Weekly Message February 22, 2026

Beloved brothers and sisters,

Next week, Holy Lent begins.

And with it, the rhythm of our parish life changes.

Lent is not just something we “observe.” It is something we enter. The Church, like a wise mother, increases the services not to burden us—but to carry us. To slow us down. To call us back. To create space for repentance, reflection, and renewal.

Beginning next week, we begin our expanded Lenten schedule:

Monday – Great Compline

Great Compline is one of the most beautiful and introspective services of the Church year. It is quiet. Reflective. Filled with psalms and the Prayer of St. Ephraim, with its repeated prostrations. It sets the tone for the week: humility, repentance, and the awareness that we need God’s mercy. If Lent is a journey inward, Great Compline is the doorway.

Wednesday – Pre-Sanctified Liturgy

During Lent, the Church does not celebrate the full Divine Liturgy on weekdays because of its festal nature. Instead, we gather for the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts—a deeply moving evening service where we receive Holy Communion that was consecrated the previous Sunday. It allows us to remain nourished by the Eucharist while maintaining the solemn, penitential spirit of Lent. It is quiet. Reverent. Powerful.

Friday – Salutations to the Theotokos (Akathist Hymn)

On Friday evenings, we turn to the Panagia. The Salutations are poetic, reverent hymns honoring the Mother of God, asking her intercessions as we journey through Lent. The repeated refrain—“Rejoice…”—reminds us that even inrepentance, there is joy. Even in struggle, there is hope.

Lent is not meant to be lived alone. The services are the scaffolding that supports our fasting, our prayer, and our spiritual goals.

If you’ve never come to these services before, this is your year.

If you come occasionally, come more intentionally.

If you come faithfully, come ready to go deeper.

Holy Lent is a gift. And the Church gives us everything we need to walk it well.

Let’s walk it together.

With love in Christ,

Fr. Evagoras