Services this Week - Monday, March 19 – 6:30 pm (SG) Great Compline.
A quiet and beautiful service of mostly readings as well as Lenten hymns. This is a wonderful opportunity for some quiet, prayerful solace during the Lenten season.
- Wednesday, March 21 - 6:30 pm (HT) Presanctified Liturgy.
A deeply prayerful Lenten Liturgy filled with readings from the Old Testament. Those in attendance are invited to participate in the readings. Anyone wishing to receive Holy Communion should refrain from eating or drinking after the noon meal. Also, everyone is invited to stay for a light Lenten covered dish meal after the service. Please bring a Lenten dish to share!
- Friday, March 23 – 6:30 pm (SG)
Salutations to the Theotokos.
The annual service of honoring the commemorating the greeting of the Archangel Gabriel to the Theotokos. Almost entirely sung. Come and seek the blessed intercessions of the Theotokos, who stands before her Son and our Lord on our behalf.
- Saturday, March 24 - 7:00 pm Great Vespers of the Annunciation at the Annunciation parishes in New Kensington and McKeesport.

Regular Spring General Assembly Today Please plan on staying after Divine Liturgy today to attend the Regular Spring General Assembly. General Assemblies review parish life and hear reports on important parish matters. It is important that all members attend, as these meetings are quite important in the day-to-day life of the parish. Please remember, to vote at an assembly you must be a member in good standing as defined in the Uniform Parish Regulations. This includes, but is not limited to, having a signed 2012 Holy Trinity Stewardship Pledge card submitted.

Godparent/Godchild Sunday Today Holy Trinity Church's today celebrate its annual Godparent/Godchild Sunday. This special day provides us with an opportunity to observe the Lenten Feast of the Veneration of the Holy Cross and re-commit ourselves to the Lord Who took up that Cross for us. We welcome today and thank those who are able to celebrate with their Godparent(s), who placed that first Cross on their Godchildren's neck at Baptism and ask them to renew that commitment with thanksgiving and joy. We also welcome all whose Godparents are not able to be here, for various reasons including repose in God`s heaven kingdom, and ask that they be remembered in prayer. May God continually renew and strengthen your relationship and life in His Holy Church! Thank you for being here to celebrate this annual event.

Special Lenten Reception for the Third Sunday of Lent Today the Ladies Philoptochos is sponsoring a Special Lenten Reception in the library. This will not be the usual complete luncheon we hold on the Third Sunday of Lent in coordination with Godparent Sunday, as we are not able to prepare an extensive menu in our temporary facilities. However we will offer a very nice reception nonetheless. The proceeds of this event are for the benefit of Hellenic College and Holy Cross Seminary. Since Holy Trinity is privileged to have two seminarians in attendance we hope for a generous showing of free will donations from all who attend. Thank you, Philoptochos, for supporting this very important resources of our Holy Archdiocese.

JOY Lenten Retreat at Nativity of the Theotokos Monastery This Saturday March 24 LAST CALL: The Metropolis JOY ministry will be hosting a Lenten Retreat at the Nativity of the Theotokos Monastery in Saxonburg on Saturday, March 24, from 11:00am to 3:00pm. Check-in is from 10:30- 11:00am. A Lenten lunch will be provided. Please note Monastery Dress Code: Boys should wear long pants. Jeans are ok. Girls should wear long skirts and may wear leggings/pants underneath. The event will be outside for most of the day, so please dress for the weather conditions. Donations to the Monastery accepted in lieu of Registration fee. We strongly encourage you to register your children by March 20, so that we would have an accurate count. There is no fee for the activity, but you need to register online at pittsburgh.goarch.org/register. There is an option to list younger siblings that you might be bringing. Note: We would like ALL our Holy Trinity JOY children to attend this event!

Greek Independence Day Celebration - March 25 The Greek Nationality Room of the University of Pittsburgh will be holding its annual Greek Independence Day celebration on Sunday, March 25, 2012 at St. Nicholas Cathedral. The event will begin with a Doxology service at 5:00 p.m. followed by performances by Greek dance troupes, Greek language students, keynote speaker Father Stelyios Muksuris, MLitt, PhD, Protopresbyter, Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church, and area musicians performing Greek songs. Refreshments will be served immediately following the performance.

HOPE Lenten Activity - March 25 On Sunday, March 25, following the Divine Liturgy, the HOPE ministry will hold a Lenten activity. This will be a one-hour event for our HOPE children (ages Kindergarten through Second Grade). The event will be held at the Browns Lane location. All HOPE children are asked to attend.

JOY & HOPE Lenten Sleep Over - April 6/7 The JOY & HOPE ministries will have a sleep over at the Holy Trinity Church interim location at 495 Browns Lane on Friday April 6th - Saturday April 7th. We will meet at 6:00pm on Friday. Friday night`s actities will include dinner, a lenten activity, a discussion with Fr Radu, evening prayer and movies. On Saturday morning we will attend the Saturday of Lazarus service (Liturgy starts at 9:30am) and then we will stay to make palm crosses and cup candles. Breakfast will be provided. Please RSVP to Penny Tomalski at pennybt@roadrunner.com or 724-813-5726 by Sunday April 1st. All parents are welcome to stay with their children.

Annual GOYA Community Palm Sunday Luncheon - Make Your Reservations Today! The GOYA teen ministry will be once again hosting their very popular annual Community Palm Sunday Fish Luncheon this year on April 8. It will held community style right here in our interim Browns Lane location. Reservations are being taken to make sure they have enough seating and food. Rather than individual tickets, as free-will offering will be accepted in support of our GOYA ministry. This promises to be a great community day, so please get your reservations in! See the GOYA table at Coffee Hour or email your name and the number of children and adults to "GOYA@HolyTrinityPgh.org".

NOTE: Times and Locations for Lenten Services Please note: All evening Lenten services will be held at 6:30 pm this year in an effort to keep our schedule uniform throughout the season. Also, please note the locations:
- SUNDAYS: As always, at Holy Trinity Church (HT)
- MONDAYS: St. George Chapel (SG)
- WEDNESDAYS: At Holy Trinity Church (HT) to accommodate the covered dish dinner after Liturgy.
- FRIDAYS: St. George Chapel (SG)
- SATURDAYS: St. George Chapel (SG)
In short, all SUNDAYS and WEDNESDAYS will be held at Holy Trinity Church; all other Lenten services will be held at St. George Chapel.

Lenten and Holy Week Schedules on Web Site The special schedule of Lenten and Paschal services is available on our parish website at www.HolyTrinityPgh.org, as well as the Holy Week Services Schedule. Visit www.HolyTrinityPgh.org.

Lenten Covered Dish Dinners Following Pre-Sanctified Liturgies - March 21, 28 and April 4 This year's Wednesday evening Liturgies of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts will once again feature readings by our Church School students and a covered dish dinner for all those attending. For the readings, all students in grades 5 through 12 are asked to sign up in Church School and offer their services to the Church through this holy offering. There are a number of weeks from which to choose. For the covered dish dinner, to be sure their is enough food to go around, there is a SIGN-UP SHEET in Coffee Hour for you to indicate what you will bring. If you have any questions, please contact Presvytera Becky at 412-874-5195 or PresBecky@HolyTrinityPgh.org. Thank you!

GOYA Lenten Soups, Sauces and Sides Available Throughout Lent! The GOYA is once again offering their popular, delicious and affordable selection of Lenten Soups and Sauces, and even adding Sides this year! These freezer-to-microwave/pot-to-table offerings are still only $6 each. The selection varies each week, but will include features such as Lentil, Lentil Lemony Rice, Vegetable, Vegetable Orzo, Bean, Vegetable Chili, Pasta Sauce, Tortilla, Tabbouleh, and Hummus. They are all cooked in accordance with Orthodox strict-fasting tradition, so in addition to helping support our youth ministries, they give you a helping hand in planning your Lenten menu! Thanks for stopping by each week!

Lenten Offerings at Three Hierarchs Bookstore Our Three Hierarchs Bookstore (located in the Coffee Hour room) recommends "The Way of the Pilgrim" as reading for Great Lent. It does not preach, but gently leads, allowing one to visit vicariously the plains of Russia, walking, praying and visiting with peasants, rich households and holy men praying together, "Jesus, Son of God have mercy on me." It is well written and easily read. The book is on hand and, at $11.00, would also make an excellent Pascha gift. Also please note that Holy Week books are available and are a valuable resources to guide you through the beautiful and inspiring services of Holy Week.

Lenten Fasting and Confession In addition to the special services being held, please remember that the main focus of Lent is a personal one, with increased attention to our spiritual life through prayer, fasting and Holy Confession. Regarding fasting, Orthodox Christians are called to refrain from eating meat (including red meat, poultry, etc.), dairy (milk, eggs, cheese), fish and other animal products through Pascha. We are also to abstain from wine and olive oil during weekdays (Monday through Friday). Shellfish, vegetables, pastas and the like are permitted at all times. If you have any questions-especially if you are new to fasting or have special health conditions-please see Fr. John or Fr. Radu about specific questions. Please also see our priests to set up a time for Holy Confession during the Lenten season. Kali Metanoia! (May your repentance be good!)

Lenten Coffee Hour Reminder Please keep in mind that during the Lenten season our Coffee Hours following the Divine Liturgy will be observing the Orthodox Lenten fasting schedule. Anyone sponsoring a memorial coffee hour or providing Church School snacks is asked to take care that non-meat and non-dairy items are provided. The Philoptochos and the Church School can provide a list of suggestions for good alternatives. Thank you for helping our community grow in this proper and helpful Orthodox spiritual practice and discipline.

Important Lenten & Paschal Dates Wondering about Lenten and Paschal dates? Here’s a helpful guide to some of the important events coming up:
Palm Sunday - Apr. 8
Holy Friday (schedule off work & school) - Apr. 13
Pascha - Apr. 15
Feast of St. George (Nameday of Chapel) - Apr. 23

Lenten Resources Available on the Internet Looking for educational or inspirational information and resources for Lent? Try one of the best religious sites on the Internet: the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. To visit the general site, go to lent.goarch.org. For the section on Lent, Holy Week and Pascha, visit lent.goarch.org. There you will find Lenten messages, scriptures, prayers, articles, hymns, videos and more. Also, if you are traveling during Lent for business or personal reasons, how about planning ahead to attend Lenten services whereever you are. After all, when you are in an Orthodox Church, you are always at home! For the best Orthodox parish locator, visit www.OrthodoxyInAmerica.org. Can`t find a Greek Orthodox parish? Check there to find the nearest Antiochian, Russian, Serbian, Romanian or other canonical Orthodox Church.

Parish Directory Sign-Up Deadline Is HERE! Photo sessions are this week. Please note the following from our Parish Directory Committee: "Our Directory Committee has been hard at work coordinating the production of a new parish directory, and now the deadline to schedule your photo session for the New Holy Trinity Directory is fast approaching. They have been scheduling people for over 5 weeks and time slots are filling up quickly. Please sign up TODAY during Coffee Hour for an available time slot on: Tuesday, March 20th; Thursday, March 22nd; Friday, March 23rd and Saturday, March 24th. There are three ways to sign up: 1) Go online and sign up right on the front page of our website: www.HolyTrinityPgh.org.; 2) Call Mary at the church office from 9:30am to 3:00pm at 412-366-8700; 3) Call Becky Farmakis at 412-337-9299 at any time (before or after business hours). A new photo directory will enhance our ability to foster a strong community life with better connections among all of us. It will enable people get to know you and your family and will help welcome new parishioners into the church. Along with the Directory Committee, I strongly invite you to participate in the photo sessions. Remember, you get a free photo and free directory just for sitting for your photo session. Even if you are not interested in acquiring additional photos, your participation will help us make Holy Trinity an even more vibrant community through this wonderful resource."

Construction Reminder: Site Safety Guidelines Construction is underway on the new church site, so our new property is now an active construction worksite. The building committee, therefore, sends this message to us all: "With the long awaited start of our new Church campus starting in the next few days, we must ask all parishioners to follow a few simple requests. Please do not enter onto the construction site at any period of the day or week or stop along Cumberland and Babcock. There will be safety and liability issues that our contractor, Bridges & Company, has been asked to enforce. In the near future we will publish scheduled dates were supervised site visitation will be conducted for the entire Holy Trinity community. Look for these future dates, but until then, if you have any questions, please talk to Bill Fiedler or Jason Farmakis. Thank you for your understanding."

Help Welcome Holy Trinity Guests! Help us show our Holy Trinity Hospitality! Watch for the gold felt crosses worn by our new visitors each Sunday.If you see someone one, please greet them and welcome them to our community! Remember, "Hospitality" is one of the main goals of our mission here at Holy Trinity Church!

Want the Weekly Bulletin sent to your email box? Sign Up Today! Want to receive the Sunday Bulletin directly via email? Want announcements on Holy Trinity events? Go to www.HolyTrinityPgh.org and sign up today using the sign-up box on the left side of any page!