Tag: St. Anna Orthodox church

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THE CONCEPTION BY ST. ANNA OF THE MOST HOLY THEOTOKOS

Blessed Feast!
“On December 9 in the Holy Orthodox Church we commemorate Saint Anna’s Conception of the Most Holy Theotokos.
Verse: Not like Eve dost thou bring forth children in sorrow, For within thy womb thou bearest joy, O Anna. On the ninth Anna conceived Mary, God’s Mother.
After many years of childlessness and fervent prayer, an angel of the Lord announced to Joachim and Anna that that they would be the parents of a daughter, the Virgin Mary, who would bring blessings to the whole human race. The Conception took place at Jerusalem. The Orthodox Church does not accept the teaching that the Mother of God was exempted from the consequences of ancestral sin (death, corruption, sin, etc.) at the moment of her conception by virtue of the future merits of her Son. Only Christ was born perfectly holy and sinless. The Holy Virgin was like everyone else in her mortality and in being subject to temptation, although she committed no personal sins. She was not a deified creature removed from the rest of humanity. If this were the case, she would not have been truly human, and the nature that Christ took from her would not have been truly human either. If Christ does not truly share our human nature, then the possibility of our salvation is in doubt.” – THE SYNAXARION

“Today have the bonds of barrenness been loosened; God, having heard the prayers of Joachim and Anna, promised them openly that they should give birth, beyond hope, to the Maiden of God, from whom He, the infinite One was to be born, becoming man, commanding the angel to shout to her: Rejoice, O full of grace, the Lord is with thee.” – APOLYTIKION OF CONCEPTION OF THE THEOTOKOS BY ST. ANNA IN TONE FOUR

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SESSION THREE – What is Salvation?

From the weekly “Inquirer’s Classes” given by Fr. Stephen Rogers on Wednesday, September 16, 2020.

Click Photo to view this video on YouTube

“What is Salvation?” by The Very Reverend Father Stephen Rogers. Presented by St. Anna Orthodox Christian Church, Columbia, Tennessee. (Wednesday, September 16, 2020)

Please join us in person for the next session being presented on Wednesday, September 23, 2020 at 7pm.

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The Feast of St. Anna – July 25, 2020

A Blessed Feast of St. Anna to you all! We beseech the Righteous Ancestor of God for “help with faith, that we may all be saved from all manner of tribulation” and asking her to intercede for “forgiveness of sins for them that honor [her] with love”.

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St. Anna Holy Week – April 12-19, 2020

Below is the list of the services we will celebrate during Holy Week and leading up to the Saturday evening Pascha service.  You may join the clergy and chanters in praying and celebrating ALL of these services by going to the St. Anna Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/StAnnaOrthodoxColumbiaTN/

If you miss the appointed time for the service you may view and pray along with the clergy and chanters after the service is completed by clicking on the link to that service.  Father Stephen will be praying some of these services from his home.   The text of these services can be found in your Holy Week Service Book.

Sunday, April 12th: Palm Sunday-Orthros and Divine Liturgy: 9 am

Sunday, April 12th: Bridegroom Matins 6 pm

Monday, April 13th: Bridegroom Matins: 6:30 pm

Tuesday, April 14th: Bridegroom Matins: 6:30 pm

Wednesday, April 15th: Orthros: 6:30 pm

Thursday, April 16th: Service of 12 Passion Gospels: 6:30 pm

Friday, April 17th: Great Vespers 3 pm

Friday, April 17th: Lamentations 6:30 pm

Saturday, April 18th: Pascha 10 pm


We understand that joining these services by viewing them on you your phone, tablet, computer screen or TV may not be like you are used to joining in on Holy Week services.  However, under these circumstances, complying with the directives sent to us by the Metropolitan and doing all we can to not put any of you at a health risk during these uncertain days, we believe these online services will be a great way to supplement your personal and family prayers and Holy Week and Pascha traditions at your home.  We know that you are doing your best to make these days special with your families and we urge you to make these limited daily services a part of your upcoming days as we journey together to Jerusalem, the upper room, the garden, the cross and the empty tomb.  May God have mercy on us all.

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Coronavirus changes at St. Anna – March 17, 2020

Dear Faithful of St. Anna:

Blessings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ as we continue our Lenten journey through these unusual times. I am sure you all continue to monitor the evolving Coronavirus situation and attempts to mitigate the pandemic facing us all.

In response to government guidance, our Archdiocese has issued new directives for the church in order to do our part to protect our congregations and our communities. Though some of the following instructions may seem drastic, they are prudent and necessary to get to the other side of the pandemic as soon as possible. With that goal in mind, the following directives are implemented until further notice:

1. All non-liturgical activities (church school, meetings, meals, coffee hour, etc.) are cancelled.
2. Services are limited to Orthros/Divine Liturgy (commencing March 22) and Akathist (commencing March 27). Services will be limited to CLERGY and CHANTERS ONLY  “on behalf of all and for all.”
3. Confession will be offered only in case of great, immediate spiritual need.
4. Baptisms are postponed until further notice.
5. In case of a funeral, only immediate family may attend (limited to 10 persons).
6. Service texts for home use will be available on the http://www.antiochian.org website under the Liturgics section.

If you are a chanter and show symptoms of any sickness or are awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test for you or a loved one, please stay at home. I will coordinate with John Meese which chanters will be present at each service.

I hope each of you will see this difficulty as an opportunity for a truly meaningful Lenten offering. What could be more of an acceptable Lenten offering that to give up our own will and desires in obedience to the service and welfare of our community?

We are exploring ways to enhance our journey through these times such as video homilies and other communications, as well as providing a list of churches providing streaming services as soon as possible.

Above let us pray for another and take the time to reach out to each other by phone or email. Obviously, I will keep you informed of any changes as soon as they are implemented.

Holy Saint Anna, pray for us!

Fr. Stephen

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Men’s Night Out – Thursday, Nov 7, 6pm

St. Anna Men’s Night Out – Thursday, November 7th at 6pm at Puckett’s Grocery & Restaurant (15 Public Square, Columbia, TN 38401) All men of the church (18 and older) and your guests are invited.   Special guest – Abbess Aemiliane from the Sacred Monastery of St. Nina.