Students and their families at Holy Trinity Church in East Meadow NY gathered on 1 February 2014 for dinner and to make candles for the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord (2 February). The candles were blessed before the Vespers service so the children and congregation could hold them during the evening candle-lit service.

Prior to the candle making, Father Martin Kraus (parish rector) taught a class on the history of the Feast-Day and the readings from the Old Testament during the evening service that proclaim the fulfillment of God’s promise to reveal His power and salvation to all the nations through His Son, Jesus Christ.

The children sang the Troparion of the Feast and the Communion Hymn the next day as part of the children’s choir mentored by the parish choir director, Dr. Nicholas Reeves. The children’s choir sings the first Sunday of the month as part of the long-standing “Youth Weekend” in which the youth play a greater role in the services.

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