At the Great Entrance, the priest enters the altar area through the royal doors and places the gifts of bread and wine on the altar table. After the priest censes the altar and has a brief liturgical dialogue with the deacon, we begin another litany, often referred to as the Litany of Supplication.

Like other litanies that we have encountered so far in the liturgy, the Litany of Supplication is lead by the deacon who directs us (depending on the church we are in – almost ordering us) to pray to the Lord. And, of course, the people answer this call to prayer with responses of “Lord, have mercy,” and “Grant it, O Lord.” What is unique about this litany, though, is that we hear reference to “an angel of peace” in one of the petitions: An angel of peace, a faithful guide, a guardian of our souls and bodies, let us ask of the Lord. Some people who study liturgy have questioned from where, why, and how this particular petition entered the Divine Liturgy.

Questions such as these are important to scholars because this petition (and, to some extent, the ones that follow it) seem to be out of place. If we think about, the gifts have just been moved to the altar table, and we are waiting, almost with bated breath, to participate in the Kiss of Peace, the Symbol of Faith, and the Anaphora. Why then, at this particular time, are we asking for our angel’s guidance – a guidance that is needed not while we are at the liturgical gathering but outside of it? What some people have concluded is that, historically, these petitions were not necessarily intended for the baptized Christians at the Divine Liturgy. Rather, they were for the catechumens who, just before the Great Entrance, were asked to leave the liturgical gathering.

In light of this, it makes perfect sense to ask for angelic guidance for those who will not remain to the end of the liturgy. It is not only baptized members of the Church who are entitled to “a faithful guide,” “things that are profitable for our souls and bodies,” and living the remainder of our “life in peace and repentance,” but all of humanity. And, this is an important aspect of the Divine Liturgy: our prayers at the Divine Liturgy are not intended to be personal, but are for the entire community and for all of creation. This is something that we will touch more on in a few weeks when we speak about the Anaphora.


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Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral has launched a new web site, www.friendsofholytrinity.com, to support the Cathedral’s multi-year restoration efforts.

Separate from Holy Trinity's main web site (www.holytrinitycathedral.net), the goals of this new site are to:

• Increase awareness of the Cathedral’s historic and architectural significance,
• Serve as a primary method of communicating restoration progress.

The site features photo galleries of each major phase, historical perspective, and progress reports. Visitors can join a mailing list to receive updates and invitations to events, and download information on how they can support the project. The grant will help fund repairs to the roof and decorative metalwork.

“Our parishioners have been very generous supporters of the Cathedral over the years,” said Council Vice President and Building and Restoration Committee Chairman, Charles Fetterly. “but the scale of restoration work requires substantial funding. It is our hope the new website will generate additional support not only from the entire Orthodox community, but also fans of Louis Sullivan’s work, the people of Chicagoland and beyond.”

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The Sts. Martha and Mary Sisterhood is ramping up to publish a
fundraising cookbook featuring Holy Trinity parishioners’ favorite
recipes. We'd like this to be a parish-wide project and need everyone's
help to make it a success.

We need contributors, typists,
proofreaders, sponsorship solicitors, and much more. If you’d like to
work on a fun, creative project (even if you don’t cook), please
contact Larisa Fetterly - ph: 630-321-9195 or email: larisa (dot)
fetterly (at) sbcglobal.net.

Start looking through those recipes and stay tuned for more info on when to start submitting!

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Our thanks to Athanasia Lardin for taking a beautiful photograph of Holy Trinity’s domes, and transforming them into a post card. These cards, available for $1.00 each, are in the Vestibule and ready for distribution.

Thank you, Athanasia, for your good work.

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If you have any used cell phones or inkjet cartridges, please bring them to support a fundraising project to benefit Holy Trinity Cathedral through Sts. Martha and Mary Sisterhood.


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Sts. Martha and Mary Sisterhood will sponsor a delicious dinner of polish sausage with sauerkraut, potato and cheese perohi with sour cream, salad, bread and butter, sweet bakery; coffee, tea, soda, juice, and cash bar.

All this for $10.00 for adults; $5.00 for children.

Please come and support the Sisterhood’s dinner on Sunday, July 20, following Divine Liturgy.

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William Fetterly announces a Building & Restoration committee meeting via conference-call to be held on Monday, July 21, at 7:30 pm.

Committee members are to call William at 312-203-0677 for the dial-in number and other information.

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In order for people to ask questions and voice their concerns about
what is happening in the Orthodox Church in America, there will be a
special “Town Hall” meeting sponsored by the Pre-Conciliar Commission
at Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Burr Ridge, Thursday, July 24 at 7:00 pm.

His Eminence, Archbishop JOB, implores as many people as possible
to participate in this discussion as no topic will be considered “out
of bounds;” no relevant question, or comment, will be prohibited.

It is imperative that we have a good representation from Holy Trinity. This is a very important
meeting: an opportunity not only for our voices to be heard, but also
to show our support of the Archbishop. This is chance to ask questions,
hear the answers first hand, and to let people know that an end must be
made! Three years and counting is no longer acceptable.

Plan to attend if you are able. Rides are available for those who need transportation!

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The children of our Church School will have a car wash on Saturday, July 26, between the hours of 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. Cars: $5.00, Vans and SUVs $6.00.

Please support our Church School children.

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On the weekend of July 26-27, St. Panteleimon community will celebrate the church's 70th Anniversary.  Vespers will be on Saturday, July 26, 6:00 pm; Divine Liturgy, followed by a lamb roast, Sunday, July 27.  More information is in the flyer on the bulletin board in the hall.

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The next choir rehearsal will be held on Sunday, July 27, following
Divine Liturgy. All choir members are urged to attend and prospective
members are encouraged to come as well.

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Mark your calendars for Monday, August 4, for a trip to the Brookfield Zoo with His Eminence, Archbishop JOB.

The young - and young-at-heart - are invited to spend the day with His Eminence and other folks from the Chicago Deanery. The day will start at 10:00 am; a light, lenten lunch will be provided.

More information is on the bulletin board. Any questions, please contact Fr. John. 

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On August 9 & 10 Holy Trinity and St. George Cathedral will share a booth at West Fest on Chicago Avenue.

Juliana Meng of St. George Cathedral and Matushka Joanna Keith are working on a volunteer schedule for those dates. We will have to staff the booth from Noon until 10 pm both days. Please inform Matushka Joanna what hours you'd be available.

We'll have some giveaways at the booth (brochures about Orthodoxy, coloring books, postcards, etc.). We’re also working on some ideas for displays. The volunteers will need to talk to people about the churches and Orthodoxy in general. We just want to let our neighbors know who we are and where the churches are located.

Remember that volunteers also get to enjoy the Fest itself - food and music!.

Please share any ideas you might have for booth displays, etc., with Matushka Joanna at your earliest convenience.

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The next meeting of the Holy Trinity Cathedral Parish Council will be Monday, August 11, at 7:00 pm. As usual, there will be an “Open Forum” immediately before the meeting. All Council Members are urged to attend the meeting!

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