Holy Protection Orthodox Church, Austin, Texas - Russian Orthodox - Protection of the Holy Theotokos

A parish of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad. Liturgy Sun., 9:30 a.m. at 1701
Peridot Rd., a few blocks north of Austin in Pflugerville. We welcome you to services.

UNIQUE RESOURCES : Variable texts for upcoming Divine Liturgy (bilingual). Also:

Liturgical texts in both English and Russian (Slavonic)

JOYFUL NEWS! Our parish will be visited by the wonder-working Kursk Root Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God Mon., March 31 and Tues., April 1, 2014. We invite all faithful and all people of goodwill to come April 1 and pray and spend time with the Most Pure Lady, through her sacred Icon.

Please pray for the health of Natalya, Abbot David, and Xenia. Xenia will leave the nursing home this week and sends y'all her love.

Please pray for Ukraine!

Service schedule here.

above: Fr. Aidan and Fr. Ignatius Lozano, Jan. 19, 2014

March 3 – April 19 – Great Lent.

Starting March 3, we keep a vegan fast till Easter: no meat, cheese, butter, eggs, milk, fish, oil, wine, or anything made from these. On weekends oil and wine are permitted, and on April 7 and April 13, fish. But a true and acceptable fast includes also: non-judgment, tears, forgiveness, prayer, and alms.

Facebook page.

2014 DECLARED "YEAR OF HARD WORK."
With gratitude to God, this year we should work diligently to serve God in all ways, including the upbuilding of Holy Protection parish.

Russian Orthodox services in San Antonio at 4930 Research Dr., 78240. More here.

And at Ft. Hood: contact Fr. Paul.

Updated wishlist. Below: pics of services, parish feast, Oct. 2012; more of those here.

Sunday attendance 70. For detail, click the pic

Cross-procession around the church.

Announcements:
- We need more volunteers for Sunday School (1st and 3rd Sundays).
- Confessions on Saturdays about 7:30 pm when Vigil ends.
- Our catechumen is studying. Pray for all catechumens throughout the world, seeking the light of Christ.

Above right: picture of choir, Andrew Longway directing. The singing is sounding beautiful. If you want to sing, let Andrew know.

Our choir: Click here to hear the Anaphora or here to hear a litany and Our Father.

Joining the Church: Baptisms are in English, Russian, Spanish, or German. Adult baptisms follow a period of testing and prayer, the catechumenate. Orthodox Christians may simply attend and belong. If you want to enter the Orthodox Church, call Fr. Aidan (512) 696-6890.

E-mail us with names of people you want prayers for. They will be specially commemorated at the next Divine Liturgy.

Dear parishioners, donors, and benefactors of Holy Protection Church, thank you for your support, whether with your time, effort, resources, or prayers! Your help is very important to our parish. May the Lord God remember you in His kingdom!

Yes, I wish to donate to Holy Protection Church. Now you can make a secure donation online to Holy Protection, using Paypal's secure server. You can complete your payment with just a few clicks, starting with the button below. You don't need to have a PayPal account for this.

Remember, Lord, those who bear fruit and do good in Thy holy churches; grant them their petitions which lead to salvation and give them eternal life.


Pictures of Divine Services and Feasts from 2013 back to 2009


Pascha 2012 here.	Holy Week 2012 here.	Pics March 2012 here.	Bp. Peter Visit, Jan. 2012, here.	Nativity Jan. 2012 here.
				Pascha 2011 here.
Dormition 2011 here.		Kursk Root Visit here.	Iconostas Jan. 2, 2012 here.	State of the Church address Jan '12.
Holy Fri. 2011 here.	Hieromonk Aidan	Easter 2010 here.	Palm Sunday 2011 here.	Nativity Jan. 2010 here.


			Trinity-Pentecost 2009 here.
Above: Bishop PETER of Cleveland. Vladyka was head of the Jordanville Seminary, then the Jerusalem Mission, before his consecration as Bishop. He speaks many languages and is a true monk. He is our "father of fathers," and our prayers are raised for him always. God grant our Vladyka many years!

Church name. Our church is called Holy Protection, for the Virgin Mary's protective prayers. Over 1000 years ago, at the Christian capital Constantinople, pagan Russian forces attacked by sea. She was seen in the air, praying to Almighty God for the Christian population.	Suddenly, the enemy forces scattered, and the Christians were spared. Soon after, the Russians converted to Christ. Still later, Russians brought Orthodox Christianity to the Far East, Americas, Africa, Australia, and Western Europe (which had lost it). Glory to God.

History. In 2001 the church was begun by Russian Orthodox believers with the help of Fr. Ljubomir Kupec. Services were held a few times a year. Dmitri Mercier and Luda Voskov played a vital role at this time. Fr. Cassian Sibley began monthly Liturgies in July 2007. In Sept. 2008, Fr. Hieromonk Aidan was assigned.	At that point, a weekly cycle of services was instituted. In 2011 services began at the new church location. In Jan. 2012, Bishop Peter blessed the new church and celebrated Hierarchical Liturgy with four priests and two deacons. Attendance has tripled since 2009.

Priest: Rev. Fr. Aidan (Keller), cell (512) 696-6890, hieromonk of the Eastern America diocese, is Rector with the blessing of Bishop Peter of Cleveland.

Choir: Andrew Longway (choirmaster); Natasha Ponomareva; Alexandra Boston; Natasha Longway; Dominica, Katherine, and Sarah McGinnis; Tatiana Larina; Rr. Anesti Pochi;	Marcella Andreasen; Cynthia Manning; John Alëshin; and others. The music is sounding beautiful. If you want to sing with us, contact Andrew.

Sisterhood: The Myrrh-bearers are devoted to service: cleaning, sewing, painting, landscaping, education, meals, prosfora baking, and beautification for feasts.	To join the Sisterhood, help in any way, or volunteer refreshments for a particular Sunday, please contact Sisterhood president Ilona.

Officers: Sergei Larin, warden; Tatiana Saturn, treasurer; Lena Larina, secretary; Barry Spikes, member; Olga Ponomareva, member; Julia Gavrilova, member; Vera Mityushina, member. Hieromonk Aidan Keller is council President.	Elected auditors are Natasha Boston, Anna Spikes, and Evgeny Gavrilov. Officers elected Feb. 24, 2013, await confirmation by Bishop Peter.

Why the Russian Church? The Orthodox Church has different church administrations for different world regions. The Greek Church serves people in Greece, the Russian those in Russia, and so on. In America these administrations overlap, plus there have been many English-speaking Americans converting to the faith of the Eastern Orthodox Church. But what is this Church? The Orthodox Church is the oldest of all Christian churches. She was active in the world prior to the writing of the New Testament books, and is alive and well today, faithful to Christ's teachings, the original Bible, and the ancient Christian way of life. In the 20th century the Russian Orthodox Church endured heavy persecution. The people suffered "on Golgotha" together with their Lord, Jesus Christ.	Therefore the Russian Church has a special contribution, or witness, of self-sacrifice and joy in the midst of trouble. In Russia today, atheism is vanishing and Christian faith constantly growing. This witness is good for America, where Christianity is often watered down, where people tend to pick and choose their prayers, morals, and truth. Instead of seeking to match popular trends, our church seeks fidelity to a 2,000-year-old way. Large numbers of Americans have found that they can make the Russian Orthodox tradition their own, and that they too can take up the "cross" of struggle, follow Christ, leave sin behind, and get transformed by His grace, in hope of eternal life. We invite you to make that journey together with us.

We invite all people in the area to prayer and worship, and to browse our Orthodox books and icons.
To schedule a service or presentation for your group, contact Fr. Aidan at (512) 696-6890 or hieromonachusaidanus@yahoo.com.