"Clothed in our mortal nature"

Scout "helping" with gift wrapping

At the end of the Divine Liturgy this morning, a new set of habits (sewn by Sr. Cecilia's mom, Darlene Hritz) and belts (thanks to Fr. Peter Tomas) were blessed--in time to wear them for the first time for the Feast of the Nativity!  As I listened to the prayer of blessing, I realized how appropriate it is that this blessing would take place near the Feast of the Nativity.  See if you can figure it out: (but I'll give you some help below).
 
Lord Jesus Christ, Who condescended to clothe Yourself in our mortal nature, we beg You in Your boundless goodness to bless this clothing which the holy Fathers have sanctioned as the garb for monastics, in token of the innocence and humility which should be theirs.  Laying aside the vanity of secular garb, may these servants of Yours, who are to wear this clothing, likewise put on You, and be recognized as women dedicated to Your service.  May this garb also serve as a sermon to the people, reminding them that there is a God, that life is short, death certain, a judgment forthcoming, and that only through good works will they attain to everlasting life: For to You is due all glory, honor, and worship, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever. Amen.

Did you come up with something?  Well, here are my thoughts.

In this Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord, we celebrate His incarnation.  In a beautiful hymn from vespers a few days ago we prayed:

"He will take on our likeness * by clothing Himself in the flesh of the virgin Handmaid of God. * He is coming to be born; * He who is unapproachable by nature, * is approachable to me."

By celebrating the incarnation we are celebrating the fact that God clothed Himself "in our mortal nature," as the prayer of blessing of habits says.  Our habits can remind us of this mind-blowing reality, while also reminding us that through our baptism we have been "clothed with Christ" (Gal 3:27), and as all Christians, we are called, and actually given the grace, to become transformed into Christ!

The prayer of blessing also says that our habits are a sign of the "innocence and humility" which should be ours.  The greatest example of innocence and humility is Jesus Christ, who humbled Himself so completely to come into the world as a baby...in a little cave...  What joy we have, to share in these things with Christ!

"O ineffable Begotten One of the Unbegotten Father, * You have come in the appearance of my likeness. * You come in order to enrich the human race * which is afflicted with the poverty that You took upon Yourself. * We praise Your compassion, O Lord." (Stichera of Vespers, Dec. 22)

We pray that you have a very blessed, joyful, prayerful Christmas!

(Now I need to get back to the kitchen to help prepare for the Christmas Eve Velija Supper!  Don't cry Sr. Gabriella...every onion in the monastery has been chopped!)

"Incarnation Moments": A Reflection for the Nativity Fast

Sr. Cecilia was invited by the communications office of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland to write a reflection from her perspective as a nun for the season of Advent, in the context of the Year of Faith.  (She was an intern with the communications office for a summer while in college.)

You can view the article on the Diocese of Cleveland website here, or read below:

“Are you a nun?” someone will often ask me at the grocery store. “Yes!” I’ll reply. The conversation usually continues with a reminiscing of this person’s days in Catholic school when he or she was taught by nuns, or a remark of surprise that nuns still exist (especially young ones!). I am often surprised myself by the excitement that I see in the eyes of people I meet. What is it about this encounter with a nun that causes these reactions?

Let’s take a look at faith for a minute. By now you have probably realized that the “Year of Faith” called for by our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, is well underway. Faith consists of a real encounter—a real falling-in-love—with God, as well as a knowledge about this One we love and His Church. Is it a problem then, that “No one has ever seen God” (Jn 1:18)? If we finish this verse, however, we read that “the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known.”

I also help to make God known. As a nun, I incarnate God’s love (I make it visible in the flesh), like Jesus did by taking on a human body. Within me there is a union with God, similar to the union of God and Man in the body of Jesus, and this is made visible in various ways. When people see me in the grocery store, I doubt that they think to themselves, “Wow! That woman incarnates God’s love!” but I do, however, believe that they intuitively know this, whether or not they could articulate it. As an example of this, people often stop me to ask for my prayers for particular intentions. They must understand, to some degree, the special closeness to God that I enjoy, in order to entrust me with these important desires of their hearts.

My habit is a sign of God's grace working in a particular way in me, transforming me into love—into Himself. When people see me, they know that I am a woman consecrated solely to God, and hopefully this reality causes them to ask themselves, “How can I be more devoted to God?” Each time I meet someone, it's an “incarnation moment.” It's not only the clothes I wear, but also my joy, smile, patience in the check-out line, etc. that allow me to make God's love manifest. Everything about me has to be transformed. This is a work in progress—just ask my Sisters! This is also a work in progress in each Christian's life.  Blessed John Paul II said that monastics are the “reference point for all baptized Christians” (Orientale Lumen), but he didn’t say that we do all the work for all baptized Christians!

The Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord is an opportunity for each of us to evaluate how well we are incarnating God’s love. If we find that we are not the perfect image of God (that would be all of us!), then we must ask ourselves, “In what ways do I need to allow God to transform me into His image?” The answer usually falls into one of these three categories: fasting (making room for God), prayer (inviting Him in) and almsgiving (offering the blessings I receive—and myself—in love). This is why the Church wisely appoints this time in the liturgical year as a penitential period. In the Roman Catholic Church this time is called Advent, beginning on the Sunday closest to the feast of St. Andrew (November 30), and in the Eastern Catholic Churches it is called the Philip’s Fast or the Nativity Fast, beginning on November 15 (40 days before the Nativity). At times in the history of the Roman Catholic Church, fasting was prescribed during Advent, and it continues to be prescribed in the Eastern Catholic Churches with fasting from meat and dairy products—nearly as strictly as during Lent. In whatever way we observe this liturgical season, the important thing is to ensure that it is a time of preparation. We need to make room for God in order for Him to abide in us and transform us into Himself. In this way, we can each incarnate God’s love for all those we encounter.

If faith consists, in part, of a real encounter with God, then by making Him known through our own beings, we are bringing into the world the opportunity for faith. Jesus was born into the world in a stable—the most common and ordinary of places. We can bring Him into the world in the most ordinary of places too, such as a grocery store.

The anticipation begins...

Scout is anticipating too...Christmas day dinner probably...

Today begins the Philip's Fast, or Nativity Fast--a 40-day fast in preparation for the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord!  It is traditional to fast from meat and dairy products during this time.  We encourage you to fast in some particular way in which you feel called.

Yep, it's pretty difficult to fast during the time in which it seems like everyone else is celebrating!  But for us Christians, this is really a time to quiet our hearts and minds, to make space for the coming of God in the flesh!  It's a time to anticipate the joy of the Incarnation--this great mystery of our faith!  God clothed Himself in our humanity so that we might be clothed in His divinity!   As the days get darker and colder, let's prepare a little warm place in our hearts for Jesus, the Light of the World.  Let's make space for Him by setting aside something that we don't really need--something that distracts us from His voice, something that keeps Him out.  If we anticipate His coming by fasting instead of feasting, maybe we'll really encounter Him in the depths of our hearts this Christmas!

Praying for you during this journey!

A book we recommend: Winter Pascha

God grant you many years, Sr. Cecilia and Sr. Gabriella!

Links to videos:
Tonsure of Sr. Cecilia
Tonsure of Sr. Gabriella
Bishop John's homily

Article:
Article by Michael Martin on Spero News

Mother Theodora’s reflection on the tonsuring of Sister Cecilia (formerly Sister Julie) and Sister Gabriella (formerly Jessie) as rasophore nuns during vespers for the Feasts of the Protection of the Mother of God and St. Thérèse of Lisieux on Sunday, September 30, 2012:

It was an absolutely beautiful day! The weather forecast called for thunderstorms and we pleaded with Jesus to “push back” the thunderstorms, especially since Vespers and the reception were outside. Well, He did, and other than the chilly air, it was perfect weather. Beyond the gift of beautiful weather was the plethora of gifts showered upon the hundreds of people who witnessed the tonsuring of Sister Cecilia (Sister Julie) and Sister Gabriella (“Just” Jessie) at the Shrine of Our Lady of Mariapoch in Burton, Ohio.

Gifts of courage, peace, hope and joy were experienced and shared. Bishop John spoke of courage in his homily, and Sisters Cecilia and Gabriella were a witness of courage to the world as they entered the next stage of their monastic journey as rasophore nuns (“robe bearers”). During the tonsure, neither the Eldress nor the newly-made rasophore speak a word, as if to emulate Jesus, Who courageously took on the Cross and “was led as a sheep to slaughter; and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so He opened not His mouth” (Acts 8:32).

I prayed for courage. Even though I read the following prayer many times before the tonsure, I felt my heart jolt both times that Bishop John placed the young nuns’ hand in mine and said, “Behold, I entrust to you before God this new beginner. Instruct her to live in the fear of God and in every virtue. Watch carefully, that her soul not suffer destruction because of your carelessness; for you will answer to God for it in the Day of Judgment.” Jesus, be my wisdom and my courage.

The gift of hope was manifested through the tonsure of these two young rasophores as they instilled in all present the hope of new life. Through their witness they encouraged the Church, the Bridegroom’s Bride, that she IS alive, IS impregnated with the Holy Spirit, IS worth giving your life to and that “the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).

The gift of peace and joy permeated the atmosphere. The indwelling presence of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, whose presence clearly radiated from the countenances of the two newly tonsured rasophores, was witnessed and experienced by those present. Some of them shared with me, days after the tonsure, that they continued to experience a joyful peace.

Before the tonsuring, Bishop John blessed the Sisters’ riassas and skufias praying, “Lord Jesus Christ, Who descended to clothe Yourself in our mortal nature, we beg you in Your goodness to bless this clothing which the holy Fathers have sanctioned as the garb for monastics, in token of the innocence and humility which should be theirs. Laying aside the vanity of secular garb, may these servants of Yours, who are to wear this clothing, likewise put on You, and be recognized as women dedicated to Your service. May this garb also serve as a sermon to the people, reminding them that there is a God….”

Our lives as monastics are sermons without words. Our garb is Jesus Christ, and as women dedicated to serve, we put on Love-Incarnate and humbly strive to be steadfast witnesses of courage, hope, joy and peace for the Church and the world. Please continue to pray for us and be assured of our prayers for you.

A photo with the priests, seminarians and monastics present at the tonsure

The Sweetness of the Cross

Happy Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross!

On this feast we commemorate the finding of the Honorable Cross of Christ on Golgotha by the Empress Helena.  When, by the evidence of several miracles, it was determined that this was the true Cross, Patriarch Macarius elevated it in the air for all to see.  In remembrance of this event, it is tradition to adorn a hand cross with a wreath of red or purple flowers, which the priest raises up in the air during Matins.

I used a plant called "Sweet Annie" to form the base of the wreath to adorn the cross.  This plant is so named because of its sweet fragrance.  As soon as I step into the chapel I am overwhelmed by this fragrance!  This reminds me of the sweetness of the cross.

Making the wreath outside with my helpers Katie and Anna Clark

In the first reading at Vespers, we hear the story from Exodus 15:22-27.  The Israelites have just crossed the Red Sea and have traveled three days through the desert without finding any water.  Then they arrived at Marah where they could not drink the water because it was bitter...so they grumbled.  When Moses appealed to the Lord about this problem, the Lord pointed out a certain piece of wood.  When Moses threw this piece of wood into the water, the water became fresh (or "sweet").

  

The prayers of the Church tell us that this piece of wood is a prefigurement of the Cross, which "plunged into our bitterness, can make it sweet" (The Year of Grace of the Lord).

"In times past, Moses transformed the bitter wells in the desert with wood; thereby, he prefigured the spreading of the gospel to the Gentiles through the Cross."

Canon of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, Ode 4

But why would we say that the Cross is sweet?

The Cross is sweet because, for one, it was through the Cross that our salvation was brought forth.

"...let us bow to the holy Resurrection of Christ, since through the Cross, joy has come to all the world."
"Having Beheld the Resurrection of Christ, from Matins" 

The Cross is also sweet when it appears in our own lives.  When we accept our own crosses we are closest to Christ, because it is in our suffering that we are with Him on His Cross.  There, we can experience the intimacy of our relationship with our Bridegroom.  There, we can be filled with the sweet fragrance of Christ, just as my nose is filled with the scent of the Sweet Annie when I bend in and kiss the cross in our chapel.  But it takes a bit of work to accept this place on the cross with Christ...a lifetime of work.  It also takes grace...a lot of grace...and fortunately, God has a lot of that, and wants to give it...

In its place of veneration in the chapel

It is through the power of the Cross itself that we are given this grace.

"Joy to you, life-bearing Cross of the Lord, invincible triuimph of the true faith.  You are the gate to Paradise, the strength of the faithful, and the stronghold of the Church.  Because of you, corruption no longer has meaning nor power.  By you we have been lifted up from earth to heaven.  You are an invincible weapon against evil, a glory indeed for saints and martyrs, and a haven for salvation.  You are the source of mercy to the world."
Aposticha, from Vespers for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross

I'll leave you with one last quote...this one is on today's page in my "Wisdom from Women Saints" Calendar:

"Since this holy cross is so sweet that it relieves all bitterness, pick it up for your journey along this road.  For we pilgrim travelers need this holy wood for support until we have reached our destination, where our soul is at rest in our final home."
St. Catherine of Siena

Anyone have any other great quotes from saints about the Cross?  Leave them in a comment on this page to share with fellow readers!

To learn more about this feast, and the other feasts and liturgical seasons of the Church, we recommend the book, The Year of Grace of the Lord, by "a Monk of the Eastern Church."

MINE.

Mine.  This word we learn at a very early age in order to determine the difference between self and other, but some days I feel my grasp of the word may have stopped back then (Truth - community life brings out the best and worst of me, depending on the day!).  My mom likes to remind me of the time as a young child when she showed me a video of myself playing with my own toys in our family room, and I got SO upset at whoever this girl was who was playing with my toys!  How dare she touch MY stuff!

And I am not alone!  Look at how often the need for ‘mine’ shows up in pop culture.  The first example that comes to mind is that of Gollum in J.R.R. Tolkien’s series Lord of the Rings.  Talk about a creature overtaken by the need for ‘mine’!  Gollum’s whole life becomes consumed by a single item, a ring, which he refers to as ‘my precious.’  He will stop at nothing to keep possession of the ring, and at the end of the arduous journey, he loses his life trying to regain control of that ring.  So, who was in control here, Gollum or the ring?

How often do we get caught up in ‘mine’ or as I have heard it referred to as the "unholy trinity of me, myself and I?"  To steal a line from a favorite country song of mine, “I wanna talk about me, wanna talk about I, wanna talk about number one, oh my me my, what I think, what I like, what I know, what I want, what I see.”  And how often do we stop with me?  What do I want?  What will make ME happy?  Not that these questions are bad, because we need to learn who we are and what our desires are, both the good and the bad, but they should not be the end.  Understanding myself is a good thing, but it must be done in light of the One who created me and knows me better than I know myself – Jesus.

So how do we do that?  How do we learn about ourselves, in the rich uniqueness that we are, within the context that God intended?  We need to develop a relationship with the One who created us to find out who He created us to be, and that relationship is reached through one word – prayer.  We have to pray!

I recently started reading a new-to-me book that has really helped to deepen and re-focus my prayer life – and it is totally rocking my world!  The book is Beginning to Pray by Archbishop Anthony Bloom.  Every person on the planet who desires a better prayer life should read this book.  There is more in the book than I could possibly share in this short blog post, but here is a quote that really is shaping my view on the ‘mine’ in my life and how it affects my prayer life and how I react to the rest of the world:

Have you never noticed that to be rich always means an impoverishment on another level?  It is enough for you to say ‘I have this watch, it is mine,’ and close your hand on it, to be in possession of a watch and to have lost a hand.  And if you close your mind on your riches, if you close your heart so that you can keep what is in it safe, never to lose it, then it becomes as small as the thing on which you have closed yourself in.

As I read and reread this quote, I am reminded of all the times in my life I close my hands around a possession or my heart around an emotion or thought, and how holding on to that item or emotion actually takes a hold of me, instead of the other way around (think Gollum).  How much more free would I be if instead of dreading the day I have to let go of object X, Y or Z or instead of getting sad to leave somewhere before I have even arrived, if I just allowed each item I am given and each situation I encounter to pass through my life, enjoy it while it is there, and wish it well as it goes?  This idea is absolutely difficult for me, but the outcome is SO freeing!  When I allow God to transform my heart through prayer, to open my death grip on whatever I feel I can’t live without (picture that pair of shoes you can’t EVER get dirty or that anger you are harboring towards a coworker because they are SUCH a terrible person) I take tiny step towards true freedom and away from the fake freedom I have been clinging to.  I have only begun to scratch the surface of this reality, but prayer is really opening me up to this whole new world of freedom!

To check out the book I mentioned, click here.

"Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies..."

Last week we were privileged with a visit to our monastery by Metropolitan Ján Babjak of the Archeparchy of Prešov, Slovakia.  Metropolitan Ján was in the United States for the enthronement of our new metropolitan, Metropolitan William, which took place last Wednesday in Pittsburgh.  We were honored that Metropolitan Ján desired to visit our little monastery during his visit to the Eparchy of Parma, following his time in Pittsburgh.

Although we did not speak each other’s language, through the Holy Spirit and translator Subdeacon Daniel Černy, we were able to share a grace-filled evening with each other.  We talked about our daily life at the monastery, and the metropolitan was particularly interested in the way that we pray for priests.  He asked that we add him to our list, promising in return his blessing from Slovakia!

Praying vespers in our chapel

Metropolitan Ján showed us photos from his cathedral in Prešov and the additions and improvements to the property and grounds.  Their otpust (pilgrimage) in August is attended by 25,000 faithful!  He shared with us how quickly the Church is growing in Slovakia.  Churches are being built and the seminary is overflowing.  He attributes all of this growth to the persecution of the Church under communism and the prayers of the martyrs from that period, especially the beatified bishop-martyrs.

We saw Metropolitan Ján again the next evening at the Byzantine Catholic Cultural Center in Cleveland, where we attended Great Vespers at which Bishop John, Metropolitan Ján and Bishop Peter Rusnak of Bratislava, Slovakia, presided.  Many community representatives and faithful from local parishes attended to pray with and meet the bishops.  We were delighted to meet Bishop Peter at the reception afterwards, who also asked for our prayers.

At the reception, community representatives presented gifts of welcome to the two bishops from Slovakia, and then they were asked to give a few words to us.  Metropolitan Ján again spoke about the state of the Church in Slovakia and the prayers of the martyrs.  As he spoke, I felt a strong sense that we in our monastery are called to be “martyrs,” in some sense, for the Church in our country.  (Monasticism is often described as a “white martyrdom”—a martyrdom without the shedding of blood, but an offering of one’s life nonetheless.)  And I also felt that, like the martyrs of the communist era, we may not see the fruits of our sacrifice.  I wasn’t sad at this thought, but rather honored by this vocation.  When I thought he was finished speaking, he instead looked directly at the three of us, and spoke of his joy at meeting us and visiting our monastery.  He said that we would be a seed for the Church in our eparchy and in the United States.  This was, just in different words, the sense I had been given as he spoke about the martyrs!  “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat, but if it dies, it produces much fruit” (John 12:24).

So, why am I sharing this reflection with you instead of keeping it in my journal?  Because you too are called to be a martyr—to be a seed which will give life to the Church by your dying!  The state of our Church in the United States is very different from Slovakia and other countries which suffered persecution under communism.  We are shrinking, churches are being closed and most seminaries have many open rooms.  But we have our own persecutions and struggles: secularism is tightening its hold on our culture and threatening our right to the freedom of religion; many Christians are becoming lukewarm and fading into the relativism of our culture; and we could go on listing them…  But we must live in the hope that these struggles will lead to rebirth, and we must ask ourselves, “Am I willing to be a martyr?”

Our martyrdom begins with the daily dying to ourselves and the offering of each little moment and each little sacrifice to God.  It must begin here.  We are the little grains of wheat that can result in a great harvest.  If we are waiting for the Church as a whole to revive and begin growing all at once, we will wait forever, because it is the work under the soil—the dying—that is not “seen” but happens within us, that will cause the Church to grow again.  We do not mean “grow” just in the sense of numbers, but “grow” in all the many aspects of the fullness of life in the Holy Spirit.  Then the numbers will follow!

Sr. Julie, Mother Theodora, Bishop Peter, Jessie, Metropolitan Ján and Fr. Juri 

We again thank Metropolitan Ján and Bishop Peter for their visit to the Eparchy of Parma, and the inspiration they have given us to persevere in our prayer and fasting for the Church.  Please keep the Church in Slovakia in your prayers, as well as the Church here in America, and pray that each member of the Church will discover his or her own vocation to the little daily martyrdom of love.

Everybody Gotta Suffa

Why do we suffer?  This question has been plaguing me the past few weeks as there have been several deaths within my friends and family.  And it’s a totally legit question.  Why, on earth, do I have to endure suffering?  If I truly believe in and live out the Gospel, that I am a beloved daughter of God and Christ desires me to be His Bride, why would He then allow me to feel pain?  In the words of one of my favorite people, Servant of God Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, “Unless there is a Good Friday in your life, there can be no Easter Sunday.”

As Fr. Stan Fortuna sings in his song “Everybody Got 2 Suffer”:
“You think that you the only one that got to suffer?
You think that you the only one with pain to suffer?
Everybody got a thing they gotta suffer.
Rich or poor don’t matter gotta suffer.”

The first time I heard this song, I was in high school and my best friend was going through a truly difficult time in her family.  We used to play this song over and over listening to the words – I have gone so far as to memorize them! – because this song helped to put our suffering into context.  Everyone suffers.  Look around you.  Whether it’s your next door neighbor or you read about it in the paper or maybe it’s in your own home, suffering exists.  You didn’t get in to the college you wanted, you develop a terminal illness, someone in your family passes away unexpectedly.  While these are different kinds of suffering, they are all painful to the person experiencing them – and as my mom always said, you never minimize another person’s pain.

For a Christian though, suffering is not the end of the story.  There is hope.  As Pope Benedict XVI says in his encyclical Spe Salvi (In hope we are saved), “It is not by sidestepping or fleeing from suffering that we are healed, but rather by our capacity for accepting it, maturing through it and finding meaning through union with Christ, who suffered with infinite love.”

Christ gives our suffering meaning.  In fact, He became incarnate with the explicit purpose of suffering and dying for us on the cross.  “Man is worth so much to God that he himself became man in order to suffer with man in an utterly real way—in flesh and blood—as is revealed to us in the account of Jesus's Passion” (Spe Salvi). He came to suffer with us in our humanity and for our sake to reunite us with God the Father.  Jesus loves us to death – literally!  And the completion of this love is found in the promise of the Resurrection.  As we say in the Hymn of the Resurrection, “We bow to Your Cross, O Christ, and we praise and glorify Your Holy Resurrection!...Through the Cross, joy has come to all the world.”

As we enter the Great Fast, we are reminded more concretely and intentionally that suffering is a part of our earthly life.  As Christians, we enter into periods of fasting and prayer to remind us that life’s pleasures and food do not alone satisfy our deepest desires – only Christ can truly satisfy us. The key to this fasting and prayer is that it is done with purpose!  No, we are not entering a TV show called “The Biggest Loser: Eastern Christian Edition” – we will leave that to the celebrities.  We embrace this every-day, voluntary suffering to unite ourselves with Christ’s suffering for us, and to offer our bodies in a tangible and deliberate way, both for our sake and for the whole world.  We endure this momentary affliction because of the promise of Pascha.  We know that by death, Christ has trampled eternal death and opened the passage to everlasting life.  “The present, even if it is arduous, can be lived and accepted if it leads toward a goal, if we can be sure of this goal, and if this goal is great enough to justify the effort of the journey” (Spe Salvi).  Heaven is our goal and it is definitely worth waiting and working for!

Everybody gotta suffa, but Christ came and endured the Passion on Great and Holy Friday so that our suffering may not be in vain but may be in light of the Resurrection.  May this hope fill our struggles during the Fast and spur us to endure our daily crosses in anticipation of the Pascha to come.

Let us begin the time of this bright Fast, 

giving ourselves to spiritual struggle.  

Let us sanctify our soul and purify our flesh.

Let us not only fast from food; 

let us also abstain from every passion and cultivate spiritual virtues.

And let us faithfully persevere in this, 

so that we may be worthy to see the holy Passion of Christ our God

and the joy of His holy Resurrection.

Cheesefare Sunday Vespers