Every time I write the title for these sign-up posts, I’m shocked that another season has passed. Here we are at Great Lent 2020. We’ve been doing these groups on this blog since 2009! How amazing is that? What’s even more amazing is how many of you have been here since Day 1. Thank you for that. I’ve always told you how much I love these groups and the community it provides and that is entirely because of all of you. So, thank you.

That being said, let’s get 2020 groups started!

For those of you not familiar with these groups, here’s a brief rundown:

The Psalter is the book of Psalms divided into twenty sections called kathisma (singular) or kathismata (plural).

Groups are comprised of twenty people, each being assigned a different kathisma. For example, on Day 1 of 40, I’ll read kathisma 1, you’ll read 2, Maria will read 3, and so on. The entire Psalter gets read each day by each group! By the end of the 40 days, we’ll each have read the entire thing twice personally as well! How awesome is that?!

Many of our saints, including the greats like St. John Chrysostom and St. Basil have written extensively on the importance of daily Psalter reading. (There are several excerpts in Songs of Praise.) These groups are a wonderful way to make praying the psalms part of our daily routine, not just during fasting periods, but year round. It’s such an incredible feeling knowing you’re praying along with other Orthodox faithful all over the world.

So if you’re interested in joining us, please leave YOUR BAPTISMAL NAME and EMAIL ADDRESS in the comments. Leaving both helps me differentiate between others with the same name. In the world your name might not be common but in Orthodoxy there are a hundred different Xenia’s and Magdalene’s lol, so having an email to tell you apart is extremely important.

This means, don’t just enter your email when signing in to comment, but actually type it into the body of the comment.

I CANNOT KEEP GOING BACK TO FIGURE OUT WHO IS WHO IF EMAILS ARE NOT LEFT IN THE PROPER PLACE. It took me HOURS during the Nativity fast to click on each post, go into the actual admin section to verify email addresses and figure out who was who. It may not seem like a big deal on your end, but it makes organizing so many names extremely difficult on my end. SO, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, make sure you leave your email address with your Baptismal name in the body of the comment section.

I’ll have everyone’s assigned readings up sometime on Monday. If you come across this post late, not to worry, just go to the Psalter Group Assignments 2020 and add your info and I’ll get you into a group! It’s never too late to join in!

If you haven’t seen the book I released with Ancient Faith Publishing last year, SONGS OF PRAISE: A Psalter Devotional for Orthodox Women, click here.

SONGS OF PRAISE is a 384-page devotional that includes the entire Psalter with extra-wide margins for journaling and notetaking.

Inside you’ll find:

• Writings from various saints on the benefits of Psalter reading.

• Prayers before reading.

• A reflection on each of the twenty kathismata on topics relating to Orthodox women today, along with some of my favorite quotes from some of my favorite saints.

• Extra journaling pages after each reflection.

• An index on how the psalms can be prayed for various needs as used by St. Athanasios.

Click for a Songs of Praise Flip Thru.

My hope and prayer for this book is that it will become a place women look forward to spending time in each and every day and that instead of seeking comfort in the things offered by the world, we’ll find it in the sweet words of the Prophet David. Because, even though my name is on the cover of the book, it’s not really mine. It’s his.

NOTE: You don’t need SONGS OF PRAISE to participate in the Psalter Groups! Any version of the Psalter or book of Psalms in your Bible are all you need.

I've also got a great giveaway happening right now on this post! Enter to win a copy of SONGS OF PRAISE, COME AND ABIDE IN ME Prayer Companion and a handmade 50-knot prayer rope! Click here for details!