560 Oak Ridge Turnpike
Oak Ridge, TN 37830
News and Notes for St. Anne
The Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise and The Sunday of Forgiveness

The preparation for Great Lent concludes this Sunday morning with the commemoration of the expulsion of Adam and Eve from paradise. The image of their departure from paradise offers a figure for our own exile from the heart's true home. Paradise represents the perfection of our relationship and union with God. It is said that humanity has been "homesick" ever since. Great Lent is our journey back to the Father - a return to our true home, fulfilled in Christ's Holy Pascha.

The first service of Great Lent is also served on this Sunday - the Vespers of Forgiveness (following the coffee hour). Vespers is always a service that "bridges" the day. It is the last service of one day, and the first of the next. As such, it is the first service of Monday.

Of note, we begin our journey to Christ's Pascha by asking forgiveness of others and offering forgiveness to all. Christ told us that if we forgive others, God will also forgive us. The Vespers of Forgiveness concludes with a service of mutual forgiveness - an opportunity to forgive and be forgiven. There is no better way to begin the Great Fast.
Service Schedule
Wednesday- March 6
Daily Vespers 6:30 pm
Orthodox Study Group Following

Saturday - March 9
Great Vespers 5 pm
Confession following

Sunday - March 10
Divine Liturgy 9:30 am
Vespers of Forgiveness following Coffee Hour

Great Lent
Four times a year, the Orthodox prepare for a great feast with a period of extended prayer, fasting and abstinence. The longest and most significant of these periods is the fast preceding Pascha (Easter). This year, the fast begins on March 11. There are numerous services added to the Church calendar to give added opportunities for prayer and the strengthening of grace.

Pascha (Christ's suffering, death and resurrection) is the utter heart of the Christian faith. All that we do in the Christian life flows from that single event. The fast of Great Lent helps us to concentrate our attention and unite ourselves to the work of Christ.

Look aheard towards the season. Give thought to your private and family discipline as it approaches. There is no one single practice that fits everyone. Monastics in the Church, for example, have a very rigorous set of practices, fitting for their vocation. Those with children will need to think how their family can keep a moderated fast. If you have questions, discuss them with Fr. Stephen or Fr. Daniel.
Keeping the Lenten Fast

This pdf file offers some guidance for fasting in accordance with the Orthodox tradition. Different circumstances require different approaches.



 Coffee Hour Plan for This Sunday

Our new plan for managing Coffee Hour continues this week. With this as week 1, those with last names E-K will be responsible for bringing food and cleaning up afterwards. Many thanks to all who have made this new plan such a success!
A Thanks to Our Many Dancers!

Many thanks to the dancers and their families who braved the rain and spent time with Mrs. Morin and her fellow residents at Greenfield Senior Living Center! The residents seemed happy to see the children and adults dance. They asked us to come again.

The families performed a wonderful service.

Mary Dale and Lynne Attaway
Service Schedule for the First Week of Great Lent

Monday, March 11
Great Canon of St. Andrew – 6:30 pm

Tuesday, March 12
Great Canon of St. Andrew – 6:30 pm

Wednesday, March 13
Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts – 6:30 pm
Followed by bread and soup with Lenten Lecture (Fr. Daniel)

Thursday, March 14
Great Canon of St. Andrew – 6:30 pm

Friday, March 15
Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts – 8 am

Saturday, March 16
Vespers for the Sunday of Orthodoxy – 5 pm
Reception following
Some Therapists Look at Prostrations

Lent is approaching, and our services call for making more prostrations.
We hope that you make prostrations, not with fear and doubt, but with joy and confidence, thanking God for this ancient form of prayer offered with body, mind, and soul.

Please perform any physical movement carefully. Stop if you feel pain. Follow the advice of your Priest and your health care provider about movement, especially if you’ve had injuries or surgeries. These prostration tips are for people without physical limitations. A prostration is only one of the traditional ways to pray.

The Method
We recommend that you do the “Two knees down and up” method. This keeps your spine and hips in good positions. But, you need to protect your knees with this method, especially when coming up!

Here’s one method:
When you start, your lower legs are vertical. Keep them vertical as you lower your upper body until your hands can rest on the floor. For most people, doing a low squat is the best way. Keep your lower legs vertical (more or less). Now let your hands “walk forward,” and let your knees come to the floor. (Your arms help support the weight of your upper body, and they take pressure off of your knees.)

When you come back up, use your hands to “walk back” and push back until your lower legs are vertical again. This is very important. You might be tempted to rise when your lower legs are at an angle. Wait until your lower legs are vertical. Now you can straighten up.

Why Are Prostrations Good for You?
St.Porphyrios says, “Prostrations are a sacrifice and an offering—an offering of love and worship. And the whole person participates in the worship, body and soul.”
You could call a prostration the perfect exercise for the body. A dynamic squat with a push-up, with blood flowing down from the heart to the head. Thanks to the Fathers for their wisdom!

A prostration strengthens the muscles. It stretches the muscles and tendons. It massages the inner organs. It rounds and straightens the back. It squeezes air out of the deep parts of the lungs, and it aids in a full inhale. It brings increased blood flow to the brain, especially the frontal lobe, because the head is below the heart. It increases the heart rate, just like interval aerobic training.

So, prostrations and other bowing positions of prayer—they are God’s gift of sacrifice, offering, humility, strength, and aerobic exercise. Follow the traditions of prayer with body, mind, and soul. Do your prayers!

By Lynne Attaway, OT, Marsha Raasch, OTA, Allison Suits, PT
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