Saint Andrew's Orthodox Church

The Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple

This feast will be celebrated with an All-Night Vigil at St. Vladimir’s Seminary (Yonkers, NY) by His Eminence, Archbishop Michael, on Thursday November 20, from 9:30 PM to 12:30 AM. More info.

According to Tradition, the righteous Joachim and Anna, the parents of the Virgin Mary, vowed to dedicate their child to God. When the girl was three years old, her parents brought her to the Temple at Jerusalem holding candles and singing Psalms.

Memory eternal: Larisa Williams

With sadness but hope in the Resurrection, we announce the falling-asleep of our beloved sister, +Larisa Williams, on Tuesday, September 16.

The Exaltation of the Holy Cross

“Before Thy Cross, we bow down in worship, O Master, and Thy holy resurrection we glorify!”

We will celebrate the great feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, which celebrates the finding of the true cross by the Empress Helen in 326 A.D, with Festal Vespers on Saturday, September 13 at 7:00 PM, and the Festal Divine Liturgy on Sunday, September 14, at 9:30 AM.

The Dormition of the Mother of God

O Apostles from all the ends of the earth, who have gathered here in Gethsemane, bury my body, and Thou, my Son and God, receive my spirit! – Exapostilarion of the feast

The Transfiguration of Christ

This week, we will celebrate the Great Feast of the Transfiguration of Christ upon Mount Tabor. The feast is August 6; we will serve a Vesperal Liturgy on Tuesday evening, August 5, at 7:00 PM, followed by the traditional blessing of fruit.

The blessing of fruit is a pious custom which finds its roots in the desire of the faithful to bless the first-fruits of the harvest, which become ready around the time of the feast. There is a poetic connection between the harvest and the Feast, as we see the tilled earth transfigured in the beauty of the fruit which comes forth from it, just as we see the beautiful fruit of our spiritual labors emerge in our lives. Below is an article written by Fr. John about the feast, from a past edition of The Cupola.