St. James Parish News
September 5, 2026
Holy Prophet Zechariah
Most of us live outside our heart, and our mind is in a constant state of confusion. Some good thoughts may surface from time to time, but the majority will be harmful, and this destructive condition will prevail for as long as we continue to ignore our heart…The prayers of a fragmented mind have neither clarity nor depth, but a mind that is reunited with the heart overflows with humble prayer and has such strength that it reaches the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. Elder Archimandrite Zacharias of Essex
Article from Metropolitan SABA
Do You Want to Be a Priest? – Through the Eyes of the Participants
“When God takes hold of the flute and begins to play, the mountains begin to dance. Who, then, can stop them?” — Jacques Prévert, French poet
In order to help our young men hear the call of God within them, the Archdiocese, in cooperation with Ancient Faith Ministries, held the retreat “Do You Want to Be a Priest?” Eighty-two young men answered the invitation, together with fifty wives or fiancées.
The idea began with what I often notice during my parish visits: signs of priestly service appearing on the faces of many young men whom I meet. It also came from ongoing discussions with a number of faithful and concerned individuals about shaping a pastoral policy for the future of the Archdiocese in the coming years. We expected a response to the invitation, but we did not expect the number of participants to reach this level. One participant wrote: “We are ready to serve in whatever way the Archdiocese sees fit.”
Read the entire article: https://www.antiochian.org/regulararticle/2924
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.
Next, I would like to thank the head and teacher of our Sunday School for the children: Kari H. She prepares lessons and activities for the children, working to provide age appropriate items for them each Sunday, guides them through reception of Holy Communion and into their gathering, and then teaches and guides the class. She does this every week during the school year!
Thanks be to God that, in addition to participation in the Divine Liturgy, our children have the opportunity every Sunday to receive some teaching appropirate to their age and situation.
I say Thank you! to Kari. I hope that you will also express this to them and hold them as very excellent models of volunteerism for our community.
Name days, Birthdays and Anniversaries
None listed
Upcoming Feasts / Celebrations
| Nativity of the Theotokos | |
|---|---|
| Tuesday September 8 | |
| 5:00 PM | Orthros |
| 6:00 PM | Divine Liturgy |
| Thursday September 10 | |
| 9:30 AM | Women & Children Prayer Group |
| Elevation of the Cross | |
| Monday September 14 | |
| 5:00 PM | Orthros |
| 6:00 PM | Divine Liturgy |
| Tuesday September 15 | |
| 7:00 PM | Women’s book study |
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 6 | Kari H. |
| September 13 | Nana D. |
| September 20 | Natalia M. |
| September 27 | Shana V. |
| October 4 | Anna H. |
Full schedule:
https://stjfc.org/Pages/Ministries/Prosphora/Docs/prosphora sched 2026 web.pdf
Readers
| September 6 | Jared | 14th after Pentecost | II Cor. 1:21-2:4 |
| September 13 | Connor | Sunday before Elevation of the Cross | Gal. 6:11-18 |
| September 20 | Isaac | Sunday after Elevation of the Cross | Gal. 2:16-20 |
| 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 |
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 1:21-24; 2:1-4
Brethren, it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has commissioned us; he has put his seal upon us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. But I call God to witness against me – it was to spare you that I refrained from coming to Corinth. Not that we lord it over your faith; we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith. For I made up my mind not to make you another painful visit. For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. For I wrote you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.
Gospel: MATTHEW 22:2-14
The Lord said this parable, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a marriage feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast; but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, Behold, I have made ready my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves are killed, and everything is ready; come to the marriage feast.’ But they made light of it and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the thoroughfares, and invite to the marriage feast as many as you find.’ And those servants went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good; so the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment; and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.
Spiritual Reading
Seven Counsels from St Alexis Mechev
St Alexis Mechev
If you wish to live a spiritual life, watch over yourself. Each evening, review what you have done well and what you have done badly. Give thanks to God for the good, and repent of the wrong.
Do not undertake spiritual labours beyond your strength. But if you have resolved to do something, fulfil it without fail. Otherwise, you will neglect it once, then a second and a third time, until eventually you begin to wonder why you ever undertook it at all.
Read the entire article: https://catalog.obitel-minsk.com/blog/2026/08/seven-counsels-from-st-alexis-mechev
St. James Orthodox Church
2610 S.E. Frontage Rd.
Fort Collins, CO 80525
970.221.4180
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