Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ,
Christ is in our midst!
Welcome to the website of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church of Brockton, MA. The Annunciation is within the Metropolis of Boston, which is part of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America – one of the daughter Churches of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The Church of the Annunciation is the only Eastern Orthodox Church in Brockton and its surrounding communities.
At the Annunciation, we conduct the full cycle of Sunday services, commencing with Great Vespers on Saturday evenings through Orthros (Matins) and the Divine Liturgy on Sunday mornings. Throughout the liturgical year, we also celebrate the feasts of our Lord and the Theotokos (Mother of God), as well as the feasts of all major saints of the Church. From fall through spring, Small Vespers are also celebrated on most Wednesdays nights, with adult religious education sessions following the service.
We welcome all to worship with us, whether you are visiting the area or live locally. May God bless you!
+Fr. Anthony Evangelatos
Presbyter
Beloved in Christ:
It seems that everywhere we turn these days we hear of violent, senseless crimes occurring at an alarming level. Besides violent crimes, we also continue to see wars and various other conflicts happening in many parts of the world. Drug trafficking, international prostitution rings, child pornography, “white collar” crimes, and a variety of other types of crimes, continue to plague today’s world as well. As the Orthodox Church continues its celebration of the triumph of Christ over death and the power of the Devil, we continue to see evil manifest its ugly face again and again. In today’s world, it is easy to become frustrated, angry, depressed, and our very faith potentially shaken. However, these negative situations are also an opportunity to reflect on the divine gifts of faith, love, and hope that should be present in the life of every Orthodox Christian. These three virtues are a major part of the foundation upon which the Church has grown throughout the ages.
When we look back at the ancient Church we are reminded of the days of persecution, when Christians could easily be put to death for their belief in Christ. We Orthodox can also look back with great sadness and disappointment, at the barbaric and sacrilegious pillaging and sacking of Constantinople, by western Christians during the Fourth Crusade of 1204. And where do we begin regarding the capture and fall of Constantinople in 1453, and the subsequent captivity of Orthodox Christianity in the lands occupied by the Ottoman Turks? The dark years of Communism also had tragic consequences upon Orthodox Christianity, in some places more so than others, such as Albania. And lastly, let us not be ignorant of the oppression and outright persecution that modern Orthodox Christians have been facing at the hands of fanatic Muslims, in places such as Indonesia, Iraq and Turkey.
On an individual level, both Orthodox and non-Orthodox Christians world-wide, are constantly faced with an ever-growing secular, Godless society that is indifferent to, and many times even despises the teachings and traditions of Christianity. We can become spiritually confused by various teachings and philosophies which contradict Christian doctrines and dogma. Humanism – basically, man’s “love affair” with himself – is one of the greatest enemies of traditional Christian doctrines and values. Even within Christian circles, we constantly see perversions of the faith, and outright heretical teachings that chip away at the very foundation of Orthodox Christianity.
Now, given all these examples above, we need to retrospectively review these periods of Christian history as well as consider our present situation, and remind ourselves of the gifts of faith, love, and hope given by Holy Spirit, that have kept devout Orthodox Christians faithful in times of tribulation. All of these periods of Christian history have produced martyrs and many other saints of various categories. The evangelical spirit and mission of the Church have never ceased, even though they were suppressed during the darkest periods of Church history. Throughout the ages, Orthodox Christian men have continued to be called to the Holy Priesthood, as well as to the monastic life along with countless females.
So, getting back to the many negative aspects of society, let us all take spiritual assessment of ourselves, in order to ensure the presence of faith in God, and love and hope deep within our hearts. If we let each tragic event that occurs chip away at the love we have for God and our fellow human beings, then we will lose everything. If faith in God, and hope in the promise of eternal life are diminished within us because we can only focus on the negative, then we will have nothing for which to live. If our Orthodox Christians ancestors hadn’t stood firm in their faith, our Church may have become an obscure sect found here and there. Thank God, this is not the case at all, since God obviously had different plans for His Church.
Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, our task as a faith community is to continue to pray for the entire Church, for our local parish, and for ourselves and all the world, as we do in each and every Divine Liturgy. By truly living our Orthodox faith, we will be examples of true Christian living to those around us. We cannot change the entire world, nor stop acts of violence forever; these things will always be with us. However, no one can stop us from praying, and from growing into the image and likeness of Christ. So let none of us be distracted from our sacred task by any obstacle placed before us through the forces of evil. Our Risen Lord has destroyed the power of the Enemy, so that we may follow Christ toward eternal life and salvation.
Christ is Risen!
+Fr. Anthony
Online Chapel
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Orthodox Calendar
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