they lived and whatever they did, they loved God with all their hearts and did His will. That is why they are “stars who shed their light on us” and are able to plead to God on our behalf. Since we have so many millions of examples, “let us set aside every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us. Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith” (Heb 12: 1-2).

Volume 26, Issue 4 JUNE 2011 – JULY 2011

«Λύχνος τοῖς ποσί μου ὁ νόμος σου καὶ φῶς ταῖς τρίβοις μου»

Ψαλμ 118, 105

ΛΥΧΝΟΣ A GREEK ORTHODOX PERIODICAL FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

N ot too long ago we completed the cycle of celebrations and commemorations that began with the Triodion, Lent, Holy Week, the Great and Holy Pascha, the Ascension, then Pentecost and finally All Saints Sunday. After all those intense events in our church life, this period of “normal” Sundays and Saints’ days may seem a bit boring. In a way, things are back to normal. Yet, the purpose of all of those events that we celebrated – the Passion, the Resurrection, the Ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost – was to pave the way for us, to make it possible for us to become holy, to be saints, in this life and forever. In the service for All Saints, the Saints are described as the “perfection of the Gospel”. By their deeds they “fulfilled the Saviour’s words”. This does not mean that the Saints did not sin. All the Saints were sinners except for the Holy Theotokos, our Panagia, who accepted God’s will in every detail of her life and lived without sin. But all those sinners became holy through repentance and inner struggle. Because of this, the Saints have “amazed the bodiless powers”. Yes, the mighty angels of God are amazed by mere humans. They continue to be amazed when they see us humans, through our faith in God and our struggle to do His will, becoming holy, taking on God’s nature (by His gift of course) and exercising God’s powers, performing miracles even greater than those performed by Christ when he was on earth. The fruits of God’s work on earth are the holy Saints of the Church. So, after all those great celebrations are over, our church life is far from boring. It is the most amazing time, as we remember and celebrate Saint after Saint, “a cloud of witnesses”, as St Paul describes them. However

Inside

Elementary Orthodox Theology - The Confrontation of Christ with the Devil... 2 Questions and Answers - How are the Saints Canonised?... 5 From the Saints of our Church - St Andrew of Crete.... 2 What we Hear in Church - Great Prokeimenon of Vespers... 6 Στη Σύναξη των Αγίων Αποστόλων... 3 Book Review - Surprised by Christ….. 6 Elder Porphyrios: How to benefit others in a mystical way…. 4 Η Θεία Ευχαριστία... 7 July 31st Gospel Reading... 4 News and Views - Pantanassa Monastery Update... 8

Inside

The fruits of God’s Work

Page 2 ΛΥΧΝΟΣ

S aint Andrew of Crete was born in the city of Damascus into a pious Christian family. Up until seven years of age he was mute; however after receiving the Eucharist he began to speak. At fourteen years of age, he accepted monastic tonsure at the monastery of St Sava the Sanctified in Jerusalem.

St Andrew led a strict and chaste life. By virtue of his asceticism, he surpassed many of the older monks and was an example to all of them. He was soon ordained and appointed as a secretary for the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Archdeacon Andrew was among the representatives of Jerusalem sent to the Sixth Ecumenical Council in Constantinople in 680 AD, where he displayed his wonderful gift of oratory. Shortly after the Council, he was summoned back to Constantinople and appointed Archdeacon at the Church of Hagia Sophia. During the reign of Emperor Justinian II, St. Andrew was consecrated Bishop of the city of Gortineia on the island of Crete.

St. Andrew wrote many liturgical hymns still used today and was the originator of the Orthodox liturgical form known as the Canon: a series of hymns or troparia divided into nine odes. His best known and loved Canon is the Great Canon recited by the Orthodox faithful during Lent. He also composed the Canon for the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, three odes for the Compline of Palm Sunday and the first four days of Holy Week, as well as hymns for the Feast of the Presentation of Christ into the Temple.

Once, returning from Constantinople by boat, Andrew foretold his death before his arrival in Crete. As the boat sailed near the island of Lesvos, this beacon of the Church ended his earthly life and with his soul, entered the Kingdom of Christ around the year 721 AD.

33. THE CONFRONTATION OF CHRIST WITH THE DEVIL

St Andrew of Crete Commemorated on July 4th

O ne of the major aims of the divine plan for the salvation of man, was to disarm the Devil, the moral instigator of the fall of original man (Adam & Eve). The apostle Paul declares this clearly: “.... that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is the devil” (Heb. 2, 14). But for Christ to bring to fruition the task of the salvation of man, he was obliged to confront him who was the cause of the human tragedy, that is the devil. The main features of this confrontation were: 1. Confrontation on equal terms. Christ could have defeated the devil with one word, or one blow - but this method would have been unjust, and would have given the devil cause to complain that the confrontation was on unequal terms. However, through His Incarnation, Christ presents Himself as a human being, similar to the ones the devil deceived in the Garden of Eden, and so any confrontation with him would be on equal terms. In other words, the Incarnation of Christ was offering the devil the opportunity to face Him as a human being, and not as God. The outcome of such a confrontation was already known. Christ was a perfect man, and not an imperfect human being, as Adam was, and the devil was obliged to face a perfect man, and conduct an honest fight with Him on equal terms! 2. Confrontation with “camouflage”. The devil himself, first used the method of “camouflage” (pretence), by appearing to Eve as a serpent. The Incarnation therefore, was a method of “pretence” used by Christ, as it was first used by the devil himself, so as to deceive man for the purpose of eventually destroying him, by exploiting the imperfection and immaturity of his character. St.John Chrysostom calls this method of divine pretence as “the good deceit”! 3. Confrontation at the appropriate time. The confrontation of Christ with the devil was on a daily basis. During those, Christ was showing His resistance to the temptations of the devil, whilst He was liberating more and more people from his evil domination. The final confrontation happened at Golgotha, and not earlier, and this gave Christ thirty three years’ time to work His saving mission for the benefit of humanity.

Page 3 ΛΥΧΝΟΣ

Η τελευταία ημέρα του Ιουνίου είναι αφιερωμένη στη μνήμη των Αγίων μαθητών και Αποστόλων του Κυρίου. Είναι οι εκλεκτοί που τους κάλεσε κοντά Του ο Χριστός για να τους αναδείξει στους πρώτους εργάτες της Εκκλησίας Του. Κι αυτοί τ’άφησαν όλα και Τον ακολούθησαν. Ούτε περιουσίες, ούτε επαγγέλματα, ούτε ακόμα και τις ίδιες τις οικογένειες τους λογαριάζουν (π.χ. Ιάκωβος και Ιωάννης τα παιδιά του Ζεβεδαίου). Σπουδαίο μάθημα για όλους μας γιατί όπως τους κάλεσε αυτούς ο Χριστός στο αποστολικό έργο, έτσι προσκαλεί και όλους μας στην Ουράνια Βασιλεία Του. Άραγε, πόσο πρόθυμα δεχόμαστε εμείς την πρόσκληση του Κυρίου; Ο Κύριος δεν βιάζει κανένα. Γι’ αυτό είπε: «Όστις θέλει οπίσω μου ελθείν». Ούτε και τους μαθητές Του τους κάλεσε με την βία να Τον ακολουθήσουν, ούτε και όσους προσκαλεί στη Βασιλεία Του τους βιάζει να εισέλθουν. Όμως κάποτε, δήλωσε απερίφραστα: «η Βασιλεία των Ουρανών βιάζεται και βιασταί αρπάζουσιν αυτήν». Είπε δηλ. ότι όσοι επιθυμούν να βρούν την πόρτα για τη Βασιλεία των Ουρανών πρέπει να κάνουν γρήγορα, χωρίς αναβολές, να βιάσουν τον εαυτό τους, να δεχθούν την πρόσκληση του Θεού. Πρέπει να αρχίσουν αμέσως τον συνεχή και επίμονο δρόμο της μετάνοιας, να ακολουθούν τον δρόμο της αρετής, να πορεύονται σταθερά στον ουράνιο προορισμό τους. ∆εν είναι δύσκολο να καταλάβουμε γιατί σ’αυτό το θέμα δεν επιτρέπονται αναβολές. Πρώτ’απ’όλα, η επίγεια ζωή μας είναι σύντομη. Πολύ συχνή η φράση: «πότε πέρασαν τα χρόνια;» Ο απόστολος Ιάκωβος στην καθολική του επιστολή γράφει: «ποία η ζωή υμών; ατμίς γαρ εστίν η προς ολίγον φαινομένη έπειτα δε αφανιζομένη» δηλ. η ζωή σας είναι μηδαμινή, είναι ένας λεπτότατος ατμός που φαίνεται για λίγες στιγμές και μετά εξαφανίζεται. Είναι λοιπόν ανάγκη ο χριστιανός να σπεύδει να ετοιμάζεται για την Βασιλεία των Ουρανών. Ο χρόνος της ζωή μας είναι λίγος και δεν μας περιμένει. Επίσης σπουδαίο είναι, τη πρόσκληση που μας κάνει ο Χριστός να την δεχτούμε χωρίς αναβολές από τα νεανικά μας χρόνια. Ο νέος και η νέα που μόλις αρχίζουν με ευθύνη τη ζωή τους, κοντά στο Χριστό διαμορφώνουν από νωρίς το χαρακτήρα τους. Είναι σαν τα νεόφυτα δεντράκια που μεγαλώνουν ολόϊσια

από τη γη στον ουρανό, ρουφώντας τους χυμούς της θείας χάρης και με τις ευλογίες του Θεού σκορπίζουν το άρωμα των λουλουδιών τους και παρουσιάζουν πλούσιους τους καρπούς της αρετής τους. Είναι αυτοί οι νέοι, που εμπνεόμενοι από το αιώνιο παράδειγμα

του Ιησού, προσφέρουν και οι ίδιοι τον εαυτό τους στην υπηρεσία του Κυρίου μας. Με τη δράση τους μέσα στην Εκκλησία, με την ιεραποστολική τους εργασία για την ωφέλεια του «πλησίον», για τη δόξα του Χριστού. Οι Άγιοι Απόστολοι είναι αιώνια

παραδείγματα για όλους, πώς να ανταποκρινόμαστε στο κάλεσμα του

Χριστού. Τι μέγιστο ευτύχημα, αν ο καθένας μας, ανεξάρτητα ηλικίας, δεχθεί τη πρόσκληση αυτή και εργαστεί με ζήλο αποστολικό, για «άξια της μετανοίας έργα», έργα της Βασιλείας των Ουρανών!

«η Βασιλεία των Ουρανών βιάζεται και βιασταί

αρπάζουσιν αυτήν»

Στη Σύναξη Των Αγίων Αποστόλων

Page 4 ΛΥΧΝΟΣ

Sayings of the Elder taken from Wounded by Love: The Life and Wisdom of

Elder Porphyrios, 2005.

E lder Porphyrios spoke many times about the great mystery of love for one’s neighbours, the greatest ministry that a Christian can have. Love is the most powerful force and the only way to achieve union with God: ‘No one can attain to God unless he first passes through his fellow men’, he said. On the question of how we can benefit others he spoke about the power of silence, tolerance and prayer, since these attributes can work in a mystical way to help others who do not have love for God. He said: ‘With our distress we achieve nothing at all. Nor do we achieve anything by trying to persuade them to change their ways. That is not right’. He revealed the secret which would allow us to be effective in our ministry to those who do not know God. It is the realisation that only through prayer and true devotion to God on our part, can God’s grace act upon our brother. He said: ‘We with our love, with our fervent desire for the love of God, will attract grace so that it washes over those around us and awakens them to divine love’. He also pointed out that ‘what we are unable to do, His grace will achieve’. Our ministry to others will be enhanced if we are aware that ‘those who have known pain and suffering, or are tormented by their passions will especially win the love and grace of God. It is souls such as these that become saints, and very often we pass judgement on them’. He then reminds us that St Paul’s said: ‘Where sin abounded, grace flowed even more abundantly’ (Rom 5:20). If we are aware of this then we will feel that such souls are more worthy than us. Once grace enters them they become all love. Whereas, they had once acquired bad habits, God’s grace transforms them, and then they can give all the power of their soul to Christ. These who we considered as ‘lost’ can be changed through Christ’s love, and so we should not become discouraged, nor rush to conclusions about their salvation.

Gospel Reading Sunday July 31 Seventh Sunday of Matthew (Mat 9: 27-35)

A nd as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, "Have mercy on us, Son of David." When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to him, "Yes, Lord." Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith be it done to you." And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly charged them, "See that no one knows it." But they went away and spread his fame through all that district. (9: 27-31).

T he two blind men were healed by Jesus because they had faith. Faith in Jesus as the Son of David. Faith in Jesus as the Messiah. Through the many healing mira-cles which Jesus performed He confirmed that He was indeed the Christ, the anointed one of God, who had been sent into the world to save God’s people Israel. The two blind men believed this with all of their being and their unshakeable faith opened the door to the great mira-cle of healing which Jesus performed in their lives. This is the example which we too must follow when we call upon Jesus to help us overcome life’s many trials and tribulations. If we indeed wish to emerge victorious from these experiences then our appeal to Jesus for help must not be luke-warm or half-hearted. We must seek Him with all of our soul and with complete trust in His power to deliver us. When we approach Jesus in this way we es-tablish the foundation upon which Jesus miraculously in-tervenes in our lives. As Jesus has promised, “according to your faith be it done to you”. There is also much to be learnt from the manner in which Jesus healed the two blind men. The miracle was per-formed privately, away from the attention of the mass of people which had been following Jesus. After performing the miracle, Jesus sternly warned the two men “see that no one knows it”. If we truly wish to receive eternal re-ward from God for our good deeds then this is the way in which we must perform them – secretly, without seeking public recognition or praise. When we do good works in order to be acknowledged and praised, then we receive our reward in this life. How much better, however, to do our good works secretly so that our heavenly father, who knows all of our thoughts, words and deeds, can reward us eternally in the next life.

Elder Porphyrios (1906-1991) How to benefit others in a mystical way

Page 5 ΛΥΧΝΟΣ

"The saints in each generation, joined to those who have gone before, and filled like them with light, become a golden chain, in which each saint is a separate link, united to the next by faith, works, and love. So in the One God they form a single chain which cannot quickly be broken" (St Symeon the New Theologian).

G od reveals His Saints through answered prayers and other miracles. Saints are recognised by the fact that they respond to peoples’ prayers, perform miracles, and appear in dreams and apparitions to persons who know them and revere them. And in fact such things occur in more than one person, so they become recognised on the witness of more than one and the truth is verified by many! The formal process of recognition involves deliberation by a Synod of Bishops. If successful, this is followed by a Service of Glorification in which the Saint is given a day on the Church calendar to be celebrated by the entire Church, the chanting of a Service in honour of the Saint (normally using specially commissioned hymns which are chanted for the first time at the Glorification), and the unveiling of an Icon of the new Saint. This does not, however, make the person a Saint; the person already was a Saint and the Church ultimately recognized it. Sainthood reflects communion with God: there are countless examples of people who lived in great sin and became Saints by humility and repentance, such as St Mary of Egypt, St Moses the Ethiopian, and of course St Dysmas, the repentant thief who was crucified.

Sometimes, one of the signs of sanctification is the condition of the Relics of the Saint. Some Saints will be incorrupt, meaning that their remains do not decay. Sometimes even when the flesh does decay the bones themselves will manifest signs of sanctity. They give off a sweet aroma, or even exude myrrh. The absence of such manifestations is not necessarily a sign that the person is not a Saint. Not all Saints are known, many will remain hidden by God until the Second Coming of Christ. For this reason, on the Sunday after Pentecost the Church celebrates all the righteous souls together on All Saints Sunday. Saints are venerated but not worshipped. They intercede for our salvation and help mankind through their direct communion with God. After the Glorification Service, the Church will no longer pray a Mnymosino for the repose of a Saint’s soul: instead, a Paraklesis will be served to implore their intercessions before the Throne of God.

H ow are the Saints canonised by our Orthodox Church?

Page 6 ΛΥΧΝΟΣ

S urprised by Christ is a remarkable true story about the journey of a Jewish man who finds Christ. The book not only surprises you but it is fascinating how he dealt with situations even from a young age. Arnold was born in May 1946. Raised in New York, he questioned his faith and was seeking spiritual meaning for his life. A friend of his who was Catholic, but had become interested in the Jehovah’s Witnesses, gave him a Bible. Once he read it, he realized that Christ conducted Himself with supernatural grace, wisdom and love. Over time, however, he perceived discrepancies in the various Protestant beliefs that surrounded him. Through vigilance, zeal, courage and persistence in pursuing truth, he eventually, with the Grace of God, found the Orthodox Faith. He takes us on the journey of how it was to be raised in the shadow of the Holocaust, how his family disowned him, and his eventual conversion to faith in Christ. He explains and answers in great depth how Christ is Divine, how the Scriptures are not enough (the teachings of the Church include but are not limited to the Scriptures), and the meaning of Salvation. On one occasion, he recounts how his cousin wanted to marry a gentile, but all his family were very upset. It resulted in a hunger strike by the uncle until the gentile converted to Judaism. Bernstein’s father and family thought to do the same with Arnold to bring him back to the Jewish fold, but in the end his father decided against it. When he asked him why, he responded by saying “I didn’t want to starve to death”! Arnold Bernstein married Bonnie in 1971 and they have four children. He was ordained in 1988 and graduated from St Vladimir’s Seminary New York in 1989. He was ordained a priest of the Orthodox Church, and given the name James. In his book, Fr James challenges, inspires and teaches us to be fervent Orthodox Christians and that our Faith in Christ is the truth. He mentions many of our Fathers of the Church in relation to what Salvation is. This book leaves you questioning your own knowledge and depth of faith.

T hese words from Psalm 76(77):13-14 are triumphantly chanted as the Prokeimenon of the Vespers for Pascha, Pentecost and the Nativity of Christ. It is reminiscent of the verse from Exodus, “Who among the gods is like you, O Lord? Who is like you - majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working miracles?” (Exodus 15:11). This hymn may strike us as odd at first: is it really saying that there other gods other than our God?

The worst sin that Israel commit in the Old Testament is worshipping other gods or idolatry. According to the Biblical authors, the apostasy of Israel was the reason they went into the exile at Babylon. Hence, the first of the Ten Commandments refers to this specifically: “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:1).

Were there really other gods? The Old Testament specifically names other gods: Ashtoreth (1 Kings 11:5), Baal (Numbers 25:3) and Dagon (Judges 16:23) to name a few. But what is the difference between our God and the other gods? “...their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell. They have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but cannot walk, nor can they utter sound with their throats” (Psalm 115:4-7). So who is our God then? “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery” (Exodus 20:2).

In the Old Testament, the meaning of miracle differs from our conception of miracle as a disruption of the natural laws. A miracle (sign or wonder) is an indication of God’s purposeful activity and may not distinguish between ‘natural’ and ‘supernatural’. To Israel, an event was miraculous not because it broke natural laws, but because it testified to God’s presence and activity in their midst. Indeed, He is truly the only God who performs miracles.

Surprised by Christ By Rev. A. James Bernstein Published by Conciliar Press, 2008. ISBN: 1888212950, 337 pages.

A wide range of Orthodox Christian books in Greek and English is available from

The Orthodox Bookstore, 31A Enmore Rd, Enmore, NSW, 2042.

Ph: (02) 9519 6245 E-mail: editor@lychnos.org Internet: www.lychnos.org

Τ ίς Θεὸς μέγας ὡς ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν; σὺ εἶ ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ποιῶν θαυμάσια μόνος. W ho is so great a god as our God? You are the only God who performs miracles.

Great Prokeimenon of Vespers

Page 7 ΛΥΧΝΟΣ

Λ έγεται Θεία Ευχαριστία διότι ο Κύριος ευχαρίστησε τον Θεό Πατέρα κατά την διάρκεια του «Μυστικού ∆είπνου» όταν ευλόγησε τον άρτο και τον οίνο πριν τον μεταδώσει στους μαθητές Του. Αλλά ευχαριστούμε και εμείς τον Θεό για την μεγάλη τιμή του να γίνουμε Κοινωνοί του Σώματος και του Αίματος του Χριστού. Πώς να μην έχουμε ευγνώμονες ψυχές όταν συναισθανθούμε ότι γίνεται μέσα μας Μυστική και Μυστηριακή «μετάγγιση» του Τριαδικού Θεού; Τα Τίμια δε αυτά ∆ώρα προσφέρονται σε κάθε Θεία Λειτουργία, που γίνεται, εξ άλλου, αποκλειστικά για αυτόν τον σκοπό. Κρατά ο ιερέας στα χέρια του το Άγιο Ποτήριο, εξέρχεται στην ωραία Πύλη και μας προσκαλεί λέγοντας: «Μετά φόβου Θεού, πίστεως και αγάπης προσέλθετε». Πόσο απλό και πόσο προσιτό και πόσο αναγκαίο στον καθένα μας! Και εμείς; Εμείς πρέπει να πλησιάζουμε με πίστη στο Μυστήριο, με αγάπη στον Χριστό, φόβο για την αναξιότητά μας και κατάλληλη ψυχική και σωματική καθαρότητα και προετοιμασία.

∆ηλαδή όλη η ζωή του συνειδητού χριστιανού πρέπει να είναι μετάνοια, εξομολόγηση, οι καθορισμένες νηστείες και διαρκή εγρήγορση. Με αυτές τις προϋποθέσεις, και με την άδεια του Πνευματικού μας, μπορούμε να ελπίζουμε και να προσκαρτερούμε και να λαχταράμε και να αξιωθούμε να κοινωνούμε από τώρα και στο εξής σε κάθε Θ. Λειτουργία. Ας αρχίσουμε με το να κοινωνούμε τις Κυριακές και μεγάλες γιορτές κατά την διάρκεια των

νηστειών που ήδη προσπαθούμε και να ζήσουμε πιο πνευματικά. Κατόπιν και με τριήμερη εγκράτεια των συζύγων με απόλυτη συμφωνία και των δύο όσο συχνά μπορούν.1 Πρέπει να μάθουν οι χριστιανοί σύζυγοι να βοηθούν ο ένας τον άλλο, για να εξασκείται η εγκράτεια μεταξύ τους και να μπορούν να προσέρχονται στην Θ. Κοινωνία. Να τι μας λέει ο Απόστολος Παύλος για το θέμα αυτό: «Ως προς τις ιδιαίτερες σχέσεις ας γνωρίζει η γυναίκα ότι δεν εξουσιάζει το σώμα της, αλλά το εξουσιάζει ο άνδρας της, το ίδιο και ο άνδρας…. Ας μη αποστερεί ο ένας τον άλλο με εγκράτεια, εκτός αν το κάνετε με συμφωνία για λίγο καιρό, για να αφοσιώνεστε στην νηστεία και στην προσευχή» (Α΄ Κορ. 7, 4).

Ειδική προετοιμασία: Ολόκληρη την ημέρα της παραμονής της Θ. Κοινωνίας πρέπει να σκεπτόμαστε το γεγονός αυτό. Οι λέξεις μας, η συμπεριφορά μας και τα λόγια μας να είναι προσεγμένα, όπως προαναφέρθηκαν. Να ζητούμε συγνώμη, να διαβάζουμε την βραδινή προσευχή, το Απόδειπνο και την ακολουθία της Θ. Μεταλήψεως. Να τρώμε το βράδυ αλάδωτο φαγητό, για να έχουμε ελαφρό στομάχι. Μελέτη Αγίας Γραφής και πνευματικών βιβλίων, όχι τηλεόραση και νυχτερινές διασκεδάσεις και χορούς. Το πρωί στον ναό από την αρχή του Όρθρου και μέχρι το «∆ι΄ ευχών» με προσοχή και κατάνυξη. Στο σπίτι μετά αμέσως την μελέτη της ευχαριστίας της Θ. Μετάληψης και προσοχή την υπόλοιπη μέρα για να μην χαθεί η πνευματική ευλογία της Θ. Κοινωνίας.

Η Θεία Ευχαριστία

1 π. Γεώργιος Α. Καλπο�ζος, Συμβουλευτικό Εγχειρίδιο Ορθοδόξου Λατρευτικής Ζωής, εκδ. «Φωτοδότες», σελίς 122.

Page 8 ΛΥΧΝΟΣ

NEWS and VIEWS

« ΛΥΧΝΟΣ » is a bimonthly publication of the

Greek Orthodox Christian Society, 31a Enmore Rd, Newtown, NSW, 2042,

under the auspices of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia.

Phone: (02) 9567 3542. E-mail: editor@lychnos.org Internet: www.lychnos.org

Ακούτε το ραδιοφωνικό πρόγραμμα «Η ΦΩΝΗ ΤΗΣ ΟΡΘΟ∆ΟΞΙΑΣ»

κάθε Κυριακή 10:45 π.μ. στο 2MM-ΑΜ 1665 11:00 π.μ. στο 2ΕRΑ-FΜ 151.675 (scanner) 5:30 μ.μ. στο Galaxia FM 151.850 (scanner) κάθε Πέμπτη 3:30 μ.μ. στο Radio Club AM 1683

The dining hall (left), monastic cells and main church.

Pantanassa Monastery Update

T he Greek Orthodox Monastery of the Holy Mother of God Pantanassa, located at Mangrove Mountain, NSW, has completed the first stage of its building programme with construction of the main church (Katholikon) built to lock-up stage, as well as sections of the monks’ living quarters, library, kitchen, refectory and other amenities.

The main church is dedicated to the Holy Mother of God Pantanassa. The design and detailing of the monastery is influenced by the traditional geometry and aesthetic of hundred year old Orthodox monasteries in Greece such as Mt Athos, Mistra and others. Currently, construction work at Pantanassa has paused until further funds can be raised.

Please offer your love and support so that the building program may continue, and that the Monastery can continue to serve the Orthodox faithful and wider community for many more generations to come. Donations can be made on the Monastery’s web site at www.pantanassamonastery.org/donations.html

The amenities block and monks cells.

Overview of Monastery buildings with the Katholikon at top centre.

Monastery courtyard and buildings - Architectural rendering