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Bulletin - 2/28/10
Elder Paisios of the Holy
Mountain
On Spiritual Life
14
Elder told a hieromonk: “Our soul must be always in
readiness and sobriety and be connected to the Spiritual
Headquarters, i.e. to God. Only then she will feel confidence, hope
and joy. When I was in the army and fought together with the
partisans, I was a signaler. I saw that when we could get in touch
with the headquarters in Merarhia every hour, we felt safe. When we
could contact the headquarters only every two hours, we felt some
insecurity. But when – although this was not often – we could get a
signal only in the morning and in the evening, then we felt bad, we
felt cut off. The same is true for prayer. The more often you pray,
the more spiritually confident you feel”.
Elder Paisios surrounded by
visitors
15
People living among the abundance of the material
goods easily forget God and never feel a need to thank Him. This is
most dangerous for our spiritual life. One can realize this
captivity of soul only with difficulty and with even greater
difficulty one can free himself from its bonds. The Elder used to
stress this for the monastics and laity who visited him. He wanted
to show them that the material possessions do not lead to salvation,
therefore man has to despise them. For survival, man has to use only
what is indispensable and put his trust in the Divine Providence.
Elder's following story from his experience is especially useful as
well as timely for the contemporary Christians who often fall into
the nets of the utterly unjustifiable acquisition of the material
goods. As a result, they stop caring for their spiritual state and
for the way they live. In other words, they begin to resemble the
vessels which have Christian labels on them but are empty inside.
So, the Elder said: “I see that the spiritual
catastrophe with the humanity happens when it has material
possessions in abundance. Then it is hard for people to feel the
presence of God and His care for us. Do you want to distance
somebody from God? Continuously provide him with the material goods
in abundance and he is going to forget about God.
I came to this realization when I was younger. When
was on Sinai, in the place where I lived there was no water. I had
to walk for about two hours to reach the rock from which the water
was trickling. I would put my jug down and sit for an hour, waiting
for the water to fill up the jug, and then I would go back. Because
of this water, trickling from the rock, my soul was experiencing the
following: everyday I worried if there would be water from the rock
that day? I prayed that God would continue giving me water from the
rock. On my way there, I was worried and I would pray. Spotting the
rock from afar, and seeing the water glistening in the sun, I would
joyfully glorify God and return to my cell giving thanks and glory
to God for the water He gave me. The limited amount of water coming
from the rock made me, first, to constantly pray to God so that He
would continue giving me water and, second, to give thanks and
glorify God – the sole Provider of all good things.
When I left Sinai and came to the Iveron Skete on Mt
Athos, they had no problem with water there. Water was there in
abundance. It was measured in cubic meters which was uselessly
wasted. But one day I noticed that a change was slowly occurring in
me. I realized that during all the time I was living in the Skete I
had not said even once: “Glory to Thee, O God”. At the time when on
Sinai the lack of water was a cause of prayer and glorification of
God, the abundance of water in the Skete drove me to forget that
water is a gift of God for which we have to thank Him. This can
happen with anything”.
16
The Elder said: “In all circumstances in our life
prayer provides us with the most real help”.
Fasting for the First Time?
Orthodox priests gave their recommendations to
those who are going to keep the Fast for the first time
Archpriest Dimitrii Smirnov
“If the person is too young or, vice versa, too
advanced in years, I would suggest, for the first time, to do
without meat products, at least. It would be good to start with
that, if you decided to keep the Great Lent for the first time in
your life”, said Mitraphor archpriest Dimitrii Smirnov, rector of St
Metrophane of
Voronezh Church
in Moscow. “If the person is healthy and young, i.e. let's say he is
about thirty, I would surely suggest that during the Great Lent he
abstains from meat and dairy products. I believe he is quite capable
of this”, added the priest.
Archpriest Sergii Mahonin, rector of the Descent of
the Holy Spirit Church in the Pervomaiskii township in the
Moscow
district, director of the Saint John the Theologian Orthodox
gymnasium in
Moscow,
advised those who begin their first Great Lent to stock up on
patience, humility and love. “This is most important. Lent, first of
all, is inner self-restraint. It would be good for those who have
any bad habits to renounce them, at least for the duration of the
Great Lent. I would stress this for the beginners”, he said. “As for
the abstinence pertaining to body and food, it would be wonderful to
follow those, too. But this is, after all, not most important. The
most important is to learn 'not to eat people'”, stressed Fr Sergii.
Archpriest Boris Mihailov
Archpriest Boris Mihailov, rector of the Protection
of the
Most
Holy
Theotokos
Church
in Phili, made an emphasis on the need, at the beginning of any
journey, of any important undertaking, for an instructor. “For him
who is entering the Church, such instructor should be a priest. But
here one has to be motivated. First of all, he should be looking for
the priest who would be an instructor whose advise he would be ready
to follow”, said Fr Boris. “To begin with, he has to come to church,
talk to the priest there and tell him how it is: 'I desire to join
the Ark of salvation – the Church. What should I do? How do I learn
to live the righteous life in Christ? Guide me and teach me'. The
priest will surely help him what to begin with, including how to
begin fasting”, suggested Fr Boris.
Archpriest Oleg Steniaev, a cleric of the Nativity
of Saint John the
Forerunner
Church in Sokol'niki, remarked that Lent is an aspect of the Church
life. “To the people who have decided to keep the Great Lent for the
first time, I would suggest first of all to go to the nearest
Orthodox temple and ask a priest for a blessing to keep the fast. He
who begins his first Lent does not yet know whether he has enough
strength to do it or not. But priest's blessing will definitely
encourage him and give him strength to fast”, said Fr Oleg.
ORTHODOX IRELAND
By Vladimir De
Beer
Part III
Irish Saints: Saint Patrick
It is remarkable that little historical evidence has remained about
the saint who is venerated as Apostle to the Irish, while legends
surrounding him abound. The only documentary sources regarding his
life that are recognised as authentic are his Confession and an
Epistle to a Northumbrian chieftain called Coroticus. According to
these sources Patrick was born in western Britain, probably in
Cumbria, as the son of a Roman official who was a Christian. At the
age of 16, he was captured by pirates and sold as a slave into
Ireland, where he worked as cattle-herd for his master in County
Antrim for six years. There he lived among Christians, which further
shows that Christianity was introduced into
Ireland
before Patrick. He eventually escaped and landed in an uninhabited
land, possibly Brittany. Years later, he returned to
Britain,
but he was called in a vision to return to the country of his
enslavement for the sake of the Gospel.
According to legendary sources, while Patrick was in Gaul he visited
the island monastery at Lérins, a famous centre of Orthodoxy in the
West. Before returning to
Ireland,
he was ordained at Auxerre, either by St Germanus or his predecessor
St Amator. Patrick landed in
Ireland
in 432 at Saball near Wicklow and founded a church above Strangford
Lough, where on Holy Saturday of 433 he lit a Paschal fire. After
seven years of missionary travels over
Ireland,
he spent the whole of Lent on a mountain in County Mayo, now known
as Croagh Patrick. According to one tradition, Patrick became the
first bishop of Armagh, which by the eighth century had become the
ecclesiastical capital of Ireland. He reposed at Saball in 461 and
was buried in Downpatrick, according to a legend. His feast day is
17/30 of March, and the earliest mention of its celebration dates
from 670.
. . . . . . . . .
News From All The Ends Of The Earth . . . . . . . .
Kishinyov, Moldavia:
“After the collapse of the totalitarian ideologies of the past
century, tolerance became the dominant ideology. Exalting, left and
right, those who worship this new idol, the new ideology has gained
its own rights and power to mercilessly judge all who oppose it”,
said the well-known priest Alexander Shargunov at the international
theological conference “Trial of faith – between tolerance and love”
in
Kishinyov,
Moldavia. “In today's world, tolerance, while stipulating that faith
is a strictly private matter, demands submission to the society's
promoted norm. In fact, it is nothing but a triumph of what existed
at the time of the terrible persecution of the Church in the
Roman Empire. Just place a kernel of incense before
the statue of the Emperor and you are free to go and believe in
whomever you please – Christ or Antichrist”, remarked the priest.
But if any belief is lawful and “equally guaranteed by the spiritual
emptiness of the political power”, continued the priest, this means
that very notion of faith is relevant: “It must be relegated to the
periphery and
a priori
labeled negative. Then, from beginning to end, the
faith is considered negative from the point of view of the
triumphant evil, when skepticism becomes a virtue, a guarantee of
the common peace and liberty. In other words, weakening of the faith
is always going to be desirable, since it (weakening of faith)
promotes democratic co-existence of a great variety of ideas. Can a
Christian agree with this? Everything within us opposes this
concept”, stressed Fr Alexander. “It is suggested that we should be
ready to review and change any precepts of our faith and that we
shouldn’t insist that they are absolute. In the real life,
contemporary skepticism is usually a denial of the existence of the
absolute truth. The ideology of tolerance is trying to convince us
that every person's value, no matter what it might be, should be
treated with equal respect. But if all faiths are only partially
true or/and, therefore, of equal measure of truthfulness, if the
very idea of truth is a misunderstanding, if good and evil are
subject to everybody's own interpretation, then the notion of the
absolute truth is meaningless. If this is the case then the horror
of Gulag and
Auschwitz is simply a result of purely historical circumstances. In
other words, if Hitler won the war, we woudn't think of it as we do
now. If communism wouldn't have collapsed, then the main communists
wouldn't become the main anti-communists but would continue to
preach the “bright future” for all. Insanity! Today tolerance
gathers its supporters for the final battle against the truth,
offering everyone, instead of one ultimate Truth, a faith according
to his own tastes and whims. We witness the prophecy of Apostle Paul
fulfilled:
‘For the time
will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their
own lusts shall they choose for themselves teachers who would
flatter their hearing; and they shall turn away their ears from the
truth and shall be turned unto fables’
(II Timothy 4:3-4). Therefore, it is not surprising that everywhere
now we see the temporal is being placed before the eternal, and
earthly — before the heavenly”, continued the priest. “When the
world is trying to prove inadequacy of the ‘traditional thought’,
there is only one path — most profound and genuine partaking of the
ancient but always new culture of complete self-denial of oneself,
even if through martyrdom, in the Paschal life. Only then the word
of truth will take on flesh. Only then a hope can be born that not
everything is lost for the perishing world. Only in this sense can
we talk about the necessity of tolerance — Church’s tolerant
attitude to the misconceptions of the world, the tolerance which can
have place only in the light of faithfulness to the Cross of
Christ”, stressed Fr Alexander. “Only when there is no compromise
with the evil reigning today in the world we will be able to pray
even for those who kill us”. “The Christians are called not to
tolerance of evil or to indifferent acceptance of it, but to the
steadfast standing up against evil even until our death — for the
sake of love towards those who hate us and who kill us and for the
sake of salvation of all who need salvation. Our duty, especially in
the difficult times, is to keep our souls with such patience,
according to the word of Christ, that nothing would confuse, nothing
would relax or even ruin them. Patience is not merely an ability to
endure everything, but rather to turn everything into the power of
Christ and His glory. What was it that would always impressed pagans
in the times of persecutions? It was that whenever martyrs died they
went to their death with joy, as to a feast, as to the Divine
Liturgy…”, concluded Archpriest Alexander Shergunov.
Archpriest
Alexander Shergunov
Sevastopol, Crimea (Ukraine):
For several years a Crimean retiree Vladimir Golub has been building
an Orthodox Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos in the village
of Mezhgorie all by himself. To dig the foundation he used his
savings which originally he had planned to buy a car with. Here is
how the Golub family lives: from the two pensions – his own and his
wife's – he carves out whatever is necessary for the upkeep of the
house and basic groceries, the rest goes for the construction of the
church. He himself makes trips to the abandoned stone quarry and
extracts stone of the needed size which he then pulls on his cart to
the construction site. Then he makes his cement and lays stone. All
by himself. This is not the first example when a person or a family
of very limited means build a church with their own hands. Is there
another way? Yes, take a mortgages.
London, U.K.:
The
Methodist Church is expected to move towards the consecration of
bishops next month, marking the culmination of nearly 50 years of
debate. This would pave the way for full unity with the Church of
England. It could even lead to unity between Methodists and
Anglicans worldwide. The US Methodist Church is immensely
influential, counting President Bush and Bill Clinton as members. A
combined Anglican-Methodist church would create a church of at least
150 million, making it the third largest, after the Roman Catholic
Church and the Orthodox Church. Methodist churches in most countries
outside Britain already have bishops, but they are not consecrated
in the unbroken line of apostolic succession — as the proposed
bishops would be. Methodism broke with this tradition when John
Wesley began ordaining ministers for service in the US. For
Methodist bishops to be part of the apostolic succession, they would
have to be consecrated by a bishop or archbishop from another church
that has remained inside the apostolic succession.
Oklahoma City, OK:
Immunologist Mahmoud Suhail is hoping to open a new chapter in the
history of frankincense. Scientists have observed that there is some
agent within frankincense which stops cancer spreading, and which
induces cancerous cells to close themselves down. He is trying to
find out what this is. "Cancer starts when the DNA code within the
cell's nucleus becomes corrupted," he says. "It seems frankincense
has a re-set function. It can tell the cell what the right DNA code
should be. "Frankincense separates the 'brain' of the cancerous cell
- the nucleus - from the 'body' - the cytoplasm, and closes down the
nucleus to stop it reproducing corrupted
DNA
codes." Working with frankincense could revolutionise the treatment
of cancer. Currently, with chemotherapy, doctors blast the area
around a tumour to kill the cancer, but that also kills healthy
cells, and weakens the patient. Treatment with frankincense could
eradicate the cancerous cells alone and let the others live. The
task now is to isolate the agent within frankincense which,
apparently, works this wonder. Dr Suhail (who is originally from
Iraq) has teamed up with medical scientists from the University of
Oklahoma for the task. In his laboratory, he extracts the essential
oil from locally produced frankincense. Then, he separates the oil
into its constituent agents, such as Boswellic acid. "There are 17
active agents in frankincense essential oil," says Dr Suhail. "We
are using a process of elimination. We have cancer sufferers - for
example, a horse in South Africa - and we are giving them tiny doses
of each agent until we find the one which works." "Some scientists
think Boswellic acid is the key ingredient. But I think this is
wrong. Many other essential oils - like oil from sandalwood -
contain Boswellic acid, but they don't have this effect on cancer
cells. So we are starting afresh." The trials will take months to
conduct and whatever results come out of them will take longer still
to be verified.
Berlin, Germany:
Roman Catholic Church in
Germany
is not much different from other
Vatican
branches throughout the globe. The Catholic Church in Germany has
been shaken in recent days by revelations of a series of sexual
abuse cases. Close to 100 priests and members of the laity have been
suspected of abuse in recent years. After years of suppression, the
wall of silence appears to be crumbling, reports
SPIEGEL.
This is what it looks like, the document of a conspiracy: 24 pages,
with appendix, in Latin, published by the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican. A confidential set of
guidelines for all bishops, who were required to keep it a secret
for all eternity. The guidelines, issued in 1962, address a
sensitive subject, which the Vatican doesn't put directly,
preferring to use more guarded terminology to describe what happens
when a priest provokes a penitent "toward impure and obscene
matters" through "words or signs or nods of the head (or) by touch."
Marrakesh, Morocco:
A large, military-led team of Moroccan authorities raided a Bible
study in a small city southeast of
Marrakesh
two weeks ago, arresting 18 Moroccans and deporting a U.S. citizen.
Approximately 60 officers from the Moroccan security services on
Thursday afternoon (Feb. 4) raided the home of a Christian in
Amizmiz, a picturesque city of 10,000 mainly Berber people 35 miles
southeast of Marrakesh. A church Bible study was in progress at the
home with visitors from western and southern
Morocco
Paris,
France:
French
philosopher Descartes was killed by arsenic-laced holy communion
wafer after airing 'heretic' views, says academic Theodor Ebert. For
more than three and a half centuries, the death of René Descartes
one winter's day in Stockholm has been attributed to the ravages of
pneumonia on a body unused to the Scandinavian chill. But in a book
released after years spent combing the archives of Paris and the
Swedish capital, one Cartesian expert has a more sinister theory
about how the French philosopher came to his end. According to
Theodor Ebert, an academic at the University of Erlangen, Descartes
died not through natural causes but from an arsenic-laced communion
wafer given to him by a Catholic priest. Ebert believes that Jacques
Viogué, a missionary working in Stockholm, administered the poison
because he feared Descartes's radical theological ideas would derail
an expected conversion to Catholicism by the monarch of protestant
Sweden. "Viogué knew of Queen Christina's Catholic tendencies. It is
very likely that he saw in Descartes an obstacle to the Queen's
conversion to the Catholic faith," Ebert told
Le Nouvel Observateur
newspaper.
Though raised as a Catholic, Descartes, who had been summoned in
1649 to tutor Queen Christina, was regarded with suspicion by many
of his theological coreligionists. His theories were viewed as
incompatible with the Roman Catholic belief of transubstantiation,
in which the bread and wine served during the Eucharist turn into
the flesh and blood of Christ and have nothing to do with the
original bread and wine any longer. (One of the points on which the
Orthodox teaching differs from the Roman Catholic theology). "Viogué
was convinced that … his metaphysics were more in line with
Calvinist 'heresy'," said Ebert. The theory of foul play has been
greeted with caution by scholars. Since Descartes's death on 11
February 1650, pneumonia has been blamed for robbing the world of
the so-called father of modern philosophy. Ebert rejects this as
incompatible with the facts. In a letter written after his patient's
death, Descartes's doctor, Van Wullen, described having found
something wrong – which Ebert believes to be blood – in the
philosopher's urine. "That is not a symptom of pneumonia; it is a
symptom of poisoning, chiefly of arsenic," said Ebert, adding that
Descartes asked his doctor to prescribe an emetic. "What conclusion
is to be drawn other than the philosopher, who was well-acquainted
with the medicine of his day, believed he had been poisoned?"
Washington, D.C.:
The largest Protestant denominations in the US has reported a
decline in membership for the second year in a row, according to the
National Council of Churches’ 2010 yearbook of churches. The
Catholic Church, meanwhile, rebounded from last year’s reported
membership loss with a 1.49 percent growth, joining the Assemblies
of God and the Church of God in Christ as the few large
US
denominations with reported growth. Also reporting growth in NCC’s
78th annual Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches were the
Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses – though a significant number of the
two organizations’ core beliefs are considered by Bible scholars as
contradictory to historic orthodox Christianity. In her remarks on
this year’s stats – which are actually from 2008 due to the
reporting delay – Dr. Eileen W. Lindner, editor of the annual
yearbook since 1998, acknowledged the continued loss of membership
in the largest mainline denominations. This year, church bodies
reporting the highest membership losses were the Presbyterian Church
(USA), down 3.28 percent to 2,941,412; American Baptist Churches in
the USA, down 2 percent to 1,358,351; and the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America, down 1.92 percent to 4,709,956 members. Though
she noted that many observers have attributed accelerated membership
decline of some churches to "an increasing secularization of
American postmodern society, and its disproportionate impact on
liberal religious groups," Lindner advised caution in assessing the
causes of decline. She also said statistics in the yearbook actually
reflect "continued high overall church participation, and account
for the religious affiliation of over 163 million Americans.
American society as a whole has not experienced the kind and rate of
secularization so clearly demonstrated during the last quarter
century in Western Europe," she added. Lindner also noted that the
largest plurality of immigrants to the United States in the last 50
years have been Christian in their religious affiliation. "In an era
in which we have come to expect the inevitable advance of secularism
in the U.S., the influx of robust Christian communities among new
immigrants once again amends the topographical map," she reported.
So while a number of denominations have reported losses, overall,
the Church in the America is growing. Total church membership
reported in the 2010 Yearbook was 147,384,631 members, up 0.49
percent over 2009. That figure has been rising every year since
2006, when the overall membership total dropped for a second
straight year following a record high 161 million. The yearbook
doesn’t take into consideration the multitude of non-denominational
churches scattered across America.
Brussels, Belgium:
Freemasons are keen to open a bureau in Brussels to lobby against
the rising influence of religious organisations in the EU
institutions. "The masonic orders should practice politics in the
positive sense of the term: So that despite their own partisan
divisions, they speak out on the side of secularism and voice their
disagreement with this or that governmental or European decision,"
Jean-Michel Quillardet, the former Grand Master of the Grand Orient
de France, told Belgian daily Le Soir in an interview out on
Wednesday (17 February). He said that masonic lodges in Europe
remain divided on the subject, with some more "shy" than others of
attracting publicity by opening an office in the EU capital. But he
added that practical problems are more important than the divisions
and sketched out an agenda for the future outfit. "I think we will
one day manage to create a general masonic delegation, for the sake
of free-thinking in the European institutions," Mr Quillardet
explained. The mason said that the Brussels bureau's first task
would be to promote the idea of citizenship: "It is necessary to
impose the universal idea of the Enlightenment, which consists of
the notion that people are citizens and European citizens before
being Jewish, black, Maghreb, homosexual, heterosexual." Mr
Quillardet explained that the Grand Orient de France has already
created a cell which attempts to bring together all the lodges in
Europe. In 2007 it organised a pan-European masonic congress in
Strasbourg, with subsequent meetings in 2008 and 2009 in Greece and
Turkey. The 2010 event is to be in Portugal. He added that in 2008
European Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso for the first time met
with delegates from a group of lodges including his own and in the
same year wrote a letter to the international congress in Athens.
"We told him that apart from its Christian roots, Europe owed much
to Greek and Roman philosophy, Renaissance humanism and the
Enlightenment. We obtained representation for masonic orders and for
groups which defend secularism in Bepa," he said, in reference to
the Bureau of European Policy Advisers, a high-level policy analysis
unit in the EU commission. The Barroso letter was "for us a
recognition on the intellectual landscape," Mr Quillardet explained.
London, U.K.:
A Christian teacher said that he was hounded out of his job for
trying to stop Muslim children praising the 9/11 hijackers and
saying in class they hated Jews and Christians.
The Daily
Express
quoted Nicholas Kafouris, 40, as saying that children as
young as eight talked of killing Jews and Christians. He said
youngsters at the predominantly Muslim school, where he taught for
12 years, openly praised Islamic extremists, hailed the 9/11
terrorists as "martyrs" and branded Jews their enemies.
Berlin, Germany:
115 former students have come forward with charges of sexual abuse
at schools run by Germany's Jesuit order. Attorney Ursula Raue said
Thursday victims had named 12 priests and several women among the
attackers. She said there were some reported rapes. Most of the
victims were former students of one of Germany's most prestigious
high schools,
Berlin's
private Catholic Canisius Kolleg. Raue accused the Jesuits of taking
care of the priests involved while ignoring the welfare of the
children. The order hired Raue to help it work through the scandal.
Raue said many victims are relieved to be able to tell their
stories. Others are seeking compensation or an apology.
Amsterdam,
Netherlands:
A self-proclaimed atheist can continue to serve as a pastor in the
Netherlands, and no longer faces disciplinary action. A special
assembly of Zierikzee, a regional church body tasked with
investigating the theological statements of Pastor Klaas Hendrikse,
has said its work is, "completed". The
3 February 2010 decision to allow Hendrikse to
continue working as a pastor followed the advice of a regional
supervisory panel that the statements by Hendrikse, "are not of
sufficient weight to damage the foundations of the church". "The
ideas of Hendrikse are in keeping with the liberal tradition that is
an integral part of our church," the special panel concluded.
Hendrikse said he was, "very satisfied with the result", the Dutch
news service
Ikon Kerknieuws
reported. In 2007, Hendrikse hit the headlines with the publication,
in Dutch, of his book titled "Believing in a God that does not
exist: the manifesto of an atheist pastor" (Geloven in een God die
niet bestaat - manifest van een atheïstische dominee). In the book,
Hendrikse distinguishes between believing in God, which he affirms,
and believing in the existence of God, which he rejects. Instead, he
refers to God as, "happening". In this context, the general synod in
November 2010 will consider [the issue of] 'talking about God'. The
board looks forward to this discussion." Protestant Church
spokesperson Jan-Gerd Heetderks said the synod discussion would be
"broader than, 'Does God exist or not?'" the regional newspaper
Friesch Dagblad
reported. A research published
recently found that one in six clergy of the Protestant Church are
either not sure about or do not believe in the existence of God. The
survey also found that clergy aged 35 years or younger tend to be
the most certain of God’s existence, while clergy aged between 55
and 65 years are the most unsure. "Overall, the survey indicated
that the younger generation is more pious than older generations,"
the research report said.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1.
February bulletin covers sponsors are Robert and Maryann Polomchak —
Wedding Anniversary.
2.
New Coffee hour schedule is in the narthex. Our Coffee-Cake Socials
are usually on the third Sunday of the moth.
3.
We would like to express our most sincere gratitude to our new
parishioner Paul Kaderabek for his donation of $1,700.00 to help us
pay for the new furnace for downstairs. With Paul’s donation we
pronounce the new furnace paid off.
(It is good not
to have this bill menacingly hanging over our heads). We would like to welcome Paul Kaderabek
into our parish family and are looking forward to having him as our
neighbor — Paul has purchased the house adjacent to the church
parking lot and he is planning to move in before Pascha. Also, we
would like to thank all our faithful who have donated towards the
new furnace. May Our Lord reward all of you for your generosity and
care for His House.
4.
On Saturday, March 20, at
2 P.M.,
our parish will host Chicago Deanery Lenten Mission. Please, mark
this day in your calendars and make sure that we are in church that
afternoon. We will be serving the Akathist to the Divine Passions of
Christ. After the service all present priests will be available for
confessions. After/during the confession a Lenten meal will be
offered. Please think what you can bring to contribute to the meal.
Doing that, please keep in mind that the food should have no meat,
dairy, eggs or fish in it.
Bulletin -
2/21/10
Elder Paisios of the Holy
Mountain
On Spiritual Life
13
In 1975, Elder Paisios wrote the following which was
the answer to one man's question about prayer:
“I would like to direct you to one simple method of
the unceasing prayer which you, if you desire, can use. Probably it
is most effective for the simple people who cannot perceive the
depth of thought of the Holy Fathers and who are in danger of
falling into prelest (spiritual delusion).
Some do not set for themselves a goal of rejecting
their 'old man', that is they do not set as their goal humility,
repentance and podvig (ascetic struggles), which is what we should
do for the sanctification of our souls (the rest is done by God),
they do not strive to truly face their sinfulness and that which is
the result of this realization – all encompassing hunger for God's
mercy and for the frequent prayer 'O Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God,
have mercy on me'. This prayer is uttered with pain from the heart
(then the person would fell in his heart the sweetness of the
Sweetest Jesus' Divine consolation). Unfortunately, often they begin
with the 'dry' asceticism and strive for the God-given bliss, the
Uncreated Light, they constantly increase the number of prayers and
in their own eyes they become saints. They calculate the great
number of their prayers and come to the conclusion that they must be
holy. They make benches precisely according to the measurements and
many other things, they make sure that their heads are lowers at the
right angle towards the heart, they slow down their breathing and do
everything what Saints Kallistos and Gregory, those who achieve much
with silence, write in the Philokalia. Then they delight in the
false thought – that they must have reached the measure of those
saints. Once they believe this thought, right away a demon comes and
turns on for them a TV with fantasies. Then there follow the demonic
prophesies and everything else which are associated with prelest.
The only safe thing is repentance. Any spiritual
structure must be built on it. We ceaselessly ask God for repentance
and for nothing else. We shouldn't ask for light, miracles,
prophesies and other gifts, but repentance. Repentance brings
humility, and humility will bring grace of God, because it is a law:
grace of God always comes to the humble. Therefore, humility is a
must for our salvation. When we have acquired it then the grace of
God will come and it will teach us what we should be doing for our
salvation and for those close to us.
When we begin to feel the great need in God's mercy,
then we are going to say the prayer many times from our whole heart
and feel in our heart the sweetness of the Divine consolation of the
Sweetest Jesus. Then our heart will embrace our mind and our whole
being.
If we do all this, then our prayer is not going to
make us tired. When we perceive the true essence of prayer then it
brings us rest and don't have to force ourselves to pray. But we are
compelled by our conscience which imparts to our heart spiritual
courage and spiritual wings and then in the hour of prayer our
heart, no matter how hardened it is, is torn apart from crying and
produces abundant tears. Man feels the need for prayer just like a
child who, when he opens his mouth and hastens to his mother's
embrace to cling to her breast, feels hunger and, at the same time,
safety and maternal love.
There is no doubt that the enemy is going to try,
through distraction of your thoughts, to offer a fight. But when the
prayer is preceded by the reading from the Holy Fathers (Evergetinos
or Paterikon), then both minor and major difficulties and cares of
the day subside, you will be surrounded by the spiritual atmosphere
and your prayer will be focused.
If the enemy decides to attack you with lustful
thoughts (according to his usual malice and envy) – don't be put
off by it, but use the demon for your own benefit, saying: “It is
good that you have brought me these thought – now I am encouraged to
pray, otherwise I keep forgetting to pray unceasingly”. Right away
the enemy will retreat for he is used to doing only evil. I told you
about it because the enemy usually brings corrupting thoughts to the
sensitive people, in order to make them more sensitive, confuse
their thoughts and interrupt their prayer. Especially this is true
for those who pridefully keep extremely long vigils beyond their
strength, for they are exhausted and have no strength to drive away
the corrupt thoughts. They think that the corrupt thoughts are their
own and therefore they suffer for something which is not their fault
but the enemy's.
Therefore it is necessary for the young men to pray
with humility and discernment, not to be overcome by the cares of
the day, but occupy themselves with spiritual reading, eat a little
bit of simple food which also helps (and as far as possible the food
should be without salt to prevent abundant intake of water, because
retention of water impede prayer). It helps if the evening meal, no
matter how light, is taken at 4 P.M. After that – reading of the
Holy Fathers or something else for about three hours. It would help
if bows or prostrations were made in-between the activities, after
every round of the prayer rope – to warm up oil in the engine. When
the young men are tired let them sit and do the prayer, calling to
mind their wretchedness and all the good things the good God has
done to them. Then the mind will focus in the heart and the person
asks, without any effort, for God' mercy with his all his heart, all
his soul and all his mind.
Of great benefit are the three hours after the
sunset, when they are preceded by reading from the Holy Fathers, as
well as, by the way, the hours from the midnight till the sunrise.
It is best for the youth to go to bed an hour after the sunset and
to get up early in the morning, in order to escape the morning's
sensual dreams. Of course, discernment and guidance of the spiritual
father (whom one has to have) is necessary”.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The following
letter is published by the request of our ruling hierarch
Metropolitan Nicholas of Amissos
Now to Him Who by the power at work within us is able
to do far more abundantly than all that we can ask or think,
to Him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus to all
generations, for ever and ever. Amen. (Eph. 3:20-21).
February 21, 2010
The Feast of the Sunday of Orthodoxy
The Hierarchs of the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox
Bishops in the Americas
To all the Clergy and the Laity of the Holy Orthodox
Churches in the Americas
Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We, the Hierarchs of the Standing
Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas, greet
you on the Feast of the Sunday of Orthodoxy with words of the Holy
Apostle Paul that were selected by the Primates of the worldwide
Orthodox Church to close their Message proclaimed on October 12,
2008. Indeed, we glory in our God whose love for us exceeds every
thought or imagining that could enter our minds or hearts. As the
Apostle Paul says in another place: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God
hath prepared for them that love Him (I Cor. 2:9).
In the historic Synaxis and in
the Message that was declared by it, the Primates of worldwide
Orthodox Christianity proclaimed the following with one voice and
one heart:
As the Primates and the
Representatives of the Most Holy Orthodox Churches, fully aware of
the gravity of the aforementioned problems, and laboring to confront
them directly as "servants of Christ and stewards of God's
mysteries" (1 Cor. 4:1), we proclaim from this See of the
First-throne among the Churches and we re-affirm: ... our desire for
the swift healing of every canonical anomaly that has arisen from
historical circumstances and pastoral requirements, such as in the
so-called Orthodox Diaspora, with a view to overcoming every
possible influence that is foreign to Orthodox ecclesiology. In this
respect we welcome the proposal by the Ecumenical Patriarchate to
convene Pan-Orthodox Consultations within the coming year 2009 on
this subject, as well as for the continuation of preparations for
the Holy and Great Council. In accordance with the standing order
and practice of the Pan-Orthodox Consultations in Rhodes (beginning
in 1960), all Autocephalous Churches will be invited.
With this common declaration, and
the subsequent consensus achieved at the Pan-Orthodox Consultations
that took place last year in June and December in Chambésy,
Switzerland, the way forward to Orthodox canonical order and unity
in the Western Hemisphere has been mapped out in a substantive way.
This should be a cause for joy among all the faithful, as it
demonstrates the kind of progress that SCOBA has always looked for,
but by itself, never could achieve. SCOBA has had great
accomplishments in its fifty-year history, and the growth of
Pan-Orthodox Agencies and ministries shows the willingness and the
need to work together. Nevertheless, SCOBA has always been an
organization without the mechanism and authority to forge a
comprehensive way forward.
Now we have arrived at a truly
watershed moment in the life of the Church in the Western
Hemisphere. In the week in which we celebrate the Descent of the
Holy Spirit on the glorious Feast of Pentecost, the canonical
Orthodox Bishops who live in North and Central America will gather
in order to proceed with the roadmap that has been agreed to by
world-wide Orthodox Christianity (see material at
http://www.scoba.us/chambesy.html). The issues are many and complex,
but SCOBA is fully committed to the process that will form a
successor body, an Assembly of Bishops of the Holy Orthodox Church
in the Americas that will have both the authority and methodology to
effectuate real progress in the establishment of canonical Church
order in the Americas.
This Sunday of Orthodoxy, as we
gather throughout our communities and parishes, let us with fervent
prayer entreat the Lord of all to grant us His grace and His wisdom.
Let us pray for this coming Assembly of Orthodox Christian Bishops,
that it will bring forth the fruits of unity and Orthodox
faithfulness. Let us pray for the pious and Orthodox Christians
everywhere, and for our unity in Christ, power at work within us is
able to do far more abundantly than all that we can ask or think, to
Him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus to all generations,
for ever and ever. Amen.
With paternal blessings and love in Christ,
+Archbishop DEMETRIOS, Chairman
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
+Metropolitan PHILIP, Vice Chairman
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
+Metropolitan CHRISTOPHER, Secretary
Serbian Orthodox Church in North and South America
+Metropolitan NICHOLAS of Amissos, Treasurer
American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese in the USA
+Archbishop NICOLAE
Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in the Americas
+Metropolitan JOSEPH
Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Church
+Metropolitan JONAH
Orthodox Church in America
+Metropolitan CONSTANTINE
Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA
+Archpriest Alexander Abramov
Acting Representative of the Moscow Patriarchate in the USA
+Bishop ILIA of Philomelion
Albanian Orthodox Diocese of America
. . . . . . . . .
News From All The Ends Of The Earth . . . . . . . .
Kishinyov, Moldavia:
“After the collapse of the totalitarian ideologies of the past
century, tolerance became the dominant ideology. Exalting, left and
right, those who worship this new idol, the new ideology has gained
its own rights and power to mercilessly judge all who oppose it”,
said the well-known priest Alexander Shargunov at the international
theological conference “Trial of faith – between tolerance and love”
in Kishinyov, Moldavia. “In today's world, tolerance, while
stipulating that faith is a strictly private matter, demands
submission to the society's promoted norm. In fact, it is nothing
but a triumph of what existed at the time of the terrible
persecution of the Church in the Roman Empire. Just place a kernel
of incense before the statue of the Emperor and you are free to go
and believe in whomever you please – Christ or Antichrist”, remarked
the priest. But if any belief is lawful and “equally guaranteed by
the spiritual emptiness of the political power”, continued the
priest, this means that very notion of faith is relevant: “It must
be relegated to the periphery and a priori labeled negative.
Then, from beginning to end, the faith is considered negative from
the point of view of the triumphant evil, when skepticism becomes a
virtue, a guarantee of the common peace and liberty. In other words,
weakening of the faith is always going to be desirable, since it
(weakening of faith) promotes democratic co-existence of a great
variety of ideas. Can a Christian agree with this? Everything within
us opposes this concept”, stressed Fr Alexander. “It is suggested
that we should be ready to review and change any precepts of our
faith and that we shouldn’t insist that they are absolute. In the
real life, contemporary skepticism is usually a denial of the
existence of the absolute truth. The ideology of tolerance is trying
to convince us that every person's value, no matter what it might
be, should be treated with equal respect. But if all faiths are only
partially true or/and, therefore, of equal measure of truthfulness,
if the very idea of truth is a misunderstanding, if good and evil
are subject to everybody's own interpretation, then the notion of
the absolute truth is meaningless. If this is the case then the
horror of Gulag and Auschwitz is simply a result of purely
historical circumstances. In other words, if Hitler won the war, we
woudn't think of it as we do now. If communism wouldn't have
collapsed, then the main communists wouldn't become the main
anti-communists but would continue to preach the “bright future” for
all. Insanity! Today tolerance gathers its supporters for the final
battle against the truth, offering everyone, instead of one ultimate
Truth, a faith according to his own tastes and whims. We witness the
prophecy of Apostle Paul fulfilled: ‘For the time will come when
they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall
they choose for themselves teachers who would flatter their hearing;
and they shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be
turned unto fables’ (II Timothy 4:3-4). Therefore, it is not
surprising that everywhere now we see the temporal is being placed
before the eternal, and earthly — before the heavenly”, continued
the priest. “When the world is trying to prove inadequacy of the
‘traditional thought’, there is only one path — most profound and
genuine partaking of the ancient but always new culture of complete
self-denial of oneself, even if through martyrdom, in the Paschal
life. Only then the word of truth will take on flesh. Only then a
hope can be born that not everything is lost for the perishing
world. Only in this sense can we talk about the necessity of
tolerance — Church’s tolerant attitude to the misconceptions of the
world, the tolerance which can have place only in the light of
faithfulness to the Cross of Christ”, stressed Fr Alexander. “Only
when there is no compromise with the evil reigning today in the
world we will be able to pray even for those who kill us”. “The
Christians are called not to tolerance of evil or to indifferent
acceptance of it, but to the steadfast standing up against evil even
until our death — for the sake of love towards those who hate us and
who kill us and for the sake of salvation of all who need salvation.
Our duty, especially in the difficult times, is to keep our souls
with such patience, according to the word of Christ, that nothing
would confuse, nothing would relax or even ruin them. Patience is
not merely an ability to endure everything, but rather to turn
everything into the power of Christ and His glory. What was it that
would always impressed pagans in the times of persecutions? It was
that whenever martyrs died they went to their death with joy, as to
a feast, as to the Divine Liturgy…”, concluded Archpriest Alexander
Shergunov
Archpriest Alexander Shergunov
Sevastopol, Crimea (Ukraine):
For several years a Crimean retiree Vladimir Golub has been
building an Orthodox Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos in the
village of Mezhgorie all by himself. To dig the foundation he used
his savings which originally he had planned to buy a car with. Here
is how the Golub family lives: from the two pensions – his own and
his wife's – he carves out what ever is necessary for the upkeep of
the house and basic groceries, the rest goes for the construction of
the church. He himself makes trips to the abandoned stone quarry and
extracts stone of the needed size which he then pulls on his cart to
the construction site. Then he makes his cement and lays stone. All
by himself. This is not the first example when a person or a family
of very limited means build a church with their own hands. Is there
another way? Yes, take a mortgages.
London, U.K.:
The Methodist Church is expected to move towards the
consecration of bishops next month, marking the culmination of
nearly 50 years of debate. This would pave the way for full unity
with the Church of England. It could even lead to unity between
Methodists and Anglicans worldwide. The US Methodist Church is
immensely influential, counting President Bush and Bill Clinton as
members. A combined Anglican-Methodist church would create a church
of at least 150 million, making it the third largest, after the
Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. Methodist churches in
most countries outside Britain already have bishops, but they are
not consecrated in the unbroken line of apostolic succession — as
the proposed bishops would be. Methodism broke with this tradition
when John Wesley began ordaining ministers for service in the US.
For Methodist bishops to be part of the apostolic succession, they
would have to be consecrated by a bishop or archbishop from another
church that has remained inside the apostolic succession.
Oklahoma City, OK:
Immunologist Mahmoud Suhail is hoping to open a new chapter in the
history of frankincense. Scientists have observed that there is some
agent within frankincense which stops cancer spreading, and which
induces cancerous cells to close themselves down. He is trying to
find out what this is. "Cancer starts when the DNA code within the
cell's nucleus becomes corrupted," he says. "It seems frankincense
has a re-set function. It can tell the cell what the right DNA code
should be. "Frankincense separates the 'brain' of the cancerous cell
- the nucleus - from the 'body' - the cytoplasm, and closes down the
nucleus to stop it reproducing corrupted DNA codes." Working with
frankincense could revolutionise the treatment of cancer. Currently,
with chemotherapy, doctors blast the area around a tumour to kill
the cancer, but that also kills healthy cells, and weakens the
patient. Treatment with frankincense could eradicate the cancerous
cells alone and let the others live. The task now is to isolate the
agent within frankincense which, apparently, works this wonder. Dr
Suhail (who is originally from Iraq) has teamed up with medical
scientists from the University of Oklahoma for the task. In his
laboratory, he extracts the essential oil from locally produced
frankincense. Then, he separates the oil into its constituent
agents, such as Boswellic acid. "There are 17 active agents in
frankincense essential oil," says Dr Suhail. "We are using a process
of elimination. We have cancer sufferers - for example, a horse in
South Africa - and we are giving them tiny doses of each agent until
we find the one which works." "Some scientists think Boswellic acid
is the key ingredient. But I think this is wrong. Many other
essential oils - like oil from sandalwood - contain Boswellic acid,
but they don't have this effect on cancer cells. So we are starting
afresh." The trials will take months to conduct and whatever results
come out of them will take longer still to be verified.
Berlin, Germany:
Roman Catholic Church in Germany is not much different from
other Vatican branches throughout the globe. The Catholic Church in
Germany has been shaken in recent days by revelations of a series of
sexual abuse cases. Close to 100 priests and members of the laity
have been suspected of abuse in recent years. After years of
suppression, the wall of silence appears to be crumbling, reports
SPIEGEL.
This is what it looks like, the document of a conspiracy: 24 pages,
with appendix, in Latin, published by the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican. A confidential set of
guidelines for all bishops, who were required to keep it a secret
for all eternity. The guidelines, issued in 1962, address a
sensitive subject, which the Vatican doesn't put directly,
preferring to use more guarded terminology to describe what happens
when a priest provokes a penitent "toward impure and obscene
matters" through "words or signs or nods of the head (or) by touch."
Marrakesh, Morocco:
A large, military-led team of Moroccan authorities raided a
Bible study in a small city southeast of Marrakesh two weeks ago,
arresting 18 Moroccans and deporting a U.S. citizen. Approximately
60 officers from the Moroccan security services on Thursday
afternoon (Feb. 4) raided the home of a Christian in Amizmiz, a
picturesque city of 10,000 mainly Berber people 35 miles southeast
of Marrakesh. A church Bible study was in progress at the home with
visitors from western and southern Morocco. Five of the 18 people
held for 14 hours were small children, two of them infants no more
than 6 months old. The other small children ranged from 20 months to
4 years old, and also detained was the visiting 16-year-old nephew
of one of the participants. The Christian leaders said authorities
interrogated participants in the Bible study for 14 hours. The
leader of the Christian group said the raiding party was unusually
large. It included an accompaniment of 15 vehicles led by a colonel
and two captains. "It's the first time in our current Moroccan
history that the Moroccan government used this size of a legion to
attack a small Christian meeting," he said. "All the time they kept
repeating that this was ordered personally by the new Moroccan
Justice Minister and by the highest level General of the
Gendarmerie." Quoting a statement by the Interior Ministry, the
state-run Maghreb Arabe Presse news agency reported that the raid
took place "following information on the organization of a secret
meeting to initiate people into Christianity, which would shake
Muslims' faith and undermine the Kingdom's religious values." The
U.S. citizen was deported immediately after interrogation. Visiting
Moroccans were sent back to their homes in western and southern
Morocco. Authorities seized Bibles, books, two laptops, a digital
camera and one cell phone. Moroccan Penal Code criminalizes any
attempt to induce a Muslim to convert to another religion.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1.
February bulletin covers sponsors are Robert and Maryann Polomchak —
Wedding Anniversary.
2.
Next Sunday, February 28th, we collect non-perishable food items for
Hobart Food Pantry. As always, we ask to bring at least one such
item per family member.
3.
We have begun the Great Lent. We had services every day the first
week of Lent. The services were well-attended and prayerful. To help
us pray, we try to limit the usage of the electrical light during
the services. It is very important that we pray, whereas reading
along is secondary. If you desire to follow the services in your
book, take a candle (usually we have a few half-burned candles on
the table by the books at the back of the church for this purpose),
light it and illumine your book with the light. For some of us this
might seem unusual but it is the way we served molebens during the
week for quite some time.
4.
On Saturday, March 20, at 2 P.M., our parish will host Chicago
Deanery Lenten Mission. Please, mark this day in your calendars and
make sure that we are in church that afternoon.
5.
Yesterday, we had our Soup Sale for the month of February. First,
let us repeat ourselves: when we ask for everybody’s input in
preparation for the Soup Sale we mean it. Yesterday, most of our
product was gone in the first 15-30 minutes. No, we didn’t have
little, but, on the other hand, again, we could have sold more.
Please remember for the next month: anything you can make can
benefit the church. Secondly and lastly, thanks to all who
participated in this fundraiser, the parish made 1,214.00. We ask
all our workers accept our profound gratitude for their untiring
labor for their church and for the glory of God.
6.
In the narthex, we have new ACRY Annuals available at $15.00 a book.
7.
Please, be informed that Rosaline Malinich is at the Dementia Unit
of Chicagoland Christian Village, 6685 E 117th Avenue, Crown Point,
IN 46307
+++++++++++++++
Bulletin - 2/14/10
ORTHODOX IRELAND
By Vladimir De
Beer
Part II
A major divergence between Ireland and Rome lay in the former's
older, and actually incorrect, method of calculating the date of
Pascha, in which the Irish Church used a 84-year cycle based on the
lunar calendar. In contrast, the Roman Church, like the rest of the
Universal Church, used a calendar based on the calculation of the
movements of both the sun and the moon (known now as Julian
Calendar) and ensured that Pascha never fell on the same day as the
Jewish Passover. This aspect would eventually become the main bone
of contention between Rome and the Celts, with Rome winning the
conflict at the Synod of Whitby held in 664. (To this day the
Orthodox Church still calculates the date of Pascha according to
ancient Universal custom, so that the Non-Orthodox Easter falls one
to five weeks before the correct Orthodox Christian Pascha).
Different rites were employed by the Irish and Roman churches in the
sacraments of baptism and episcopal confirmation. Also in the
tonsuring of monks a divergence occurred: while the Roman tonsure
involved shaving the top of the head, the Irish shaved across the
forehead from ear to ear. These methods were ascribed to St Peter
and St John, respectively. Old Irish customs such as storing water
for the feast of the Epiphany (January 6/19) and lighting Paschal
fires to let them burn throughout the year (for example at Kildare)
were also unique. Naturally, on the early Irish crosses Christ is
pictured as the conqueror of death rather than as crucified –
another parallel with the Universal Orthodox practice of Old Rome
and elsewhere, according to which the celebration of the
Resurrection of Christ takes precedence over that of His death, with
Pascha as the main feast of the Church year. The practice only
changed from the late eleventh century on, when heterodoxy began to
portray 'the suffering Jesus' in his human nature as a victim, not
as the Victor. In addition, the study of Greek was undertaken in
Irish monasteries at least until the ninth century, together with
that of Latin and Hebrew.
It is interesting to note that in some of the Irish monastic
settlements not only monks and nuns were to be found, but also
married couples and families. This is a further parallel between
Irish and Universal Orthodox practice, with married priests being
the norm in the Orthodox Church to this day, without in any way
diminishing the vital importance of the monastic vocation in the
Church. The very organization of the Irish Church was of a monastic
nature, with the abbot or abbess being the highest authority in a
given area. This was in contrast to the diocesan structure of the
rest of the Church, in which the bishop is the highest authority.
Saint Hilary of Poitiers
In addition to the monastery at Lérins that served as an important
link between the Irish and Eastern Churches, Poitiers in France was
a further conduit of Orthodoxy to the West. This was the final abode
of St Hilary (300-367), a bishop who was banished to Phrygia by
Emperor Constantius II when the saint raised his voice in defense of
the Orthodox Christians persecuted by the Arians. Hilary went from
Phrygia to Poitiers where he wrote a book dedicated to the ‘Irish
bishops'. This implies contact between the Greek-speaking and Irish
churches via France during the fourth century already. Early in the
6th century, a monastery would be founded at Poitiers by the Irish
missionary St Fridolin.
Iona Monastery
Another affinity that the Irish shared with the Orthodox practice
was its own form of the liturgy. Over the centuries the Orthodox
Church has maintained a variety of liturgies, all of ancient origin,
such as the liturgies of St John Chrysostom, St James the Apostle
and St Basil the Great. Evidence of a pre-Roman liturgy of the Irish
Church can be found in manuscripts such as the Antiphonary of
Bangor, a collection of hymns and prayers dating from around 680.
These texts radiate a Christian view of the world that echoes the
Psalms in praise of God's creation, as in the writings of the Church
Fathers. All of creation is viewed as a vast whole, without the
dualism of spirit and matter that would become the dominant
post-Patristic medieval Western heterodox cosmology. It is pertinent
to note that the metaphysical system expounded by the Irish
philosopher John Scottus Eriugena would also reflect this awareness
of the unity of all creation. This reinforces our view that Irish
Christianity was a holistic, Patristic faith.
Irish missionary activity
From their base in Ireland, missionaries spread out over Britain and
continental Europe, proclaiming the Gospel, baptizing the people,
and establishing places of worship and instruction. They often
wandered about in groups of seven, or more often twelve, plus a
leader, following the example of Christ and His twelve apostles.
According to a 1966 study by Georges and Bernadette
Cerbelaud-Salagnac, nearly 300 Irish missionaries went to Britain
and the Continent. An even larger number set out from the monastery
at Luxeuil (which was founded by St Columban in Belgium around 591)
to the surrounding lands.
The major figures in this enormous Irish missionary activity were St
Columcille, who founded the monastery on Iona and evangelized the
Scots and Picts; St Aidan, who founded the monastery on Lindisfarne
and evangelized the Northumbrians; St Fridolin, who founded
monasteries in France and Germany; St Fursey, who founded
monasteries in East Anglia and Gaul; St Kilian, who did missionary
work among the East Franks and the Thuringians, and suffered
martyrdom; St Gall, the Enlightener of Switzerland; and St Columban,
who founded monasteries in Belgium, Switzerland and Italy against
fierce opposition. We will look at their lives further on in this
essay.
Apart from a major impact that was made in Britain, the German lands
and as far south as Italy, the Irish missionaries also ventured into
the North Atlantic and Scandinavia. The notable contribution made by
St Brendan the Voyager will be discussed further on. According to
Dicuil, an Irish scholar at the court of Charlemagne, Irish settlers
had been living in the Faeroe Islands for several centuries by the
year 800. We may safely assume that this would have included
missionary activity, given the close link between religion and
everyday life in Celtic Christianity. Old Irish parchments, bells
and bishops' staffs were found on Iceland, predating the Viking era.
Furthermore, the ornamentation of Norwegian stave churches showed
Irish influence as late as the thirteenth century. There must
therefore have been some Irish contribution to the conversion of
Scandinavia to Christianity, although further historical evidence is
lacking.
The end of the Irish Church
From 795 Ireland was subjected to the constant threat of Viking
raids, the first recorded one taking place on Lambay Island near
Dublin. For the next 40 years these raids would occur randomly, but
from the late 830's the Vikings began to use Ireland as a permanent
base. The Norwegian and Danish invasions of Ireland during the 9th
and 10th centuries almost destroyed the monastic life of the
country. Great monastic centres such as Armagh, Bangor, Clonfert and
Clonmacnoise were plundered by the Vikings, with many monks being
killed by the heathen invaders. Even the famous island monastery of
Iona had to be abandoned by 830. An interesting architectural legacy
of these raids and invasions is the round towers found in Ireland
and also in Viking-beset East Anglia in England. These imposing
structures served as places of security for people and treasures,
with a fair number having survived both the Vikings and the radical
Protestants. At times the Irish kingdoms fought back, for instance
when the Viking chieftain Thorgest, who had desecrated Clonmacnoise
and put his wife on the high altar, was captured and drowned by the
king of the O'Neill dynasty. On the positive side, the Vikings
founded major Irish towns such as Dublin, Wexford, Waterford, Cork
and Limerick, from where they traded with both the Irish and their
fellow Norsemen in the Hebrides, Man and elsewhere. As so often
happens in human history, God brings good even out of the most
disastrous events.
Most of the ancient Irish manuscripts were lost in this stormy
period, the surviving ones often being taken to the Continent by
monks. Early in the 11th century King Brian of Munster sent
messengers to the Continent to buy back some of the ancient
manuscripts. This monastic vacuum opened the door for the Roman
Church to obtain a foothold in Ireland, with large numbers of
Augustinian and Benedictine monasteries eventually replacing the
lost native ones.
The migration of Irish monks to the Continent was brought about not
only by the negative aspect of Viking invasions, but also by the
positive aspect of the attraction of the Carolingian court in
France, who welcomed intellectuals from other parts of Western
Europe. This explains the presence of notable Irish scholars such as
Martin Hiberniensis, Sedulius Scotus and John Scottus Eriugena at
the Frankish centres of learning during the ninth century. Through
their educational work on the Continent the Irish monks brought
about the end of the Dark Ages there.
Most of Western Europe followed Rome in its breach with the
multinational East, formalized by mutual excommunications in 1054
and sealed by the sacking of Constantinople by Roman Catholic
Crusaders in 1204. For Western Christianity this severance from its
Middle Eastern and Greek roots would prove to be disastrous from
every point of view – theological, moral, cultural, and
socio-political. However, the Irish Church remained for all
practical purposes an autonomous Church, even though it was not
formally in communion with the Orthodox Church in the Middle East,
the Eastern Roman Empire and Kievan Rus. The Anglo-Norman invasion
of Ireland, first under Strongbow in 1170 and a year later under the
Anglo-Norman King Henry II, was therefore encouraged by Pope Adrian
IV, the first and only Englishman to occupy the pontifical throne,
in order to bring the Irish Church into the Roman fold. Already in
1154 Adrian had issued a papal bull calling for a Norman invasion of
Ireland, so that ‘the true Christian religion’ (i.e. Roman
Catholicism) could be planted in Ireland.
The first step in the Roman takeover of the Irish Church in its home
base was taken when the Norman-imposed Italian Archbishop Lanfranc
of Canterbury claimed superiority over the Irish Church in 1072.
Early in the twelfth century Armagh in the north and Cashel in the
south were raised to the status of Roman Archdioceses, with Armagh
soon to become the Metropolia for the whole of the Irish Church.
Before long Dublin and Tuam would also become archdioceses, thereby
weakening the hold of Canterbury over the Irish Church, without
diminishing Roman hegemony. Over the centuries Armagh has retained
its pre-eminent status in both the Roman Catholic and Anglican
churches, both Cathedrals there being dedicated to St Patrick.
To Be Continued
. . . . . . . . .
News From All The Ends Of The Earth . . . . . . . .
Constantinople (Istanbul), Turkey:
Deputies of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly
urged Turkish government to allow the Patriarch of Constantinople
the right to include adjective “Ecumenical” in his title. This
request is contained in Resolution 1704 “Freedom of religion and
other human rights of non-Muslim minorities in Turkey and the Muslim
minority in Thrace”. The original text of the resolution, prepared
by French deputy Michel Hunault, used the phrase “Greek Patriarch in
Istanbul” for the Patriarch of Constantinople. However, after the
intervention of the Bulgarian deputy Latchezar Toshev, who declared
that usage false and unhistorical, PACE changed the word “Greek” to
“Ecumenical”, and urged the Turkish government to recognise this as
the title of the Patriarch of Constantinople. Turkey has been
refusing to recognize Bartholomew I as the spiritual leader of Greek
Diaspora for many years and reduced his status to the head of the
local Greek Orthodox community. On the other hand, the Orthodox
insisted that the title ’Ecumenical’ is founded in the Church canons
and Church tradition. The title “Ecumenical”, as the Patriarch of
Constantinople uses it, is the historical legacy of the Byzantine
Empire, the borders of which were identified with the boundaries “of
the civilised world”. This title was given to the Patriarch of
Constantinople since the city was the capital of a Christian empire
(which Constantinople enjoyed till 1453, when it passed its status
to Moscow), but it never meant that the Ecumenical Patriarch had any
authority over any other Local Church.
New York, NY:
On February 6, 2010, the honorable head of the universal teacher, St
John Chrysostom, housed at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in
Moscow, was brought to the Synodal Cathedral of Our Lady of the
Sign. The relic remained there for the faithful to venerate until
February 11. On February 6, during all-night vigil, during the
singing of "Praise the Name of the Lord," the reliquary was brought
into the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Sign by the Senior Priest of
Christ the Savior Cathedral, Protopriest Michael Ryazantsev. The
next morning, His Grace Bishop Gabriel of Montreal and Canada
officiated at Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral. The visit of the
relics of St John coincided with a regular session of the Synod of
Bishops. Parishioners from various US cities came to New York, as
well as from Toronto, Canada. Hierarchal Divine Liturgy was
celebrated at the Synodal Cathedral on February 7 and 9, the latter
being the feast day of St John Chrysostom. On February 11, Divine
Liturgy was headed by His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion along with
the other members of the Synod of Bishops. After that service, the
relic was brought to St Nicholas Patriarchal Cathedral, where it
remained until February 12, when the delegation accompanying it
returned with it to Moscow.
Reception of the Honorable Head of Holy Hierarch John Chrysostom in
New York
Los Angeles, CA:
Rector of the Transfiguration Cathedral in Los-Angeles Archpriest
Alexander Lebedev has provided spiritual care for actors and staff
members of the world “dream factory” for almost thirty years. “Many
of our parishioners work in film studios as directors and actors.
There’ve always been many actors in our parish who actively
participated in church life. Such famous actresses as Natalie Wood
and Sandra Dee were my parishioners,” said Fr. Alexander. According
to him, today several Hollywood stars, including Jeniffer Aniston,
are Orthodox. Tom Hanks, who is also an Orthodox Christian, is an
active guardian of Hagia Sophia Church in Constantinople. Fr.
Alexander noted that many Americans converted to Orthodoxy after
marrying to Greek or Russian women; for example, famous baseball
player Alex Rodriguez. The priest told that active member of his
parochial community actor Pavel Lychnikov had recently invited him
to bless a film studio before filming a new film there. Orthodox
faith inspires some Hollywood actors to lead less bohemian lifestyle
and overcome temptations. “Certainly, we try to help them control
themselves. So that women participating in movies observed
proprieties and chastity. Sometimes there’s a possibility to
influence their choice in favor of scenarios of moral character,”
Fr. Alexander said.
Archpriest Alexander
Lebedev
Nashville, TN:
A German couple who fled to Tennessee so they could homeschool their
children was granted political asylum Tuesday by a U.S. immigration
judge. The decision clears the way for Uwe Romeike, his wife and
five children to stay in Morristown, TN, where they have been living
since 2008. The Romeikes were persecuted for homeschooling their
children in Germany, where school attendance is compulsory. When the
Romeikes wouldn't comply with repeated orders to send the children
to school, police came to their home one October morning in 2006 and
took the children to school. German state constitutions require
children to attend public or private schools and parents can face
fines or prison time if they don't comply. In November 2007,
Germany's highest appellate court ruled that, in severe cases,
social services officials could remove children from their parents.
After that decision, Romeike said, "We knew we had to leave the
country." "During the last 10-20 years the curriculum in public
schools has been more and more against Christian values," he said of
his decision to teach his children at home. Romeike said that when
his oldest children were in public schools they had problems with
violence, bullying and peer pressure. "I think it's important for
parents to have the freedom to chose the way their children can be
taught," Romeike said. Romeike said the couple was fined the
equivalent of about $10,000 over a two-year period. "We didn't pay
it all because we couldn't," he said. "We went to court and tried to
fight against it – without success."
London, U.K.:
A Muslim bus driver stunned passengers by pulling over mid-route and
beginning to pray in the aisle. The driver stopped the bus without
warning before removing his shoes and, using a fluorescent jacket as
a prayer mat, beginning to chant in Arabic. Passengers said they
feared the driver could be preparing for a terror attack. No one was
able to get on or off the vehicle during the five-minute prayer
session. Mother-of-one Miss Griffiths, 33, of Camden, north-west
London described it in the following words: 'We had just picked up
and let off people at a bus stop and moved off again when the driver
stopped the bus very suddenly. He got out of his cab, leaving the
engine running, and walked towards the middle exit door. He laid out
a fluorescent jacket on the floor and I thought that somebody must
have been sick and he was covering it up. But then he took off his
shoes and began praying. I was gobsmacked and quite bewildered.'
Miss Griffiths said the bus driver didn't give the passengers any
explanation as to what he was doing. He hadn't addressed the
passengers at all,' she said. 'I didn't say anything and nor did
anyone else. I thought it would all be over in 30 seconds but it
went on for over five minutes. It even went through my mind that
this might be some sort of terrorist attack with the bus blown up
because I had heard that suicide bombers prayed before attacks. He
was also blocking the exit, so if something had happened we would
not have been able to get off. Everyone was looking round in a mix
of shock and amazement. It was truly bizarre, ludicrous and
aggravating. We live in a multi-cultural society but there is a time
and a place for prayer and the middle of a journey with a busload of
passengers is not it’, reported the
Daily Mail.
Moscow, Russia:
Many intellectuals in the West are embarrassed to confess their
faith, Tatiana Goricheva, an Orthodox philosopher, journalist and
missionary said. “Academic environment in Europe dramatically
differs from ours. Even if a person is a serious believer, he will
keep silence about it or offer some snobby excuses for his religious
feeling. Thus, a question of faith in Western intellectual circles
is a taboo,” Goricheva said in her interview published by the
Thomas
magazine. Sociologist Levi-Stross, a close friend of hers, told her,
“he secretly meets with like-minded people to talk about their
faith.” Goricheva delivers her lections on Orthodoxy all around the
world for Christians of different confessions, politicians, public
figures, representatives of scientific and culture elite. According
to the journalist, “people in the West can’t make sense of their
lives as if they are torn apart” and try to escape depression with
the help of ideology. Even some pastors “are lying on
psychoanalysts’ sofas.” “Clerics in the West are often very lonely
and in state of depression,” Goricheva said.
Kiev, Ukraine:
Archbishop Ionafan of Tulchin and Bratslav expressed hope that new
Ukrainian authorities would change policy on church question. “We
hope after presidential elections and change of power in Ukraine,
vector of state policy on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church will
positively change,” said the Archbishop. He pointed out that all
recent years the Ukrainian Orthodox Church experienced “very tough
pressure from Yuschenko and his allies.” “It was rude interference
into the Church affairs, attempts to solve church questions
bypassing Church authority in Ukraine, bypassing His Holiness
Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. We pray to God those times are
over,” he said. He mentioned, “God loves truth” and expressed an
opinion that “this truth will be revealed at the elections, and
we’ll soon see what it’s like, there’s not much time left.”
Archbishop Ionafan
Cairo, Egypt:
An eight-year, $14.5 million restoration of St. Anthony’s Monastery,
said to be the world’s oldest Christian monastery, was officially
unveiled by Egypt on Thursday. Officials said the 1,600-year-old
monastery, in the Red Sea Mountains, was evidence of
Christian-Muslim coexistence. The unveiling came a month after
Egypt’s worst sectarian violence in over a decade, in which gunman
killed seven people outside a church on the Orthodox Christmas Eve.
“The announcement we are making today shows to the world how we are
keen to restore the monuments of our past, whether Coptic, Jewish or
Muslim,” said Zahi Hawass, general secretary of Egypt’s Supreme
Council of Antiquities.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1.
February bulletin covers sponsors
are Robert and Maryann Polomchak — Wedding Anniversary.
2.
Tomorrow, Monday, February 15th, the Holy Orthodox
Church enters the Holy and Great Lent. We are calling upon all our
faithful to enter the forty-day struggle against our passions and
self-centeredness.
3.
This coming Saturday is our monthly Soup Sale. We
ask all parishioners to contribute to this event.
4.
On Saturday, March 20, at 2 P.M., our parish will
host Chicago Deanery Lenten Mission. Please, mark this day in your
calendars and make sure that we are in church that afternoon.
5.
It is, or rather was a common knowledge that the
furnace in the church hall was broken beyond repair. Last week, with
the consent of all the members of the church board, a new furnace
was purchased for $2,100.00. It would be good for us, especially
knowing that last year our church was in the red several thousand
dollars, to try and raise the twenty-one hundred. Therefore, please
consider adding extra in your offering each Sunday, earmarked for
‘New Furnace’.
++++++++++++++++
Bulletin - 2/7/10
Elder Paisios of the
Holy
Mountain
On Spiritual Life
7
On the 16th of this month, there arrive at our hometown of
Konitsa a wolf in sheep's skin – H.K. (follower of Apostolos
Makrakis (1831-1905) who among other things preached necessity of
frequent communion without proper preparation) – and was
distributing books, exuding poison of the disguised prelest
(spiritual delusion). He desires to commune daily despite of the
fact that he ate shish-kabob the night before.
Of course, I have never met Makrakis, but I can see
his awful misconceptions. I also know many of his followers. H.K. is
one of them. Father Philoptheos Zervakos is renouncing him, as well.
Besides the great temptation – the issue of daily communion, when he
desired to commune daily although he ate meat the day before, let me
tell you about his another misunderstanding. He was praying in a
hotel for some foreigner that God would enlighten him. He began his
prayer with “Blessed is Our God always, now and ever...”The
foreigner asked him: “You must be a priest?” He answered: “Who are
priests? What is Church? I feel I am an angel...” When we, the monks
who bear the angelic image, begin the prayer with the words “Through
the prayers of the Holy Fathers”, he begins with “Blessed is Our
God” and feels himself very exalted.
You write that the holy canons do not prescribe
fasting before the Holy Communion. I do not deny that. But they
speak about preparation. How God commanded Moses to prepare himself
for the reception of the commandments? Didn't He, among other
things, commanded him to fast? Since the canons were written at the
time when martyrdom was an everyday reality, the Holy Fathers didn't
prescribe fasting (before communion), for every Christian lived in
expectation of having to suffer for Christ, they simply didn't know
when exactly it would happen. The Holy Fathers didn't establish
fasting back then, since it was difficult to fast all the time. At
that time the prophetic words of King David were fulfilled: “For Thy
sake we were killed all day long, we were counted as sheep for the
slaughter” (Ps. 43:23). But later, both Mogila and Kritopoulos spoke
about that fast which was established by the Orthodox Church. At any
rate, Athonite monks are posed extremely against the Makrakisites
and one can often hear: “If you even see a Makrakisite among the
saints on a fresco – wipe his image off”.
8
One visitor saw the Elder drinking unstrained tea,
so he expressed a desire to bring the Elder a strainer on his next
visit. But the Elder told him: “My child, don't do that, because
next I am going to need a nail to hang the strainer on”.
9
Many of Elder's visitors were bringing him all kinds
of food as a token of their gratitude and also as an expression of
their love and respect for the Elder. He would always give the
groceries away, leaving nothing at all for himself. When asked why
he wouldn't keep at least something for himself, the Elder answered:
“If I start keeping the food there is going to be a supermarket
here! I also recollect the Israelites whom God gave manna every day.
But if anyone kept it for the following day the manna would spoil.
We should have hope in the Divine Providence”.
10
The Elder said: “Man has to lose some of his cold
reason and become a person of heart, a person of faith and profound
reverence and fear of God, then he will see real miracles in his
life”.
11
Once someone complained to the Elder that to one and
the same question he would give different answers to different
people. To this the Elder answered: “Well, my beloved, I give
everyone that vitamin which he lacks!”
12
Elder said that there are two kinds of people. The
first are like flies which come and land on any dirt in sight. If
the fly happen to be in a garden full of fragrant flowers, it is not
going to sit on them but it is going to find some manure and will
sit on it. So do the people who seek and find only the bad and
ignore the good which is around them. The other kind are like the
bee which sits there where there is the goodness and sweetness. If
it finds itself in a large room full of filth with a piece of lokum
in a corner, it will immediately head for lokum, and not for the
filth. So do the people who have good thoughts: they see only the
good. Let every man choose the category which he wants to belong to
and let him look for the people with the like mindset. “A for me,”
said the Elder, “I wish people were like bees”.
ORTHODOX IRELAND
By Vladimir De
Beer
Part I
It
is generally believed that St Patrick brought the Christian Faith to
Ireland, his traditional title being Apostle of the Irish. Without
wishing to diminish St Patrick's importance in any way, it is
relevant to point out that in 431 St Palladius was sent to Ireland
by St Celestine I, the Pope of Rome, as the first bishop of the
Emerald Isle, with the task of administering the sacraments ‘to the
Irish who professed Christ'. There must therefore have been numbers
of Christians in
Ireland
by the time St Patrick arrived in the following year. Furthermore,
the Apostle of the Irish admitted in a letter that the law of God
was well planted in Ireland ‘in days of old', and that he did not
wish to take credit for the work of his predecessors. It seems
likely that St Patrick was also sent to Ireland to combat the
Pelagian heresy, the
Irish
Church being suspected of Pelagian tendencies at the time. Having
said as much, it is nevertheless a fact that Ireland at that time
was still overwhelmingly pagan, with most of the population
practising a nature-based religion that was administered by elders
called druids. A hundred years after St Patrick, the Christian Faith
was still only established in parts of the island.
 St Patrick is traditionally credited with organizing the Irish
Church, although his activities were concentrated mainly in the
northern province of
Ulster. It is likely that St Patrick received his spiritual
instruction in the south of France, at the monastery of Lérins. This
great institution was founded by St Honoratus in 375, upon his
return from Greece where he had become familiar with Orthodox
Christian monasticism. Like many future Irish monasteries, Lérins
was situated on a small island. For the next three centuries Lérins
would be a beacon of Orthodox spirituality in the midst of a worldly
Latin environment. One of the great figures attached to Lérins was
St John Cassian, who strove to preserve the Orthodox Faith against
deviations from sound doctrine by certain extreme followers of
Blessed Augustine.
Lérins Monastery
When St Palladius, St Patrick and their fellow
evangelists came to
Ireland there
were more than a hundred kingdoms of varying sizes to be found on
the island. The people of each kingdom were known as the
tuath,
while the king bore the title of
ri. Society was highly organised and stratified,
reminiscent of the Vedic caste system. At the top were the druids,
bards, lawmen and doctors, while the slaves at the base of the
system had no rights. As remarked by historian David Ross, the
concept of territorial dioceses could not function in such a social
system. Each tuath had
to be converted separately and each had to have its own Church
structure, with priests and bishops effectively replacing the
druids. Eventually five provincial kingdoms arose in the place of
this hotchpotch of petty rulers: Munster in the south of the island,
Leinster and Meath in the east, Connaught in the west, and Ulster in
the north. On the odd occasion, such as the reign of Brian Boru
(1002-1014), one of the provincial kings would claim the high
kingship over all Ireland, based at the ancient site of Tara in
County Meath. This high kingship was never uncontested or of any
lasting significance. Although politically divided, before the
Anglo-Norman invasion the Irish people were more or less united by
three important factors: the Brehon law code, the Gaelic language
and the Christian Faith.
From the time of his arrival in
Ireland St
Patrick set about converting the population to Christianity,
founding churches and sowing the seeds of monasticism. His teaching
was strongly Trinitarian and nature-based and upon this theology the
Irish Church would be built. In contrast to many of later
Non-Orthodox missionaries, he displayed a notable respect for the
native spirituality and traditions that he encountered on the
Emerald Isle. Instead of exiling or killing the druids for being
‘pagan', he converted them to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In this
way, an Irish Christianity came into being that, to the canonical
extent possible, was in harmony with pre-Christian spirituality.
Through the dedication and perseverance of St Patrick and his
successors, Ireland became a bastion of Christianity. As a matter of
fact, the Irish Church was to remain faithful to Orthodox
Christianity for several centuries to come, while the rest of the
Western
Church, especially from the late eighth century, began increasingly
to deviate from the ancient Orthodox Christian Faith. The year 500
is reckoned as the commencement of the Golden Age of the
Irish
Church. Over the next century monasteries would be established all
over Ireland. The unprecedented upsurge of Christianity in this part
of the world can be witnessed from the fact that in the first 250
years following St Patrick's arrival, Eire produced around 500
recognized saints. None of them was martyred, except on the
Continent, which confirms the existence of a close affinity between
the ancient Christian Faith and traditional Irish spirituality.
The Eastern
Connection
By the early Middle Ages, also known as the Dark
Ages because much of Western Europe had become severed from its
Orthodox Christian foundations with all the ignorance and
superstition that followed, the Irish Church preached an Orthodox
Christianity free of Roman legalism and was in effect a provincial
form of the Orthodox Christianity. Although the
Irish Church
acknowledged the Pope of Rome as the highest dignitary in the
Western Patriarchate, it did not accept his judicial authority as
the later Roman Church did. This was a position like the present
Orthodox view of the Pope as being
primus inter pares: first among equals, referring to the shared dignity of the
five ancient Patriarchates of Jerusalem,
Antioch, Rome,
Alexandria and Constantinople. The latter, also called New Rome, was
in fact raised to a level of honour on an equal level with Old Rome
at the Fourth Ecumenical Council in 451.
To Be Continued
. . . . . . . . . .
. News From All The Ends Of The Earth . . . . . . . . . .
Johnstown, PA:
The Chancery of the Caraptho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of the USA is
most pleased to report that the Diocese has collected $39,978.07 for
the disaster in
Haiti.
The Chancery correspondence reads: “A combined check from the
Diocese will be sent to IOCC in a matter of days. We thank you for
responding so quickly. Just watching the disaster on TV indicates
how badly they need the help of all good people. We also have heard
how many of the parishes have sent the health kits to IOCC. We here
at the Cathedral gave out 63 - gallon plastic bags for the
parishioners to fill and bring back the following Sunday. However,
ninety-three bags came back. People are generous. If we receive more
checks in the mail after today, we will give you all an update.
Thank you and God Bless all of you!”
Washington, D.C.:
The world is intently monitoring the process as the US military
moves towards full and overt acceptance of sodomites in its ranks.
Many believe that by legalizing sodomy and by removing it from the
list of things a person needs to be ashamed of, he is signing death
sentence to his own country. The first black
US
President is not aware that military service to one's own country is
more than just that. Army has always been a guardian of the healthy
conservatism, which no society can survive without. Provided that in
the US, all the Christian basic principles are undermined and we
already have 'priests' who do not conceal their 'alternative sexual
orientation', Army remains the last stronghold of the remnants of
traditionalism.
Belgrade, Serbia:
Russia will donate $2 million to four monasteries in Serbian
district of Kosovo and Metochia, Serbian Minister of Culture Nebojsa
Bradic told Serbian RTS TV. These funds will be forwarded to
renovate and secure protection of monasteries Visoki Decani,
Gracanica, Mother of God of Levis and the Patriarchal See of Pec.
“It’s planned to allocate $400 thousand out of $2 million donated by
Russia to restore paintings in the Monastery of Mother of God of
Levis. Other monasteries will receive money not only to renew
paintings, but to restore and secure protection of monastery
complexes,” the Minister said.
Donaueschingen, Germany:
A German dentist refused to treat a 16-year-old boy this week
because his first name means Jihad, the youth's father said Friday.
The family in Donaueschingen, southern
Germany,
may ask police to charge the woman with discrimination over the
alleged incident, which happened on Tuesday. The teenager went to
the orthodontist to have his dental brace adjusted - but she
reportedly said she considered his name a declaration of war on
non-Muslims and sent him away. The boy is named Cihad, the spelling
in
Turkey
of jihad, which is a common male forename in Islamic nations.
Ankara, Turkey:
A Turkish teenager found dead in a hole next to her house was
probably buried alive, a post-mortem examination has revealed.
Medine Memi, 16, was found in the hole in December. So-called
"honour killings" take place every year in Turkey despite government
moves to stamp out the practice. Two months after police found
Medine's body buried in the garden of her family home, a team of
doctors at a university in
Malatya
has completed the post-mortem examination. According to the report,
there was only minor bruising on her body, and no evidence of her
being drugged. Her hands had been tied behind her back, and they
discovered large amounts of soil in her lungs and stomach. The
autopsy has concluded that she was almost certainly buried alive.
The police went to her home after a neighbour reported that Medine
had not been seen for a month. They found her body in a hole, newly
covered with concrete, next to the hen-house. A local organisation
that campaigns against honour killings said the victim, one of 10
children, had gone three times to the police to complain that she
was being beaten, but she was sent back to her family each time.
Medine, who had never been to school, lived in Kahta, a town in the
mainly Kurdish south-east of Turkey, where most honour killings have
taken place. When girls or women are deemed to have stained the
family honour, by behaviour as innocent as simply talking to boys,
there is strong peer pressure from the community on the male members
of the family to restore their honour. The only way allowed by their
code is to kill the girl or woman - usually a young man is given the
task after a family council meeting, and the method and location of
the killing are discussed in detail. Afterwards, the family will try
to pretend she never existed. According the statistics from the
prime minister's office, there were 16 honour killings in Medine's
province
of Adiyaman between 2003 and 2007. Independent sources say the
official figures are almost certainly too low.
Lancaster, CA:
The mayor of Lancaster is being criticized for telling residents
that the
Antelope
Valley town is a growing Christian community and they should be
proud of that. Mayor R. Rex Parris made the remarks at the end of
his annual State of the City address last week. The Greater Los
Angeles area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations has
denounced the comments. The chapter says it plans to file a civil
rights complaint with the U.S. Justice Department. Executive
Director Hussam Ayloush says elected officials shouldn't be using
their public positions to impose their religious beliefs. Parris
told the Los Angeles Times
that he
had no such intentions and says he won't apologize. Lancaster is a
desert bedroom community about 40 miles northeast of
Los Angeles.
Sevastopol, Ukraine:
On February 14, as part of the Maslenitsa (Meat-fare Week)
celebrations, residents of Sevastopol are going to bake the world
biggest pancake with honey. Representatives of the Ukrainian Book of
Records will document the fact and then apply for registering the
record in the Guinness Book. According to the company director
Alexander Grachev, such a decision was taken by Sevastopol
enterprises and public organizations which are also organizers of
the action. Commanders of Ukrainian Navy, ships and coastal fleet
will participate in the “Maslenitsa in the Navy” action. Commander
of Ukrainian Navy Admiral Igor Tenyukh decided that the biggest
pancake would be divided among best crews and students of the naval
school.
Moscow, Russia:
When it comes to fighting today's challenges, the Catholic Church
and the Orthodox Church stand side-by-side on a number of issues,
said Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. "We have similar
positions on many problems facing Christians in the modern world.
They include aggressive secularization, globalization, and the
erosion of the traditional moral principles. It should be noted that
on these issues Pope Benedict XVI has taken a stance close to the
Orthodox one," said the Patriarch. There are growing differences
with Protestant denominations, he said. Over the recent years, "the
Russian Church has seen less protestant communities cooperating in
the cause of preserving the Christian legacy" due to "the relentless
liberalization of the Protestant world," the Patriarch said. "Alas,
not only have they failed to conduct a real propagation of the
Christian values among the secular society, many Protestant
communities prefer to adjust to its standards," said Patriarch
Kirill, recalling, in particular, the recent election of female
bishop Margot Kassmann as head of the Evangelical Church in Germany.
In a dialogue with Protestants, the Orthodox Church should search
for the very possibility of overcoming fundamental differences, and
if that proves impossible, "there remains many other important
issues, not directly related with achieving unity in faith and the
ecumenical structure, but important in terms of cooperating for the
sake of peace, justice, preserving the Divine Creation and in
solving other problems that require joint efforts from the people
who believe in the Holy Trinity," the Patriarch said.
Belgrade, Serbia:
Newly-elected Serbian Patriarch Irinej called position of Kosovo
Serbs “the greatest tragedy of today’s world.” The Patriarch said
that Serbs living in the district “are in the hardest position,
hardest that ever existed there.” “The tragedy is that powerful
authorities know it, but pretend not to see or not to know. They
sided with those who have expelled us from Kosovo and Metochia over
hundred years. Many people, unable to oppose, had to run and Serbian
population of the district is decreasing. Those, who want to come
back, don’t have a chance to do it. Those, who live there in their
houses and small estates, are not sure that they will come back
alive, if they leave their houses,” Patriarch Irinej said. Answering
the questions, he further said division between Monte Negro and
Serbia was “an absurd and unreasonable thing to do.” “We are one
nation, though we’ve renounced it more than once. Instead of closing
up in this difficult time for the whole nation, it came to
separation and nothing can justify it. Will they (Montenegrins)
understand it? I don’t know. Perhaps, some powerful people stand
behind these events, may be they rule it all and it depends on
them,” the Patriarch said. He specially greeted Serbs residing
outside of former Yugoslavia and urged them to protect their
vernacular and cultural and religious traditions. “I hope that our
people will not lose its affiliation to the Orthodox Serbian Church
of Saint Sava and will worthily witness to themselves, to their
origin among people the Serbs are now living with,” the Patriarch
said.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1.
February bulletin covers sponsor are Robert and Maryann Polomchak —
Wedding Anniversary.
2.
Next Sunday, February 14th, immediately after the Divine Liturgy,
all our faithful are invited to a Baby Shower for Marjorie Kunch. It
is most likely that Christopher and Marjorie are having a boy. If in
doubt what to get for the baby, a Wal-Mart Gift Card would work
great.
3.
This Sunday the Eternal light is offered by Anne Springman, Madge
Petri and Helen Urban in memory of Pauline Anthony for her birthday.
May Our Lord rest the soul of His handmaid Pauline with the
righteous!
4.
As the Great Lent is approaching, this week we no longer should be
eating meat but it is the last week when we may eat fish, dairy and
eggs.
5.
On Saturday, March 20, at
2 P.M.,
our parish will host Chicago Deanery Lenten Mission. Please, mark
this day in your calendars and make sure that we are in church that
afternoon.
6.
Our Soup Sale this month is February 20th. We have a sheet in the
narthex for the soups, baked goods and any other product you are
going to make. Also, there is a list for the monetary donations to
help us purchase the needed supplies.
7.
Next Sunday, February 14, we take our traditional collection for
Mission Fund.
8.
We continue to take orders for the nut rolls. Put your name on the
list and you can have your nut roll the following week.
Bulletin - 1/31/10
Elder Paisios of the
Holy
Mountain
On Spiritual Life
1
What does Christ demand from us? Can one
reach all virtues? If it is impossible, how can one keep from
falling into despair?” To these puzzling questions Elder Paisios
gave the following answer: “Purity, divine justice, humility, love,
non-possessiveness and all virtues — all these are one and the same
thing. One virtue contains all virtues in the same fashion as one
passion contains all passions. Our soul has to purify itself and
decrease its desires. What do the Americans do when they want to
launch a rocket from the Earth into space? They count backwards: 10,
9, 8, 7, 6… 1, 0, and they launch the rocket. The same way we are
going to reach zero by cutting off our will, the same way we are
going to be exalted.”
2
Observing the behavior of some clergy
and laity we have found out that they, being lukewarm and easily
inclined to sin themselves, are strict and severe towards others.
The Elder condemned this and used to say that “the spiritual man is
strict towards himself but very lenient towards others and doesn’t
use the holy canons as a weapon against them (people).”
3
Contemporary Christians do not truly put
their hope on the Divine Providence. They plan, calculate and act
according to the economic data. From the Christian point of view
such tactics are incorrect. A believer has to place his hope in God
and not in the material welfare. It is significant what the Elder
had to say about the need of placing all our trust in the Divine
Providence: “In order entrust everything to the Divine Providence we
have to cleanse ourselves from all worldly cares. Only then the
Divine Providence is going to act. For example: he who is trying to
save money either for a rainy day or so that he wouldn’t need
anything is relying on money, not on God. Firstly, he has to stop
loving money and relying on it and only then he can rely on God. You
cannot have both. I am not saying that he should use money, but that
he wouldn’t hope that it is going to get him through.”
4
In our day and age, people talk a lot
about all sorts of insurances. We insure our cars, homes, our
children, our life. But nevertheless, we feel unprotected. We feel
the emptiness which oppresses and depresses us. Elder would say that
“people feel insecure because they carry insurances! They have
gotten insured by the world and feel unprotected.”
5
Divine grace cannot act where there is
no struggle against passions. Elder used to say that “we need to
cleanse our soul from passions. The more the person cleanses
himself, the more the Divine grace acts in him. One depends on the
other. When the person is cleansed from passions, then he can see
both: the Divine grace and the fulfillment of what Christ has
promised us.”
6
Often, when talking with the pilgrims,
the Elder spoke justice — human and divine. He would make a
distinctive difference between the two and, naturally, he exhorted
his visitors to follow the divine justice. To be understood he used
one simple example: “Two people sit at the table. They have ten
apricots. If one of them, yielding to the demon of gluttony, eats
seven and leaves three to the other person, his action is unjust. If
they eat five apricots each — this is human justice which doesn’t
receive a great reward. But if one of them pretends that he doesn’t
like apricots and will eat only one, leaving the other nine to the
other person, he will be acting according to the divine justice. He
is going to receive the greatest reward from God.”
To Be Continued
HELP HAITI
The emails started flying almost
as soon as word got out.
Haiti had been devastated by its worst earthquake in 200 years and
the ladies of Holy Cross Antiochian Orthodox Church in a quiet
suburb south of Baltimore went to work. "We decided that children or
anyone who was going to the Holy Cross could make hygiene kits for
IOCC," said Debora Mattingly, president of the church's ladies
group. Mattingly then sent out an email on Wednesday -- just one day
after the quake hit -- asking those who were stopping by for
evening's Vespers service to also bring supplies. Hygiene kits,
filled with such basics as soap, towels, toothbrushes and band aids
are crucially important to help maintain sanitary conditions and
keep disease at bay during humanitarian disasters like
Haiti.
Orthodox parishes throughout the country and volunteer metropolitan
committees of the agency have called IOCC to participate in the
drive to provide the hygiene kits. "The earthquake has taken its
toll, but the fear now is that disease will set in and that will
take its toll as well," says Father Angelo Pappas, priest of St.
Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Portsmouth, NH who immediately
recruited the youth of his church as well as the Ladies Society to
create hygiene kits and clean-up buckets for IOCC. Orthodox
Christians assemble the kits and then send them to a facility in
Western Maryland where their delivery to areas of need like
Haiti is coordinated with ecumenical partners. IOCC has mobilized
its disaster response team and is coordinating with other Orthodox
and ecumenical partners to monitor and respond to the emerging needs
in Haiti. "It's both a practical thing for us and for those in need
-- and it educates our children as well," says Holy Cross's Father
Gregory Mathewes-Green, whose parish has been supporting IOCC since
the mid 1990s. IOCC, founded in 1992 as the official humanitarian
aid agency of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops
in the Americas (SCOBA), has implemented over $300 million in relief
and development programs in 33 countries around the world. You can
help the victims of disasters around the world, like the Haiti
Earthquake, by making a financial gift to the IOCC International
Emergency Response Fund, which will provide immediate relief as well
as long-term support through the provision of emergency aid,
recovery assistance and other support to help those in need. To make
a gift, please visit www.iocc.org, call toll free at 1-877-803-IOCC
(4622), or mail a check or money order payable to IOCC, P.O. Box
630225,
Baltimore,
Md. 21263-0225. Orthodox faithful and parishes are encouraged to
begin assembling hygiene kits and emergency clean up buckets to be
shipped to Haiti. For information on hygiene kits and emergency
clean up buckets, visit
www.iocc.org/kits.
. . . . . . . . .
News From All The Ends Of The Earth . . . . . . . .
Belgrade, Serbia:
 Serbia
has elected her new patriarch.
In the early morning hours of January 22, His Eminence Metropolitan
Amfilohije of Montenegro and the Littoral, locum tenens of the
Patriarchate throne, with the host of hierarchs served the Holy
Hierarchal liturgy at the Cathedral church. After the Holy Liturgy
Bishops gathered at the Patriarchate court. The session was preceded
by consultations before the election procedure. At the Election
assembly Bishop Lavrentije of Shabac presided, the oldest bishop in
the ordination of the Serbian Orthodox Church. The Holy Assembly of
Bishops has 44 members, and 34 bishops met the requirements to be
nominated as the new Patriarch of Serbia. By the secret ballot
bishops proposed candidates , out of which three bishops were on the
shortlist, who received more than half of the votes of the members
of the Election assembly. In the first round the candidate for
Patriarch became the Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro and the
Littoral, in the second round the Bishop Irinej of Nis, and a third
candidate was elected in the fourth round, and that was Bishop
Irinej of Bachka. These three candidates have received more than a
half votes during the four rounds of voting. The envelope with the
name of the Patriarch from the Holy Gospel was chosen by Very
Reverend Archimandrite Gavrilo, superior of the monastery of
Lepavina (Metropolitanate of Zagreb-Ljubljana). Immediately after
the election of Bishop Irinej of Nis a thanksgiving moleben was
served and many years were wished to Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan
of Belgrade and Karlovac and Patriarch Irinej of Serbia, who
addressed his brother Bishops pointed out that his election was the
will of God and the will of the Holy Assembly of Bishops and that he
will work on the Field of God in an association with all the Bishops
of the Serbian Church. Bells at the Cathedral Church rang at about
14 hours and 15 minutes indicating that the 45th Patriarch of Serbia
was elected. Bishop Irinej of Bachka said, at the press conference,
that the new Patriarch was elected in accordance with the procedures
which was in force in the Serbian Orthodox Church, in canonical and
lawful manner. He also said that the election passed harmoniously in
an atmosphere of a brotherly love and a mutual understanding of all
the bishops at the Assembly.
His Holiness Patriarch Irinej (Gavrilovic) of Serbia was born in the
village of Vidova, near Cacak in 1930 to his father Zdravko and
mother Milijana. When he was baptized he was named Miroslav. He
finished the elementary school in his village, and then in Cacak he
completed the high school. After the end of the high school he
enrolled and completed a seminary in Prizren, and then he finished
the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Belgrade. Upon graduation, he
went into the army. Following his return from the army he was soon
appointed a professor of the Prizren seminary. Before taking the
office of the professor in October 1959, at the Rakovica monastery
he was tonsured by His Holiness Patriarch Herman, gaining the
monastic name of Irinej. That same month, on St. Petka's day,
October 27, 1959, he was ordained to the rank of hieromonk. While he
worked as the professor at the Prizren seminary he was sent to the
postgraduate studies in Athens. In 1969 he was appointed as the head
of the monastic school at the monastery of Ostrog, from where he
returned back to Prizren and there he became a rector of the Prizren
Seminary. 1974, he was elected for a vicar bishop of His Holiness
Patriarch of Serbia with the title of Bishop of Moravica. A year
later, in 1975 he was elected for Bishop of Nis.
Tel-Aviv, Israel:
"It is very strange that all other victims of the World War II are
remembered now only as a footnote to how many Jews were killed by
the Nazis. If we take Churchill’s fundamental work on WWII, the work
which contains several thousand pages, we are not going to find a
single word about the holocaust. Eisenhower wrote about WWII and
again – there is nothing about the holocaust. De Gaulle, when
writing about the war, didn’t mention the holocaust at all. In other
words, right after the WWII the theme of the holocaust was unknown.
It emerges only in late 60s. It is important to understand that this
unique mythologization is a product of last 40 years. Therefore, the
phenomenon of the holocaust should be viewed not in the context of
what was going on during the WWII but in the context of what is
going on now. Holocaust is a victory for the absolutely new
ultra-liberal paradigm that is based on the denial of the rights of
the majority only to please the minority”, remarked Israel Shamir, a
well-known Israeli writer, in connection with the International
Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27. It is estimated that during
the WWII 5,7 million Jews were killed (including both civilians and
those who bore arms for both the Allied cause and the Hitler’s
Germany). Here are some countries and the extent of the loss among
their civilian population alone: China — 7 to 16 million, Poland —
2,5 million, Russia — 15,163,000, USA — 1,700. “The other side of
the holocaust myth is the emphasis on the tragedy of the minority,
not on the life of the majority. Now we can talk about the denial of
the rights of the majority and strengthening of the rights of the
minority”, continued Israel Shamir. He also criticized persecution
of the clergy and scientists in the West who try to research the
roots of the holocaust myth. “This persecution proves that holocaust
is not a historical event which can be researched, but a new religio-ideological
paradigm. You can read in the Israeli newspapers that the holocaust
is a new liberal religion which is forced upon the entire western
world… Holocaust is a form of a new totalitarism which reigns in the
West”, concluded Israel Shamir.
Israel Shamir
Islamabad, Pakistan:
A black goat is slaughtered almost daily to ward off ‘evil eye’ and
protect President Asif Ali Zardari from ‘black magic’. “It has been
an old practice of Mr Zardari to offer Sadqa (animal sacrifice). He
has been doing this for a long time,” said President’s spokesman
Farhatullah Babar. Hundreds of black goats have been sacrificed
since Mr Zardari moved into the President’s House in September 2008.
His trusted personal servant Bai Khan buys goats from Saidpur
village. The animal is touched by Mr Zardari before it is sent to
his private house to be sacrificed. Insiders say that when Mr
Zardari moved into the President’s House, a flock of black
partridges were introduced there for their supposedly magical
effects. Unfortunately, the whole flock was electrocuted when a live
wire fell on their cage. A camel, a cow and a few goats kept on the
grounds of the presidency, however, survive and provide milk for its
resident.
Lahore, Pakistan:
A 12-year-old Christian slave, Shazia Bashir, died on Friday, Jan
22, as a result of physical violence inflicted by her master. The
case has led to protests by the Christian community, which
demonstrated before the provincial assembly of Punjab in Lahore. For
the past eight months, Shazia was as a domestic worker in the
household of Chaudhry Muhammad Naeem, a lawyer and former president
of the Lahore Bar Association. During that period the girl was
constantly harassed, denied financial compensation for her work, she
was raped and tortured before she was killed — a typical Muslim
practice. Afterwards, he tried to have her treated at his home
without informing the parents of her condition. In the end, the
medical care she did get proved inadequate and she had to go to
Lahore's Meo Hospital. Shazia was admitted to the hospital with a
broken jaw. "Shazia's parents were not allowed to meet her. They did
not know what she was going through," said Razia Bibi, the girl's
44-year-old uncle. Shazia died last Friday from her injuries. 99% of
Christian girls from poor families are hired by wealthy Muslims, and
are often physically, psychologically and sexually abused. In some
cases, their employers marry them off to Muslim servants, and
forcibly convert them to Islam. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari
has promised Rs 500,000 (US$ 6,000) in compensation to the girl's
family and urged the Punjab government to provide financial help as
well. The money is expected to cover the cost of Shazia Bashir's
funeral.
Qur'an (sura 4:3)
permits Muslim men to have sexual relations with captives and
slaves, and it is the supposed divine endorsement of the idea that
makes it so persistent in Muslim countries.
Moscow,
Russia:
Russia will take care of a sycamore tree that is a live witness to
Jesus Christ’s life, for it is the very tree into which Zacchaeus
climbed to see the Saviour passing through Jericho. Chairman of the
Audit Chamber Stepashin said: “We decided that we would treat the
sycamore tree and then keep an eye on it”. Besides, according to
the Audit Chamber head, who is also a chairman of the Imperial
Orthodox Palestine Society, the
Russian
Cultural
Center will be established in Jericho by October 10. Earlier, a lot
of land in
Bethlehem
was also given back to Russia.
London, U.K.:
Christians claimed a victory for religious freedom after defeating
the Government's attempts to force them to hire homosexuals or
transsexuals. The House of Lords voted down the plans after arguing
that the move would go against the tenets of Christianity. The
result is a blow for Harriet Harman's controversial Equality Bill,
which is going through Parliament. It would have required churches
and religious groups to take on candidates who do not fit in with
their religious doctrine when recruiting key staff such as faith
school headteachers or youth workers. Organised religions have a
special status that lets them turn down applicants whose lifestyles
conflict with the churches' beliefs, even if atheists think they
would qualified for the job. Churches can reject candidates for jobs
as ministers or priests if they are actively homosexual, if they
have changed their sex. It also extends to key staff who promote the
religion, such as faith school heads. A powerful coalition of
bishops and Conservative peers voted to maintain the 'status quo' by
216 to 178.
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia:
A Saudi judge has ordered a woman should be jailed for a year and
receive 100 lashes after she was gang-raped. The Judge ruled she had
committed adultery - despite not even being married - and handed
down a year's prison sentence. She is still pregnant and will be
flogged once she has had the child.
New York, NY:
The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to consider another free-speech
case involving a school and the reading of the Bible.
The case, which concerns a Pennsylvania mother and child, has been in the courts since 2004. John
Whitehead of The Rutherford Institute said that Donna Bush was
invited to attend a special event at kindergarten with her son,
Wesley. "The event was 'The All About Me Week," he explains, "which
features a student — and the mother would come in and read from
their favorite book. Wesley's favorite book was the Bible." Bush
planned to read Psalm 118, about how God is good and watches over
all of us. "When she started to enter the classroom, she was told by
the teacher that they didn't think she could read from the Bible,
that it may be illegal — and they told her it would violate the
separation of church and state," Whitehead adds. The principal
agreed with the teacher, so The Rutherford Institute filed suit in
federal court. "And true to form," says the attorney, "the courts
now basically are ruling that whatever [public] schools want to do…
in terms of religious speech with Christians, they can restrict it.
We appealed to the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court refused to
hear the case." Whitehead believes the problem is epidemic now in
federal courts across the country.
London, U.K.:
The average age of churchgoers is 61, according to the latest
statistics from the Church of England. The report also found half of
those in the pews are pensioners. Some rural congregations were
older than 65 on average, while the youngest Anglicans were found in
London,
with the ‘standard’ churchgoer aged 54.
It compares with
the population as a whole where the average adult age is 48. Weekly
church attendance continues to fall. Around 1.14 million people went
to a church service at least once a week in 2008, the latest figures
show, but average Sunday attendance was down to 960,000 from 978,000
the previous year. There were also slightly fewer infant baptisms,
confirmations, marriages and funerals. Details of the ages of
churchgoers are likely to reinforce fears that congregations will
continue to dwindle.
Tokyo,
Japan:
Outside the
400-year-old Kyoouji Temple, Kansho Tagai, dressed in his
traditional Buddhist monk robes, bobbed his head and then broke into
a rap: "This is an old, old story, a fantasy and longing cosmology.
Hey, hey, what's the story about? It's about the Buddha, yo. Hey
brother, listen carefully! You got it? No? You don't? Okay, baby, no
problem." Tagai, or Mr. Happiness, as he prefers to be called, is
delivering his pagan message to a hip hop beat. Following the trend
that was started by Christians in the West, the monk hosts hip hop
shows at his temple, drawing young people. His hip hop message is so
popular that twice as many people now visit his temple. Tagai said:
"We’re unable to convey Buddhism to people if we only stick with the
old ways. I want to spread Buddhism to the young by using the
language they easily understand." The ancient pagan religion is in
crisis, Tagai said, because monks are not reaching the young. The
numbers support his fears. Japan is home to 75,000 temples, but
those numbers are on the decline: since 2000, hundreds of temples
have closed every year.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1.
January bulletin covers sponsor is John Springman.
2.
Today, January 31, the Eternal Light is offered in memory of
Nicholas Yacko. May his memory be eternal!
3.
Today, January 31, the two votive candles on the Holy Altar Table,
and next Sunday the Eternal light are offered by Anne Springman,
Madge Petri and Helen Urban in memory of Pauline Anthony for her
birthday. May Our Lord rest the soul of His handmaid Pauline with
the righteous!
4.
As the Great Lent is approaching, this week is the last week when we
may eat meat. Please try to finish off all the meat products in your
house so that you wouldn’t be tempted to do so during the meat-fare
week and in the following weeks till we celebrate the Bright Feast
of Pascha.
5.
On Saturday, March 20, at
2 P.M.,
our parish will host Chicago Deanery Lenten Mission. Please, mark
this day in your calendars and make sure that we are in church that
afternoon.
6.
We would like to express our gratitude to Nicholas Yacko for
providing the parish with enough means to purchase the necessary
supplies for making stuffed cabbage for the last two Soup Sales (our
last Soup Sale this season is in March). Nevertheless, we would like
still ask those of our congregation who can, please help us to cover
other expenses (e.g. foil used to wrap the nut rolls is slightly
over $100, nuts used in one baking session are also over $100,
etc.). Any help will be greatly appreciated.
7.
Talking about the Soup Sale, we would like to ask all our
parishioners to contribute at least some product for the event. It
doesn’t have to be soup. Any baked goods (including cookies, if they
are what you like/can make) are welcome, as well. Try to stay away
from expensive recipes and allow the people who organize the event
to price your product.
8.
At our last Annual Parish Meeting we were asked to remind all our
faithful one more time that if you would like to sponsor bulletin
covers for a month, make sure your donation exceeds $20.00. If your
offering is less than $20.00, church has to pick up the rest of the
cost of the covers.
9.
On Sunday, February 7, the Church Board members will be blessed for
their labors in the new year.
++++++++++
Bulletin - 1/24/10
. . . . . . . . . . . News From All The Ends Of The Earth . .
. . . . . . . .
Cairo, Egypt:
Egyptian State Security has intensified its intimidation of the
Coptic Church and Christians in Nag Hammadi, and neighboring
Bahgoura, by carrying out random arrests of Christian youth. The
campaign against Christians started on Christmas Day, January 7,
2010 and is continuing; multiple members of families have been
arrested without warrants. Most arrests are being carried at dawn.
More than one hundred Christian youth have been arrested without
charge.
Arrests of
Copts after every sedition is the usual scenario as a pressure card
in the hands of State Security to force the church and Copts to
accept "reconciliation", in which Coptic victims give up all
criminal and civil charges against the perpetrators. Anwar Samuel, a
head teacher from Nag Hammadi, told Freecopts that State Security
came to their home at four o'clock in the morning, looking for his
nephew Mohareb, who happened to be in Kuwait. "Instead they arrested
my three other nephews, Fadi, Tanios and Wael Milad Samuel, and took
them away in their pajamas." He said they have been subjected to
electric shocks. Coptic News Bulletin contacted several families who
confirmed that males as young as 16 were taken away by the police.
In an aired interviews, affected families told how the Police
tricked their sons into going with them, by telling them that Bishop
Kyrollos wanted them to do so for their safety. Strict state
security instructions were issued to the clergy in the parish of Nag
Hamadi, to suppress any move by the Copts affected by the events and
the families of those killed, to demonstrate or protest, accompanied
by explicit threats that police will be using live ammunition. After
the Nag Hammadi shooting on January 6, in which 8 Copts were killed
and 15 injured as they came out of church where they were
celebrating Christmas Eve. Bishop Kyrollos of Nag Hammadi Diocese
criticized the lack of police protection of the church, which is
usual during such events. He held State Security responsible
especially that he had received death threats, and was the intended
target of the shootings. Conflict between State Security and Bishop
Kyrollos arose due to his insistence on compensation for the Copts
of Farshout who lost property and businesses caused by Muslim mob
violence against them end November 2009. None of the state officials
attended the celebrations at Church which many took as a sign of
their knowledge of the forthcoming shootings.
Rome, Italy:
Italy’s
Constitutional Court has issued a ruling asserting the supremacy of
Italian law and custom over the orders of the European Court of
Human Rights (ECHR). In November, an order that all crucifixes must
be removed from Italian state schools from the Strasbourg-based ECHR
caused outrage in Italy. Legal experts warned that the decision
would undermine both religious freedoms and national sovereignty in
all European Union member states. But the Italian High Court has
said that where rulings by the ECHR conflict with provisions of the
Italian Constitution, such rulings “lack legitimacy.” The decision
was followed just before Christmas by a bill, presented in the
Italian Senate, that would regulate the display of crucifixes in all
state schools. Senator Stephen Ceccanti, a professor of
constitutional law, said the bill would require crucifixes to be
displayed, “given the value of religious culture of the historical
heritage of the Italian people and the contribution of the values of
constitutionalism, and as a sign of the value and limits of the
Constitution.” The bill, presented in the Senate December 17,
proposes to deal with the problem of children whose parents take
offense at the presence of a crucifix by allowing other religious
symbols to be displayed, or for the crucifix to be removed in
individual cases where no mutual agreement can be found. In
November, the ECHR, a body of the European Council that is
influential in EU politics, had upheld a complaint by Soile Lautsi,
an atheist Finnish woman with Italian citizenship. She said that her
children were obliged to see a crucifix every day in the state
school they attended and that this constituted a violation of their
religious freedom. She was awarded €5000 (US $7200) compensation, to
be paid by the Italian Government. Kiska speculated that the
Cassation Court ruling may embolden Ireland's Supreme Court should
the country’s constitutional protection for unborn children in the
A, B, & C v. Ireland case. Religious discrimination law expert, Neil
Addison told LifeSiteNews.com that the ECHR ruling combined with the
recent passage of the Lisbon Treaty placing all EU member states
under one jurisdiction, could have widespread effect on religious
freedom in Europe. Addison said, “Unless the European Court of Human
Rights overrules itself on appeal, Italy, and indeed the rest of
Europe, has a serious problem.” The ECHR ruling received negative
responses from Greece and Poland, with Polish president Lech
Kaczynski and the leadership of the Greek Orthodox Church both
warning that there would be no removal of crucifixes or other
religious symbols in their countries.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia:
News of a Saudi octogenarian has married a 11-year-old girl. The
marriage registrar, who was widely criticized since he agreed to
seal the marriage contract knowing the girl's age, absolved himself
of any blame. "There is no law that prohibits the marriage of a girl
under 18," he told the paper. "Plus, I summoned the girl and she
declared her consent and signed the contract." Regarding the
consummation of the marriage, the registrar said he does not have
the authority to dictate when it should take place, especially that
the bride's father did not mention it in the contract. When asked if
he felt the marriage was wrong due to the age gap, the registrar
said: "I do not look at age differences and things of that sort as
long as the bride approves. Also, the contract is legal and it was
registered in court." He added he did not receive any money in
return for overlooking the age difference. "I did not take one
single riyal for this contract. My reward will be given to me by
God." The father, who took 85,000 riyals (more than $22,000) in
dowry, defended his decision to marry off his 11-year-old daughter
even though his wife vehemently objected. "I don't care about her
age," he told a newspaper. "Her health and her body build make her
fit for marriage. I also don't care what her mother thinks." The
father added that marriage at such an early age has been a custom in
the Saudi society for a very long time and that he saw no reason why
it should be a problem now. "This is a very old custom and there is
nothing wrong with it whether religiously or socially." On the other
hand, the groom said that the father, who is also his cousin, was
the one who offered him his daughter and that the mother was totally
against the marriage. "He told me 'I have a girl and she will marry
no one but you,'" the groom told the paper. "So, we got the
witnessesand summoned the registrar. I paid the dowry and we held the ceremony and that was it. " The groom expressed his surprise at how some media leveled harsh criticism against him and his family for marrying the girl. "It is very simple. We didn’t do anything wrong. It is a valid contract that meets all the conditions for marriage? What's the point of all this fuss?" The groom has three other wives, all much younger, and they all have kids. The mother, who vehemently objected to the marriage, was the reason behind the attention given to the girl's case.
Baltimore, MD: International Orthodox Christian Charities is working in partnership with Norwegian Church Aid to deliver two of the most critical needs in Haiti today – water and shelter. Water purification equipment that will serve 10,000 people and 500 family tents, as well as other supplies, are being airlifted to Haiti. The aid, valued at more than $600,000, is expected to reach Port-au-Prince by Saturday, January 16. The Orthodox Church in America (OCA) has also expressed its solidarity with the people of Haiti by donating $10,000 to IOCC's relief effort.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1.
January bulletin covers have no sponsors, yet. Sing-up sheet is in
the narthex.
2.
The following appeal was received from our diocesan headquarters in
Johnstown, PA:
In the wake of the massive devastation in the Western Hemisphere's
poorest nation, His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas has called on our
Diocesan parishes everywhere to come to the aid of survivors of the
January 12th powerful earthquake in Haiti.
His Eminence has directed pastors to announce this Sunday that a
special offering be gathered in every parish of the Diocese. Parish
checks in the amount of your Haiti Relief Offering should be made
payable to ACROD and sent to the Chancery. The Diocese will then
forward one check to I.O.C.C. which will distribute the funds for
"Haiti Relief".
In addition, Metropolitan Nicholas has asked that each parish put
together "assistance packages" which make a huge difference when
disaster strikes. Individual parishioners are encouraged to do so
and bring their assistance package to their parish church. Those
preparing assistance packages should carefully follow these
instructions:
1. Use a one-gallon plastic bag with a zipper closure and fill it
with the following items:
· one
hand towel
· one
washcloth
· one
comb
· one
metal nail file or nail clipper
· one
bar of soap (bath size, new and wrapped in original packaging)
· one
toothbrush (NO TOOTHPASTE)
·
six band-aids
2. Collect the bags at your parish and pack them, securing the box
with packing tape.
3. Clearly mark the outside of the box with Health Kit - IOCC and
the number of kits enclosed. Apply correct postage and mail the box
to the following address:
IOCC/CHURCH WORLD SERVICE
Brethren Service Center Annex
601 Main Street
New Windsor, MD 21776-0188
THESE ASSISTANCE PACKAGES SHOULD BE MAILED AS QUICKLY AS YOU CAN.
Please, bring your monetary donations and the Health Kit to church
next Sunday, Jan. 31.
3.
The Eternal Light will be lit January 24 through January 31 in
memory of Nicholas Yacko. May his memory be eternal!
4.
This week, the week of the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee,
there is no fasting on either Wednesday or Friday.
+++++++++++++
Bulletin - 1/17/10
The Orthodox Marriage Ceremony: Why It Is The Way It Is
By Father Andrew Harrison,
Palos Hills, IL
In January the Parish Council surveyed St. Luke parishioners
regarding our Strategic Plan. Four responses to the survey were
related to the Orthodox Marriage ceremony. This is significant, and
I feel compelled to address these concerns.
The survey comments referred specifically to two American practices:
"Giving the bride away," and the use of instrumental music,
especially the song, "Here Comes the Bride." Both of these have been
introduced by some Orthodox jurisdictions into Orthodox wedding
services.
The practice of "giving the bride away" comes from Medieval European
times when women were considered property that was purchased for a
price (dowry). In contemporary Catholic and Protestant worship
"giving the bride away" has come to mean that the father bestows the
protection of his daughter on her husband. This tends to degrade the
Biblical teaching about equality of men and women.
In Orthodox tradition the bride is not considered the property of
the father or the husband. No dowry is involved. A father escorting
his daughter into the church is a nice tradition, but it is not part
of the Orthodox ceremony. In no way can it be called "giving the
bride away."
The use of instrumental music is also not a traditional part of
Orthodox worship. In 692 the Byzantine Emperor Justinian called the
Council in Trullo (Quinisext Council). This Council followed the 5th
and 6th Ecumenical Councils (553 and 680-81, respectively) and dealt
with disciplinary matters not covered by the Ecumenical Councils.
The Council in Trullo decreed that instrumental music couldn't be
used in the church. In modern times, however, some Orthodox
jurisdictions have adopted the use of an organ and the song, "Here
Comes the Bride." This song comes from the opera Lohengrin, composed
in 1850 by the German musician, Richard Wagner.
Catholic and Protestant wedding services are very similar because
they have the same roots and are based on legal agreements and
covenants. Thus, these wedding services do contain "Here Comes the
Bride" (or some other selected song), as well as a mutual recitation
of vows, the placing of rings, and the legal pronouncement by the
clergy that the bride and groom are now man and wife. None of this
exists in the Orthodox Wedding service.
So why have these practices been tacked on to some Orthodox wedding
ceremonies? This may have come about in an attempt to make the
non-English Orthodox wedding service intelligible to non-Orthodox
Americans. I believe this happens when Orthodox Christians feel
embarrassed about Orthodox worship, and they try to make it
palatable for non-Orthodox people.
In the Orthodox Church, Marriage, as a Sacrament, is both a mystery
and a martyrdom, not a legal contract. The Orthodox wedding ceremony
has two parts: Betrothal and Crowning. The Betrothal is an agreement
or promise to marry, which is symbolized by the exchange of rings.
In ancient times it was a separate service. Today it directly
precedes the Crowning in the Marriage ceremony. The rubric books
(service instructions) say that the exchange of rings is to take
place in the Narthex.
After the betrothal the priest leads the couple in procession into
the Nave while chanting Psalm 128: "Blessed are they who walk in the
way of the Lord." This begins the actual Sacrament of Marriage
(Crowning). The crown is a sign of the glory and honor that God
bestows on the couple. This is a blessing and confirmation by God of
an earthly pledge, not a verification of a legal agreement.
The adoption of non-Orthodox customs into the Marriage ceremony
raises the larger question: How much of American religious
tradition, can be absorbed into Orthodox liturgical worship?
The Orthodox Church is about Faith and Truth. If a custom,
tradition, or practice does not deter but actually enhances the
Gospel and evangelism, then it is permitted. The decision to do
this, however, must be made by our Diocesan Bishop, who is the
teacher who is "rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy
2:15). ("Dividing" in this case means
expounding the truth).
On occasion our Bishop does make concessions for the good of the
couple and family. For example, Saturday weddings are not permitted
according to the canons. The Sabbath day in Church tradition is
dedicated to the departed. It is the day of rest, mourning, and
preparation for Sunday. Saturday is the day of the Old Covenant,
which prepared Israel for the coming of Christ. Weddings are joyful
celebrations and one of the sacraments of the Kingdom.
In American society weddings generally take place on Saturday. In
addition, sometimes one of the marriage partners is non-Orthodox.
Thus, the bishop will allow a Saturday wedding with his personal
dispensation, providing that the wedding begins in the early
afternoon. Then the wedding will not conflict with Vespers which is
the Sabbath day service.
As the Orthodox Church begins to evangelize America, it will become
more and more important to, as St. Paul said, remain firm in the
traditions which have been handed down (2 Thessalonians 2:15). The
only way to do this is to raise questions about non-Orthodox
practices so that the Holy Spirit will guide us to all Truth (John
16:13).
UNPLEASANT DIAGNOSIS — The First Step to Sainthood
Reprinted from
“Thomas:
An Orthodox Christian Journal for Doubting Thomases”
What does a person need to become a saint and why can't the Church
ever recognize someone as a saint while the person is still alive?
These questions are the cornerstone of the Christian spiritual life.
Aleksei Osipov, professor at the Moscow Spiritual Academy and
a renowned theologian, is going to answer these questions.
Author,
Professor Aleksei Ilyich Osipov
As we know from the Gospel, the first person who ever entered heaven
was the malefactor (Lk
23:39-43), a thief whose hands were covered
in blood. This is an amazing fact unparalleled in any other religion
of the world. So why was the man saved?
The Gospel is very clear about this. The wrongdoer was saved for
realizing that his life was full of filth, for feeling that he
wasn't worthy of being saved, and for his sincere repentance to the
Savior. The thief was fully aware and had absolutely no doubt that
he couldn't be where the Man on the Cross was going. That is why he
uttered the words, so incredibly humble in his terrible agony,
addressing to Christ,
“Lord, remember
me when thou comest into thy kingdom” (Lk 23:42).
He didn't ask for relief from the
pain or for mercy, but he asked the Lord to remember him in the
place where he thought he would never be. That's what was sufficient
for being saved. Indeed, as the psalm says,
“a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Ps
51:17).
A saint's life begins with paying attention to one's own moral life,
one's inner state. One should compare one's feelings and aspirations
with the Gospel commandments, with the way Christ acted. This
reveals a whole new world inside a person's heart, a strange and an
unknown world that often doesn't look so good.
On the one hand, we are absolutely sure that we are kind, clever,
honest, etc. In a word, that we are good and righteous. That is why
it never occurs to us that we might end up outside the
Kingdom
of Heaven. On the contrary, we think that we will definitely be
there, at least somewhere in the 'corner' of heaven. I may not be a
great saint, as I say to myself, but I am still a believer, an
Orthodox Christian, I go to church, confess my sins, and take
communion... How can I not be saved? I never killed, or stolen, or
cheated on my wife, or broke laws, what else do I need? I feel like
a legitimate saint. I just need to be canonized while I'm still
alive.
But on the other hand, if we pay attention to our words, wishes,
feelings, and attitudes towards friends and enemies, and if we
compare all this with what our conscience tells us and what the
Gospel says, we start seeing things very differently. It turns out I
can't but judge, envy, boast, overeat, etc. There's so much I can't
but do, that I can't see myself as a 'good' person anymore. Even if
I do something good, it is because I'm conceited or calculating. I
hear the huge list of sins at the public confession and I realize
that 99% of this list are my sins. That is, I see that I fail to
keep to the norms laid out in the Gospel.
Can one become a saint while still living? To answer this question
we must understand that sainthood is about having the Holy Spirit, a
state which may often change throughout a person's life, for only
God knows no change. It's not a bird which we can catch and lock up
in a cage so it can't escape. But it's all about watching one's own
“old man,” being vigilant in heart and mind, as if we were defenders
of a besieged fortress. If the guards of the fortress are negligent,
the whole army may lose. Similarly, there were cases in the history
of Christianity when some ascetics achieved the gifts of prophecy or
wonder-working, but lost concentration on their thoughts and
feelings. As a result, they were no longer able to see their 'inner
enemies,’ and thinking much about their accomplishments so many of
these people died spiritually. There were others who never rose in
their sainthood above the purity of a child. St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov)
quoted St. Makarios the Great who wrote that there were souls who
were given God's grace, but being spiritually inexperienced, like
children, they fell far from the wisdom that is necessary for a true
ascetic. In many monasteries such elders were called 'holy but
unskilled,’ and other monks were cautious about consulting them.
Only realizing that we're unable to defeat our passions and sins by
ourselves can we obtain humility. This is the beginning of the right
spiritual life. For only this makes us disillusioned with ourselves,
revealing the true state of our souls, which is so far from the
purity of the Gospel. It makes a person able to look for the Savior,
turn to Christ. St. Peter of Damascus said, “The first sign of one's
soul beginning to get well is seeing one's sins countless like sea
sand.” I must repeat that it's only the beginning of the path to
sainthood. But if there's no beginning, there can be no
continuation.
. . . . . . . . .
News From All The Ends Of The Earth . . . . . . . .
Nagoya, Japan:
A new Orthodox church, Church of Theophany, was consecrated in
Nagoya. Believers in Russia, the Ukraine, and Byelorussia donated
the money needed for its construction. In Japan, there are now about
60 Orthodox parishes, but mostly they are “house churches”. In
Japan, churches such as those in Nagoya are relatively rare. The new
Orthodox church in Nagoya was built in record time. A snow-white 35
feet tall church in the Suzdal style grew in the middle of a typical
Japanese provincial residential district in only six months. Inside,
there is an original finish, with elements of native style. Japanese
cedar is used throughout the interior, which is considered one of
the most solid and durable varieties of wood. Outside, the church is
decorated in the best traditions of Orthodox architecture. Orthodoxy
was brough to Japan 150 years ago, by a Russian missionary who
became known after his death as St Nicholas of Japan. One day, a
former samurai named Takuma Sawabe approached Fr Nikolai. He
intended to kill the Russian missionary as a foreign devil, but he
agreed to hear him out. As a result, Sawabe became the first
Japanese who was baptised into Orthodoxy, and he later became a
priest. Within two years, there were 4,000 Orthodox Christians in
Japan. Father Nikolai translated the Bible into Japanese, founded a
seminary, and built a cathedral in Tokyo. The rector of the parish
in Nagoya is Hieromonk George, in the world, Yuichi Matsushima.
Before the consecration of the new church, he re-read the Gospel in
the translation of St Nicholas of Japan. His grandfather was also an
Orthodox priest, but during the war, the church was destroyed. His
father wanted his son to become a Buddhist monk, but Matsushima
walked in the footsteps of his grandfather. “Frankly, I am a little
sad to leave the old church. After all, we’re leaving our old home
forever. However, of course, the opening of a new church is a great
event. Today is a very important day. God grant that all goes well”,
said Fr George. About 300 worshippers came to attend the
consecration of the new church. The service went non-stop for four
hours, led by Metropolitan Daniel of Tokyo and All Japan. To
accommodate all those who came, the parish provided a separate hall
with a live video feed of the service. Metropolitan Daniel said,
“For our Church, this is a great day. With the opening of a new
church, more people in Japan learn about Orthodoxy. I am glad that
it happened precisely here in Nagoya. After all, this city is
located in the heart of the country”. The Orthodox community in
Japan is small, but they’re friendly. In total, there’s about 15,000
Orthodox in Japan.
New Orthodox Church in Nagoya
Fatima, Portugal:
The Roman Catholic church of the Holy Trinity and four statues at
the shrine of Our Lady of Fatima were vandalized early Sunday
morning. In a press release Monday, officials from the shrine
announced that in the early hours of Sunday morning, four statutes
on the sides of the church as well as the church itself were painted
with graffiti. The graffiti includes the words "Islam," "moon,"
"sun," "Muslim" and "mosque." According to the statement from shrine
officials, "the difficult work of cleaning" is under way. The
communiqué added: "In reporting what has happened and without
knowing who has done this, the shrine [officials] confirm [our]
sadness and assure that the issue has been reported to the police."
Karachi, Pakistan:
A couple has killed their 4-month-old daughter following the
‘guidance’ of their Pir (spiritual healer) that the ‘silencing’ the
child will remove the presence of demons from their house. The
tragedy was brought to light after a police raid on Monday, after
neighbours complained they were constantly hearing strange noises
from the house in Korangi Number 6 neighbourhood. SP Korangi Rana
Pervez said they had to barge their way into the fated house after
the inhabitants refused to open the door. “We had to break into the
house and found Nadeem in a state of trance surrounded by lit-up
earthen lamps. When we looked around we found his wife,
Sana,
locked away in a closet with their dead baby girl Marryum. During
interrogation, the man told us that we (the police party) were
cursed since we broke his eight-day long spell and there still
remained four days to go”, he added. The arrested man said that the
spell required the couple to remain without food till the completion
of the whole process. The man told the police they started the spell
with her ‘sacrifice’.
Jerusalem, Israel:
Recently, the
Jerusalem Post
carried a piece acknowledging that incidents of Jews spitting at
Christian clergy is “a part of life” in
Jerusalem.
Such incidents have been occurring for the last twenty years and are
now on the rise, according to the story, although they appear to be
limited to Jerusalem. The piece quoted a Texas-born Franciscan, Fr.
Athanasius Macora, who heads the Christian Information Center inside
the Jaffa Gate, who said that he’s been spat upon by Jews as much as
fifteen times in the last six months. Armenian priest Samuel Aghoyan
said he’s been spat upon fifteen to twenty times, most recently in
November. “I was walking back from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher
and I saw this boy in a yarmulke and ritual fringes coming back from
the Kotel, and he spat at me two or three times,” Aghoyan said.
“Every Christian cleric who’s been here for awhile, who dresses in
robes in public, has a story to tell about being spat at,” Macora
said. “The more you get around, the more it happens.” Israeli
authorities have taken these reports seriously enough that the
Foreign Ministry convened a meeting with municipal officials in
Jerusalem and representatives of the Haredi Community. In a sign
that the Israelis are worried about possible international
repercussions (which shows that spitting at Christian clergy is fine
with the Jews, what they are concerned about is “international
repercussions”), that meeting was announced in a press release
issued by the Israeli Embassy in Rome. The press release contained a
letter denouncing the harassment of Christian clergy from the Beth
Din Tzedek, the tribunal of the Orthodox Jewish Community and the
highest instance of the Jewish ultra orthodox community in
Jerusalem.
Kuala Lumpur:
Malaysia is seeking to contain attacks on churches and allay
international concerns amid fears that the violence could polarize
the country's multiracial society and deter overseas investors.
Police are investigating at least 10 acts of violence in the past
days, including several arson attacks, all believed to be prompted
by a Dec. 31 court ruling allowing a Christian newspaper to use the
Arabic word "Allah" to refer to God in its Malay-language section.
Some fear that stability may be threatened by the politicization of
religion as political parties vie for the votes of the country's
Muslim majority.
New York, NY:
The honorable head of Holy Hierarch John Chrysostom, kept in
Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral, will be brought to the Synodal
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Sign in New York. The relics will be
available for veneration until February 12, then the Moscow
Patriarchate delegation will take it back to
Moscow.
The honorable head of St John Chrysostom was brought to Russia in
the 17th century from the Athos Vatopedi Monastery.
Johannesburg, South Africa:
South African President Jacob Zuma is set to marry his fifth wife in
a pagan ceremony at his rural village in the
province
of KwaZulu-Natal. Polygamy is legally recognised in South Africa.
Meanwhile, Zuma is also preparing to take on a sixth wife. Earlier,
an exchange of gifts ceremony was held signalling that he had paid
dowry for his latest fiancee, Bongi Ngema. When Zuma was inaugurated
as head of state, speculation was rife about who would be the first
lady. He attended the ceremony with his first wife Sizakele Khumalo,
whom he has known for 50 years and married in 1973. Zuma is also
married to Nompumelelo Ntuli Zuma, whom he married in 2008 in a
lavish ceremony. One of his earlier wives, Kate Mantsho Zuma,
committed suicide in 2000. In 1998 he divorced Nkosazana
Dlamini-Zuma, but she remains in his inner circle as she is
currently home affairs minister.
Rome, Italy:
Muslims are demanding the removal or destruction of a 15th century
fresco of The Last Judgment by Giovanni da Modena, in Bologna
Cathedral, that they say offends Islam by showing Muhammad being
cast into the flames of hell. The protesters said that Giovanni da
Modena had shown Muhammad being thrown into hell, completely naked,
with a snake wrapped around his body and a demon next to him about
to torture him. Adel Smith, the head of the Union of Italian
Muslims, appealed to the Muslim residents of Bologna to attend a
rally outside the main mosque in Rome. A spokesman for the church
said that it was absurd to suddenly discover after 600 years that
our most famous treasure is offensive to the Islamic religion. Don
Oreste Leonardi, prefect of the sacristy of Bologna Cathedral, said
that the identification of the figure in the fresco in tiny Gothic
writing was so small that it is almost invisible. He said that the
fresco, painted in 1415, was one of
Bologna's
greatest treasures, and the artist had merely reproduced the popular
medieval vision of hell. Smith said that the problem had started in
the Middle Ages with Dante, Italy's national poet, who had placed
Muhammad in the ninth circle of hell in his Inferno. He demanded
that the teaching of Dante be suspended in Italian schools in
immigrant areas.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1.
January bulletin covers have no sponsors, yet. Sing-up sheet is in
the narthex.
2.
We are asking our faithful not to forget to support our diocese by
paying the diocesan assessment. At the last Diocesan Council it was
agreed to raise the assessment from $47.00 a year to $60.00 a year.
Our parish sends in the those monies to the diocese quarterly. You
can either make a one-time contribution of $60.00 for each adult
parishioner, or contribute quarterly ($15.00 every three months) or
monthly ($5.00 a month). These contributions are not to be made in
stead of your regular Sunday offering, but on top of it, for the
assessment monies go to the diocesan headquarters and do not cover
the parish needs.
3.
Our Annual Parish Meeting is set for next Sunday, January 24,
immediately after the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy. Refreshments
will be provided.
4.
Yester-day was marked by our monthly Soup Sale. Before we get to the
numbers, what remarks can be made? First of all, perhaps due to the
inclement weather our Sunday attendance was low for two weeks, which
meant that fewer people were reminded of the upcoming Soup Sale and
thus were not prepared for it. Second, it just may be that the third
Saturday came to soon after all the festivities at the end of the
last year and the beginning of the new one. This is perhaps why we
didn’t have as many customers at the Sale as we usually have. Well,
we have also learned that every month is different, as far as the
Soup Sale attendance goes. Nevertheless, we made more than we
thought we would at the time of the
Sale.
The sub-total is $600.15. This is a sub-total, because we still have
some holubki, holushki, soups and baked good left. Having said all
that, we would like to thank all those who contributed to the
success of our January Soup Sale and are ever ready to work for the
well-being of the parish.
5.
Our Soup Sales and Cookie Walks are designed to create the needed
revenue for the survival of the church. We ask everybody to share
the responsibility of taking care of the parish. Among other things,
we can do so by cooking for our monthly fundraisers or/and by giving
some extra money to the church. You know that many Protestant groups
tithe and many ministers/preachers constantly beg their
congregations for more financial support. We believe this is not
necessary, or shouldn’t be necessary, as everyone of us is aware of
the responsibility each of us has in caring for the needs of the
church. We are adults and know that we have to (and this should come
natural) provide for our families. Providing for the church is not
an extra. If a child or a grandma starves to death it is a fault of
the caretakers. If the same happens to the parish it would be our
fault and nobody else’s. Hopefully, we all understand this. This is
why we try not to bombard our faithful with requests for more
contributions, especially at the end of the Divine Liturgy when we
stand and behold the Lord Who gave us life, Who gave us hope and Who
is the means of our eternal life.
6.
If you would like your home blessed — call the priest
(947-9737) or talk to him in church to make
arrangements.
7.
Father Sergii is going to be away from the parish Wednesday through
Friday. There will be no confessions on Saturday. If an emergency
arises, please call Fr Lev Holowaty at 219-864-4342.
++++++++++++++++++++++
Bulletin - 1/10/10
Elder (Geronda
in Greek) Paisios the Athonite (†1994) is one of the most revered
spiritual fathers of our time. A devout ascetic, his gentle manner
and acceptance of those who came to receive his advice, counsel, and
blessing endeared him to his visitors.
Elder Paisios on Spiritual Study
An Excerpt from
Spiritual
Awakening
— Geronda, what books should be read by those who are beginning
their spiritual search?
— First, they should read the New Testament to learn the meaning of
Christ, to be shaken up a little; later they can read the Old
Testament. Do you know how hard it is when they have read nothing
and yet they come to ask for help? It is like an elementary school
child going to a university professor and saying, “Help me.” What
can the professor tell him? “One plus one equals two”? Others,
again, are not spiritually restless; they come and say, “Father, I
have no problems and I am just fine; I only dropped by to see you.”
Man can never say that he has no problems, no concerns; he will have
something. The struggle for the spiritual life never ends. Or some
people come and tell me, “Tell us spiritual things.” It is as if
they went to the grocery store and said, “Give us some groceries.”
The grocer is at a loss and needs to know what they need. They need
to say, “I want so much sugar, so much rice, and so on, but they
only say, “Give us groceries.” It is like going to the pharmacy and
saying, “Give us medicines,” without first saying what their illness
is, or whether or not they went to the doctor, and what he advised
them to do. Go figure! You see, whoever is seriously concerned over
his spiritual condition knows, more or less, what he is lacking, and
once he seeks it, he benefits.
As a novice, when I read something I liked, I wrote it down so as
not to forget it, and I would try to apply it to my life. I didn’t
read just to pass my time pleasantly. I had a spiritual restlessness
and, when I could not understand something, I would ask for an
explanation. I read relatively little, but I checked myself a great
deal on what I read. “What point am I at? What must I do?” I would
sit myself down and go through such a self-examination. I did not
allow what I read to pass me by untaxed.
Today with so much reading people end up like tape recorders,
filling up their cassettes with superfluous matters. According to
Abba Isaac, however, wisdom not based on righteous activity is a
deposit of disgrace. You see, many who are interested in sports read
sports magazines and newspapers while they are sitting. They may be
like the fatted calf, but they still marvel at the athletes. “Oh, he
is marvellous! He is great! Bravo!” But they don’t work up any
sweat, and they don’t lose any pounds. They read and read about
athletic events, and then they go and lie down; they gain nothing.
They are satisfied with the pleasure of reading. Some worldly people
read newspapers, others romantic literature or an adventure novel,
still others watch a football game at the stadium and pass their
time. The same thing is done by some people who read spiritual
books. They may spend the whole night reading spiritual books with
great intensity and be content. They take a spiritual book, sit
comfortably, and begin reading. “Oh, I profited from that,” they
say. It would be better to say, “I enjoyed myself, I spent my time
pleasantly.” But this is not profit.
We profit when we understand what we read, when we censure ourselves
and discipline ourselves by applying it: “What does this mean? Where
do I stand in relation to this spiritual truth? What must I do now?”
After all, the more we learn, the more responsibility we have to
live up to what we have learned. I am not saying that we should not
read so that we can plead ignorance and therefore be free of
responsibility, for this is a cunning deception; I am saying that we
should not read merely to pass our time pleasantly. The bad thing is
that if someone reads a lot and has a strong memory, he may remember
many things and may even talk a lot about what he has read, and thus
deceive himself into thinking that he also personally observes the
many things he reads. So he has created an illusion toward himself
and others. So don’t be comforted by the thought that you read a
lot. Instead, turn your attention to applying what you have read.
Much reading alone will only educate you encyclopedically. Isn’t
that what they call it?
— Yes, Geronda.
— The goal, however, is to be transformed in a God-centred manner. I
am not aiming to be a university professor where I would need to
know many things. But if I ever need something from this worldly
knowledge, I can easily learn it once I have acquired the
God-centred knowledge. Do you see what I mean?
— When one has a distraction, is it beneficial to concentrate
through study?
— Yes, one should read a little, something very demanding, in order
to warm the soul. This keeps distractions and concerns under the
lid, and the mind is transposed into a divine realm. Otherwise, the
mind is diverted by whatever task is preoccupying it.
— Geronda, when someone is tired or upset, he usually wants to read
something light and easy, a short story or a novel, perhaps, or
something like that.
— Is there no spiritual book that is appropriate for such times? The
purpose is not to forget one’s worry, but to be redeemed. Such light
reading does not redeem. Novels, newspapers and television have no
value in developing a spiritual life. Quite often even some
religious periodicals are damaging to Christians, because they stir
a foolish zealousness that leads to confusion. Take care. Do not
read unnecessary things during your free time. Some reading matter
is completely hollow, like a water-pumpkin; it is like looking in a
haystack to find a kernel of wheat. Some people say, “Yes, but they
relax me.” But how can they be relaxing, my good man, if they make
you dizzy and cause your eyes to ache? It is better to rest by
sleeping. You can learn much about a person’s spiritual state from
what he reads. One who is very worldly will probably be reading
indecent magazines. One who is less worldly will read less indecent
magazines and newspapers. One who is religious will read religious
periodicals, or contemporary religious books or patristic texts, and
so on.
— Geronda, which spiritual books are the most helpful?
— The various patristic texts, which, thank God, are available by
the thousands today, are very helpful. One can find whatever one
needs and desires in these books. They are authentic spiritual
nourishment and a sure guide on the spiritual path. However, in
order to be of benefit to us, they have to be read with humility and
prayer. Patristic texts reveal the inner spiritual condition of the
soul, much as axial tomography reveals the inner structures of the
body. Each sentence of the patristic texts contains a multitude of
meanings, and each person can interpret them according to their own
spiritual state of being. It is better to read the ancient text
rather than a translation, because the translator interprets the
original verse according to his own spirituality. In any case, in
order to understand the writings of the Fathers one must constrain
oneself, focus and live spiritually, for the spirit of the Fathers
is perceived through and by the spirit only. Especially helpful are
the Ascetical Homilies by Saint Isaac the Syrian, but they must be
studied slowly so that they can be assimilated little by little as
spiritual food. The Evergetinos is truly of great benefit, because
it gives us insight into the whole spirit of the Holy Fathers, it is
helpful because it describes the struggles of the Fathers against
each and every one of the passions, and, by learning how they worked
on the spiritual life, the soul is greatly assisted. Also, the
Synaxaria, the Lives of the Saints, are sacred history and very
helpful, especially for young people, but they should not be read as
stories.
We do not need great knowledge to be devout. If we concentrate and
meditate on the few things we know, our heart will be spiritually
embroidered. One may be profoundly affected by a single hymn, while
another may feel nothing, even though he may know all the hymns by
heart, as he has not entered into the spiritual reality. So, read
the Fathers, even one or two lines a day. They are very
strengthening vitamins for the soul.
TRANCRIPT OF THE LAST HOMILY
OF THE NEW MARTYR PRIEST DANIEL SYSOEV
I congratulate you all on this Sunday, the day of Resurrection! And
now, in these days of autumn, I wanted to make you aware of a
temptation that comes more and more often among people. This
temptation is the constant squabbling of people among themselves.
Unfortunately, there is a sense that lately the enemy of the human
race is exclusively occupying himself with poisoning Christians
especially among themselves, for the most paltry reasons. People
have indeed become so unusually agitated and are continually in some
abnormal, inhuman state of soul.
Of course, on one side, psychology says that an increased autumnal
stress is occurring among people. But on the other hand the most
important thing is that people have forgotten that they are — first
of all — Christians, children of the Father in Heaven, that we are
brothers and sisters amongst each other because we all came from the
same Baptismal font, are all anointed by the same Holy Spirit
through Holy Chrism, that we all partake from the same Holy Chalice.
And, incidentally, the Lord says “Blessed are the peacemakers: for
they shall be called sons of God.” He who reconciles people does a
great virtuous work.
And the Apostle Paul says, “If it be possible, as much as lieth in
you, live peaceably with all men”. Nonetheless, Orthodox Christians
constantly fall into this trap, “What party do you belong to?” “What
is your relationship to a certain trend?” “Whose are you?” Isn’t it
so?
The same was true for the church at
Corinth.
Whose are you? Paul’s? Of Cephas? Christ’s? Of Apollos? What does
the apostle say? “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or
were ye baptized in the name of Paul?” Truly, it is not becoming for
a Christian to relate himself to any party. We all belong to the
party of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. You and I are
Christians. We are His portion. We are chosen by God from all the
nations of the Earth. We are the chosen of God. We are a royal
priesthood. People separated from the darkness by God, brought to
the miraculous light of Divine love.
Why do we conduct ourselves as if we were living in the despicable
rebelliousness of this world? Why do we serve the devil who divides
and not Christ Who unites? Why do we consider it within our rights
to hate and be angry, to continually gossip and create scandals? Why
do we consider it our right to be roused to indignation?
Such a thing is displeasing to the Lord. Such a thing is truly from
Satan, who wants to divide Christians and destroy peace. Remember
that the fate of the world and those countries where we find
ourselves does not rest on the actions of atheists. What can you
take from them? Understand that such a person is in darkness and
under the influence of the devil.
Naturally, concerning those of another group, he hates and is angry;
you can’t even expect anything else from them. But something more
astonishing is that people, instead of remembering that we are
indebted to live in peace, begin to bring that despicable
rebelliousness of the world into the Holy Church. This, obviously,
proceeds from the mouth of the devil. It is precisely he who
inspires us with his monstrous, evil idea to divide us amongst
ourselves.
We cannot live like those who are without. As the Lord has said,
“How will they know that you are my disciples? Because you have love
for one another”. But if, as the apostle says, “You hate one
another, envy and offend, take heed that ye be not consumed of one
another”.
Truly, right now the devil wants to divide Christians and then to
destroy everything that the Christians depend on. It is because of
Christians that God maintains the world. Because of Christians, the
Lord gives peace to nations. Why are there wars? It happens when
Christians forget about their unity, when they relate themselves to
this world...
. . . . . . . . .
News From All The Ends Of The Earth . . . . . . . .
Manchester, U.K.:
An atheist rapist has complained that his human rights were breached
by having to share a prison cell with a Christian lag. Barman Steven
Relf, 40, was jailed indefinitely after admitting raping two women
he targeted when he served them drinks in a pub. Police branded him
a "sexual predator" and said he could have had as many as 40
victims. In a letter to an inmates' magazine, Relf wrote: "I
recently had the displeasure of sharing a cell with a Bible-thumping
believer." A source said Relf was "furious" at having to share at
Manchester Prison with the Christian convict and wanted him to be
"evicted". He said: "He moaned about how the guy wouldn't shut up
about God. He said he wanted to speak to a lawyer about his rights
so he could be moved cells." The other inmate was later transferred,
reports
The Sun.
Washington, D.C.:
January 7, US President Barack Obama wished all Orthodox Christians
a blessed feast of Nativity of the Lord: “To those of the Orthodox
Christian faith who are celebrating the Great Feast of the Nativity
today, Michelle and I wanted to extend our warmest wishes to you and
your family. The holiday season is a time to reflect upon and
cherish what’s most important in life: our most deeply held values,
the love of friends and family, and the bond of community and
country. May this continue to be a time of fellowship and
generosity to our fellow citizens.”
Bari, Italy:
A request by Turkey for the return of St Nicholas’s relics from
their current resting place in Italy would be “terribly
hypocritical”, the founder of the St Nicholas Society, Canon Jim
Rosenthal, said this week. Canon Rosenthal, NSM of All Hallows’ by
the Tower,
London,
has visited Demre in
Turkey
four times. Demre was formerly the Byzantine city of Myra, where St
Nicholas became Bishop in the third century. He said that the town
is “one huge disappointment” for pilgrims because of the
commercialization of St Nicholas, and he has called for the Orthodox
church to be reopened for worship before there are any moves to
return the bones from Bari, in Italy, where they were taken by
Italian sailors in the 11th century. “I was there just a few months
ago, and wasn’t allowed to celebrate mass in the church, although I
went ahead anyway, but risked being incarcerated. They want to build
a museum for the relics, but we don’t want them in a museum but in a
church. It’s got so commercial there.” Canon Rosenthal said it was
particularly galling when a bronze statue of St Nicholas in Demre,
donated by the city of Moscow, had been taken down and replaced by a
plaster-of-Paris effigy of Santa Claus. This has been replaced in
turn by another statue of St Nicholas, after complaints, but this
figure is “quite disappointing” compared with the original, Canon
Rosenthal said. The Turkish government is said to be considering
making a request to
Rome
for the return of the relics, and a prominent archaeologist in Demre
has suggested that the saint asked, during his lifetime, to be
buried in his home town. Canon Rosenthal believes that the fact that
relics of St Nicholas in the Antalya Museum, near Demre, have been
deemed fake could be the motivation behind the possible overtures to
Italy. But after he attended the annual celebration of St Nicholas
in Bari, he said that it would be “foolish to think the Italians are
about to let these bones live somewhere else”. The
English-speaking St
Nicholas Society was founded in the year 2000, and aims to increase
interest and appreciation of St Nicholas, and calls for Christmas to
remain a day of Christian celebration.
Visoki Decani, Serbia:
January 6, Nativity Eve, several hundreds of Kosovo Albanians have
blocked the road from the settlement of Decani to the Monastery
Visoki Decani, protesting over the visit of Serbian President Boris
Tadic to the monastery, Tanjug reported. The agency said that
the Albanians approached the KFOR checkpoint, which is located near
the entrance to the monastery, and thus prevented the arrival of the
Serbs who had intended to attend the services on Christmas Eve and
Christmas Day. With this blockade, the Albanians have also disabled
the departure of journalists who covered the arrival of President
Tadic in the monastery. According to Tanjug, it is peaceful
around the monastery at the moment. The representatives of Italian
KFOR contingent claim that the Albanians told them that they will
briefly unblock the road from the monastery to the settlement of
Decani. They, however, announced a new gathering and blockade for
the following day. Serbian January 6, President Tadic arrived around
1:30 pm in the Monastery Visoki Decani, where he will spend Orthodox
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
President Tadic at the Visoki Decani
Monastery
Manshiet Nasr, Egypt:
An already dismal Christmas for Egypt's Coptic Christians turned
brutal overnight after a gunman opened fire into a crowd of
worshippers outside a church. The drive-by shooting occurred as the
Christians were leaving a Nativity Eve service in the village of Nag
Hammadi in Upper Egypt late Wednesday, Jan.6, killing at least seven
people. Millions of Copts in Egypt celebrate Christmas each year in
early January because of differences between the traditional
Christian and Gregorian calendars. Security officials believe the
attack was revenge for the alleged assault of a Muslim woman by a
Christian man in the same province last year. Even before the
killing, clashes between Muslims and Christians have grown
increasingly common in recent years, especially in
Upper Egypt, where there is a large Christian
population and a strong culture of vendetta killings. Those killings
typically spring from unexceptional disputes that spiral into
full-blown conflicts that have to be settled by security forces.
There are no official statistics on the size of the Christian
minority in
Egypt, but the generally accepted figure is 10 percent of the
population. During a funeral procession on Thursday for the victims
of the shooting, thousands of angry Christian protesters chanted,
“With our souls, with our blood, we will sacrifice ourselves for the
cross,” and pelted police cars with stones. The police fired tear
gas to disperse the crowds. According to the Interior Ministry,
witnesses have identified the lead gunman as Mohamed Ahmed Hussein,
a Muslim man with a criminal record. Egyptians have been united
historically by a strong sense of national identity, allowing the
Muslim majority and Coptic Christian minority to live in peace, for
the most part. But the recent rise in religious fervor, especially
among Muslims, has strained relations and increased reported
episodes of religiously inspired violence. The general sentiment
among
Egypt’s
Copts is that they are being squeezed into a tighter space, and
there are increasing complaints of discrimination.
Moscow, Russia:
It is estimated that in the city of Moscow alone about 1 million
people visited the church for the Feast of Nativity. Several
thousand gathered in the Christ the Saviour Cathedral (which
celebrates the laying of the corner stone this day fifteen years
ago), among them was Russia’s President Dmitrii Medvedev, who was
there with his family for the All-Night Vigil. The Nativity services
were celebrated by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill accompanied by many
hierarchs and clergy, including the patriarch’s spiritual father —
Elder Ilii of the Optina Hermitage.
Nativity in
Christ the Savior Cathedral, Moscow
Belgrade, Serbia:
January 4, during the Nativity Bazaar in Belgrade, the first volumes
of “Life according to the Gospel” — the writings of His Holiness
Patriarch Pavle (†2009) was presented to the public. The book
contains talked given by the patriarch, his words about fasting,
great feasts, as well as different sayings and commentaries.
++++++++++++++++++++++
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1.
January bulletin covers have no sponsors, yet. Sing-up sheet is in
the narthex.
2.
Be mindful that the Diocesan Assessment went up from $47.00 per
person to $60.00 per person a year. Please make sure your donations
in support of the diocese and its institutions reflect this change.
However, if you have been supporting the diocese with your $47.00
donations in the past and cannot increase your contribution to
$60.00 a year — let the parish board president know and the parish
will make up the difference.
3.
Our Annual Parish Meeting is set for January 24, immediately after
the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy. Refreshments will be provided.
4.
Time flies so fast! It is already the third week of January which
means that our Soup Sale is THIS WEEK! Please try to bake/cook for
this monthly fundraiser. We are doing our usual stuffed cabbage and
cabbage & noodle at the church. We need your input with soups and
baked goods. We have containers at the church. If you make soup, try
not to make more than 5-7 containers of the one kind of soup. If you
have questions or need help, please call Janet Petyo or Fr Sergii.
5.
A thought has visited a bright mind: so far, only three people
(Dorothy, Janet and Matushka Svetlana) in our parish tried (and
quite successfully, too) their hand in making pumpkin rolls. These
rolls are always good sellers. This time Matushka has three things
(besides work) in her life that are going to render her pumpkin
rolls’ making sessions few, if any: she has bronchitis, she begins a
new semester in college and she is to make stuffed cabbage this
week. By now, you might have guessed what we are leading to: we need
somebody else making those pumpkin rolls. They are not hard,
although time-consuming, to make. We do hope some of you are going
to heed this call. If you need the recipe or have questions on how
to make the rolls, please talk to either of the three pumpkin roll
ladies — they’ll be glad to help you.
6.
Another reason to step up our participation in the Soup Sale is the
bills we receive for snow plowing our parking lot. This, plus the
heating bill, is making our contributions to the well-being of the
church vital.
7.
Out in the narthex, we have a list for home blessings. Please write
down on it your name and the exact hour you would like to have your
house blessed.
++++++++++++++++++++++
Bulletin - 1/3/10
DEATH AS THE LAST HOMILY
In the memory of
many Orthodox Christians, the news of the martyric death of priest
Daniel Sysoev, of Holy Apostle Thomas Church in
Moscow,
on November 19, 2009, still resounds clear. Several days ago, we
marked the fortieth day of his repose, untimely, in the eyes of
many, but timely, according to the Divine Providence. Surely, the
Husbandman of the harvest knows when to the crops are ready.
Below, we offer you two articles which have recently appeared on the
Sretenskii Monastery’s website www.pravoslavie.ru.
Author of the
article: Hieromonk Job (Gumerov)
Death is the last event in a person’s earthly life. For a
missionary, death is the last homily, the last message preached, the
last witness for Christ, Whom the missionary loved with complete
readiness to sacrifice his or her life for the sake of the triumph
of the Faith. Father Daniel Sysoev had prepared himself for this
sacrifice long before. Even in his younger years when studying at
the Moscow Theological Seminary where this writer taught Fundamental
Theology, Father Daniel was pierced through with the fiery
conviction that only Orthodoxy contained the fullness of saving
truth. Possessed of great talents, as a seminarian he already knew
the church canons and passionately contested with students and
instructors when they allowed themselves the slightest compromise.
To people who were indifferent to the spreading and deepening of the
faith, his aversion to compromise seemed strange; and some of them
fell into judgment and condemnation — but his death as a priest in
the church which he himself had built, gave proof of his
earnestness, his zeal, his single-minded commitment to Jesus Christ
and His Church.
From the very beginning of his priesthood, Father Daniel chose the
most difficult form of ministry—missionary outreach, which was
initiated by the apostles. In the Early Church, missionary work was
identical with martyrdom. “The martyrs were preachers of
Christianity, continuers of the apostolic ministry; and this mission
they fulfilled precisely as martyrs*, that is, presenting themselves
as witnesses.” (Bolotov V.V., Lectures on the History of the Early
Church. 1. The Post-Apostolic Church and the
Roman Empire (in Russian)). After the Bolsheviks seized power in
1917, their first blow was directed specifically against
missionaries. Murdered were the missionary Bishop Ephraim (Kuznetsov),
Protopriests John Kochurov, John Vostorgov, Konstantin Golubev,
diocesan missionary Nicholas Varzhansky and other missionaries.
Father Daniel Sysoev carried out his missionary activity among
Moslems. His Evangelical preaching was very successful: he converted
and baptized many people; he received death-threats in response. His
answer to such threats was to preach Christ with still greater zeal.
Therefore his death is a Christian sacrifice for the sake of the
great cause to which he felt called by Jesus Christ. Such a death is
an open and manifest victory, because “warriors for Christ are not
killed, but crowned” (Hieromartyr Cyprian of Carthage, Epistle 66)
Father Daniel conducting classes in
the nave of St Thomas Church
The early Christians referred to the day of death of their brothers
and sisters in the faith as their birthday — birth into a new life.
With the coming to earth of the Saviour, mankind’s relationship with
death has been changed forever. “If we believe in Christ, and if
through faith in His word and promises we shall never die, then we
ought with joyful daring to go to Christ, by Whom and with Whom we
shall live and reign forever. It is through temporal death that we
cross over to immortality; and eternal life can begin for us only
after our departure from here. And this is not really a departure
but only a crossing over or resettlement into eternity after our
temporal sojourn on earth. Who would not hasten to cross over to
that which is better? Who would not desire to be changed and
transfigured according to the image of Christ and the sooner to
partake of heavenly glory?” (Hieromartyr Cyprian of Carthage, Book
on Mortality).
To
him who dedicates himself to the service of Christ are given various
means to bring people to the Truth: preaching by word, and preaching
by one’s life as a living example of self-sacrificing service. These
earthly labors for Father Daniel have ended. There remains the
brightest and most powerful preaching: the preaching of death.
(Revelation
14:13).
*martyrs:
the Greek root
μάρτυς (martys) means “witness”.
Hieromonk Job
Gumerov
On the Death of
My Husband:
Matushka of the martyred priest Daniel speaks and reveals
that a prophecy has been fulfilled
Dear brothers and sisters, thank you for your support and prayers.
This is the pain which cannot be expressed in words. This is the
pain experienced by those who stood at the Cross of the Saviour.
This is the joy which cannot be expressed in words, this is the joy
experienced by those who came to the empty Tomb.
O death, where is thy sting?
Fr Daniel had already foreseen his death several years before it
happened. He had always wanted to be worthy of a martyr's crown.
Those who shot him wanted, as usual, to spit in the face of the
Church, as once before they spat in the face of Christ. They have
not achieved their goal, because it is impossible to spit in the
face of the Church. Fr Daniel went up to his Golgotha in the very
church which he had built, the church to which he gave up all his
time and all his strength. They killed him like the prophet of old –
between the temple and the altar and he was indeed found worthy of a
martyr's calling. He died for Christ, Whom he served with all his
strength.
Very often he would say to me that he was frightened of not having
enough time, time to do everything. He was in a hurry. Sometimes, as
a human-being he exaggerated, he got things wrong, he tripped up and
made mistakes, but he made no mistake about the main thing, his life
was entirely dedicated to HIM.
I did not understand why he was in a hurry. The last three years he
was busy serving, never taking days off or taking vacations. I
moaned, just now and then I wanted simple happiness, that my husband
and my children's father would be with my children and me. But
another path had been prepared for him.
He used to say that they would kill him. I would ask him who would
look after us. Me and the three children. He would answer that he
would put us in safe hands. ‘I’ll give you to the Mother of God.
She'll take care of you'.
These words were forgotten too soon. He told us which vestments to
bury him in. Then I joked that there was no need to speak about
that, we still did not know who would bury who. He said that I would
bury him. Once our conversation turned to funerals, I don't remember
the details but I did say that I had never been to a priest's
funeral. And he answered that it did not matter because I would be
at his funeral.
Now I remember many words which have gained a meaning. Now my doubts
have dissolved, the misunderstandings have gone.
Matushka
Julia saying her last good-bye…
We did not say goodbye in this life, we did not ask each other
forgiveness, we did not embrace one another. It was just another
day: in the morning he went to the Liturgy and I did not see him
again. Why didn't I go to the church that day to meet him? I had
thought of it, but I decided I had better get the evening meal ready
and put the children to bed. It was because of the children that I
did not go there. There was a hand that did not let me go. But the
evening before I had gone to the church and met him. I had felt as
if dark clouds were gathering over us. And in the last few days I
had tried to spend more time with him. Over the last week I had
thought only about death and about life after death. I couldn't get
my head around either the first or the second. That day my head was
spinning with the words: ‘Death is standing right behind you'. The
last week everything was so hard, as if a huge load had been emptied
out on top of me. I am not broken. He is supporting me, I feel as if
he is standing by me. Then we said so many affectionate words, which
we had never said to each other in our whole life before. Only now
do I understand how much we loved each other.
The memorial service for the forty days of Fr Daniel takes place on
the eve of his namesday and the patronal feast of the future church,
29 December, and 30 December is the feast of the holy prophet
Daniel. According to the prophecy of an elder, the church would be
built but Fr Daniel would not serve in it. The second part of the
prophecy has already been fulfilled.
Matushka Julia
Sysoeva
. . . . . . . . .
News From All The Ends Of The Earth . . . . . . . .
Moscow, Russia:
An organization calling itself The Information and Analytical
Section of the Staff of the Armed Forces of the Caucasus Emirate has
claimed that its activist murdered Russian Orthodox clergyman Daniel
Sysoev for insulting Islam. A statement from the organization posted
on website said that the assassin entered the premises where the
clergyman was staying "and fired several shots at him with a Makarov
pistol with a silencer and filmed the execution on his cell
phone."After the murder he fled to the territory of "the Caucasus
Emirate with the purpose of joining the Mojaheddins."
"Unfortunately, the video footage with Sysoev's execution was lost,"
the statement said. "We are not waging a war against peaceful
Christians living in Russian territory but we are warning everyone
that anyone who dares to open his mouth to insult Islam and Muslims
may share Sysoev's fate. The warning equally applies to all public
figures, journalists and politicians who dare to insult Allah's
religion," the statement said. Father Daniel Sysoev was shot dead on
the night of November 19 in the Church of St. Thomas in south
Moscow. Earlier he had received numerous threats from Muslim
radicals dissatisfied with his missionary efforts among Muslims.
Jerusalem, Israel:
A 50-year-old man from Jerusalem has been granted a divorce for the
11th time, a new Israeli record for Jews according to a Rabbinical
court. He told the court he usually
divorced his wives every two years and looked for a new bride
immediately after. His newest ex-wife said that since they married
he had not worked and had lived off her income, amassing large
debts. In the statement, the rabbis praised the man for going
through all the correct religious procedures for getting a divorce.
Under Jewish law, to divorce his wife a man must issue her with a
"Get", a document that says "you are hereby permitted to all men".
Moscow, Russia:
Wednesday, December 30, in the church of Holy Apostle Thomas on
Kantemirovskaia Street, a memorial Divine Liturgy was celebrated for
the repose of the soul of the church’s rector, Fr Daniel Sysoev. The
day of Father Daniel’s memory is also a patronal feast day of the
temple of Holy Prophet Daniel, which is going to be built in place
of the temporary church of Holy Apostle Thomas. Celebration of the
Divine Liturgy was led by Igumen Melchizedek (Artyuhin), the rector
of Saints Peter and Paul Church in Yasenevo where Fr Daniel’s
father, Priest Aleksii Sysoev, serves. Several hundred people
attended the service, many of them had flowers in their hands and
were crying. On the spot where Fr Daniel was shot dead there was put
an analogion with the icon of the Holy New Martyrs of Russia. Fr
Daniel’s photo is placeb on the wall by the analogion. After the
Procession with the Cross and panihida, tea with honey cakes were
served to all present. “This is a tradition started by Father
Daniel. Nobody is going to stop it”, say the faithful of the St
Thomas.
Caracas, Venezuela:
Caracas has long had a bad reputation when it comes to crime:
murder, robbery and kidnapping are commonplace ills, as well as
crooked cops who cover things up. Criminals are increasingly
targeting a new pool of victims — the dead — immune to murder but
not kidnapping and assault. Tombs are shattered and graves dug up
not for treasures buried with the bodies or even for scrap metal,
but for the bones themselves, which are used in rituals for Palo, a
cult which has its origins in
Cuba.
The bones are said to have ancestral energy; the more important the
deceased, the more powerful the bones and, presumably, the more
effective the ceremony. Skulls fetch $2000, while femurs get about
$450. Meanwhile, police demand bribes from journalists wishing to
cover the story and told a grieving man that it’s illegal to close
his own parents’ grave (never mind opening it in the first place).
Inside it, the man’s mother’s skull had been stolen; underneath her
was his father, still intact and susceptible to ransack, which the
man hoped to prevent by repairing the tomb.
London, U.K.:
Christmas has lost its religious significance in Britain according
to an exclusive
Daily Express
poll which reveals only 7 per cent of people attend church that day.
A massive 93 per cent of Brits are spending Christmas Day eating turkey,
drinking champagne and opening presents — but not going to church.
And a mere 11 per cent had the intention of attending the Christmas
Eve services, according to the survey. This compares with an
overwhelming 86 per cent of people who said they sent Christmas
cards. Daily Express
columnist Ann Widdecombe told
Express.co.uk:
“If you’re not going to church on either Christmas Eve or Christmas
Day then why are you celebrating Christmas? What does Christmas mean
if you are not going to church?” Young people are even less likely
to attend church over the festive period than older people.
Jerusalem, Israel:
Jerusalem authorities spoke against recent desecration of Christian
churches. "We urge all, who are in power to do it, to put an end to
this shameful practice by way of explanation and start clearing away
the evil and then it will be peace in our camp," representative of
the Jerusalem Mayor's Office said in their statement summing up
results of a session with representatives of Christian and Jewish
communities. As the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem
reported in its website citing the statement, inscriptions "Death to
Christians!" appeared on walls of Christian churches (including the
Mission's Trinity Cathedral) on December 11. "Believers of other
religions have recently complained of oppressions and insults from
irresponsible youth in various parts of the city," the statement
further said. The city officials believe that such actions contain
"grave sin of insulting God's name." "Besides, our forefathers
banned provocations against non-Jews as such provocations can lead
the whole society to a catastrophe," the document further reads.
Constantinople, Turkey:
Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme on Wednesday visited Ecumenical
Patriarchate in Constantinople (İstanbul). Leterme’s meeting with
Patriarch Bartholomew was closed to the press. Leterme later visited
the
Church
of Holy Great Martyr George. Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme
will later proceed to
Ankara
and will be received by Turkish President Abdullah Gül at Çankaya
Palace.
Vatican City:
Unlike Christmas, this year Pascha will come for Orthodox and
Western Christians on the same day, April 4. Various Christian
confessions have the same Paschal cycle (system of determining the
date of celebrating Pascha) once in several years. Orthodox and
Catholics celebrated Pascha on the same day April 8 two years ago.
Pascha also coincided in 2004 and earlier in 2001. Next year in
compliance with their calendars, Eastern and Western Christians will
also celebrate Pascha together, and then Paschal cycle will coincide
in 2014 and 2017. Former Pope John Paul II of Rome suggested that
all Christians should celebrate Easter jointly, though this idea was
not further developed. The Second Vatican Council had launched the
same initiative in 1965 and offered all Christians to celebrate
their main feast on the second Sunday of April. Difference in
Paschal cycle is due to Catholic’s refusal to accept the rule of the
apostles by which the Christian Pascha should be celebrated after
the Jewish Passover.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates:
Dubai public prosecutor demanded the death penalty for a man who
confessed to raping and murdering a four-year-old boy in a mosque. ‘This heinous crime which has shocked
society... necessitates a quick trial,’ prosecutor Issam Al Humaidan
said in a statement. ‘The culprit has abandoned all human values in
committing such crime. That is why the prosecution has demanded the
death sentence for him,’ he added. The defendant, 30, has confessed
to raping and killing the Pakistani boy who was found dead in the
bathroom of the mosque on Nov 17, it said.
Washington, D.C.:
A recent report that an ornament adorned with the face of a Chinese
communist leader is hanging on a Christmas tree in the White House
has troubled some Christians. BigGovernment.com released photos
revealing a Mao Zedong ornament on the tree in the Blue Room. Other
pictured ornaments depict transvestite Hedda Lettuce and
Mount Rushmore with President Obama's head
added to it. "I am stunned and profoundly disappointed by reports of
an ornament with the image of Mao Zedong hanging on the White House
Christmas tree," said the Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney of the Christian
Defense Coalition, based in Washington, D.C. "It is hard to
understand during this most holy season that President Obama would
display an ornament of a man who brutalized and murdered his own
people and his legacy still haunts the Chinese and the world."
Mahoney called the ornament "a direct slap in the face to Christians
who honor Christ." "The message of Christ on that Christmas morning
was 'peace on earth, goodwill toward man,'" he noted. "Yet, the
White House tramples that glorious message, with the image of a
dictator who brought tyranny to millions." Brandi Swindell of
Generation Life joined Mahoney in protesting the Zedong decoration:
"Chairman Mao oversaw the deaths of 50,000,000 of his own countrymen
under one of the most brutal governments in history. The policies
and government he put in place still continue to crush, trample and
terrorize the wonderful people of
China." Photos of the decorations were released after allegations
that the White House sent a letter telling artists not to send
ornaments with a religious theme and that Christmas trees would be
called "Holiday"
trees.
Berlin, Germany:
From
December 24-26, 2009,
the Cathedral of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia
hosted the traditional Orthodox Seminar of the German Diocese. This
year, some 90 participants from 14 parishes attended. The most
important aspects of these forums are not only the readings and
discussions on hagiographical, historical and pedagogical themes but
the performance of molebens, all-night vigils and celebration of
Divine Liturgies. The participants have the opportunity to make
confession on a daily basis, partake of the Holy Gifts, and freely
commune with the archpastors and clergymen of the diocese. The scope
of topics covered by the lectures and speeches was very broad this
year. His Eminence Archbishop Mark of Berlin and Germany spoke on
one of the greatest figures in the history of the Orthodox Church of
the 19th century, Metropolitan Philaret (Drozdov) of Moscow, who
combined the qualities of a hierarch and a theologian, a statesman
and a
podvizhnik
of piety, a preacher and a poet. Vladyka Mark presented Metropolitan
Philaret as the “Chrysostom of Moscow,” a great theologian and
teacher of the Church, whose sermons serve as an example of
theological wisdom, divine thought and contemplation, and are
enduring masterpieces of ecclesiastical teaching in both form and
content. Protopriest Nikolai Artemoff spoke on the life of the great
man of prayer, the wonderworker St John of Kronstadt. Professor
Alexander Kornilov spoke on two subjects at one seminar: on
Protopriest Adrian Rimarenko (1893-1978), who served in the
Soviet Union,
Germany and finally in the
United States,
where he founded Novo-Diveevo Convent; and on the mission and
podvigi
of the Orthodox clergy in the biggest DP (displaced-persons) camp in
post-War Germany: Schleissheim, near
Munich.
Protopriest Mikhail Dronoff of the Diocese of Berlin and Germany
spoke on religious experience, its essence, nature and the role it
plays in the minds of contemporary youth. Entrepreneur Alexander
Naumtsev discussed his experience in organizing spiritual-moral
educational programs in the Crimean region of Krasnodar. This year’s
Orthodox Seminar, an annual event since 1981, concluded with an
outline of the theme for next year’s seminar, a summary of this
year’s meeting and a moleben for all the participants.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1.
In the narthex, we have a new list for those who would like to
sponsor our bulletin covers.
2.
Please be mindful that next Sunday is a Mission Sunday when a
special collection is taken to aid mission parishes in the US.
3.
Our Annual Parish Meeting is set for January 24, immediately after
the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy. Refreshments will be provided.
4.
Last month, our Hobart Food Pantry collection box had in it only
three lonely bag, which means that only three families remembered
the needs of the less fortunate. Our God gave as His Only-begotten
Son as a Precious Gift, and what do we give?...
5.
Out in the narthex, we have a list for home blessings. Please write
down on it your name and the exact hour you would like to have your
house blessed.
+++++++++++++++++++
Bulletin - 12/27/09
. . . . . . . . .
News From All The Ends Of The Earth . . . . . . . .
Jerusalem, Israel:
On the streets of Jerusalem, the war on Christmas is on. Two weeks
ago, the "Lobby for Jewish Values" started handing out fliers
condemning the holiday and inciting the public to boycott
restaurants and hotels that sell or put up Christmas trees and other
"foolish" Christian symbols. Backed by rabbis, and with the
self-righteous air of the American Protestant right, lobby chairman
Ofer Cohen told the Israeli media that he had considered publishing
a list of businesses bold enough to put up Christmas decorations,
call for a boycott against them, and - with a help from Jerusalem
Rabbinate - revoke the kashrut certificates of said hotels and
restaurants. The fliers distributed by the Lobby for Jewish Values
contain the following call: "The people of Israel have given their
soul over the years in order to maintain the values of the Torah of
Israel and the Jewish identity. You should also continue to follow
this path of the Jewish people's tradition and not give in to the
clownish atmosphere... And certainly not help those businesses that
sell or put up the foolish symbols of Christianity." It's unclear
exactly what is considered "foolish symbols of Christianity," and,
on top of that, how displaying them can result in withdrawal of the
certificate confirming you adhere to Jewish dietary laws. The Lobby
for Jewish Values and the Jerusalem Rabbinate say that Nativity of
Christ, Whom they crucified almost 2,000 years ago and Who rose from
the dead, is just not kosher. That rules out the manger scene and
all things nativity. But what about the traditional Christmas tree?
Should pine trees be banned in Israel? And what if the Christmas
tree has been certified kosher? Jerusalem’s Christian population is
two percent, and dropping due to Jewish discrimination and all-out
harassment of anyone non-Jewish.
Washington, D.C.:
Orthodox Christians in predominantly Muslim Turkey “don’t feel that
we enjoy our full rights as Turkish citizens,” Patriarch Bartholomew
of Constantinople told the CBS newsmagazine “60 Minutes” Dec. 20.
The patriarch told CBS News correspondent Bob Simon that he and
other Christians in Turkey sometimes feel “crucified” by the actions
of the Turkish government, which banned all private higher education
and closed the nation’s only Orthodox seminary in 1971. Although
only about 4,000 Orthodox Christians remain in Turkey - down from
some 2 million at the beginning of the 20th century - “we prefer to
stay here, even crucified sometimes,” the Turkish-born patriarch
said. “Because in the Gospel it is written that we are not only to
believe in Christ, but also to suffer for Christ,” he added. Asked
why the small Christian minority did not leave, Patriarch
Bartholomew replied: “Because we love our country. We are born here.
We want to die here. We feel that our mission is here as it has been
for 17 entire centuries.” He said he wonders “why the authorities of
our country do not respect this history.” Touring the abandoned
Halki School of Theology with Simon, the patriarch called it “a pity
and a shame” to keep the seminary – where he studied for seven years
– closed. “This school prepared people who preached peace, preached
unity, preached love,” he said. “So not giving the church the
possibility to prepare these people, we offend human dignity.” Asked
if he feared sometimes that the Orthodox community might be wiped
out, the patriarch said: “Not really. We survived. We do believe in
miracles.”
Lahore, Pakistan:
An eye for an eye, and a nose (and ear) for a nose (and ear). A
Pakistani court has ordered the noses and ears of two men cut off
after they did the same thing to a young woman. The men performed
the "amputations" after the young woman's family spurned the
marriage proposal of one of the two men. In ordering the punishment,
the
Lahore
(an Eastern city in
Pakistan)
court said it was applying Islamic law.
New York, NY:
The Barna Group, arguably the premier research organization in
matters of faith and culture, has released its year-end review, a
summary of what it has culled from its various studies this past
year. The following four themes have emerged throughout 2009: 1)
Increasingly, Americans are more interested in non-traditional
faiths and spirituality rather than in Christianity; 2) Faith in the
American context is now individual and customized. Americans are
comfortable with an altered spiritual experience as long as they can
participate in the shaping of that faith experience; 3) Biblical
literacy is neither a current reality nor a goal in the U.S; 4)
Effective and periodic measurement of spirituality – conducted
personally or through a church – is not common at this time and it
is not likely to become common in the near future.
York, U.K.:
The chairman of
Scarborough's anti-theft group has criticised the
comments of a
Yorkshire vicar after he advised hard-up members
of society to steal from large chain stores. Father Tim Jones, 42,
caused a national storm after he said to parishioners at St Lawrence
Church in
York: “My advice, as a Christian priest, is to shoplift.” Although
he emphasised that he gave the advice with “a heavy heart”, and that
stealing could only be justified by those in dire need as a better
option than “prostitution, mugging or burglary”, many have been
outraged by the comments. Despite the anger over his sermon, Father
Jones defended his commentsy. “When we, as a society, let our most
vulnerable people down so terribly badly I would rather that people
take an 80p can of ravioli rather than turn to some of the most
appalling things,” he said. “Burglary causes untold harm and damage
to people in a way that taking a can of spaghetti rings from a
supermarket doesn’t.
Bhopal, India:
An attack on a Christmas fair in Madhya Pradesh has spread panic
among Christians in the state. Thugs chanting Hindu slogans torched
representations of biblical scenes at the fair in the town of
Gwalior on Dec. 20. The group evoked the names of Hindu deities and
started damaging the biblical artworks depicting scenes from the
life of Christ. The local Christians had held the two-day fair
before Christmas for eight years on public land near a market.
Christians, who form less than 1 percent of the state's population,
have experienced sporadic violence since the pro-Hindu Bharatiya
Janata Party came to power in December 2003.
Phuket, Thailand:
An Orthodox Church now under construction in Tambon Thepkrasattri is
scheduled for completion by the end of next year. The groundbreaking
religious ceremony at
4pm on Dec. 22nd was performed by
Archbishop Hilaion of Volokolamsk and other clerics representing the
Russian Orthodox Church in
Thailand. About 50 people also joined the ceremony. The church will
be dedicated as the Holy Life-Giving Trinity after its completion.
The parish priest will be 31-year-old Thai National Danai Wanna of
Prachinburi province, the first Thai ever to be ordained as a
Russian Orthodox priest. His preparation included six years of
seminary study in
St Petersburg.
There are currently two Russian Orthodox churches in Thailand, one
in Bangkok and the other in Chonburi.
Priest Danai
Wanna
Yonkers, NY:
On Saturday afternoon, January 30, 2010, The Most Rev. and Rt. Honorable Rowan Williams, archbishop
of
Canterbury
and senior bishop of the worldwide Anglican communion, will deliver
the annual Father Alexander Schmemann Memorial Lecture at St.
Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. The archbishop will speak
on the topic “Theology and the Contemplative Calling: The Image of
Humility in the Philokalia.” St. Vladimir’s Seminary will also
confer upon the archbishop a Doctorate of Divinity
honoris causa,
in recognition of his contribution to the academic study of Eastern
Orthodox theology and spirituality.
Jerusalem, Israel:
A team of archaeologists and scientists says it has, for the first
time, found pieces of a burial shroud from the time of Christ in a
tomb in Jerusalem. The researchers, from
Hebrew
University and institutions in
Canada
and the US, said the shroud was very different from the
controversial Turin Shroud. Some people believe the Turin Shroud to
have been Christ’s burial cloth, but others believe it is a fake.
The newly found cloth has a simpler weave than Turin’s, the
scientists say. The body of a man wrapped in fragments of the shroud
was found in a tomb dating from the time of Christ near the Old City
of Jerusalem. The tomb is part of a cemetery called the Field of
Blood, where Judas Iscariot killed himself. The researchers believe
the man was a Jewish high priest or member of the aristocracy who
died of leprosy. They say he was wrapped in a cloth made of a simple
two-way weave, very different to the complex weave of the Turin
Shroud. The researchers believe that the fragments are typical of
the burial cloths used at the time of the Saviour.
Gracelake, IL:
On the day of Saint Nicholas, Dec. 19, Bishop Longin served a
hierarchal Divine Liturgy in the New Gracanica Monastery along with
a number of Serbian and Russian clergy. On that day, the Bishop
ordained Nikolaj Kostur into the rank of a deacon. Nikolaj, a
graduate of the Holy Trinity Seminary and of Saint Vladimir's
Seminary, is a son of Proto (Archpriest) Lazar and Protinica (Matushka)
Mira Kostur, formerly of Saint Elijah Cathedral in Merrillville, IN.
After the Liturgy a festive lunch followed in honor of the Bishop's
Slava and of Deacon Nikolaj's ordination.
Bishop Longin with Deacon Nikolaj (in white vestments), his Matushka
Ekaterina and their parents
Athens, Greece:
Dec. 20th, Greek Orthodox Church glorified among the saints
relatives of Holy Hierarch Gregory Palamas: his parents Constantia
and Kallonis, his sisters Epiharis and Theodota, and his brothers
Theodosios and Makarios.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1.
December Bulletin Cover Sponsors are Polomchak family — 45th
anniversary of Anna Salamon’s repose.
2.
Last Monday night, 13 people came to church to decorate the temple
for the Nativity season. It is wonderful that so many decided to
make themselves available and spend that evening in church, both
decorating the temple and enjoying very tasty Lenten refreshments
and desserts provided by Dorothy.
3.
On Saturday, January 2, at tentatively 5:00 P.M., infant Liam Ryan
Campbell is to be baptized in our church. The family is inviting all
parishioners to came and witness the birth of the new child of
Christ.
4.
Last week, we made nut rolls for a special order and made extra
$348.00 in addition to our Cookie Walk profit. These monies were
received after we had summed up the total for the December
fundraiser, therefore, it was decided that the $348.00 will be used
for purchasing containers (we have run out of stuffed cabbage and
soup containers) and ingredients for our product (meat, cabbage,
etc.). We are planning to make stuffed cabbage for January Soup
Sale, and perhaps every Soup Sale, since it is such a good seller.
Because we have some extra money, this time we are not asking for
any cash donations for the January fundraiser.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Bulletin - 12/20/09
. . . . . . . . .
News From All The Ends Of The Earth . . . . . . . .
Sofia, Bulgaria:
Senior bishops decided not to pay attention to the demands of the
clergy and faithful to abandon the New Calendar and return to the
Old Calendar. Last time such a plea came from a group of believers
and their priest from the Chelopechene district of Bulgarian capital
Sofia,
asking that Nativity be celebrated on January 7, since the change of
the calendar was uncanonical and against the statutes of the
Bulgarian Orthodox Church. The plea was filed on November 20, 2009. The local priest Mariy Dimitrov has been serving according
to the Julian (Old) Calendar for the last 20 years in his parish
with the special permission of Bulgarian Patriarch Maxim. Those who
filed the plea remind that a similar case for the restoration of the
Julian Calendar in 1997 attracted the support of five bishops.
Bulgarian Orthodox Church succumbed to the New Calendar in 1968. The
news of the calendar issue finally being discussed by the hierarchy
created a storm of joy and much hope in the Orthodox world, looking
forward to the time when our awkward situation when “some feast
while others fast” would come to the end. If summed up, the reaction
of the Orthodox community worldwide was expressed by one participant
of an Orthodox internet forum: “Bravo to the Bulgarian Orthodox
Church. I hope it comes to fruition. Now, if the other Revised
Julian Orthodox churches would follow suit, I think that would go a
long way to strengthening intra-Orthodox union against the
onslaughts and dangers of ecumenism.” Alas, the bishops decided to
stick to the status quo.
Berlin, Germany:
Most Germans view Christmas as such a burden that 18.6% would like
for Christmas to be cancelled all together. This Holy Day, despite
of its rich theological content, not to mention the traditional
decorations and Christmas bazaars, creates a great pressure for
24.6% of Germans because so much needs to be done. 22.8% confessed
that Christmas itself is a cause of a major stress. 17% noted that
during the Nativity season there are more conflicts in the families,
and every fifth (20.5%) said they can’t celebrate the feast the way
they would like to.
New York, NY:
Only half of Americans rate the honesty and ethics of clergy as very
high or high, a new Gallup poll reveals. A fall from 56% of
Americans last year, the percentage is the lowest it has been in the
last three decades. The honesty and ethics of clergy are not seen
favorably among both Catholics and Protestants and both regular and
non-regular churchgoers. Among Protestants and other Christians,
only 55% – down from 60% in 2008 – gave a very high or high rating.
Similarly, only 56 percent of Catholics, down from 63% last year,
gave such ratings. Americans who seldom or never attend church were
less likely to rate the honesty and ethics of clergy as high (40%)
compared to those who attend weekly (63%). Overall, the Gallup
report points out that the ratings of clergy remain high when
compared to other professions. Clergy rank 8th in the 22 professions
tested this year. Bankers, stockbrokers, business executives,
members of Congress and lawyers have low credibility with Americans
when it comes to honesty and ethics. Only 19% of Americans gave
bankers high ratings. Notably, however, the ratings of clergy
declined the most over the past year.
Berlin, Germany:
Evangelical Church in Germany can result in outflow of their
parishioners to more traditional Christian Churches, the Association
of Orthodox Experts believes. “Degradation of Protestant communities
expressed in women bishops is a chance for Orthodox witness in
Europe. All clearheaded Lutherans will turn to Orthodoxy as a leader
of the World Council of Churches former pastor Karl Felmy did. He
became an Orthodox Christian and theologian,” the Association said
in its statement. According to experts, Protestants are more likely
to turn to Orthodoxy than to Catholicism, as “the stumbling block
between Lutherans and Catholics is a dogma of papal impeccability.”
“It is unlikely that Lutherans will return to their origins, so
Catholics should be sympathetic about Orthodox-Lutheran dialogue as
for Lutherans it is better to choose traditional Church than final
degradation and secularization,” authors of the document believe.
“Therefore, here and now we need to launch a theological dialogue
with Lutherans discontented with women bishop phenomenon and to
translate Orthodox texts into German and other European languages,”
Orthodox experts believe.
Jerusalem, Israel:
The Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in
Jerusalem was vandalized early on December 11. 'Death' and 'Death to
Christians' were written in Hebrew in large red letters near the
cathedral altar and narthex, the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission
said. A statement was made to the Jerusalem police. There have been
threats to clerics of the Russian Orthodox Church and other
Christian confessions before, the mission said. The hooligans said
that Christians must leave
Jerusalem
before they are massacred.
Constantinople (Istanbul), Turkey:
Unbelievable but true: the headquarters of the Secretariat for the
entry of Turkey into the European Union is a building confiscated
from the Orthodox Christian community in the 90s. The building is
located in Istanbul, in the well-known area of Ortakoy, under the
first bridge over the Bosphorus. Before the seizure, the building
was used as a primary school for children of the minority Orthodox
in Ortakoy. Here once lived a thriving Orthodox community, now
non-existent because of past purges against minorities, executed by
the "secular"
Turkish
State. Thanks to the policy of purging, the building and many other
schools at one point found themselves without students, unused and
then confiscated. The forfeiture rule however prevented foundations
- owners of buildings - from allocating them to different uses. The
community of Ortakoy appealed to the administrative courts in
Istanbul,
which have yet to rule on the issue. In case of a ruling to the
contrary, the Orthodox intend to apply to the court in Strasbourg.
The event has aroused unease in diplomatic circles in Brussels, so
much so that on the eve of the inauguration, a senior government
official visited Patriarch Bartholomew I to let him know that the
court’s decision will be respected.
Moscow, Russia:
Orthodox faithful pray for the repose of the soul of the murdered
priest Daniel Sysoev and buy his portraits in the church book
stores. Some Moscow churches sell Father Daniel’s photos next to
icons and spiritual literature. People come to the book store
attendants and inquire if they are allowed to venerate Fr Daniel as
a saint. When they are told they can pray only for the peaceful
repose of his soul, they order forty-day commemorations, panihidas
and put candles on the kanun (panihida table). Also, the books
written by Fr Daniel and videos of his lectures are very popular.
The well-known missionary priest Daniel Sysoev was shot to death in
the evening of November 19 in Holy Apostle Thomas Church in southern
Moscow.
Rabat, Morocco:
Morocco has expelled five Christian missionaries for holding
"undeclared meetings" in the mainly Muslim African kingdom. Two of
the foreigners came from South Africa, two from Switzerland and one
from Guatemala. They were part of a group that also included 12
Moroccans, who were freed the same day. The whole group was arrested
on Friday during a raid on a house in Saidia, a seaside resort 45
miles north of Oudja. Last March, four Spaniards and a German woman
were similarly expelled after they held a missionary meeting with
Moroccan nationals.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1.
December Bulletin Cover Sponsors are Polomchak family — 45th
anniversary of Anna Salamon’s repose.
2.
Tomorrow, Monday, December 21st, we are decorating the church for
the Nativity at 6:00 P.M. Come and lend your own touch and ideas as
to the way the church is to look for the Holy Day. We would like for
the children to come and participate, too. Snacks will be provided.
3.
Last Saturday, our parish hosted the seventh annual Cookie Walk.
Almost everything was sold! We have barely enough cookies for this
Sunday’s Coffee Hour. Yes, some of our parishioners didn’t get their
nut rolls this time. We apologize but would like to remind that our
goal is to make sure that every guest coming to our fundraisers
leaves satisfied, with the product they made the trip for. It was
suggested that next year we start baking nut rolls ahead of time —
having several shorter sessions, and not being in a hurry because of
many things which need to be done before the Holy Day. Having said
all that, the total for this Cookie Walk is $2,628.00! We had a
great variety and good amount, too. We are grateful to all our
faithful who baked, cooked and contributed their labor and financial
resources to make this Cookie Walk such a success. Especially, we
would like to thank all those who, not being our parishioner, or not
being Orthodox, baked cookies for our parish. And this was most
amazing! If it were not for Kathleen Djuric, her family and her
friends whom most of us have never met — we wouldn’t have nut rolls
this year at all!
4.
This year, our pre-Christmas church cleaning coincided with a nut
roll making sessions which decreased the number of the workers at
church, which meant that fewer people would have to do more. We
would like to thank all of them (however few) for preparing the
God’s temple for the Holy Day.
5.
On December 25, Nativity of Christ, the two votive candles on the
Holy Altar Table are offered by handmaid of God Ann Hakos.
6.
Our parish Nativity Dinner is Sunday, December 27th. So far, only
three families have signed up. That’s all? If anybody else is going
to attend we need to know in the first part of THIS week.
7.
This Tuesday, December 22 (Feast of the Conception by Saint Anna of
the Most Holy Theotokos) Parastas is to be served at 9:30 A.M. for
the blessed repose of Anna Salamon, thus marking the 45th
anniversary of her falling asleep. May her memory be eternal!
8.
Next Sunday, December 27th, is our Hobart Food Pantry collection.
Please, bring at least one item of the non-perishable food per
family member and deposit it in the box on the narthex as you enter
the church.
++++++++++++++++++++
Bulletin - 12/13/09
LIFE OF OUR
HOLY HIERARCH NICHOLAS,
ARCHBISHOP OF
MYRA IN LYCIA, THE WONDERWORKER
Saint
Nicholas, the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia is a great
saint pleasing unto God. He was born in the city of Patara in the
region of Lycia (on the south coast of the Asia Minor peninsula),
and was the only son of pious parents Theophanes and Nonna, who had
vowed to dedicate him to God.
As the fruit of the prayer of his childless parents, the infant
Nicholas from the very day of his birth revealed to people the light
of his future glory as a wonderworker. His mother, Nonna, after
giving birth was immediately healed from illness. The newborn
infant, while still in the baptismal font, stood on his feet three
hours, without support from anyone, thereby honoring the Most Holy
Trinity. St Nicholas from his infancy began a life of fasting, and
on Wednesdays and Fridays he would not accept milk from his mother
until after his parents had finished
their evening prayers.
Nativity of Holy Hierarch Nicholas
From his childhood Nicholas thrived on the study of Divine
Scripture; by day he would not leave church, and by night he prayed
and read books, making himself a worthy dwelling place for the Holy
Spirit. Bishop Nicholas of Patara rejoiced at the spiritual success
and deep piety of his nephew. He ordained him a reader, and then
elevated Nicholas to the priesthood, making him his assistant and
entrusting him to instruct the flock.
In serving the Lord the youth was fervent of spirit, and in his
proficiency with questions of faith he was like an Elder, who
aroused the wonder and deep respect of believers. Constantly at work
and vivacious, in unceasing prayer, the priest Nicholas displayed
great kind-heartedness towards the flock, and towards the afflicted
who came to him for help, and he distributed all his inheritance to
the poor.
There was a certain formerly rich inhabitant of Patara, whom St
Nicholas saved from great sin. The man had three grown daughters,
and in desperation he planned to sell their bodies so they would
have money for food. The saint, learning of the man's poverty and of
his wicked intention, secretly visited him one night and threw a
sack of gold through the window. With the money the man arranged an
honorable marriage for his daughter. St Nicholas also provided gold
for the other daughters, thereby saving the family from falling into
spiritual destruction. In bestowing charity, St Nicholas always
strove to do this secretly and to conceal his good deeds.
The Bishop of Patara decided to go on pilgrimage to the holy places
at Jerusalem, and entrusted the guidance of his flock to St
Nicholas, who fulfilled this obedience carefully and with love. When
the bishop returned, Nicholas asked his blessing for a pilgrimage to
the Holy Land. Along the way the saint predicted a storm would arise
and threaten the ship. St Nicholas saw the devil get on the ship,
intending to sink it and kill all the passengers. At the entreaty of
the despairing pilgrims, he calmed the waves of the sea by his
prayers. Through his prayer a certain sailor of the ship, who had
fallen from the mast and was mortally injured, was also restored to
health.
When he reached the ancient city of Jerusalem and came to Golgotha,
St Nicholas gave thanks to the Saviour. He went to all the holy
places, worshiping at each one. One night on Mount Sion, the closed
doors of the church opened by themselves for the great pilgrim.
Going round the holy places connected with the earthly service of
the Son of God, St Nicholas decided to withdraw into the desert, but
he was stopped by a divine voice urging him to return to his native
country. He returned to Lycia, and yearning for a life of quietude,
the saint entered into the brotherhood of a monastery named Holy
Sion, which had been founded by his uncle. But the Lord again
indicated another path for him, "Nicholas, this is not the vineyard
where you shall bear fruit for Me. Return to the world, and glorify
My Name there." So he left Patara and went to Myra in Lycia.
Upon the death of Archbishop John, Nicholas was chosen as Bishop of
Myra after one of the bishops of the Council said that a new
archbishop should be revealed by God, not chosen by men. One of the
elder bishops had a vision of a radiant Man, Who told him that the
one who came to the church that night and was first to enter should
be made archbishop. He would be named Nicholas. The bishop went to
the church at night to await Nicholas. The saint, always the first
to arrive at church, was stopped by the bishop. "What is your name,
child?" he asked. God's chosen one replied, "My name is Nicholas,
Master, and I am your servant."
After his consecration as archbishop, St Nicholas remained a great
ascetic, appearing to his flock as an image of gentleness, kindness
and love for people. This was particularly precious for the Lycian
Church during the persecution of Christians under the emperor
Diocletian (284-305). Bishop Nicholas, locked up in prison together
with other Christians for refusing to worship idols, sustained them
and exhorted them to endure the fetters, punishment and torture. The
Lord preserved him unharmed. Upon the accession of St Constantine as
emperor, St Nicholas was restored to his flock, which joyfully
received their guide and intercessor.
Despite his great gentleness of spirit and purity of heart, St
Nicholas was a zealous and ardent warrior of the Church of Christ.
Fighting evil spirits, the saint made the rounds of the pagan
temples and shrines in the city of Myra and its surroundings,
shattering the idols and turning the temples to dust.
In the year 325 St Nicholas was a participant in the First
Ecumenical Council. This Council proclaimed the Nicean Symbol of
Faith, and he stood up against the heretic Arius with the likes of
Sts Sylvester the Bishop of Rome, Alexander of Alexandria, Spyridon
of Trimythontos and other Fathers of the Council.
St Nicholas, fired with zeal for the Lord, assailed the heretic
Arius with his words, and also struck him upon the face. For this
reason, he was deprived of the symbols of his episcopal rank and
placed under guard. But several of the Holy Fathers had the same
vision, seeing the Lord Himself and the Mother of God returning to
him the Gospel and omophorion. The Fathers of the Council agreed
that the audacity of the saint was pleasing to God, and restored the
saint to the office of bishop.
Icon of Saint Nicholas with Christ returning to him the
Gospel Book and the Mother of God – the omophorion
Having returned to his own diocese, the saint brought it peace and
blessings, sowing the word of Truth, uprooting heresy, nourishing
his flock with sound doctrine, and also providing food for their
bodies.
Even during his life the saint worked many miracles. One of the
greatest was the deliverance from death of three men unjustly
condemned by the Governor, who had been bribed. The saint boldly
went up to the executioner and took his sword, already suspended
over the heads of the condemned. The Governor, denounced by St
Nicholas for his wrong doing, repented and begged for forgiveness.
“Deliverance from death of the wrongly-condemned”,
painting by
I. E. Repin
Witnessing this remarkable event were three military officers, who
were sent to Phrygia by the emperor Constantine to put down a
rebellion. They did not suspect that soon they would also be
compelled to seek the intercession of St Nicholas. Evil men
slandered them before the emperor, and the officers were sentenced
to death. Appearing to St Constantine in a dream, St Nicholas called
on him to overturn the unjust sentence of the military officers.
He worked many other miracles, and struggled many long years at his
labor. Through the prayers of the saint, the city of Myra was
rescued from a terrible famine. He appeared to a certain Italian
merchant and left him three gold pieces as a pledge of payment. He
requested him to sail to Myra and deliver grain there. More than
once, the saint saved those drowning in the sea, and provided
release from captivity and imprisonment.
Having reached old age, St Nicholas peacefully fell asleep in the
Lord. His venerable relics were preserved incorrupt in the local
cathedral and flowed with myrrh, from which many received healing.
In the year 1087, his relics were transferred to the Italian city of
Bari, where they rest even now.
The name of the great saint of God, the hierarch and wonderworker
Nicholas, a speedy helper and suppliant for all hastening to him, is
famed in every corner of the earth, in many lands and among many
peoples. In Russia there are a multitude of cathedrals, monasteries
and churches consecrated in his name. There is, perhaps, not a
single city without a church dedicated to him.
The first Russian Christian prince Askold (†
882) was baptized in 866 by Patriarch Photius with the name
Nicholas. Over the grave of Askold, Saint Olga built the first
temple of St Nicholas in the Russian Church at Kiev. Primary
cathedrals were dedicated to St Nicholas at Izborsk, Ostrov,
Mozhaisk, and Zaraisk. At Novgorod the Great, one of the main
churches of the city, the Nikolo-Dvorischensk Church, later became a
cathedral.
Famed and venerable churches and monasteries dedicated to St
Nicholas are found at Kiev, Smolensk, Pskov, Toropetsa, Galich,
Archangelsk, Great Ustiug, Tobolsk. Moscow had dozens of churches
named for the saint, and also three monasteries in the Moscow
diocese: the Nikolo-Greek (Old) in the Chinese-quarter, the
Nikolo-Perervinsk and the Nikolo-Ugreshsk. One of the chief towers
of the Kremlin was named the Nikolsk.
Many of the churches devoted to the saint were those established at
market squares by Russian merchants, sea-farers and those who
traveled by land, venerating the wonderworker Nicholas as a
protector of all those journeying on dry land and sea. They
sometimes received the name among the people of "Nicholas soaked."
Many village churches in Russia were dedicated to the wonderworker
Nicholas, venerated by peasants as a merciful intercessor before the
Lord for all the people in their work. And in the Russian land St
Nicholas did not cease his intercession. Ancient Kiev preserves the
memory about the miraculous rescue of a drowning infant by the
saint. The great wonderworker, hearing the grief-filled prayers of
the parents for the loss of their only child, took the infant from
the waters, revived him and placed him in the choir-loft of the
church of Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) before his wonderworking icon.
In the morning the infant was found safe by his thrilled parents,
praising St Nicholas the Wonderworker.
Many wonderworking icons of St Nicholas appeared in Russia and came
also from other lands. There is the ancient Byzantine embroidered
image of the saint, brought to Moscow from Novgorod, and the large
icon painted in the thirteenth century by a Novgorod master.
Two depictions of the wonderworker are especially numerous in the
Russian Church: St Nicholas of Zaraisk, portrayed in full-length,
with his right hand raised in blessing and with a Gospel (this image
was brought to Ryazan in 1225 by the Byzantine Princess Eupraxia,
the future wife of Prince Theodore. She perished in 1237 with her
husband and infant son during the incursion of Batu); and St
Nicholas of Mozhaisk, also in full stature, with a sword in his
right hand and a city in his left. This recalls the miraculous
rescue of the city of Mozhaisk from an invasion of enemies, through
the prayers of the saint. It is impossible to list all the
grace-filled icons of St Nicholas, or to enumerate all his miracles.
Zaraisk Icon of Saint Nicholas
St Nicholas is the patron of travelers, and we pray to him for
deliverance from floods, poverty, or any misfortunes. He has
promised to help those who remember his parents, Theophanes and
Nonna.
Holy Hierarch Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in
Lycia, is commemorated on December 6/19, May 9/22 (translation of
his relics) and on July 29/August 11 (his nativity).
Mozhaisk Icon of Saint Nicholas
. . . . . . . . . News From All The Ends Of The Earth . . . .
. . . . . .
Bishops Maxim and Mitrophan
Platina, CA:
On December 4, 2009, the Feast of the Entry of the Most Holy
Theotokos into the Temple, the catholicon (main church) of the St.
Herman of Alaska Orthodox Monastery in Platina, CA (the monastery
was established almost 40 years ago by ever-memorable Hieromonk
Seraphim (Rose) and Abbot Herman (Podmoshenskii) with the blessing
of Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco), was consecrated by His
Grace Bishop Mitrophan of the Eastern American Diocese of the
Serbian Orthodox Church and His Grace Bishop Maxim of the Western
American Diocese. In addition to the bishops, there were also
thirteen members of the clergy from the Serbian Orthodox Church,
Georgian Orthodox Church, Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Russian
Orthodox Church and Albanian Diocese of the Orthodox Church in
America.
Saint Herman of Alaska Church in Platina, CA
Perm, Russia:
The area occupied by the Lame Horse, the nightclub burnt down in
Perm after midnight on December 5, was 666 square meters. “I
sincerely commiserate with the relatives and friends of the young
people who perished in that night club. When there perishes a
person, even if in such a questionable place as a night club, any
Christian, especially a priest, feels sorry. It is a tragedy for
those who died and for their relatives”, said the well-known priest,
a clergyman of Saint Nicholas Church in Hamovniki, Father Alexander
Shumskii. “Night clubs and other places like that represent an
evidence of the lack of the normal upbringing. Our country virtually
doesn’t have any system of ethic formation of the younger
generation.
 The
Church and the patriarch constantly speak about the importance of
the ethical formation. This tragedy is a reminder for the government
and for those who are responsible for the lives of the people that
the young are to be raised in moral uprightness, that they need to
go not to the night clubs but to the Church, that they should be
busy doing something beneficial. It is clear that such a system of
the ethical education has to be founded on Orthodoxy, for there can
be no other foundation”, said the priest. “In my opinion, all night
clubs should be closed. If this were to be done by the authoritative
decision of our President, I would only welcome it. Although, I
don’t know whether it is possible or not. But I am sure, both
Medvedev and Putin would support it. Personally they agree that all
night clubs should be closed, but I do not know if they have enough
will power and authority to do it”, assumes Father Alexander. “Night
clubs resemble gambling establishments where the demonic game goes
on, as well. There is a blatant diabolical play in the gambling
establishments. The same goes on in the night club, although in a
more covert way. The tragedy in such a place is not an accident. The
Gospel says that not even a hair will accidentally fall from our
head. Therefore, by that tragedy in the night club God calls us back
to our senses. One doesn’t have to be clairvoyant and an elder to
understand that; this is obvious for every clearly thinking man,
especially a Christian. It would be ideal if those establishments
were shut down immediately. That would bring great benefit. The more
there are prohibitions of all sorts of sin, the better we are off.
We shouldn’t be afraid of such prohibitions. There is no reason to
look at how the West is going to react, for the West surely is going
to shriek at our actions. It’s high time we understood that any
banning of sin in Russia is viewed by the West as an attack on
democracy. It’s high time we learned to ignore the so-called western
public opinion, it shouldn’t interest us at all, because the West
(here I am not talking about the simple people) hates us. The West
cannot wish Russia any good. Our authorities ought to act with
greater determination. We have well-disposed President and Prime
Minister whom I wish a greater determination in the war on sin. If
they ban the night clubs then the Lord will undoubtedly bless them
and the people will support them. I wish them greater political will
and more actions in accordance with the Divine Commandments”,
concluded priest Alexander Shumskii.
Vatican City:
The Vatican Bank is under investigation for involvement in a
money-laundering scheme using accounts at one of Italy’s largest
banks. Panorama reports that officials from the Bank of Italy’s
Financial Intelligence Unit have identified transactions worth up to
€180
million that violated anti-money-laundering regulations in accounts
held at a UniCredit branch in Via della Conciliazione, next to St
Peter’s Basilica.
Barcelona, Spain:
Nine Muslims were arrested in Spain – seven of whom are being held
in prison – for trying to kill a woman they had “condemned” for
adultery under Islamic Sharia law. The arrested men formed a “court”
that subjected the woman to a “trial”, but the victim was able to
flee when her captors were distracted. The incident occurred in
March, and the arrests of the nine suspects came in November after
several months of investigation and raids conducted by police on
their homes, police said.
The seven men who have been placed in prison have been accused of
illegal detention, criminal conspiracy and attempted murder. This is
the first time that a kidnapping of this kind has been reported in
the northeastern Spanish region of Catalonia, police said, adding
that they are continuing to pursue their investigation of the
incident.
Jerusalem, Israel:
Jordan filed an official complaint to Israel demanding to stop the
excavations at the Church of Holy Sepulcher (also known as the
Church of the Resurrection, it hosts the Tomb where the Lord’s body
was laid) in East Jerusalem. The Hashemite Kingdom said that the
excavations violate the status quo of Jerusalem, and demanded Israel
to stop its unilateral actions at the Church. But Israel claims that
the work does not harm the integrity of the church. The AFP reported
that Israel started the excavations on November 23. The Church of
the Resurrection is shared by six Christian communities: Orthodox,
Roman Catholic, Armenian, Coptic, Assyrian and Ethiopian. Earlier
UNESCO chief Irina Bokova stated that it is unacceptable to do
excavations in the center of Jerusalem, especially the works which
destroy the historical image of the Old City. “As for Jerusalem, I
would just remind you that the city is already on UNESCO's World
Heritage List, which means that any changes violate international
treaties and charters on protecting world heritage.” She also cited
resolutions adopted by UNESCO in 1968 calling on Israel not to
change the realities in the holy city under the pretext of
excavations.
Tokyo, Japan:
New Orthodox Church of Theophany will be consecrated in the Japanese
city of Nagoya on January 11, 2010, to be ready for the Feast of
Theophany on January 19. Metropolitan Daniel of Tokyo and All Japan
and Bishop Seraphim of Sendai will lead the ceremony and the Divine
Liturgy. An icon of Moscow Holy Hierarchs and laminated icons of
Theophany were especially prepared in the Holy Trinity-St. Sergii
Lavra. Orthodox parish in Nagoya (the North Japan Diocese of the
Japanese Autonomous Orthodox Church) was founded in 1880s. It has a
home church dedicated to the Annunciation of the Mother of God built
after WWII. Parishioners started fundraising for a new church in
1980s. The foundation stone was consecrated in June 2009 and
building of a church and a parish house began. Basic building works
were completed in October when cupola with a cross was consecrated
and installed. Newly-built Church of Saint Alexander Nevsky was
consecrated in Tokyo last year.
Moscow, Russia:
The Russian Orthodox Church is not against a meeting between
Patriarch Kirill and Pope Benedict XVI but expects the Vatican to
"take concrete steps to show that there is a desire to be
cooperative". "Our position has remained unchanged for many years:
we have never excluded the possibility of such a meeting. So said
the late Patriarch Aleksii II and so says Patriarch Kirill," stated
head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church
Relations Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk. But such a meeting
needs good preparation "so that the current tension is eliminated,"
he said. "We expect the Vatican, the Roman Catholic Church, to take
concrete steps to show that there is a desire to be cooperative and
heal all the wounds that were inflicted in the extremely harrowing
period of the early 90s," the Archbishop said. In that period, more
than 500 Orthodox churches in Ukraine "were forcibly seized by Greek
Catholics and the Orthodox believes were ousted from them".
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1.
December Bulletin Cover Sponsors are Polomchak family — 45th
anniversary of Anna Salamon’s repose.
2.
Tomorrow, on Monday, December 14th, we are cleaning the church:
morning shift starts at 9 A.M. and the evening one — at 5:30 P.M.
3.
Our seventh annual Cookie Walk is next Saturday, December 19th. We
believe that every parishioner/family can bake at least a few dozen
cookies for the event. We need both: good variety and great
quantity. The sign-up sheet is in the narthex. Please bring your
cookies to church on Friday night. If you have questions, please
call Fr Sergii.
4.
On Monday, December 21st, we are decorating the church for the
Nativity at 6:00 P.M. Come and lend your own touch and ideas as to
the way the church is to look for the Holy Day. We would like for
the children to come and participate, too. Snacks will be provided.
5.
On December 25, Nativity of Christ, the two votive candles on the
Holy Altar Table are offered by handmaid of God Ann Hakos.
6.
Ryan and Nicole Campbell would like to announce the birth on
November 13th of their second son Liam Ryan Campbell. The family
would like also to thank all our parishioners for the prayers and
thoughts.
(The current priest appears to be rather forgetful when it comes to
announcing things like that in church and in the bulletin. Please
forgive him and do not hesitate to remind him what needs to be
announced.)
7.
Our parish Nativity Dinner is Sunday, December 27th. There is a
sign-up sheet in the narthex for you to put how many people are
coming and how many of them are children (Saint Nicholas needs to
know).
8.
On Tuesday, December 22 (Feast of the Conception by Saint Anna of
the Most Holy Theotokos) Parastas is to be served at 9:30 A.M. for
the blessed repose of Anna Salamon, thus marking the 45th
anniversary of her falling asleep. May her memory be eternal!
++++++++++++++++++++++++
Bulletin - 12/6/09
A NEW SAINT: NEW HIEROMARTYR PHILOUMENOS
Last week, which
marked the 30th anniversary of the martyric death of Archimandrite
Philoumenos, we presented a short account of his suffering. That
day, Nov. 29, Jerusalem Patriarchate officially glorified
Archimandrite Philoumenos a saint.
The holy martyr of the 20th century,
Philoumenos the Cypriot, came from the
village of Orounta of the province of Morphou. He was a child of
George and Magdalene Hasapi. Even though his parents come from the
village of Orounta of the metropolitan area of Morphou, they lived
at the parish of St. Savvas in Nicosia, since his father had his own
inn and bakery there. From childhood, he (his baptismal name was
Sophocleous) along with his twin brother Elpidios (future
Archimandrite) were taught the Holy Scripture by their grandmother
Loxantra, who in particular influenced them in learning the ways of
the Church and in developing a truly Orthodox conscience. They
mostly studied the lives of the saints and hymns of the Church.
Particularly they were touched by the life of Saint John the
Kalyvitis, who in some way made an impact on them, to the point of
desiring to follow the life of monasticism.
 At the age of 14, the
brothers left for the Monastery of Stavrovouni and stayed there for
five years. Afterwards, they both left for
Jerusalem,
where they attended the High School. After the graduation in 1939,
Elpidios served as a priest in different places and died on 29
November 1983. Saint Philoumenos stayed in
Jerusalem for 46 years. In 1979, he was appointed the igumen of the
Monastery of Saint Jacob's Well. While living there, on November 29,
1979, as he was serving Vespers, he was murdered by the Zionists.
The week before, a group of fanatical Zionists came to the Monastery
of Jacob's Well, claiming it as a Jewish holy place and demanding
that all crosses and icons be removed. Of course, the saint pointed
out that the floor upon which they were standing had been built by
Emperor Constantine before 331 A.D. and had served as an Orthodox
Christian holy place for sixteen centuries before the Israeli State
was created, and had been in Samaritan hands eight centuries before
that. (The rest of the original church had been destroyed by the
invasion of the Shah Khosran Parvis in the seventh century, at which
time the Jews had massacred all the Christians of Jerusalem.) The
group left with threats, insults and obscenities of the kind which
local Christians suffer regularly. After a few days, on November 29,
during a torrential downpour, a group broke into the monastery; the
saint had already put on his epitrachelion for Vespers. The
piecemeal chopping of the three fingers with which he made the Sign
of the Cross showed that he was tortured in an attempt to make him
deny his Orthodox Christian Faith. His face was cloven in the form
of the Cross. The church and holy things were all defiled.The
body of the saint was handed over to the Orthodox six days after his
massacre, but was soft and was buried in the
cemetery
of Mount Zion. After four years, as is customary, his body was
exhumed. It was found to be substantially incorrupt and had the
smell of a beautiful fragrance. Then the tomb was closed and was
re-opened during the Nativity of 1984, when the body was found to be
partially incorrupt and was placed in a glass shrine in the northern
part of the Holy Altar in
Mount
Zion.
Patriarch
Theophilos at the Jacob’s Well
November 29, 2009, His Beatitude Theophilos III,
Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All Palestine,
accompanied by a great multitude of pilgrims, celebrated the Divine
Liturgy in Saint Photini Church in Sichem. At the conclusion of the
Divine Liturgy, a Cross Procession took place with the reliquary
containing drops of bloods of Holy Hieromartyr Philoumenos. Before
the procession was begun, His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos read
aloud the resolution of the Holy Synod of the
Church of Jerusalem on canonization of Holy New Hiermartyr
Philoumenos. Patriarch also stated that the brotherhood of the
Church of the Holy Sepulcher even before the saint’s martyric death,
when he was just assigned to Sichem to watch over the Jacob’s Well,
had called him ‘new martyr’, thus prophesying the end of his earthly
life.
Reliquary with the drops of blood of Saint Philoumenos
. . . . . . . . . . . News From
All The Ends Of The Earth . . . . . . . . . . .
Kiev, Ukraine:
Bishop Evlogy of
Sumy and Ahtyrka stated that
adherents of the "Kiev Patriarchate" attempted to seize the
Church of Archangel Michael in the Ukrainian town Ahtyrka in the
Sumy Region. Believers consider "such disregard of their interests"
an attempt on the part of the “Orange Revolution” regime to
destabilize situation in the region "using religious factor," the
said the Bishop. Patriarch Kirill conducting negotiations with
Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko in July touched upon the
problem of Orthodox believers' rights in the Sumy Region where some
churches of the canonical
Ukrainian Church had been seized. European MP Tatiana Zhdanok also
expressed her concerns with seizure of churches in the region. As
was reported, adherents of the "Kiev Patriarchate" under false
pretences captured a building and property of St. Paraskeva Orthodox
Church in the Gudymy village and seized the Transfiguration Church
in the village of Beyevo on the eve of Pascha.
Bishop Evlogy of Sumy
Ankara, Turkey:
Turkey is among the first Muslim countries to react to the outcome
of the Swiss last week referendum (when 57.5 per cent of Swiss
population voted to ban minarets in their country). Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, head of the moderate Islamist Justice and
Development Party, had harsh words, calling the outcome a "sign of
an increasing racist and Fascist stance in Europe." Turkish
President Abdullah Gul said the vote was a "disgrace" for
Switzerland. Turkey's Minister for EU Affairs Egemin Bagis made an
appeal to Muslims on
Hurriyet
in which he asked them to withdraw their money from Swiss banks, and
urged his compatriots to choose Turkish banks. As opposed to such
heated reactions, other voices in Turkey have called on Turks to
look into their own nasty past and current situation. "Switzerland
may have acted badly, but . . . is the Church truly free in Turkey?"
Turkish journalist Serkan Ocak titled his article in
Radikal. In a clear analysis, he raised
questions about religious freedom in his country, showing that,
despite angry words by Turkish authorities about the scandal in
Switzerland, it is practically impossible to build a new church in
Turkey, or even return an old unused church to its original use.
"Since 2003 in accordance with a European Union directive and
Turkey's building code, it is possible to open a new church," Serkan
said. "In practice however, it is not easy to do." In his in-depth
article, he gave an example of the situation: one Christian
community applied for a permit to build religious buildings seven
years ago, and is still waiting for one. The law says that
authorisation can be granted to build churches but the power to
grant the permit is left to district prefects, who are not inclined
to issue any. In Turkey, a great number of restrictions apply to
religious freedom. Serkan cites another example. In 2003, lawyer
Orhan Kemal Cengiz obtained the authorisation for one or two
buildings. However, even though "a right is recognised and granted
to a minority, certain conditions are imposed that make it virtually
impossible for that right to be exercised." Many promises have been
made to the Orthodox Church, but nothing has been done. Despite
Erdogan's nice words when he met on 15 August of this year the Greek
Patriarch Bartholomew I and the heads of other religious minorities,
the Orthodox theological school of Halki has still not re-opened
after it was shutdown in 1971. More importantly, there is no sign it
will be re-opened anytime soon. Even though Turkey's secular
constitution guarantees everyone complete freedom of worship
irrespective of religion, Christians continue to have a hard time
finding a church that is open. Many of them also continue to
experience social discrimination and so choose not to show their
religious identity in public.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1.
December Bulletin Cover Sponsors are Polomchak family— 45th
anniversary of Anna Salamon’s repose.
2.
This Sunday, on account of it being a patronal feast of the parish,
the general panihida is not served but is postponed till next
Sunday.
3.
Next Sunday, December 6th, the Eternal Light and the two votive
candles on the Holy Altar Table are offered by Dorothy Mastronicola
in memory of Norman Mastronicola. May the Lord Our God look
mercifully upon our prayers and make Norman’s memory eternal!
4.
Saturday, December 12, we are making nut rolls. We are promised a
numerous group coming to roll at
8:30—9:00 A.M. However, we need workers for the
afternoon shift — baking, wrapping and cleaning up. Your
participation is greatly needed and will be much appreciated.
5.
Since we didn’t have as many donations for buying the supplies for
the nut rolls as we needed, we had to borrow a lot from the parish.
This was something we didn’t want to do.
6.
Our seventh annual Cookie Walk on December 19th. Please, do start
baking! We need both: good variety and great quantity. The sign-up
sheet is in the narthex.
7.
Our parish Nativity Dinner is Sunday, December 27th.
8.
If you would like to provide for purchasing of the flowers to
decorate the church on Christmas with, please give your donations to
Janet Petyo, for she needs to know how much she can spend on them.
9.
On Monday, December 14th, we are cleaning the church: morning shift
starts at
9 A.M. and the evening one — at
5:30 P.M.
10.
On Monday, December 21st, we are decorating the church for the
Nativity. Come and lend your own touch and ideas as to the way the
church is to look for the Holy Day. We would like for the children
to come and participate, too. Snacks will be provided.
11.
On Tuesday, December 22 (Feast of the Conception by Saint Anna of
the Most Holy Theotokos) Parastas is to be served at 9:30 A.M. for
the blessed repose of Anna Salamon, thus marking the 45th
anniversary of her falling asleep. May her memory be eternal!
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Bulletin - 11/29/09
. . . . . . . . . . . News From
All The Ends Of The Earth . . . . . . . . . . .
Johnstown, PA:
“It is proper and just to sing to You, to bless You, to praise You,
to thank You, to worship You in every place of Your kingdom, for You
are God, ineffable, inconceivable, invisible, incomprehensible, ever
existing yet ever the same, You and Your only-begotten Son and Your
Holy Spirit. You brought us out of non-existence into being and,
when we had fallen, You raised us up again, and left nothing undone
to lead us to heaven and to bestow upon us Your future kingdom. For
all this we give thanks to You and to Your only-begotten Son and
Your Holy Spirit, for all that we know and do not know, the manifest
and hidden benefits bestowed upon us”
(Liturgy Anaphora Prayer).
His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas, the Diocesan Chancery
Staff and the members of the ministries of the American
Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese extend their greetings to all
diocesan faithful and friends for a blessed and joyous celebration
of Thanksgiving.
Johnstown, PA:
The Rev. Fr. Stephen Loposky has been installed as the Administrator
of Camp Nazareth by His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas at Christ the
Saviour Cathedral. His Eminence charged the new director with
piously and zealously caring for the spiritual and temporal needs of
the youth and faithful adults who are ministered through
Camp
Nazareth and Saints Cyril and
Methodios
Church. Fr. Stephen Loposky recently assumed his duties as
Administrator of Camp Nazareth after serving the faithful of St.
Mary's Orthodox Church in Corning, New York, for more than a
decade. Fr. Stephen and his wife Daria are the parents of 4
children.
Ligonier,
PA:
Beautiful fall weather greeted approximately 70 wives of clergy from
many jurisdictions on the weekend of November 5-7 at Antiochian
Village in Ligonier, PA, for what was hopefully the 1st Annual
Clergy Wives Weekend. Wives of priests, deacons and seminarians from
17 states and 1 Canadian province gathered to hear speakers and to
share prayer and fellowship at the event arranged in memory of
Khouria (Arabic equivalent of Matushka) Joanne Abdalah, who during
her lifetime was an inspirational counselor and friend to many
clergy, clergy wives, and countless other people. The idea grew from
Joanne’s son Joseph’s desire to find a way to honor his mother’s
memory, and a similar idea from clergy wives who knew and loved her,
too. It proved a most fitting and successful tribute! Friday night
was a relaxed time to be together in the Lodge building at the
Village camp, with dinner, snacks, and a log fire. On Saturday
morning everyone gathered in the camp church for the Divine Liturgy
on the feast of Saint Raphael of
Brooklyn,
whose shrine could be seen out the church window. Mother
Christophora, abbess of the Monastery of the Holy Transfiguration in
Ellwood City, PA, was the weekend’s first speaker. She recalled her
friendship with Khouria Joanne, and with wit and compassion
acknowledged her listeners’ special calling, urging them to serve
others but also to make time to be alone with God in prayer. Mother
Christophora also reminded the matushkas to realize their
limitations, something Khouria Joanne taught her, as well as
listening with a compassionate ear without expecting to be able to
fix things for others. Matushka Juliana Schmemann addressed the
group on Saturday afternoon, sharing wisdom from her many years of
being a clergy wife and working mother. She advised the wives always
to be thankful for good things, and quoted her husband, Father
Alexander Schmemann, who said, “Anyone who is capable of
thanksgiving is capable of salvation.” Such an attitude allows us to
accept the unfairness of life, and gives us the ability to “turn the
page” on those unfair and unfortunate events and encounters in
parish life and life in general. In his session, Father John Abdalah
asked each wife to create a “metaphor” about herself and her
ministry. What the women realized is that they are unique. There is
no cookie cutter for a clergy wife, and being and becoming who they
are uniquely created to be is a very good thing. No one’s
expectations for a clergy wife should be imposed. The feeling of
oneness, of friendship, and of a shared ministry indeed pervaded the
weekend, which culminated in the Sunday morning Divine Liturgy in
the Conference Center chapel.
Mother Christophora
Moscow, Russia:
The famous Moscow priest has spoken in support of the Russian
Constitutional Court's decision to ban the use of the
death penalty in
Russia. "It would be madness to introduce the death penalty in
Russia. To me, the court decision was obvious and I was calm about
it," said Archpriest Dimitrii Smirnov, the head of the Synodal
Department for Relations with the Armed Forces and Law Enforcement
Agencies. Recalling the Christian commandment "Do not kill," the
priest said a person who has committed a grave crime and is serving
his sentence in prison has a chance to repent. "I'm also against
abortion. It's when my fellow citizens are killed in their mothers'
wombs with the taxpayers' money. It's the death penalty for no crime
at all. It would be good if the Constitutional Court also abolished the death penalty for
babies," Father Dimitrii said.
Archpriest Dimitrii Smirnov
Washington, D.C.:
After a vote in September to form of a new denomination, Lutheran
CORE (Coalition for Renewal) has shifted into high gear to distance
itself from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The move is
in reaction to a vote taken in August by the ELCA to allow
practicing homosexuals in committed relationships to serve as
clergy, a move that contradicts Scripture. Ryan Schwarz, who is
leading the effort, said a committee is beginning drafting a
constitution and building a budget for the new denomination, which
CORE hopes to launch by next August: “Many of us have spent years
struggling to call the ELCA to remain faithful to the Orthodox
Christianity of the last 2,000 years. While this is of course a
wrenching decision, there is also a sense of hope in refocusing on
our true mission, which is evangelizing the Lutheran faith.”
Lutheran CORE is urging supportive congregations to stop paying
support to the ECLA, and for those opposed to the denomination’s
liberal policy but don’t want to leave the ELCA, CORE will continue
in its efforts to try to create a free-floating synod within the
ELCA.
Patriarch Pavle
Belgrade, Serbia:
Council of the Serbian Orthodox Church, which is going to elect the
new patriarch, is scheduled to convene January 22, 2010. According to the Ustav of the
Serbian Church, the patriarch is to be elected at the Church Council
where all bishops are present. A candidate should be a bishop who
headed a diocese for at least five years. Patriarch is to be elected
through the so-called ‘apostolic casting of lots’, i.e. picking one
of three notes with a candidate’s name who made it into the final
stage of the election process. However, the method of election can
be changed if the members of the Council decide so. Synod has stated
that the fortieth day memorial Liturgy and panihida for the
newly-reposed Patriarch Pavle is to be celebrated Dec. 24th in the Saint Sava Cathedral in
Vracar.
Moscow,
Russia:
Last Monday Orthodox
Moscow
bid farewell to Priest Daniel Sysoev killed in the Apostle Thomas
Church where he served. This crime has caused a great public
resonance: there had not been such a case in
Moscow
for more than half a century since Stalin’s bloodshed. In the last
19 years, Father Daniel became the 25th Orthodox priest killed in
Russia. The burial service took place in the Saints Peter and Paul
Church in Iasenevo district of Moscow. The Patriarch Kirill of
Moscow and All Russia also arrived to bid farewell to Fr Daniel.
Before the funeral, for three days the body of Father Daniel was in
the Apostle Thomas Church where some thousand believers came to say
good-by to him. Father Daniel was known for his active missionary
work, particularly among non-Orthodox, and also for his bright
polemic performances. The last year, he repeatedly received threats
from sectarians, pagans and Muslims. According to the investigation,
the murder was committed for religious reasons.
Representatives of the Orthodox community have suggested
perpetuation the memory of the priest. "We propose the creation an
Orthodox missionary national patrol named after Father Daniel and to
rename after him the street where the priest has constructed the
church
of Apostle Thomas," the
Interfax-Religion
was told in the Association of Orthodox Experts. According to
authors of the statement, the permanent duty around the temple and
in that district should be one of the missionary patrol’s functions.
"Such missionary patrol could prevent fires (after
Fr Daniel was murdered
Saint Thomas
Church was threatened with fires),
and could be involved in street missionary activities, thus not
letting the work which has been begun by Father Daniel to die off,"
the statement reads.
Father Daniel talking with the youth Kirgizia
Cairo, Egypt: On Monday November 23, 2009, Muslim rioters looted and burned Coptic Christian businesses in the village of Abou Shousha, which lies 25 km from Farshoot. The terrorized Coptic inhabitants of Abou Shusha have stayed indoors, their shops are closed and their children are being kept away from school. They fear a repetition in their village of the Muslim violence which engulfed the town of Farshoot less than 36 hours earlier. The Middle East Christian Association (MECA) reported that at least three large Coptic stores and a pharmacy were looted and burnt in Abou Shusha and that the fire brigade arrived one hour late, although their headquarters is only 8 km away from the village. “They gave the pretext of being busy in Farshoot, which is untrue, as Farshoot had a quiet night,” said Wagih Yacoub of MECA. “Coptic and Muslim neighbors tried to put the fire out.”
London, U.K.:
The leader of the Greek Orthodox Church in Great Britain His
Eminence Archbishop Gregorios was paid tribute on his 50 years of
service by Mayor Boris Johnson following a question at the London
Assembly by Assembly Member Brian Coleman, and current Mayor of
Barnet Council. In response to a question from Brian Coleman, the
Mayor said: “I am delighted to congratulate the Archbishop and I am
pleased to recognise that over several centuries, the Greek and
Cypriot communities have made great contributions to the culture and
economy of London.” Welcoming this, Brian Coleman said: “I am
pleased that the outstanding 50 years of service of His Eminence
Archbishop Gregorios has been publicly recognised by the Mayor of
London, as well as the significant role that the Greek and Cypriot
communities play in the life of London.” There are over 300,000
Greek Orthodox Christians in the United Kingdom with over 20 Greek
Orthodox churches in London alone, making the church one of the
strongest Christian communities in the capital.
Archbishop Gregorios
Nicosia, Cyprus:
Greek Orthodox Church made an appeal to the European Court of Human
Rights against Turkey.
Fileleftheros,
daily local newspaper in Southern part of Cyprus, stated that
application against Turkey is made by Kyrenia and Morphou
metropolitans and Cikko and Mahera monasteries on behalf of
archbishopric.
Turkey
is being accused of ‘denying the right of freedom of worship in the
Orthodox churches in the occupied areas of the Cyprus island’ and
also is stated that ‘there is discrimination towards Greek Cypriots
because of their Christianity’. In addition, in the context of the
case, there are also claims that Greek religious inheritance
(churches and cemeteries) in North Cyprus have been demolished.
Vatican City:
The Vatican on Thursday warned
Italy's
bishops against letting deserted churches be transformed into
nightclubs if the decision was taken to sell the places of worship.
Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, the
Vatican's
new culture commissar, urged "the greatest caution" after announcing
that Roman Catholic churches with few worshippers could be sold off.
He gave the example of a church in
Hungary
which was "transformed into a nightclub and where striptease took
place on the altar." "Faced with falling number of worshippers, a
phenomenon which we are also unfortunately witnessing in the centre
of Rome, churches without any artistic value and which need
significant work can be sold or destroyed," he told reporters.
Italian bishops' groups would be responsible for deciding whether
the sites should be sold, with each case being separately assessed.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1.
November Bulletin Cover Sponsor is Dorothy Mastronicola— health of
family.
2.
Next Sunday, December 6th, the Eternal Light and the two votive
candles on the Holy Altar Table are offered by Dorothy Mastronicola
in memory of Norman Mastronicola. May the Lord Our God look
mercifully upon our prayers and make Norman’s memory eternal!
3.
Next Sunday we are having a special Coffee Hour in honor of our
patronal feast day.
4.
Last week it was announced that the parish had earned $1,262.00 at
our last Soup Sale. In this bulletin, the number posted in the front
page Weekly Report column is $1,360.00. Last Sunday evening, the
information came that the actual amount, after all the monies were
collected, is over $1,400.00. If we could better organize the
stuffed cabbage making routine, we would top even that number.
5.
Next fundraiser on our calendar is our annual Cookie Walk on
December 19th. Usually this event, by the amount of income it
produces for the parish, is second only to Hobart Lakefront Fest. We
would like to ask our parishioners to start baking and freezing your
cookies.
6.
This year we are going to have two celebrations at the end of the
year: one is our patronal Feast Day, Feast of Saint Nicholas the
Wonderworker, which falls this year on a Sunday (December 6th), and
another would be our parish Nativity Dinner, Sunday, December 27th.
It would be nice to have more input in planning from the Parish
Board officers.
7.
We have a new Tetrapod/Analogion Flowers sign-up sheet. Please don’t
forget to bring flowers to the church.
8.
If you would like to provide for purchasing of the flowers to
decorate the church on Christmas with, please give your donations to
Janet Petyo, for she needs to know how much she can use for the
flowers.
9.
On Monday, December 14th, we are cleaning the church: morning shift
starts at
9 A.M. and the evening one — at
5:30 P.M.
10.
On Monday, December 21st, we are decorating the church for the
Nativity. Come and lend your own touch to the way the church looks
for the Holy Day.
++++++++++++++++
Bulletin - 11/22/09
. . . . . . . . . . . News From
All The Ends Of The Earth . . . . . . . . . . .
Patriarch Pavle of Serbia reposed in the Lord.
For the Orthodox Christians who earnestly strive for
salvation and are faithful to the precious gift from God — the Holy
Orthodox Church — the passing of the Serbian Patriarch is a wound.
Again we feel orphaned. Almost a year ago, Patriarch Aleksii of
Moscow and All Russia passed away. At Patriarch Aleksii’s repose
many consoled themselves with the thought that there is still a
righteous one in the episcopal rank who, although ill, intercedes
for us before the Lord. And now he is taken to the abode of the
righteous, as well. Are we yet to see another hierarch who would be
a leader of a local Church and would be as strong in faith, upright
in spirit and of great humility as were patriarchs Aleksii and Pavle?
Rest, O Lord, the souls of Thy newly-departed
servant Patriarch Pavle and through his prayers have mercy on us!
Belgrade, Serbia:
The Primate of the Serbian Orthodox Church, His Holiness
Patriarch Pavle (Paul), 95, died on 15 November 2009 in Belgrade.
The Patriarch of Serbia, Archbishop of Pec and Metropolitan of
Belgrade-Karlovci, His Holiness Pavle (his secular name is Gojko
Stojcevic) was born on the Feast of the Beheading of Saint John the
Baptist, September 11, 1914, at the Kucanci village in Slavonia
(Yugoslavia). He graduated from a gymnasium in Belgrade and the
seminary in Sarajevo and continued his education at the Faculty of
Theology in Belgrade. During World War II, he took refuge in the
Holy Trinity Monastery in Ovcar and became a novice in it. He gave
religious instruction to refugees’ children. In 1948, he took
monastic vows in the Monastery of the Annunciation in Ovcar and was
ordained hierodeacon. From 1949 to 1955, Hierodeacon Pavle was a
member of the monastic community in the Raca Monastery. In 1954, he
was ordained hieromonk and in 1957 was elevated to the rank of
archimandrite. From 1955 to 1957, he studied the New Testament and
Liturgics at the Faculty of Theology in Athens. Archimandrite Pavle
was consecrated Bishop of Ras and Prizren on 29 May 1957 at the
cathedral in Belgrade. As bishop, he undertook the construction of
new churches and restoration of ancient ones and was actively
involved in the preservation of Orthodox holy places in Kosovo and
Methochia. He often served in various churches of his diocese.
However, Bishop Pavle did not abandon his studies and teaching. In
1988, the Faculty of Theology in Belgrade made him Doctor of
Theology. In November 1990, Bishop Pavle was elected Primate in
place of Patriarch Herman who fell ill. His enthronement as
Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church took place on 2 December
1990. During his patriarchal ministry, His Holiness Paul visited
many dioceses of the Serbian Church both inside and outside
Yugoslavia. He also visited his flock in Australia, America, Canada
and Western Europe. His Holiness Pavle wrote several books. He had
been publishing his articles on liturgics in the Serbian Church’s
magazine for over twenty years. For a long time he chaired the
synodal commission for the translation of the New Testament. Since
13 November 2007, he was hospitalized at the Military Academy’s
hospital in Belgrade. On 15 May 2008, the Bishops’ Council of the
Serbian Orthodox Church charged the Holy Synod with the patriarchal
functions on a temporary basis, with Archbishop Amfilohije of
Montenegro and the Littoral as its temporary chairman. During his
life time, many believed the patriarch a saint. Together with his
Church and his people he lived through one of the most difficult
periods in Serbian history: dismemberment of Yugoslavia, war in
Bosnia, great suffering and slaughter of the Orthodox in Kosovo and
Patriarch Pavle walking the streets of Belgrade unaccompanied, when
taxi drivers offered him a lift, he refused.
The patriarch’s humility and modesty, coupled with the unique
firmness of spirit and strong faith, are known far beyond the
borders of Serbia. From that day to the present, he has faithfully
shared in the plight of his suffering people. Bishop Pavle wrote and
warned of the present exodus of Serbs from Kosovo, the attacks of
the Albanians on Serbian monasteries, the rape of nuns, and
terrorizing of pedestrians, the desecration of Serbian cemeteries
and overall suffering of the Orthodox in Kosovo and in Metohija. In
1989, the then Bishop Pavle was personally beaten by several
Albanian youths in Kosovo. The extent of his injuries required
nearly 3 months of hospitalization. However, in the spirit of
Christian forgiveness, he refused to press charges. It is not
without reason that Patriarch Pavle has been referred to as a "saint
who walks." The simplicity of his lifestyle and his personal
humility have found favor by all of those who are familiar with this
virtuous man. All of the Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church have
an automobile, which they use to travel through their dioceses. The
one exception has been Patriarch Pavle. When asked why he never
obtained an automobile, he replies: "I will not purchase one until
every Albanian and Serbian household in Kosovo and Metohija has an
automobile."
Patriarch Pavle was
happy to use public transport, getting on the bus along with
everyone else.
A year ago, the patriarch,
suffering from a terminal illness, petitioned the Holy Synod to let
him retire. The Synod refused and the patriarch accepted the
decision. According to the statutes of the Serbian Orthodox Church,
the new patriarch is to be elected within the next three months.
Belgrade, Serbia:
The faithful who were present at the morning Divine Service
at the Djurdjevi Stupovi Monastery in Rasa witness that during the
service the Altar Gospel Book fell from the Holy Altar Table. The
Holy Gospel Book fell exactly at the moment when His Holiness
Patriarch Pavle fell asleep in the Lord. Nenad Bojinovic, who comes
to the monastery for the morning service every morning, said:
“During the Liturgy there was a great noise in the Altar and
everything was silent. Then we saw the priests turning around and
picking up things. Then we understood that the Gospel Book fell
down. Since the book had a metal cover, the bang was heard
throughout the temple. Right after this had happened the news came
of the patriarch’s repose. Bojinovic, as well as other faithful are
sure that this was not a mere coincidence. His Holiness Patriarch
Pavle used to be a bishop of the Raska-Prizren Diocese and he took a
great care for the monasteries and the faithful in Novi Pazar, where
Djurdjevi Stupovi Monastery – one of the oldest Orthodox holy places
in the Serbia – is located.
Belgrade, Serbia:
Most of Serbia’s population of seven million people are
Orthodox Christians. President Boris Tadic said this was “an
irredeemable death” for the nation. “There are people who bond
entire nations and Patriarch Pavle was such a person,” Mr Tadic said
in a statement. “His death is also my personal loss,” the president
said. Bishop Amfilohije, who has served as acting head of the church
during most of Patriarch Pavle’s illness, broke into tears as he
held a prayer after announcing the death. Bells tolled from Serbian
churches, as the government announced three days of mourning,
beginning on Monday. Another bishop, Lavrentije, said the
patriarch’s death was no reason to be sad. “The Serbian people now
have someone to represent them before God better than anyone else,”
Lavrentije said. The Church’s highest body, the Holy Synod, may
announce as early as Monday when a new patriarch will be chosen –
usually after at least 40 days. Patriarch Pavle was a respected
theologian and linguist, known for personal humility and modesty.
After the fall of communism, the Church regained a leading role
during his rule. At the beginning of the Balkan wars that followed
the dissolution of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, Patriarch Pavle
said – according to Serbian state television: “It is our oath not to
make a single child cry or sadden a single old woman because they
are of another religion or nation.”
Thursday,
November 19th. Funeral of the patriarch
Moscow, Russia:
Islam continues to shed blood of those who oppose it. November 19, a
Muslim murderer killed priest Daniel Sysoev in his parish church of
Holy Apostle Thomas in Moscow while he was hearing confessions late
at night. The murderer wounded the choir director Vladimir
Strel’bitskii and shot at Fr Daniel. Having fired the first shot at
the priest, the murderer came close and shot him again at the point
blank, just to make sure that the priest was dead. Father Daniel was
a well-known speaker, writer and lecturer who spoke courageously
against various cults, sects and Islam. Father Daniel had received
14 threats from the followers of Muhammad who assured him that he
was going to be killed. The Muslims were especially enraged since Fr
Daniel’s family had Muslim (tatar) roots.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1.
November Bulletin Cover Sponsor is Dorothy Mastronicola— health of
family.
2.
Yesterday, November 21st, we had our monthly Soup Sale. Due to
generosity and good participation of our faithful the event was very
successful — the parish made $1,262.00! It seemed we had more
customers than ever, which means that the word about our food is
spreading and more people come and support our church by purchasing
our product. We just have to make sure that on our end all of us
contribute to our monthly fundraisers one way or another.
3.
Next fundraise on our calendar is our annual Cookie Walk on December
19th. Usually this event, by the amount of income it produces for
the parish, is second only to Hobart Lakefront Fest. It is still
almost a month away, but we would like to ask our parishioners to
start baking and freezing your cookies.
4.
This year we are going to have two celebrations at the end of the
year: one is our patronal Feast Day, Feast of Saint Nicholas the
Wonderworker, which falls this year on a Sunday (December 6th), and
another would be our parish Nativity Dinner, Sunday, December 27th.
More details on both events will be provided at a later date.
+++++++++++++++++++
Bulletin - 11/15/09
. . . . . . . . . . . News From
All The Ends Of The Earth . . . . . . . . . . .
Johnstown, PA: The Apostolate For Christian Education of the
Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of the USA is reporting that there
has been a favorable response to the announcement of a seven-week
on-line introductory class on Orthodox Christianity, Orthodoxy 101,
which will begin next Monday, November 16, 2009. At the time of
press, more than 40 people have registered for the on-line class,
approximately half of which are either non-Orthodox Christian
inquirers, or newly received converts to the faith. The participants
are from 10 states in the U.S, and there are two international
students, from the UK and South America. The class, led by Fr. Peter
Paproski, will be broadcast live each week from St. John the Baptist
Orthodox Church in Stratford Connecticut. The class will begin at
7:00 pm (E.T.) and will last approximately 90 minutes. Those
faithful living in the greater Bridgeport, Connecticut region are
invited to attend the class in person. Topics to be discussed will
include, Salvation History, Holy Tradition, Church History,
Doctrine and Dogma, Prayer, Ethics and Morality and discovering
one's vocation in life. Time will be allowed at the end of each
session for a question and answer period based on questions raised
in person or via email. Audio recordings of each session will be
archived for later study. There is no charge for participating,
however, those who wish to participate must register on-line to
enter the class room and access the broadcast link. Audio
recordings of each session will be archived for later study.
Jerusalem, Israel: A rabbi has issued a book giving Jews
permission to murder non-Jews, including babies and children, who
may pose an actual or potential threat to Jews or Israel. “It is
permissible to kill the Righteous among non-Jews even if they are
not responsible for the threatening situation,” Rabbi Yitzhak
Shapiro, who heads the Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva in the Yitzhar
settlement in the occupied West Bank, wrote in his book “The King’s
Torah.” “If we kill a Gentile who has sinned or has violated one of
the seven commandments – because we care about the commandments –
there is nothing wrong with the murder.” Shapiro, who heads a small
Talmudic school at the settlement of Yitzhar near Nablus, claims his
edict “is fully justified by the Torah and the Talmud.” The anti-goyem
edict seems to come in response to the arrest by Israeli police of a
Jewish terrorist who has confessed to having murdered two
Palestinian shepherds in the West Bank. Police considered the arrest
an important achievement in combating Jewish terrorism. Shapiro’s
views on how Palestinians and non-Jews in general ought to be
treated according to Jewish religious law (halacha) are widely
looked at as representing the mainstream not the exception in
Israel. During the Israeli onslaught against Gaza earlier this year,
Mordecahi Elyahu, one of the leading rabbinic figures in Israel,
urged the army not to refrain from killing enemy children in order
to save the lives of Israeli soldiers. He had even petitioned the
Israeli government to carry out a series of carpet bombing of
Palestinian population centers in Gaza. “If they don’t stop after we
kill 100, then we must kill a thousand. And if they do not stop
after we kill a thousand, then we must kill 10,000. If they still
don’t stop, we must kill 100,000, even a million. Whatever it takes
to stop them.” According to Israel Shahak, author of “Jewish
History, Jewish Religion: the Weight of Three Thousand years,” the
term “human beings” in Jewish law refers solely to Jews. Many rabbis
view international conventions incriminating the deliberate killing
of civilians and destruction of civilian homes and property as
representing “Christian morals” not binding on Jews. In 2006, the
Rabbinic Council of Jewish Settlements in the West Bank urged the
army “to ignore Christian morals and exterminate the enemy in the
north (Lebanon) and the south (Gaza Strip). Such manifestly racist
and hateful edicts don’t raise many eyebrows in Israel, neither
among the intelligentsia nor in the society at large.
Moscow, Russia: According to Father Valerian Krechetov,
Rector of the Protection of the Mother God Church in Akulovo, with
the large Muslim families the Lord reminds us that “we have
forgotten His commandment given to all mankind: ‘Be fruitful and
multiply…’ The Muslims remind us that there is such a commandment.
There is another commandment which is upheld in Islam and which we
put aside and defied — it is about the respect to be rendered to the
older people and about women’s unique mission. In Islam, women wear
hijab, in order not to reveal their faces, their bodies. This is
called chastity. Muslim lifestyle denounces us, Christians. This has
to do not with the faith, but with the commitment to the faith.
Father Valerian also stressed that the best solution to the
demographic problem is for the Russian families to be “changed
spiritually”. “Decrease of the population has to do, unfortunately,
with the attitude to the child in the womb as to something
not-yet-formed, something imperfect. This view brings about the
careless attitude to the not-yet-born tiny human being, not
mentioning that destruction of the child who cannot yet be seen is
considered an everyday thing. But in fact, the child is a future
person. Therefore, on the one hand, we have a demographic problem:
the population is decreasing due to the number of abortions, whereas
on the other hand, what slows down this decrease (and we can say
that it even increases the population) is the higher birth rate
among the families living an active church life. According to Fr
Valerian, the woman “who finds herself before this terrifying choice
— to kill the child or to preserve his life — must come to church,
to any parish.” The priest said that his parish has very happy
families with many children (Father Valerian has seven children and
twenty-seven grandchildren). When you see how many children come
during the Liturgy for communion — the sight of it “changes your
attitude to life”. “You just have to come and see it”. Touching upon
the much-promoted “planned parenthood”, the priest called it a
“demonic trend”: “Now here is this demonic trend, one can’t name it
otherwise, when they begin planning what kind of baby is going to be
born; something like that was practiced in Sparta, when the decision
upon the child’s life depends on either the child is healthy or not…
We wouldn’t have Blessed Matrona (she was born blind) and many other
saints if their parents went through the planned parenthood. Is it
necessary only for the body to be healthy? The ancient people used
to say “a sound spirit in a sound body”. This is exactly what we
call educating in the spirit of Orthodoxy”, concluded Father
Valerian Krechetov.
Columbia, SC: A federal judge has ruled unconstitutional an
"I Believe" vehicle license plate featuring the image of a cross.
The plate, which would have featured a large cross against a stained
glass window, was authorized last year by the General Assembly.
U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie wrote in a 57-page decision
that "the 'I Believe' Act's primary effect is to promote a specific
religion, Christianity." She noted that state laws promoting one
religion over others have been illegal in the USA since the nation
was founded. Currie focused on the role played by Lt. Gov. Andre
Bauer, who had pushed for the South Carolina plate after a similar
"I Believe" effort failed in Florida. Bauer responded by calling
Currie a "liberal judge appointed by (President) Bill Clinton" and
said the ruling represented "another attack on Christianity." The
pastor of a Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, a retired Methodist
minister, a rabbi and the pastor of a Christian Church challenged
the state's ability to put a religious message on a state license
plate. They were joined by the non-profit Hindu American Foundation
and the American-Arab-Anti-Discrimination committee.
Bangkok, Thailand: Twelve "demon statues" at Suvarnabhumi
airport believed to have brought bad luck to shopkeepers will be
moved at a cost of one million baht. The guardian spirit statues
will be shifted from the inner zone of the passenger terminal to the
check-in area to "improve morale" of people working at the airport.
Ekaterinburg, Russia: Archbishop Vincent (Vikentii) of
Ekaterinburg, answering the questions of the viewers of the Soyuz TV
channel and touching upon the contemporary attitude towards marriage
and divorce, said: “What God united let no man set apart. This was
in the Old Testament and in the New Testament Christ says that
because of the hardness of your hearts the Lord permits you to
divorce, but it should not be that way. The Lord puts it firmly:
whosoever shall put away his wife and her husband – commits
adultery, and whosoever marries her who is divorced – commits
adultery. These are the words of the Holy Scripture, the words of
God which we should keep”. With that Vladyka admitted that this
commandment is broken today by great many a people. “Now the divorce
rate is high: the notion of one’s responsibility before the mystery
of marriage is lost on the contemporary man. He gets married in an
Orthodox church, lives for some time with his wife, then he gets a
civil divorce, gets married again while his first church marriage is
not annulled. Some time passes by – he is divorced again and again
married – what a mess! People do not fear God and have no reverence
before His Mysteries. The situation is extremely grave and serious”,
stated Archbishop Vincent. Vladyka made a special note of the fact
that “now it has become a tradition, a rule of life to first live
together (and even parents approve of it, they even help them buy an
apartment or a house – allowing them to live together as if they
were married) being neither married in church nor by the justice of
peace. They want to try, to see if they are going to like it. What
is there to see? Sin? Unfortunately, in such cases this is what
happens: a baby is born, the parents get disappointed in their
living together and squabbles begin… Since this becomes a norm, the
understanding of marriage and especially of the church marriage is
very rudimentary. Although people are getting married in the church,
they do not live the life which is required of them by the church
wedding. A great deal depends on the parents: if they bring their
children up the right way, so that they would retain virginity till
marriage, wouldn’t allow themselves fornication and debauchery and
enter marriage being chaste, then their marriage would be honorable
and blessed. Then the Lord will help the couple to preserve the
marriage.”
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1.
November Bulletin Cover Sponsor
is Dorothy Mastronicola— health
of family.
2.
We are preparing for the Soup
Sale on Saturday, November 21st.
We have a sign-up sheet for the
soups and baked good we are
going to provide for the Soup
Sale. Please, be serious about
your responsibility of keeping
the parish alive. If you can’t
cook — the Soup Sale Cash
Donations list is in the
narthex.
3.
When cooking for the Soup Sale,
please remember to have your
head covered and to observe
other food preparation safety
rules.
4.
Please keep in mind that for the
parishes which have changed to
the New Calendar (this includes
our parish, too) the
Nativity Fast begins this
Sunday,
November 15. Try to
abstain at least from the meat
products throughout the Fast.
Make yourselves make this time
special.
5.
Next Sunday we are collecting
non-perishable
food items for Hobart
Food Pantry.
6.
At our last Parish Board meeting
(several weeks ago) it was
agreed that this year we are
going to have two celebrations
at the end of the year: one is
our patronal Feast Day,
Feast of Saint Nicholas
the Wonderworker, which falls
this year on a Sunday (December
6th), and another would be our
parish Nativity Dinner, Sunday,
December 27th. More details on
both events will be provided at
a later date.
7.
We would like to express our
sincere gratitude to the
handmaids of God Wendy and Laura
for providing us with the
invaluable publishing software
which makes creating the parish
bulletin much easier.
|
Bulletin - 11/8/09
.
. . . . . . . . News From All The Ends Of The Earth . . . . .
. . .
Rome, Italy:
Europe's increasingly muscular brand of secularism has an unofficial
capital: Strasbourg, France. Over the past decade, the quaint city
of 273,000 near the German border — home to the European Parliament
and other key international bodies — has been the site of a series
of repeated attacks on those who are fighting to hold on to the Old
Continent's fading religious impulses. The latest religious vestige
to be targeted is the crucifix that still hangs on the walls of many
Italian public schools, a fixture the Strasbourg-based European
Court of Human Rights has now ruled is a violation of religious and
education freedom. The Italian government announced it would appeal
the Nov. 3 decision that would force Italy to pay a
€5,000
($7,400) fine to a mother in northern Italy who fought for eight
years to have the crucifixes removed from her children's classrooms.
In response to an EU ruling banning crosses from Italy’s schools,
the Catholic Church has taken steps to ban all Italian influences
from its teachings and practises. Vatican spokesperson Rev Federico
Lombardi, “If that’s how they want it, then the Catholic Church now
exercises its right not to believe in an Italian state.” “As far as
we’re concerned Vatican City is now a small island in the middle of
the Mediterranean. A bit like Ibiza, but with fewer drug-addled
party goers and more God-addled church goers.”
Athens, Greece:
On November 6 marks the 60th anniversary of the repose and the first anniversary
of glorification of Elder George Karslidis (π.
Γεώργιος Καρσλίδης). A great multitude of pilgrims gathered that day at the Ascension
Monastery at Drama, the monastery build by Elder George’s disciples.
Venerable George was born in 1901 in Argyroupolis, Asia Minor. In
1919, he was tonsured monk in the Life-giving Font Monastery in
Georgia. During the Bolshevik persecution he was imprisoned and
sentenced to execution. After being shot at three times, he
mirculously sirvived and was released from prison. In 1929 he moved
to Greece. In 1934 his disciples builded the Ascension Monastery
near Drama, where the elder lived the rest of his life. The last
years of his life he elder was very ill and could move only with the
help of his spiritual children. The elder passed away in 1959.
Delhi, India:
Throughout the history of the Church wild animals – lions in
Palestine, bears in Russia – were known as companions and, at times,
defendors of the righteous men and women (Gerasimos of
Beyond-the-Jordan, Sergii of Radonezh, Seraphim of Sarov). But
recently a bear has killed two Muslim militants after discovering
them in its den in Indian-administered Kashmir, police say. Two
other militants escaped, one of them badly wounded, after the attack
in Kulgam district, south of Srinagar. The militants had assault
rifles but were taken by surprise - police found the remains of
pudding they had made to eat when the bear attacked. It is thought
to be the first such incident since Muslim separatists took up arms
against Indian rule in 1989.
Washington, D.C.:
His All Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was received
today at the White House in the Oval Office by President Barack
Obama. This reciprocal visit to the one paid by President Obama
earlier this year (April 7, when he made his first overseas visit to
a Muslim country, Turkey) followed up on their conversations at that
time on the subjects of the recently concluded environmental
symposium on the Mississippi River and the re-opening of the
Theological School of Halki. Immediately after their meeting, His
Holiness, returning to the campus of Georgetown University, gave a
major address entitled "A Changeless Faith for a Changing World."
The Center for American Progress, together with Georgetown
University, sponsored the event.
Rome, Italy:
The Vatican has condemned Hallowe'en as anti-Christian, saying it is
based on a sinister and dangerous "undercurrent of occultism".
Parents are warned not to allow their children to dress up as ghosts
and ghouls on Saturday, calling Hallowe'en a pagan celebration of
"terror, fear and death". Christians are alarmed in recent years by
the spread of Hallowe'en traditions from the US to other countries
around the world. As in Britain, it is only in recent years that
Italian children have dressed up in costumes, played trick or treat
on their neighbours and made lanterns out of hollowed out pumpkins.
The Vatican issued the warning through its official newspaper,
L'Osservatore Romano,
in an article headlined "Hallowe'en's Dangerous Messages". The paper
quoted a liturgical expert, Joan Maria Canals, who said: "Hallowe'en
has an undercurrent of occultism and is absolutely anti-Christian."
Parents should "be aware of this and try to direct the meaning of
the feast towards wholesomeness and beauty rather than terror, fear
and death," said Father Canals. Last year a newspaper controlled by
the Italian bishops,
Avvenire, called for a boycott of Hallowe'en,
calling it a "dangerous celebration of horror and the macabre" which
could encourage "pitiless [Satanic] sects without scruples". The
Bishop of Siguenza-Guadalajara, Jose Sanchez, said there was a risk
that Halloween could "replace Christian customs like devotion to
saints and praying for the dead," reports
The Daily Telegraph.
Belgrade, Serbia:
More than 20 Serbian churches and monasteries in Kosovo have no
electricity for two months already. Ras-Prizren Bishop Artemije said
that representatives of these Orthodox sanctities cannot solve this
problem by themselves, and reiterated that the signing of the
contract with the Kosovo Power Corporation would mean that they
recognize Kosovo's institutions and the so-called independent
Kosovo. The bishop also said that until now he repeatedly approached
the authorities in Belgrade and the Ministry for Kosovo with the
request to find a solution to the problem. He also pointed to the
poor state of Serbian holy places in Kosovo, including the church
Samodreza where the Serbian army received communion before the
battle of Kosovo in 1389 while today, which the Albanians use as a
lavatory. Head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External
Church Relations Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk stated after his
visit to the Eparchy of Raska and Prizren in Kosovo and Metohija
that the Russian Church has always stood by the Serbian Orthodox
Church and always will. "My visit is a modest sign of solidarity
with the people who live, work and suffer here. At the same time it
is a reminder that the Russian Church has always stood by the
Serbian Orthodox Church during all of its ordeals and always will,"
underscored Archbishop Hilarion. In an interview with the
information service of the Eparchy of Raska and Prizren, Archbishop
Hilarion underscored that during his visit to Kosovo and Metohija he
saw "barbaric looting of the Christian heritage and destruction of
church, which continue to date."
Archbishops Hilarion and Bishop Artemije at the
ruins of a church;
Suffering Serbia: it is either NATO bombs or
Muslim sword.
Washington, D.C.: 2009 war on Christmas has begun! For almost three decades, there has
been a Christmas parade in Amelia, OH, a village outside Cincinnati.
But this year there will be none. That's because one person
complained. Her complaint: the word "Christmas." In response, the
village changed the name to the "Holiday Parade," though it did not
say what holiday was being celebrated. Understandably, this
dishonest scheme created a furor, the result being -- just to play
it safe -- there will be no parade. There will be no Christmas tree
this year on the Capitol lawn in Frankfort, KY. The word "Christmas"
was deemed offensive. Instead, there will be a "Holiday Tree." The
official line is that the "Holiday Tree" is inclusive of
Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year's, though no one has
ever heard of a "Thanksgiving Tree," "Hanukkah Tree" or "New Year's
Tree." When World War II ended, a local resident from Warren, MI,
decided to erect a nativity scene on a public median; the same
family has privately maintained this tradition ever since. But there
won't be one this year because a lawsuit argues it is
discriminatory. In Olympia, WA, religious displays have been banned
inside municipal buildings. But outside the buildings, it is okay.
Well, not really — atheists are already protesting that decision.
Arizona is supplying this year's Christmas Tree in the nation's
Capitol. Attempts to bar students from making religious ornaments
were defeated, but only because of a threatened lawsuit.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1.
November Bulletin Cover Sponsor is Dorothy Mastronicola— health of
family.
2.
We are preparing for the Soup Sale on November 21st. We have a
sign-up sheet for the soups and baked good we are going to provide
for the Soup Sale. Please, be serious about your responsibility of
keeping the parish alive. If you can’t cook — the Soup Sale Cash
Donations list is in the narthex.
3.
When cooking for the Soup Sale, please remember to have your head
covered and to observe other food preparation safety rule.
4.
Please keep in mind that for the parishes which have changed to the
new Calendar (this includes our parish, too) the Nativity Fast
begins next Sunday, November 15. Try to abstain at least from the
meat products throughout the Fast. Make yourselves make this time
special.
5.
At our last Parish Board meeting (several weeks ago) it was agreed
that this year we are going to have two celebrations at the end of
the year: one is our patronal Feast Day, Feast of Saint Nicholas the
Wonderworker, which falls this year on a Sunday (December 6th), and
another would be our parish Nativity Dinner, Sunday, December 27th.
More details on both events will be provided at a later date.
Our Family at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church
(click on photo for larger image)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Bulletin - 11/1/09
 “The
Fall of an Empire —The Lesson of Byzantium”
Interview of Archimandrite Tikhon, the author of the immensely
powerful and popular documentary “The Fall of an Empire —The Lesson of Byzantium”,
to «NEO magazine»
Reprinted from Pravoslavie.ru
How did you come up with the idea of this
documentary?
When I had the opportunity to
visit Constantinople for the first time two years ago, I was amazed
by what I saw. Even after these many centuries, the magnitude and
grandeur of a Christian empire's fall, shows through. Because the
analogy with Russian history was more than obvious, I was
exceedingly interested as to how this extraordinarily vital,
capable, and enlightened empire, far surpassing all other nations of
its time, suddenly lost its life forces and finally collapsed. Why
did this great nation, enlightened with the light of the Gospels,
lose its historical home to another, more primitive state and
people? This film arose out of my pondering over the history of
Byzantium and of Russia. Work on this film went on for a year and a
half. The idea consisted in showing the process and causes of
degradation, how the Empire lost its ability to respond to the calls
of history. This was the main subject of my research, and attention
was paid first of all to those historical facts connected with this
matter.
In this country, during the last decade
mostly, we have witnessed the meddling of certain Christian sects in
partisan politics putting in danger the separation of Church and
state and compromising, sometimes irrevocably, Christianity’s
integrity. Is there a similar situation in Russia? In fact, you have
been accused of doing s |
