Under new Protocols for Places of Worship (Appendix F) issued by the Los Angeles Department of Public Health on 19 December 2020, places of worship are permitted to offer faith-based services, or otherwise allow access for faith-based practices, indoors and outdoors, provided that strict physical distancing is followed, which requires a minimum of six feet between persons from different households.  Face coverings or masks that cover both the nose and mouth must be worn at all times while on site.   Places of worship are strongly encouraged to continue to hold faith-based services outdoors to the maximum extent possible.

In a letter to pastors dated 21 December 2020, Archbishop Jose Gomez noted that it will be safer to continue celebrating outdoor services. This will remain the practice in our parish.

The theme for the 2021 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, January 18^th – 25^th, is “Abide in my love… you shall bear much fruit” [John 15.1-17].   This year, the Southern California Christian Forum has asked our parish to host its Annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Service.  Due to the pandemic, this Service must be via Zoom, and will take place on Sunday, January 24^th, at 3:00 PM.  Please see our page entitled "Flyer for Christian Unity Service" for additional information and Zoom link registration.

The following prayer was authored by the Graymoor Ecumenical and Interreligious Institute: we suggest you include it in your prayers this week:

Gracious Lord, we pray for all the members of your holy Church, that all may abide in you and you in them, that they may be one in your love and bear much fruit.  We also pray for the world, that all may come to believe in your love for them by the fruit of our witness.  We know that our divisions are a source of scandal to your world, and we know that in love we are called to unite as one in the vine and branches.   The vine is our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son.  We are meant to be his branches.   Help us we pray, to love, to forgive, to seek justice and to be your prophetic voice in the world.   May your grace effect growth of good fruit among us, that our world may realize peace.  We ask all of this in the name of Jesus, your Son and in the power of the Holy Spirit, One God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

Due to the Pandemic, House Blessings that traditionally take place at this time will be postponed until it is safer for us to gather together in private homes.

Saint Xenia lived during the eighteenth century, but little is known of her life or of her family. She passed most of her life in Petersburg during the reigns of the empresses Elizabeth and Catherine II.

Xenia Grigorievna Petrova was the wife of an army officer, Major Andrew Petrov. After the wedding, the couple lived in St Petersburg. St Xenia became a widow at the age of twenty-six when her husband suddenly died at a party. She grieved for the loss of her husband, and especially because he died without Confession or Holy Communion.

Once her earthly happiness ended, she did not look for it again. From that time forward, Xenia lost interest in the things of this world, and followed the difficult path of foolishness for the sake of Christ. The basis for this strange way of life is to be found in the first Epistle to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 1:18-24, 1 Cor. 2:14, 1 Cor. 3:18-19). The Lord strengthened her and helped her to bear sorrow and misfortune patiently for the next forty-five years.

She started wearing her husband's clothing, and insisted that she be addressed as "Andrew Feodorovich." She told people that it was she, and not her husband, who had died. In a certain sense, this was perfectly true. She abandoned her former way of life and experienced a spiritual rebirth. When she gave away her house and possessions to the poor, her relatives complained to the authorities. After speaking to Xenia, the officials were conviced that she was in her right mind and was entitled to dispose of her property as she saw fit. Soon she had nothing left for herself, so she wandered through the poor section of Petersburg with no place to lay her head. She refused all assistance from her relatives, happy to be free of worldly attachments.

When her late husband's red and green uniform wore out, she clothed herself in rags of those colors. After a while, Xenia left Petersburg for eight years. It is believed that she visited holy Elders and ascetics throughout Russia seeking instruction in the spiritual life. She may have visited St Theodore of Sanaxar (February 19), who had been a military man himself. His life changed dramatically when a young officer died at a drinking party. Perhaps this officer was St Xenia's husband. In any case, she knew St Theodore and profited from his instructions.

St Xenia eventually returned to the poor section of Petersburg, where she was mocked and insulted because of her strange behavior. When she did accept money from people it was only small amounts, which she used to help the poor. She spent her nights praying without sleep in a field outside the city. Prayer strengthened her, and in her heart's conversation with the Lord she found the support she needed on her difficult path.

When a new church was being built in the Smolensk cemetery, St Xenia brought bricks to the site. She did this in secret, during the night, so that no one would know.

Soon her great virtue and spiritual gifts began to be noticed. She prophesied future events affecting the citizens of Petersburg, and even the royal family. Against her will, she became known as someone pleasing to God, and nearly everyone loved her.They said, "Xenia does not belong to this world, she belongs to God." People regarded her visits to their homes or shops as a great blessing. St Xenia loved children, and mothers rejoiced when the childless widow would stand and pray over a baby's crib, or kiss a child. They believed that the blessed one's kiss would bring that child good fortune.

St Xenia lived about forty-five years after the death of her husband, and departed to the Lord at the age of seventy-one. The exact date and circumstances of her death are not known, but it probably took place at the end of the eighteenth century. She was buried in the Smolensk cemetery.

By the 1820s, people flocked to her grave to pray for her soul, and to ask her to intercede with God for them. So many visitors took earth from her grave that it had to be replaced every year. Later, a chapel was built over her grave.

Those who turn to St Xenia in prayer receive healing from illness, and deliverance from their afflictions. She is also known for helping people who seek jobs.