The Sunday of Forgiveness

The Sunday of Forgiveness is the last Sunday before the beginning of Great Lent. It commemorates Adam's expulsion from Paradise and reminds us how far we have fallen in sin and separated ourselves from God. Lent is both a time of sorrow and great expectation. We stand outside the closed gates of Eden and lament our sins, but at the same time we prepare to celebrate our Lord's rising from the tomb which has reopened the gates of Paradise to us.

Great Lent is a journey with the members of our parish family and Orthodox Christians around the world. So we enter the fast reconciling with one another which is the theme of the Gospel reading (Matthew 6:14-21). The special service at the end of Vespers on Sunday evening is an important event where we each ask each other for forgiveness before we embark on the journey through Great Lent.

Icon of the Feast

It is the icon of the Sunday of the Last Judgment from Matthew 25:31-46. The icon shows Adam and Eve standing before Jesus Christ. They are attempting to hide their nakedness with fig leaves because they are ashamed. The Lord is expelling them from Paradise. The Archangel of the Lord is directing them out of the garden and Adam and Eve are now dressed in garments of skin.

Cheesefare Sunday

The Sunday of Forgiveness is also known as Cheesefare Sunday since it is the last day that dairy products can be eaten before the Lenten fast. The full fast begins the following day on the Clean Monday, the first day of Great Lent. On the evening of the Sunday of Forgiveness the Church conducts the first service of Great Lent, the Vespers of Forgiveness, a service that directs us further on the path of repentance and helps us to see our need for forgiveness from God and to ask forgiveness from our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is the first time that the Lenten prayer of St. Ephraim with prostrations is read. At the end of the service all the faithful approach the priest and one another asking for mutual forgiveness.

Welcome to the parish website of St. John of Damascus Orthodox Church, a mission of the Orthodox Church in America.  We would like to invite you into the sights, sounds, fragrance and Truth of The Ancient Church.  The Orthodox Church has been proclaiming The Truth since 33 A.D. as the Church of the Apostles, the Church of Pentecost, the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

We invite you to come and experience true worship. All our services are in English. Come and be visually surrounded by the Icons of the Living Saints, hear the ancient chants which are bathed in Holy Scripture and breathe deep the incense of our prayers being lifted up to our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ.

If you have never been inside an Orthodox Church, then be prepared to be surprised and humbled.  The gift of worship is given to us for the ability to enter into the experience of The Kingdom of God.  It is a place of spiritual healing as the Creator renews us, His creation, in the Divine Liturgy. 

Our parishioners are very diversified in their spiritual journeys.  Most of us at St. John of Damascus are converts from varying church backgrounds, some were born into the Orthodox Faith and still others are very welcomed inquirers.  So please come and join us to discover the fullness of the Faith in Orthodoxy.

This website has articles and links to further reading, lectures and even the sounds of Byzantine chant.  We encourage you take your time and sift through everything, but to more importantly come and experience True Worship.  You are always welcome within our doors, whether you stay for an entire Divine Liturgy or sit for 30 minutes.  You are welcome.

Our Parish has been blessed by the talents of many people. Dan Rudder had made and donated the Orthodox Cross which stands at the roadside engraved with mission's name.  Now he has has also made a the cross which bears the icon of Saint John of Damascus which stands to the right of the entry of the church.  It is a great blessing to us all.  The iconostas is adorned by icons drawn by a former parishioner Despina Levier, who now resides in her homeland of Cyprus.  Addittionally, our beautiful Gospel book has arrived from Greece.  Father blessed the Gospel book this past Sunday.  It was given in memory of James Wingerd.

Explore Orthodoxy through Orthodox Church Network.  Listen to Traditional Byzantine Chant, Internet Orthodox Radio, lecture and sermons from around the globe.  A wonderful gift to all of us to be enriched by the blessings of the Orthodox Faith shared in such a rich format.  The Ark is the Orthodox internet radio, while The Rudder is Traditional Byzantine Chant.  OCN serves up to 18 Orthodox Podcasts.  There is a Teen Talkline and a Podcast to study the Ancient Church!

http://www.myocn.net/