St. Aidan Community
Men’s Coffee Hour
Saturday mornings, 10:00am – 12pm
Next meeting is August 17th – Note** – the August coffee hour will be held at Family Camp in Riondel. Join us for just the coffee hour or stay for the whole weekend.
Come on out to the church and bring any of your bros that may wish to partake in a time of who knows what conversations??? May it be blessed!
Allowing for typical Orthodox margins the coffee hour will run from 10:00 to 12:00pm or so in the church basement. Coffee is free – bring your own Twinkies. . .
Family Vespers – First Saturday of Every Month at 4pm
Every month we have an early Great Vespers service (at 4pm instead of 6pm). Afterwards, we have dinner together, play games and do activities. All ages are invited to attend for parish family bonding time!
Monthly Perogy Nights
Come make perogies with us once a month at our Monthly Perogy Making Nights, 7pm in our new kitchen. Fridays we make the filling, Saturday nights after Great Vespers, we pinch the perogies. We are almost ready for our first perogy dinner fundraiser of 2024, planned for the Spring (no date yet).
The perogies will be sold frozen in bags as well as being the main part of our Perogy Dinner Fundraisers, proceeds to go towards paying Holy Transfiguration Hermitage for the icons they are painting for us, and the carvings they are making from our own trees.
(Image: stdemetriusuoc.ca)
St. Aidan’s Cookbook
We have an extensive list of recipes put together by members of the parish here:
https://staidanscookbook.blogspot.com/
All are welcome to go to the St. Aidan’s Cookbook site and submit your recipes there, we love to try new food!
St. Aidan Orthodox Church Bookstore
One big order is put in to save shipping costs – let Jessie know at [email protected] what items you would like to order from the following sites:
https://www.uncutmountainsupply.com/
https://store.ancientfaith.com/
https://www.alexanderpress.com/shop
You can send an e-transfer for your orders to [email protected], or pay in-person at the church.
We do not take online orders at this time, but you can send your requests for future orders to Jessie at [email protected]
St. Aidan Orthodox Church Library
New Library Books!
Check out these new books from our library, just 2 of many:
This book traces the historical development of feminism from an Orthodox Perspective. It outlines its basic assumptions and beliefs, assesses its contributions, and offers an Orthodox critique to the feminist platform. Most importantly, it offers thoughts for an alternative approach, namely the ideal of Christian womanhood, as found in the tradition of the Church.
“a woman again is honored and proclaimed victorious! Again are we men put to shame. Or rather, we are not put to shame only, but have even an honor conferred upon us. For an honor we have, in that there are such women among us, but we are put to shame, in that we men are left so far behind by them. For the women of those days were more spirited than lions, sharing with the Apostles their labors for the Gospel’s sake.” -St. John Chrysostom
‘Everyday Saints and Other Stories’ by Archimandrite Tikhon Shevkunov. “In Communist Russia in 1984, five youths from non-religious backgrounds joined a monastery. This is the story of what they experienced and some of the “everyday saints” they met. The author says, “In this book I want to tell you about this beautiful new world of mine, where we live by laws completely different from those in ‘normal’ worldly life—a world of light and love, full of wondrous discoveries, hope, happiness, trials and triumphs, where even our defeats acquire profound significance: a world in which, above all, we can always sense powerful manifestations of divine strength and comfort.”
Head over to the library page on our website to see all of our books.
Annual Summer Camp – August 16 – 19, 2024
We have a summer camp for ALL parishioners and their extended family members at The Harbour in nearby Riondel. Saturday night Great Vespers and Sunday morning Divine Liturgy are served at the camp. Games and activities are planned with a focus on connection and allowing plenty of time for rest and relaxation. We share cooking and cleaning duties at camp, and prep food at the church as a group before we go. Tenting and trailer spots are available, as well as cabins and rooms in the lodge.
Check out The Harbour and take a look at their video here. We have the entire camp to ourselves – food and accomodation come out to and the children are free! Contact us for more information.
Here are some photos from our August 2023 summer camp:
Lots of fishing – both fly fishing and ‘regular’ fishing – went on this weekend.
Lots of paddling trips and fun on the beach!
Annual Christmas Community Dinner
Many thanks to all the volunteers who worked on preparing and serving our 2024 Annual Free Community Christmas Day Meal and contributed to the gift table. A huge thank you to our tireless chief organizer the very talented master chef Joanna and main crew of kitchen elves! We served about 100 plates to around 70 people and had many thank you’s from the recipients of the Christmas meal, fellowship, and gifts. It was a wonderful gathering!
Church Choir
Our small choir leads the congregational singing at Vespers, Liturgy, and on special days such as Holy Week. The choir’s traditional Orthodox 4-part acapella harmony leads the parish through the services. Joanne Jakobsen (center), who learned the music growing up both in Creston and in St. Aidan’s, is the Choir Director. She leads the choir through Liturgy on Sunday mornings, while the assistant choir director David Pasivirta leads the choir through Vespers on Saturday evenings. Jesse leads the congregation whenever Joanna and David are unavailable. Matushka Sonia puts together the sheet music every week – faithfully putting out 5 music books every week for the congregation to use during the service. Many thanks to all of our dedicated volunteers for the work that they do each week.
Please join us during the week and at weekend services – either in the choir or as a part of the congregation. We need all the chanters, readers, and choir members we can get!
Glimpses of Glory
Our own Anastasia Bartlett wrote a column called ‘Think on These Things’ in the Creston Valley Advance Newspaper from 2015 – 2017 and has written in the Cranbrook Daily Townsman. You can still read them at crestonvalleyadvance.ca
Her writings were published in a book called ‘Glimpses of Glory’, available in our library and bookstore.
You can also read her writings on our blog here:
http://www.saintaidan.ca/category/glimpses-of-glory/
Friends of St. Aidan
St. John in the Wilderness Orthodox Sanctuary
The intention of this community is to build and to sustain a living sanctuary, an altar in the wilderness for the spiritual life. There is a traditional Orthodox ‘Byzantine’ Chapel under construction, which is being built from stone at the center of an Orthodox Mission community. Fr. Nilos was a member of our church before his ordination and the establishment of his own parish. We continue to support them and visit regularly to their location in Birchdale, BC
http://www.orthodoxcanada.ca/Birchdale-Kaslo_BC_Saint_John_in_the_Wilderness_Orthodox_Sanctuary_2007
Holy Transfiguration Hermitage
The monks limit visitors to clergy who are making a personal spiritual retreat (a time of silence, prayer, and making confession). Fr, Andrew goes to the Hermitage in Lone Butte, near 100 Mile House, BC regularly, both for spiritual retreats and to help them with the building of the Hermitage. The monks pray for us every week during their services and we continue to be in touch with them and support them as often as possible.
https://www.orthodoxcanada.ca/Lone_Butte_BC_Holy_Transfiguration_Hermitage_1977
They carved and delivered our new Holy Table in 2019.
The monks are currently painting icons for our newly renovated church, and Fr. Moses has done another carving for us – a procession cross using a Box Alderwood tree we had to cut down in our community garden.
Fr. Michael Oleska
Sacred Alaska
Here is a wonderful new film over 2 yrs. in the making, featuring our beloved Fr. Michael of blessed memory among others, that was just finished and is making the rounds of the theatres right now.
“Sacred Alaska” is an award-winning documentary that offers an intimate look into Native Alaskan culture and spirituality. It showcases the profound influence of Orthodoxy, introduced by Russian monks in the late 18th century, on Alaskan society. The film highlights the unique way Alaskans have woven their indigenous beliefs with Orthodox traditions, deeply influencing their worldview. Central to this is the concept of learning to become a “real person.” Through beautiful cinematography and powerful storytelling, “Sacred Alaska” underscores the profound, sacred bond between the Alaskan people, their faith, and the formidable landscape they call home.
For screening dates and locations, click here.
**Our much loved, dear friend Fr. Michael Oleksa has fallen asleep in the Lord on the morning of Nov. 29, 2023. Father Peter Chris was able to commune Father Michael and Father Daniel, Father Peter Chris, and Father Jonah were able to administer last rites before he fell asleep. He was surrounded by his immediate family and loved ones. An announcement will be sent out when funeral arrangements will be made. Those of the clergy who desire to attend the funeral will have a blessing to do so.
He was a very special friend to us here at St. Aidan and we were very blessed to have him come down and bless us with his wonderful stories and teaching over the years.
May his memory be eternal! Please remember him, his family and friends in your prayers especially during the first 40 days, and also for consolation for Matushka Xenia.
‘O God of spirits and of all flesh, Who hast trampled down death and overthrown the Devil, and given life to Thy world, do Thou, the same Lord, give rest to the soul of Thy departed servant in a place of brightness, a place of refreshment, a place of repose, where all sickness, sighing, and sorrow have fled away. Pardon every transgression which they have committed, whether by word or deed or thought. For Thou art a good God and lovest mankind; because there is no man who lives yet does not sin, for Thou only art without sin, Thy righteousness is to all eternity, and Thy word is truth.
For Thou are the Resurrection, the Life, and the Repose of Thy servants who have fallen asleep, O Christ our God, and unto Thee we ascribe glory, together with Thy Father, who is from everlasting, and Thine all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever unto ages of ages. Amen.’
As an Orthodox priest for the last 45 years, a recognized elder with the Alaskan Federation of Natives, the husband of his Yupik wife Matushka Xenia, speaker of Alaskan traditional indigenous languages, an author of many books and articles and a widely acclaimed PBS series, and a doctor of cross-cultural communication, Fr Michael Oleksa visited St Aidan of Lindisfarne in Cranbrook, BC more than once in the role of beloved teacher.
https://www.archdiocese.ca/articles/visit-fr-michael-oleksa-st-aidans-cranbrook