fires continue to rage in Southern California. Last evening, we prayed the “Akathist to the Protection of the Mother of God,” commemorating a miracle at the Blachernae church of Constantinople in the fifth century. As she is “quick to hear,” we lift our voices, asking that she also assists our fellow Californians in this moment of need. Therefore, please continue to pray (the prayer is found below), and as we identify tangible ways to express our love and support for those affected by the fires, give what you can.
I communicated with many of our priests in SoCal this morning. Unfortunately, although not unexpectedly, many of their stewards have lost homes or been displaced. With the Palisades and Eaton Fires at 0% containment, there will be more loss. In addition to offering your prayers, please consider the following:
1. Please consider donating gift cards for groceries, home improvement, and other essentials or contributing funds for gifts through the parish website, where a giving line has been set up on the Church Center App, for “Fire Relief.” We will purchase gift cards and ask our clergy in SoCal to distribute them to families in need. This method offers immediate financial support to families and has been the preferred way of giving after past disasters.
2. The Holy Metropolis of San Francisco has established a Disaster Relief Fund. Donations can be made at
3. Assemble hygiene kits for those in need. A list of items can be found at If a member of our parish is interested in coordinating this effort, we could request these items be donated in bulk and then assembled at the church. We will either send them through IOCC or a similar organization.
4. Donations are always accepted through IOCC. Learn more about their relief efforts and donate. IOCC will definitely provide financial assistance and send first responders to care for those affected by the fires.
May our Good Lord hear our common prayer through the intercessions of the Mother of God.
+fr. christopher
Prayer for Protection from Raging Fires
O Gracious God, who created the earth and everything in it, You have bestowed countless blessings upon us. Indeed, You have filled the world with immense beauty, bounty, and endless wonders!
We now ask You to save Your people from nature’s furious fires. Protect those in our state whose homes, businesses, and schools are threatened by the wildfires consuming the land.
Grant courage to those who fight the flames, as well as to first responders and all those who will assist our fellow Californians in rebuilding their lives and livelihoods after disaster strikes.
Provide strength to all survivors and peace to those in danger.
For those who have lost their lives, we ask You to grant them rest among the righteous. May their families and friends find consolation and comfort in the Holy Spirit and hope in Your Resurrection on the Third Day.
Send down abundant rain to quench the flames in our state. Just as You did for Noah of old, send the rainbow of hope. Though nature may rage, we know, O Lord, that You are a Loving God who holds in Your hands all that You have created.
We give thanks to You for all things!
Grant us humility to repent for our negligence in caring for Your Creation and give us the will to serve You more faithfully from now on.
Protect homes, monasteries, and all Your people. Throughout our lives, let us remember to honor and worship You as the Living God: Father, Son, and All-Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayer for Protection from the Raging Fires
Prayer for Protection from the Raging Fires
O Gracious God, who created the earth and everything in it, You have bestowed countless blessings upon us. Indeed, You have filled the world with immense beauty, bounty, and endless wonders!
We now ask You to save Your people from nature’s furious fires. Protect those in our state whose homes, businesses, and schools are threatened by the wildfires consuming the land.
Grant courage to those who fight the flames, as well as to first responders and all those who will assist our fellow Californians in rebuilding their lives and livelihoods after disaster strikes.
Provide strength to all survivors and peace to those in danger.
For those who have lost their lives, we ask You to grant them rest among the righteous. May their families and friends find consolation and comfort in the Holy Spirit and hope in Your Resurrection on the Third Day.
Send down abundant rain to quench the flames in our state. Just as You did for Noah of old, send the rainbow of hope. Though nature may rage, we know, O Lord, that You are a Loving God who holds in Your hands all that You have created.
We give thanks to You for all things!
Grant us humility to repent for our negligence in caring for Your Creation and give us the will to serve You more faithfully from now on.
Protect homes, monasteries, and all Your people. Throughout our lives, let us remember to honor and worship You as the Living God: Father, Son, and All-Holy Spirit. Amen.
In Anticipation of the New Year
Christ is born! Glorify Him!
On Tuesday evening evening (6 PM), we will gather in prayer to celebrate the Feasts of St. Basil the Great and the Circumcision of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Unique to this evening is the use of the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, which is only prayed on ten occasions throughout the year. Following the Consecration of the gifts, the celebrant offers a beautiful prayer of thanksgiving, in which he prays:
Remember, O Lord, the people here present and those who are absent with good cause. Have mercy on them and on us, according to the abundance of Your mercy. Fill their shelves with goods; preserve their marriages in peace and harmony; nurture the infants; instruct the youth; support the elderly; encourage the fainthearted; reunite the dispersed; return those who succumbed to error and unite them to Your holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. Free those who are troubled by unclean spirits. Travel with those who travel. Defend the widows; protect the orphans; free the captives; heal the sick. Remember, O Lord, those who are on trial, in labor camps, in exile, in bitter servitude, and any affliction, necessity, or distress, and everyone in need of Your great compassion; and those who love us and those who hate us; those who have asked us to pray for them, unworthy though we may be.
I feel genuinely humbled by these words every time I have the privilege of praying them during the Liturgy. Although we may see ourselves as distant from fourth-century Byzantium, our frailties—and, by extension, our needs—remain unchanged. We rely on God’s mercy because we fall short in our relationship with Him and, as the prayer wisely notes, with one another. Persevering in virginity, caring for marriages, children, and parents, along with those who struggle due to illness, loss, or fear, is work. Reuniting those who have strayed from God and the Orthodox Christian Faith, whether due to arrogance or ignorance, is also challenging. Tending to those in unique circumstances, such as widows, orphans, the imprisoned, or the sick, is trying. Being gracious and praying for those who love us and even those who hate us is also difficult.
Nurturing, building up, or healing relationships with God, family members, friends, or co-workers while serving our loved ones, those in need, and even those who may not like us leads to salvation. If I desire to be saved, I must engage God and all others as opportunities to humble myself, pray for, and serve others. I can only think this is why St. Basil included such a litany in his prayers. It surely wasn’t easy for him or the faithful then, as it isn’t for us now, but this is our Christian vocation.
All of us can attest that life can be humbling. However, the ups and downs of life don’t automatically instill humility in me. Instead, a contrite and humble spirit is shaped by how I perceive myself in relation to God and my fellow human beings, my awareness of my sins compared to others, and how I balance God’s mercy with His just judgment. My attitude toward God must be one of penitence, while my attitude toward others should be gracious, forgiving, and merciful.
What is life without prayer? Whether in the Holy Sanctuary or the quiet of my room, prayer is a gift; it’s time I need and treasure. When my prayers at home are lacking, I feel a bit off-kilter; my interactions with God and others are adversely affected. Similarly, God’s mercy, love, and graciousness elude me when I'm not prayerful during Divine Services. Thanks be to God, though; when I get distracted, a strategically placed icon and a vigil lamp in the home or the hymns raised in communal prayer call me back to my senses and create an openness to Grace and healing. Without prayer, the soul withers and dies.
How else can we, as Christians, express our prayerful gratitude to God and our love for Him, if not by humbly serving others? Our vocations may be unique, but our work is always for and in the context of others; it can never be solely about ourselves. Thanks be to God for all the examples we have right here in our parish of those who tirelessly strive to bring joy to others. What a gift it is not only to receive the kindness of others but also to be inspired by them to serve more earnestly and sincerely. Every time a need is expressed—whether in my family, the parish, or the greater community—it's an opportunity for me to give monetarily, to offer my talents or my time, and to do so with joy, for God loves a cheerful giver.
What God loves—a right disposition and a soft heart—and whom He loves—all of us—are the things I should strive to attain for myself and for others. Thanks be to God for those subtle (and not so subtle) reminders found in Divine Services, during certain seasons of life, and in those pure moments with God and others that inspire me to desire them for myself and others. For this is what is pleasing to God.
As we close this year, I ask for your forgiveness for the times I have fallen short in these pursuits as your priest; I pray that God will be merciful and forgiving to us all. I also fervently pray that you find joy in pursuing these greater things—a right spirit, a gentle heart, and a willingness to selflessly serve and give unto others as we prepare for the feasts and the New Year. To paraphrase St. Basil, let us pray that we are all made worthy to stand at the Lord’s right hand when He comes to judge the living and the dead. For He is the giver of good things, and we offer up to Him glory, together with the Father, who is without beginning, and the all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.
A blessed Feast of St. Basil to all who celebrate!
Feed the Hungry / Christmas 2024 - Delivered!
Thank you for your continued support and generosity for our FEED THE HUNGRY ministry.
Together, we were able to raise funds to sponsor another 75 families in need from the Blue Oaks, Buljan, Chilton, Cirby, Cooley, Diamond Creek, Eich, Gates, Junction, Orchard Ranch, Riego Creek, Spanger, Stoneridge, Westbrook and Woodbridge schools...and in time for Christmas 2024. Packages were delivered to Principals yesterday to distribute gifts for groceries and clothing to ensure tables are full and families are warm. Attached are some images.
I hope and pray that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ continues to provide for these families throughout the year, granting them every blessing from above.
With love and gratitude,
Linda Stoll