Sunday Divine Liturgy on Regular Sundays is at 10am   We livestream Sunday Liturgy on our Facebook Page (Holy Protection Orthodox Church).

Wednesday Vespers 7pm   (Check Facebook page on a given week for any changes that might happen in time or day on a given week in midweek services).  

Sermons and classes can be found on our Youtube channel ProtectionDover. 

More catechetical information, in both video and written form, can be found on our educational website www.orthodoxchristianed.org. 

Confessions are done generally by appointment, although often there are times before or after midweek services but still it is best to let the priest know since he has a lot of other things to do in this time period, and often other confessions already scheduled.  

 

2024 Holy Protection Lent, Holy Week, and Pascha/Resurrection Schedule

Some “tips” for Great Lent and Holy Week:

*Even if we have back-to-back services, you do not need to feel awkward about coming to just one of them, and also you don’t have to feel awkward about coming to even part of one, as people work and have other things going on during the week.  You can come in your work clothes, so don’t worry about changing.  If you are tired and worried that you can’t stand or kneel, then please still come and sit prayerfully, which is also an acceptable posture of prayer in any case.  If there is a class after a service you can come to the service and not the class or come to the class and not the service, then be edified as you can, and come in peace and depart in peace when you must for your own well-being.  There is no need to be self-conscious about any of these things.    

*During Great Lent, except for emergencies, Fr. Harry will be answering calls, responding to text conversations and emails, and take meetings/pastorals on Wednesdays from 6am until 10pm, on Fridays from 6am to 3pm, and until 3pm on Sundays.  During Holy Week and Bright Week, only emergencies will be taken. This is reasonable for a regular priest, but your priest has a lot of extra duties beyond normal priests.  But I want you to please contact me or meet with me or whatever in these timeframes without hesitation or reservation, but not beyond them except for emergencies.  But know that I have so much other work to do for you (it takes at least 12 hours to develop a sermon, for example, and that every service has cleanup and takedown, and that the differences that you see week-to-week in the temple take time, and that private confessions and conferences take place day to day, and that personal and family issues happen, and that virtually any communication whether you read or hear it takes many hours per week, and that your priest as the leader of the priests of Central Florida has a lot to do on that front, and that your priest as the Canon Lawyer for the Archdiocese has a lot to do on that front, and that your Priest has to do complex calculations to formulate the rubrics for 120 parishes on 80+ pages takes a lot of brain power and energy, and that your priest leads directors of 105 parish directors of religious education and has to inform them, and that he teaches many seminarians which takes 100’s of hour per semester, and that he   

*Confessions may be offered before any Presanctified or after any other midweek service throughout all of Great Lent.  It is expected that you also come to the service or at least part of it as this is the church’s “built in penance” for all of us, penance being acts of repentance.  Just please schedule it by letting Fr Harry know you are coming ahead of time.  Just text or email him:  “Confession before Presanctified on Wednesday?” or something like that. 

*Confessions for those who can only make it on Sundays need to be short, or otherwise you need to schedule for midweek. 

*The pronunciation of Easter in the original languages is “Pas-kha.”  So when you see “Pascha” that is how it is pronounced, “Pas-kha.”   Some make the first “a” sound more like an “o” and some do not.  It is all good.  It means “Passover” and refers to Christ’s (and ours with Him) Passing over from death to life.

 

 

GREAT LENT 

 

March 17 Sunday of Forgiveness

8:45am Entrance and Proskomedia 

9:15am The Office of Confession (the line will be cut off at 9:50am because it is not right to delay Liturgy, and technically I am not supposed to be hearing confessions on a Sunday morning anyway but do it by dispensation.  But there will be plenty of opportunity throughout the Midweek of Great Lent for those who aren’t there in time to come at other times) 

10am Divine Liturgy with prayers of repentance and forgiveness at the end. 

Note, the first week of Great Lent is known as “Clean Week” or “Pure Week” where we clean our bodies and souls with prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.   

 

Clean Wednesday March 20 

 

3pm Fr. Harry prepares for upcoming services, etc.    

5pm Catechumen lifetime confession (prescheduled)

6pm Lenten Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts

(if you are going to take communion, no meat, eggs or dairy all day, and strict fast from 3pm onward, that is, four hours prior to the start of Liturgy).

7pm Bible Study

 

Clean Friday March 22

 

10am Fr. Harry Prepares for Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts

11am Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts

 

Sunday of Orthodoxy March 24, Forefeast of the Holy Annunciation

9am Entrance and Proskomedia

10am Divine Liturgy 10am at our Church in Dover with Baptism of Jakob McCabe and Chrismation of Richard Buzzella.  

The Feast of the Holy Annunciation (the Conception of Christ), begins this evening in Tarpon Springs with: 

Pan-Orthodox Vespers 5pm @ St. Nicholas Cathedral in Tarpon Springs with procession of icons around the streets around the cathedral with icons and then the reading of the Synodikon.  (you can bring a favorite icon from home to carry in procession) 

 

Monday March 25  Holy Annuncation

The Conception of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

 

9:15am  Entrance and Proskomedia

10am Holy Annunciation Divine Liturgy

 

Friday March 29

 

10:15am Preparation for Presanctified Liturgy

11am Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts

 

Sunday March 31  St. Gregory Palamas

 

9am Entrance and Proskomedia

10am Divine Liturgy

 

Wednesday April 3 

 

5pm Confessions

6pm Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts

7pm Bible Study

 

Friday April 5

 

10:15am Preparation for Presanctified

11am Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts

 

Sunday April 7 Sunday of the Veneration of the Holy Cross

9am Proskomedia

10am Divine Liturgy of the Holy Cross

 

Wednesday April 10

3pm Fr. Harry prepares for Presanctified Liturgy

5pm-6pm  Confessions

6pm Presanctified Liturgy

 

Friday April 12

 

11am Presanctified Liturgy and taking up of the Holy Cross

 

Sunday April 14  Ladder of Divine Ascent, St. John Klimakos

9am Proskomedia

10am Divine Liturgy

 

Wednesday April 17

 

6pm The Great Canon of St. Andrew, with anointing.

 

Friday April 19

 

11am Akathyst to our Blessed Lady the Mother of God

 

Sunday April 21  St. Mary of Egypt

    

9am Proskomedia    

10am Divine Liturgy

 

 

Friday April 26 End of Great Lent, beginning of Lazarus Saturday, Eve of Lazarus Saturday

4pm Fr. Harry prepares for Presanctified Liturgy

5pm-7pm Final Confessions until after St. Thomas (please pre-schedule)

Prior to Liturgy of the Presanctified, we will decorate for Palms Weekend

7pm Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts St. Lazarus

 

Great and Holy Week Services

 

Palm Sunday April 28  The Triumphal Entrance of our Lord into Jerusalem as the King of kings

9am Entrance and Proskomedia

10am Divine Liturgy

 

Holy & Great Tuesday April 30

      11am Bridegroom Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts

 

Holy & Great Thursday May 2

*5pm-6:30pm The Mystical Supper with footwashing     

*7pm-8pm Candlelight Passion of Christ Matins

 

 

Holy & Great Friday May 3

11am Royal Hours (3^rd &6^th ~30 min) followed by decorating for the evening services (even if you can stay only a half hour afterward will be immense help)

*6pm-7pm  Taking Down from the Cross Vespers, Burial of Christ

*7pm-8pm  Shroud service, Holy Saturday Matins with Praises Descent to Hades service with procession

 

Great Saturday and Pascha Resurrection Sunday,

May 4&5

Great Saturday 11:30am-1pm   “First Resurrection” Vesperal Divine Liturgy Christ ascends from Hades to conquer it and to save its captives!  Celebrating the end of the Great Sabbath and a beginning to the eve of the Resurrection.  This is the one service in the year where Proskomedia and most of Liturgy is served in the nave and also where those who wish to follow the tradition “rumble” their seats or other items representing the Harrowing of Hell at “Arise O God.”  Following this anyone who would like to can stay and help re-decorate for Midnight! 

*Pascha Resurrection of Christ Midnight Service  

Saturday Night/early Sunday Morning

 

10pm People begin to arrive and bring baskets with food to hall to be blessed after the Liturgy

*10:30pm-1am  Paschal Nocturnes, The Lighting of the Paschal Fire, Procession, Matins, Hours and Divine Liturgy, followed by the “run for the tomb” for the youth, then the blessing of baskets and Resurrection feast in the social hall (bring baskets with festal foods to hall before coming over to church).  Bring sleeping bags for younger children to be able to sleep and “camp out” during the service as needed. 

 

Sunday Later in Morning

10am  For those not able to make it to the midnight Liturgy, Fr. Frederick will be serving Divine Liturgy. 

Sunday Afternoon

4pm Resurrection Agape Vespers

 

Resurrection Bright Week!

Holy and Bright Wednesday May 8

6pm Resurrection Vespers of Bright Week with the Great Mystery of Holy Unction, the Sacrament of Healing

 

Holy and Bright Friday May 10

10am Resurrection Liturgy

Holy and Bright Saturday May 11

Wedding bells for Josef and Daniela! Fr. Harry presiding at church in Daytona Beach per Metropolitan Antony’s blessing by dispensation (with stipulations that they remain faithful and attending). 

Sunday May 12  Second Sunday of Pascha, St. Thomas, Mother’s Day

10am Divine Liturgy

Sunday May 19  Third Sunday of Pascha, Myrrhbearing Women 

10am Divine Liturgy