St. James Parish News
September 24, 2026
St. Thecla, Equal-to-the-Apostles
The whole earth is a living icon of the face of God. St. John of Damascus
Article from Metropolitan SABA
The Cross in Our Lives, Part Three
Most believers associate the cross with pain, trials, and hardships of every kind. Yet few realize that the cross produced by seeking pleasure apart from God is heavier and harsher than other crosses.
When received in the name of Christ, the cross of trials produces steadfastness, strength, patience, tenderness of heart, and a refined human sensitivity. It also brings abundant grace. It is truly and genuinely a cross that leads to resurrection—a cross whose consolation makes it sweet.
Pleasure sought apart from God, however, creates a deadly emptiness. A person tries to fill this emptiness by returning to the same pleasure and immersing himself in it more intensely. He imagines that, by returning to it with greater force and abandoning himself to it more completely, he will escape his boredom and weariness. He believes that he is satisfying a longing for fullness, without realizing that he is seeking it in the wrong place. In reality, he gradually discovers that he has become enslaved to pleasure. He grows weak before it, surrenders to it, and despairs of ever being delivered from it. This cross leads to death and not to resurrection.
Read the entire article: https://www.antiochian.org/regulararticle/2947
Volunteerism
Continuing the discussion regarding responsibility for and participation in the work of keeping our St. James parish a functioning and thriving community. Just like our own homes, our parish requires much ongoing labor and input to keep it alive and thriving.
I would like to start with acknowledging the persons already giving of themselves and committing their time and effort to our community. I fail to thank all of these people often enough. So this is an opportunity to express my thanks. It is also an opportunity to demonstrate how true volunteerism functions.
Finally I would like to thank two more groups of volunteers: the Prosphora bakers and the Altar servers.
Regarding the Prosphora bakers, you see their names every week in these bulletins. They bake and donate the Prosphora bread for all of our Divine Liturgies. As you know, baking bread is a labor of time and effort, and they offer us this gift of freshly home-made bread every week!
Regarding the Altar servers, you see them in and around the Altar at every service and see the names of the readers every week in these bulletins. They give up being the congregation with their families in order to assist in making the services function and also in making them more beautiful by participating in all of the liturgical processions and other acts.
(Note: if anyone would like to join either of these groups, you are invited and welcome! Speak with Fr. Mark)
I say Thank you! to the Prosphora bakers and the Altar servers. We would be unable to celebrate all of liturgical services without them. I hope that you will also express this to them and hold them as a very excellent models of volunteerism for our community.
Name days, Birthdays and Anniversaries
LilliAnne B. – Nameday: 09-29
Michaela ‘Elena’ M. – Birthday: 10-02
May God grant you many years!
Upcoming Feasts / Celebrations
| Protection of the Theotokos | |
|---|---|
| Thursday October 1 | |
| 9:30 AM | Divine Liturgy |
| 9:30 AM | Women & Children Prayer Group |
Please remember that our full calendar continues to be available at our parish web site. Here is a link:
https://stjfc.org/Pages/Calendar/calendar.php
Prosphora
| September 27 | Shana V. |
| October 4 | Anna H. |
| October 11 | Kari H. |
| October 18 | Nana D. |
| October 25 | Natalia M. |
Full schedule:
https://stjfc.org/Pages/Ministries/Prosphora/Docs/prosphora sched 2026 web.pdf
Readers
| September 27 | Nate | 17th after Pentecost | II Cor. 6:16-7:1 |
| October 4 | Jeff Alipy | 18th after Pentecost | II Cor. 9:6-11 |
| October 11 | Zach | Fathers of 7th Ecumenical Council | Titus 3:8-15 |
| October 18 | Thomas | Apostle and Evangelist Luke | Col. 4:5-11, 14-18 |
| October 25 | Ken | 21st after Pentecost | Gal. 2:16-20 |
| November 1 | Jared | 21st after Pentecost | Gal. 2:16-20 |
| November 8 | Connor | The Archangels | Heb. 2:2-10 |
| November 15 | Isaac | 24th after Pentecost | Eph. 2:14-22 |
Full schedule:
https://stjfc.org/Pages/Ministries/Altar/Docs/epistle readers for 2026.pdf
Scripture Readings for this coming Sunday
Epistle: ST. PAUL’S SECOND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS 6:16-18; 7:1
Brethren, you are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will live in them and move among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore come out from them, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch nothing unclean; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, and make holiness perfect in the fear of God.
Gospel: LUKE 5:1-11
At that time, as Jesus was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, he saw two boats by the lake; but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; and as their nets were breaking, they beckoned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he was astonished, and all who were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
Spiritual Reading
Why Does the Church Not Allow the Woman to Be a Priest?
Saint Raphael of Brooklyn
In our generation, when socialist teaching and atheist opinions are prevailing almost everywhere, it is not strange if we hear some people objecting even to the affairs of God Almighty, saying, “Why did not God create the woman equal to the man in everything?”
These self-wise objections include, “Why does not the Church allow the woman to be a priest?”
We answer them that the Church does not allow the woman to be a priest not only for the many reasons that make the administrations of all nations and distinguished people forbid women from becoming soldiers, but also and more so because God Almighty Who created the man and the woman, by His Divine Wisdom, did not choose to give the woman the same rights that He gave to the man since the beginning of creation.
Read the entire article: https://www.orthodoxethos.com/post/why-does-the-church-not-allow-the-woman-to-be-a-priest
St. James Orthodox Church
2610 S.E. Frontage Rd.
Fort Collins, CO 80525
970.221.4180
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