Summer 1998 Orthodox Vision Newsletter, Diocese of the West

8/8/2019 Summer 1998 Orthodox Vision Newsletter, Diocese of the West

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Th e Orthodox V ision

OROROROROR T H OD OX M I S S I ON S I N T H E WE S T T H OD OX M I S S I ON S I N TH E WE S T T H OD OX M I S S I ON S I N T H E WE S T T H OD OX M I S S I ON S I N TH E WE S T TH OD OX M I S S I ON S I N T H E WE S T

A L ook at the A mazing Growth of the Diocese Over the L ast Ten Y ears

S ummer 1998


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Diocese of the West650 Micheltorena StreetLos Angeles, CA 90026Phone: 1-800-323-6921

PublisherHis Grace Bishop TIKHON

Bishop of San Francisco and

the Diocese of the West

Editor-in-ChiefPriest Eric G. Tosi

Address all stories and

editorial comments to:

14 Shadow Place

Billings, MT 59102Phone and Fax: (406)254-1194

Email: [email protected]

Address all circulation

and advertising to:

Office of the Chancellor

5400 Annie Oakley Drive

Las Vegas, NV 89120

Phone: (702)898-4800

Fax: (702)898-0303

The Orthodox Vision is published three times

a year by the Diocese of the West. It is free to

all parish members and outreach within the

Diocese. Subscriptions outside the Diocese

is available for $10 per year in the United

States and $15 per year in Canada.

The articles contained herein do not neces-

sarily reflect the views or policies of the Dio-

cese or the editors. The advertisements con-

tained herein are not necessarily endorsed

by the Diocese or Editorial Staff.

I n T his I ssueI n T his I ssueI n T his I ssueI n T his I ssueI n T his I ssueVVVVVolume 3, N umber olume 3, N umber olume 3, N umber olume 3, N umber olume 3, N umber

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F rF rF rF rF rom H is Grace B ishop TI K H ONom H is Grace B ishop TI K H ONom H is Grace B ishop TI K H ONom H is Grace B ishop TI K H ONom H is Grace B ishop TI K H ON

I am an Orthodox Fundamentalist

Over the past decade, the volume of public discourse among the

Orthodox, mostly but not only in America and Western Europe, has

risen to such high levels as to become what I call spiritual deafen-

ing. Our fundamental Gospel teachings, our doctrinal definitions,

our ethics and morality, even our liturgical life are rather straightfor-

ward, edifying, in essence: salvific. Our public discourse should be,

given the vision of the Church that has been passed on to us, the

Holy Tradition, a clear proclamation of the Good Tidings and Beati-

tude Commandments, full of the Kingdom and the outpouring of

love based on a life of prayer, fasting, and alms-giving in todays

terms. Within this discourse, the canons and Church discipline, are

clearly the servants of the Churchs mission, not salvific in them-

selves, but insuring the decency and good order that makes the

full proclamation of the Gospel possible.

But in the present climate, the discourse falls far short of what it

should be and too often becomes simply ideological combat a farcry from spiritual warfare. But in this present climate, ideology is

everything, and for ideology to thrive and flourish there must be

ideologues: those skilled in debate, argument, hurtful combat, even

school spirit rather than allegiance to the Holy Spirit the Heav-

enly King.

Decades ago, a group of Protestants drew up a list of a certain

minimum fundamentals of doctrine to which one must subscribe in

order to be considered a real Christian. These fundamentals in-

cluded, among other things, Biblical inerrancy, the Virgin Birth, Bodily

Resurrection of Christ, and seven days of Creation. Those that held

to those fundamentals listed with any degree of strength and tenac-

ity were termed Fundamentalists. Thats the origin of our wordFundamentalist.

What would a fundamentalist be outside that well-defined, tradi-

tional category? It seems to me that a fundamentalist would have to

adhere to some other kind of list of basic teachings by which one

might identify a real member of a given group. What then would

an Orthodox Fundamentalist be?

It seems to me that any list of Orthodox Fundamentals would have

to include the Symbol of Faith, the Holy Gospels, the Ten Com-

mandments, the Doctrinal statements of the Ecumenical and Local

Councils and of the Fathers approved by them. One might find

summaries of these Orthodox Fundamentals in the office of Receiv-ing Heretics in the Orthodox Church as printed in Hapgoods Ser-

vice Book, and also in the Confession of Faith that are made by

Orthodox hierarchs on the eves of their Consecrations. In that

sense, I believe that any hierarch that is zealously and with tenacity

holding to all those points he confessed, must be an Orthodox Fun-

damentalist. However we are not governed so much by such rea-

sonable definitions as we are governed and definedby the media,

and those that consider anyone at all that is more zealous about

religion or anything else as they are as the Enemy.

Thus an Orthodox monas-

tic belonging to a commu-

nity that eschews fasting

from meat year round would

consider other communities

that do fast from meat year

round to be Orthodox Fun-

damentalists, and by that

is meant unreasoning and

unreasonable fanatics,

probably prone to violence.

That, of course, I am not, but

there is no rationality what-

soever in any discourse

that labels those who are unreasoning, unreasonable, irrational, fa

natical and violent as Fundamentalists. I suppose that, with refer

ence to Islam and the idea of Holy War or jihad with which the

Western European crusaders infected it, some violent Islamic sects

are fundamentalist, but only with regard to their fundamental con-

fession of the virtue of violence.

Fundamentalist.this truly innocent term has lost all meaning in

public discourse. It has become a bludgeon with which to bea

down opponents when rational discourse or arguments are want-

ing. Only one word is more misused than Fundamentalist, and

that is Uncanonical. Basically, canonical in terms of real usage

now means I, me, mine, us and ours. Uncanonical in terms o

real usage means they and theirs. The canons themselves in such

discourse are missing or irrelevant. Thus, the discourse (or lack o

it) between ROCOR and OCA over the years has been notable for

this peculiarity: both base their canonicity not on any canon a

all, but on their own interpretation of an official instruction of the

then Patriarch of Moscow, Saint Tikhon!! (And each very notablyrecognizes the canonicity of the others ordinations whether to

Diaconate, Presbytery or Episcopate!)

Often the word canonical is used to disguise something on which

the canons are completely silent: such as the method of transfer of

laity from parish to parish. I have even read a relatively long opin

ion from the canonical point of view on that topic that carefully

managed to avoid mentioning any canons at all! This low level of

discourse is not only a matter of hierarchical conversations and

dialogue/dispute; it has now filtered down to the basic parish level

What young matron or teenage girl that wears a cloth on her head in

Church is not now liable to be labeled a Fundamentalist? WhaPriest that tries to do away with pews is not labeled a Fundamental

ist by those holding to congregationalist ideology? What abou

Fasting? What about going to spoken Confession before a priest?

What about a priest that prays his rule every Saturday night or

Sunday morning? What about a priest that is never off-duty or

never tries to conceal that he is a priest? To do good and to

communicate forget not, for with such sacrifices, God is well

pleased. What sacrifices are we prepared to make with Joy?

@TIKHONBishop of San Francisco and the Wes


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Orthodox Missions in the WestA Look at the Amazing Growth in the Diocese Over the Past Ten Years

by Peter Schwalbenberg

Imagine it this way: It is aSeptember morning in the

gulf of Alaska. A small

boat approaches the shore,

carrying six monks, whose

eyes are scanning the trees

for the school and cells they

had been promised. As the

boat grinds up on the

beach, they put out a hand

to grasp the gunwale and

steady themselves, andtheir eyes are still scanning

the trees. First one leg goes out into the cold water, so

like Valaam, then another, and the monks climb up the

beach towards the trees, grateful to be on ground at last.

They disappear into the trees. They never find the school

and cells they had been promised, for the promoter of

their expedition, the energetic Shelikov, was quite proud

of getting the monks to come at all, and then found that

he had other more important things to do than keep his

glowing promises to them. What did the monks do? Theybuilt the school and cells themselves. They found local

people who heard the good news and gathered with them

into a Eucharistic community. They planted the Ortho-

dox faith in the new world.

This story has been repeated with different faces in dif-

ferent places all over America, and in our days the dedi-

cation and perseverance of missionaries who work with

what they find is still planting the Orthodox faith. Espe-

cially in the Diocese of the West in the past several years,

the dedication of missionaries and the response of peopleto Gods word which they bring has founded many mis-

sions and revived others. More and more of the faithful

are involved in this work all the time.

Just this year a new mission community formed in Bozeman

Montana. Families who made the 2-hour drive to St.

Nicholas in Billings, MT formed a nucleus, and now there

are 20 people in the Bozeman community worshipping

with Fr. Eric Tosi . In Merced, Fr. David Thatcher has

rallied the mission, whichlike too many of our mis-

sions, had lost a pastor to a

sudden illness. Its a hard life

Famous missionaries are no

strangers to the west. St

INNOCENT, Enlightener of

Alaska, came to Fort Ross

and the San Francisco Bay

area in 1836. The only mis-

sions there were run byFranciscans, with whom he

talked at length, using the Latin he had learned in semi-

nary. St. TIKHON, later Patriarch of Russia, was Bishop

in San Francisco until he moved the see to New York in

1905.

In our times, mission work milestones begin with the

founding of the mission in Encino, CA in 1955 by Fr

Sergei Glagolev. Given the Great Russian character o

the Diocese of the West at the time, this mission was adeparture in that it was conceived as community whose

services would be in the English language. This mission

is now a parish of 150 members. Many missions have

followed this pattern. Notable, is St. Paul in Las Vegas

NV which was founded by Archimandrite Nikolai

(Soraich) and is now our largest community at 300 fami

lies. St. Michael in Walnut Creek, CA was founded in

1974 and has grown. The church in Las Vegas was dedi-

cated in 1995, the same year as St. John of Damascus in

Poway, CA which also began as an English language mission.

Mission work in the diocese was organized under Met-

ropolitan Vladimir, who was bishop of San Francisco and

Berkeley,1972-1975. In 1986 a Mission Board was

formed to aid the development of missions. It supported

the work of Fr. Alexander Golitsyn, who in the 80s served

the Diocese as a circuit rider. With his station wagon

packed with a folding iconostasis, he tirelessly criss-

crossed the remote and not so remote parts of the Dio-

cese bringing to fledgling communities the sacraments

Holy Apostles Bookstore in Portland

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and services. This tradition survives. Fr. David Fox, starting

a mission in Ashland, OR still carries the entire church in the

back of his car, until the mission can find a permanent home.

Fr. Jonah (Paffhausen) recently was a circuit priest for sev-

eral years, serving missions from Sonora to Chico to Eu-

reka. No one can keep this exhausting pace for long. Now

that Fr. Jonah is acting head of the monastery at St. Eugenes

in Inverness, CA the position is open once again.

Given the vast area of the Diocese of the West, local deans

must play an important part in the life of the Diocese. In

1994 Bishop TIKHON formed the Mission Deanery, to

fosters and oversee communities in the mission field and is

now the largest of the deaneries. Fr. Ian MacKinnon is the

dean. Fr. Ian served in the mission in Santa Maria, CA and

is now at Exaltation of the Holy Cross Mission in Sacra-mento, CA. In 1995 there were 11 missions in deanery.

Since that time, there have been added 10 new missions,

and four missions have graduated in status and become

members of the local deaneries. The total of missions now

is 17. In November of 1995, Bishop TIKHON called to-

gether a Mission Board to help Fr. Ian in planning and ad-

ministration for the missions. The 10 member board of clergy

and laity brings together years of experience in mission work.

The Orthodox Church in Americas Mission Unit has been

generous in helping missions in the Diocese. St. Innocent in

Fremont, CA and St. Nicholas in Billings, MT received mis-

sion planting grants. These grants are designed to pay part

of the salary for a priest during the critical time in a missions

life when a full time priest can take it to a whole new level.

For both of these missions, the grants were essential in weath-

ering the hardships of losing their pastors and finding a new

one. Both parishes are now financially stable, led by effec-

tive pastors and growing well. The Orthodox Christian Mis-

sion Center, a pan-Orthodox agency supporting foreign mis-

sions, and on which Archimandrite Nikolai serves, has be

gun to take an interest in domestic missions.

The Mission Deanery sponsors an annual retreat, which pre

sents speakers on the Church and the spiritual life, and give

participants a chance to talk about and learn about life in the

missions. Past speakers have been Bishop BASIL

(Rodzianko), Fr. Daniel Sichiu on ministry to the sick, Fr

John Chakas on the spiritual life, Fr. Stephen Meholick on

liturgical life, author Collette Janopolos on converting from

Mormonism. These retreats have been so enthusiastically

received that the deanery wants to invite members of all dean

eries. The next annual retreat will be in Burlingame, CA (20

minutes south of San Francisco) and will feature Fr. Thoma

Hopko as the speaker.

The Mission Deanery has been a host deanery for whole

parishes joining the Diocese, such as Holy Apostles in Port

land and Annunciation in Milwaukie, OR. These two parishes, and Annunciation Mission in Santa Maria, CA and S

George in Hesperia, CA, this year graduated from the Mis

sion Deanery and joined the local deaneries. Fr. Lawrence

Russell from Annunciation in Santa Maria and Fr. Matthew

Tate from Annunciation in Milwaukie have generously agreed

to continue to serve on the Mission Board. Fr Lawrence

has been a leader in the Mission Boards mentoring program.

Hesperia was the last of three missions founded by

Fr. John Schreiber of blessed memory. Fr. John la

bored tirelessly for missions in this and other Diocesesand is greatly missed. The Mission Deanery has also

provided suppor t for Sts . Peter and Paul in

Phoenix,where Archimandrite Gabriel (Cooke) serves

In return, one of the parish leaders serves on the Mis

sion Board. Fr. Rodion Pfieffer is the chaplin at th

Whole Life Foun

dation in Phoenix

a halfway house

Between Phoenix

and Las Vegas lie

Lake Havasu

AZ, a mission tha

now is finishing it

building program

The new missions in

Sonora is served

by Fr. Tom Renfree

Fr. Lawrence Russell in Santa Maria

Bible Study in Fremont With Fr. Leo Arrowsmith

See Missions on p. 1

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MANY THANKS TO O.S.W. MEMBERS!

It is with heartfelt gratitude that we recognize the following individuals and parishes for their kind and generou

support of the Diocese of the West. All those here listed have contributed or pledged $100 or more to assist in th

important work of the Diocese and have therefore been enrolled as members of Orthodox Stewards of the West.

Would you like to join their ranks and help those helped by the Diocese? If so, please complete the form below and retur

it to the Office of the Chancellor as soon as possible. Your charity makes a difference. It enables our Church to expan

and enrich its ministry throughout the western United States and to properly care for those in need. God bless you and a

our stewards for responding to this most important call with faith and with love!

S t. A nnes Orthodox Church A gnes R entz VR EV Gregory S zyrynski M /M Oscar A bdoulah

M /M Jospeh K urowski M /M M ark L innehan R EV Gregory S afchuk K . S akovich

VR EV K irill H artman I rene K oulichkov M arold H omyak L os A ngeles Orthodox Club

M /M Eugene N owik M aha A dranly Jospeh Vranesh L ois H erring

M /M R obert B liss S isterhood H VM C athedral Thomas B orer M /M M ike K aymonacky

N atalie Vasilev M /M Victor Gromadski M /M N icholas P opsuy M ary C aetta

S t. A ndrews Orthodox C hurch M /M K evin D orning M /M C onstantine C hekene M /M J amie C ampbellM /M L eon S nyder M /M Joseph Eurich Vera Wasacz M adeleine de S omov

A lexia P opov M /M D ennis S eitz D . S ekella M /M A nthony D yl

S t. B arabara M onastery M /M N icholas Work M /M A lexander Teshin D N P aul Erickson

J ames Evangeline H oly A postles M ission M /M P eter R adjenovich R EV D avid B rum

M /M P aul K opcha M /M Thomas K vamme C armine D onaruma D N D avid F abula

M arina B eld J oanna F ortnoy Genvieve Essa M /M L eo Gregory

A lexander K haritonoff George K senick M /M J oseph D uncan Edith K aplan

S t. H erman Orthodox C hurch D raginja S urbatovich S vetlana Thompson C arolyn K imberly

M /M J ospeh M erculieff VR EV B oris S ymeonoff M /M R obert H ughes VR EV I an M acK innon

M /M D avid H ooper M /M H ennok S oot M /M P eter S chwalbenburg M /M Johann M orse

George A rtemoff M /M Erik Worth R EV D aniel J ones B arbara Owens

M /M R ichard Jaeger R EV J ohn A nderson VR EV Eugene Tarris I van P ouschine

S t. P aul Orthodox C hurch Theodore L app J ulia A zrael A R C H N ikolai ( S oraich)L illian H asko K ay B uchanan M /M B lair B ody R EV P aul Waisanen

N ina H artwell Our L ady of K azan S kete S arah Oftedal N adine Wood

B ill M acrides H elen K ulina M /M A lex P rescop D aniel S ekella

M /M C arl S echrist N ikola M aslov R EV Eric G. Tosi

O.S.W. MEMBERSHIP FORM

Please enroll me/us in Orthodox Stewards of the West as one of the following:

[ ] Sustaining Member ($100 per year) [ ] Standard Bearer ($500 per year) [ ] Torch Bearer ($1,000 per year)[ ] Lifetime Member ( $10,000 one-time gift or $25,000 bequest by will or trust)

Contribution Plan (Please select one.)

[ ] The full amount of my pledge is enclosed.[ ] I will be sending in the full amount of my pledge by ____/____, 1998.[ ] I will be making monthly installments beginning ____/____, 1998.[ ] I will be making quarterly installments beginning ____/____, 1998.

Please make checks payable to the Diocese of the West and mail to: The Office of the Chancellor, Diocese of the West c/o St. Pau

Orthodox Church, 5400 Annie Oakley, Las Vegas, NV 89120. THANK YOU!

4


7/16


While Barbara took the little children outside I tried to

do something about the fire, but when I kicked open the

door to the room, the smoke and heat were too horrible

I joined my son who was trying to save the sacred items

from the main altar (hemanaged to evacuate

an amazing number of

holy things)...before

the main church was

filled with smoke... We

expected the whole

church and the at-

tached rectory to be

gone. I didnt believe

the fire could be con-

tained and stopped.

See Fire on p. 12 Smoke pours out of Bell Tower

The celebration of the Great and Holy Pascha was tem-

pered at Holy Trinity Cathedral in San Francisco when a

fire broke out that morning. It is reported that the fire

started around 6:00 AM following the Paschal evening

service. A member of the parish was cleaning the kitchen

and bringing items to his car when he noticed flames

shooting out of the basement window. He awoke Fr.

Viktor and his family who called the fire department.

Fire Breaks Out at Holy Trinity CathedralBy Priest Eric G. Tosi

Diocesan Council Holds Spring Meetingby Erik K. Worth

The Diocesan Council met on Monday May 11th, 1998 at

the Diocesan Office in San Francisco for one of its regular

quarterly meetings to conduct Diocesan business. His Grace,Bishop TIKHON presided at the meeting. Bishop TIKHON

reflected that there are several problems being addressed

right now, and that having problems is a sign that we are

moving ahead and making progress. He thanked

Archimandrite Nikolai (Soraich), our Chancellor, for the

many hours spent traveling to over ten different locations in

our Diocese in service the flock over the last few months.

Mrs. Mary Caetta, our Diocesan Treasurer, reported that

the diocese is financially doing very well right now. Sheindicated that in past years the Diocese has had a diffi-

cult time meeting its appeal income objectives, however

due to an increased focus on stewardship this year, we

have already achieved our 1998 objectives.

Mrs. Natalie Teshin and Archpriest Joseph Hirsch re-

ported on the activities of the Metropolitan Council. Mrs.

Teshin reported that work is needed on the Chancery

buildings and that a study was initiated to plan for re-

pairs and the continued maintenance of the OCA facilities

She reported that the next All-American Council meeting is

scheduled for July 1999 in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. Shealso indicated that the OCA administration is trying to dea

with a decline in the reported membership of our parishes

It is felt that this decline is merely a paper decline and not

an actual decline in membership, however, it has had a sig-

nificant impact on the income of the OCA administration

Mrs. Teshin also related that St. Valdimirs Seminary has

reported a lower student entry rate and the OCA is experi

encing a clergy shortage (even though the Diocese of the

West is not experiencing this shortage). Fr. Joseph reported

that a study is under way to see how the OCA can increaseenrollment in the clergy life insurance program. The pro-

vider needs a higher participation level to make sure the

plan is secure for the future. Fr. Joseph also reported

that the clergy pension plan is healthy.

Archpriest Ian MacKinnon indicated in his report on the

Las Vegas Mission Deanery that four parishes have trans-

ferred into their geographical deanery: Annunciation inSee Council on p. 12

Fire Trucks at Holy Trinity

5


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YTD Performance Against the Budget as of May 28, 1998

Jan-Dec 98 Budget % of BudgetOrdinary Income/Expenses

Income

Appeals 16,434.37 15,210.74 108.0%

Chancellor Salary Support 12,500.00 30,000.00 41.7%

DPA 70,662.52 154,000.00 45.9%

HVM Stipend Payments 2,500.00 6,000.00 41.7%

Interest 111.60 130.00 85.8%

Long Beach Parish 10,000.00

Pass Through Income 59,194.39

Saints of America Sales 96.00

Total Income 171,498.88 205,340.74 83.5%

Expenses

Appeal Expenses 1,679.00 1,000.00 167.9%

Bookkeeping 1,250.00 3,000.00 41.7%

Charities 0.00 1,000.00 0.0%

Deaneries 2,500.00 7,200.00 34.7%

Department of Communications 217.41 3,204.00 6.8%

Diocesan Outreach to Refugees 0.00 1,000.00 0.0%

DOW Bishops Cemetery Maintenance 0.00 300.00 0.0%

Employee Benefits 4,386.76 11,939.64 36.7%

Gifts 350.00

History & Archives 0.00 100.00 0.0%

Insurance 2,063.00 2,000.00 103.2%

Late Vocations Program Support 0.00 1,000.00 0.0%

Mission Board Repayment 5,940.00 2,256.00 263.3%

Missions 8,335.00 20,000.00 41.7%

Music Department 0.00 1,000.00 0.0%

OCA Liturgical Donation 200.00 200.00 100.0%

Office Supplies and Expenses 369.75 2,800.00 13.2%

Pass Through Expenses 62,190.20

Patriarch Athenogoras Institute 0.00 1,000.00 0.0%

Payroll Expenses 42,510.80 102,025.84 41.7%

Payroll Taxes 1,836.18 4,223.26 43.5%

Personal Assistance Program 0.00 2,000.00 0.0%

Postage 447.24 1,000.00 44.7%

Property Taxes 251.32 500.00 50.3%

Saints of America Booklets 2,991.15

Secretarial Stipend 5,000.00 12,000.00 41.7%

Telephone 1,284.18 3,592.00 35.8%

Travel 8,481.28 16,250.00 52.2%

Unbudgeted Expenses 1,512.00

Workmans Comp. 0.00 750.00 0.0%

Youth 500.00 4,000.00 12.5%

Total Expenses 154,295.27 205,340.74 75.1%

Net Ordinary Income 17,203.61 0.00 100.0%

Net Income 17,203.61 0.00 100.0%

Diocesan Financial Reportby Mary Caetta, Diocesan Treasurer

I welcome this opportunity to present to you one of the four

monthly reports submitted to the Diocesan Council. This re-

port is called the Year to Date Performance Against Budget.

You will see in the first column the operating income and ex-

pense categories. In the second column, you will see the amount

we have received or spent in these categories from January 1,

1998 through May 28, 1998. The next column lists the bud-

geted amounts that were approved at the last Diocesan As-

sembly. The last column shows how much of the budgeted

amount we have received or spent.

The good news is that we have received more from steward-

ship than was budgeted! It was a great relief to have that

added income, since we were running very low at the begin-

ning of the year. The added appeal expenses were more than

compensated for by additional income. Currently we stil

expect an additional $3,000 in stewardship pledges to be forth-

coming.

Because of income from the Long Beach Parish mortgage

we were able to make a lump sum payment to the Mission

Board. We are making headway in repaying the funds bor-

rowed from the Mission Board to pay for the Patriarchal visit

a few years ago.

The bottom line is that income to date of $171,498.88 versus

expenses of $154,295.27. I wish to thank those parishes who

promptly sent in their 1997 annual report and membership

numbers. This year I even received some via electronic mail

What progress we have made in the last five years.

6


9/16


Fourteen clergy wives from throughout the Diocese of

the West gathered in Las Vegas, May 1 through 3, for

their first annual retreat. Held

within the context of the Pas-chal season, the retreat provided

the assembled presenters and

women an opportunity to be-

come acquainted and to con-

template their roles in the

Church. Archpriest Ian

MacKinnon and Matushka Joan

Rhodes directed the event. It

was clear to all participants that

it was an inspiring event.

Introductory remarks were made by Fr. Ian concerning

the role of the Matushka in parish life and his observa-

tions from visiting parishes throughout the mission field.

Presentations to the assembled wives were made by

Mother Cassiana of the Protection of the Holy Virgin

Orthodox Monastery in Lake George, Colorado and

Priest Lawrence Russell of Annunciation parish in Santa

Maria, California.

Mother Cassiana provided an inspiring view of the role

of the Matushka. Using the example of the Theotokos,

she highlighted those unique attributes of women in the

spiritual life. Noting that the life of the Matushka is one

of service to God, she provided some suggestions for

deepening our understanding of our role as a support to

our husbands priesthood. She urged the Matushki to

find ten minutes each day for quiet reflection and prayer.

Her presentation was concluded with a discussion of those

aspects of the spiritual life that maintain growth in Christ.

Diocese Holds Clergy Wives Retreat in Las VegasBy Matuska Elizabeth Lien

Fr. Lawrences presentation, Women and the Salvation

of the World, focused upon the role of women through

the example of the Theotokos

Her role as protectress washighlighted through inspiring

readings from various sources

Mother Cassiana further devel-

oped this theme in her subse-

quent talks. She urged retreat

participants to pray the

Paraklesis (a canon to the

Theotokos) at least weekly.

St. Paul the Apostle Orthodox

Church in Las Vegas wasgracious host to the clergy wives. Following Grea

Vespers, Archimandrite Nikolai (Soraich) hosted a dinner

for the retreat participants. Sunday Liturgy was observed a

St. Pauls after which the women of the parish hosted a

brunch. An informal gathering concluded the retreat at the

home of Deacon Paul and Julia Erickson.

Many of the participants commented on the spiritual lift

received as the most outstanding feature of the retreat.

It provided the clergy wives with an opportunity to come

together to learn to support one another and to share

resources, insights and experiences in our calling to serve

God. It was clear that though there are many differences

in our parishes, we all face similar challenges. The in-

sights shared by the seasoned clergy wives were invalu-

able for those less experienced. One participant summa

rized the retreat as a fantastic blessing! A committee

was formed to plan the next retreat and it is hoped that

more clergy wives will attend next year.

Clergy Wives Gather in Las Vegas

Tarzana Mourns Lossof Choir DirectorBy Nina Kirsanoff

It is with deep regret that we

of St. Innocent Orthodox

Church announces the passing

of our beloved parishioner,

Subdeacon Eugene S. Geeza

on May 3, 1998.

Gene was the youngest of six children born to The Very

Reverend Theodore and Mary Geeza. Among his four

surviving siblings is His Grace Bishop BORIS (Geeza)

retired Bishop of Chicago, now residing in Southern

California. He served as a choir director at St. Innocen

for many years. He was adamant about singing in En

glish as the Orthodox Church became more fluent. He

retired as choir director for the third time in 1994, and

despite his failing eyesight, was looking forward to the

possibility of directing again.

May His Memory Be Eternal!

7


10/16


St. Nicholas Church in Portland Consecratedby Jan Bear

St. Nicholas Celebrates the New Church

Parishioners and friends from around the country gath-

ered here on June 13 for the consecration of the new St.Nicholas Church. His Beatitude Metropolitan

THEODOSIUS celebrated the Liturgy of consecration

in a packed church on Sunday morning, along with 17

priests, 6 deacons, 4 subdeacons and a gaggle of altar

servers. Priest George Gray is the rector of the 150

member parish. Archimandrite Nikolai (Soriach) Chan-

cellor of the Diocese represented His Grace Bishop

TIKHON who was prevented from attending due to

medical problems. He sent His archpastoral blessings.

Protopresbyter Robert Kondratick, Chancellor of theOrthodox Church in America and Priest John Pierce, Dean

of the Northwest Deanery were among the honored

guests of local and visiting clergy. Members of the Port-

land area Orthodox parishes joined in the celebration as

well as delegations from Wikeson, Tacoma and Seattle.

The $400,000 church which was completed in 1996 was

designed by Archpriest Alexis Vinogradov of Wappingers

Falls, N.Y. Built to be faithful to traditional Orthodox

architecture and to fit with the design ethos of the Pa-

cific Northwest, it is the first Orthodox church in the

Portland metropolitan area designed and built with spe-

cifically Orthodox architecture. The new church received

an award of excellence from the Portland chapter of the

American Institute of Architects.

The consecration celebration began with Vespers on Fri-

day after which His Beatitude toured with groups of

people throughout the church explaining the symbolism

of the consecration rite that would take place.

The rite of consecration involved the reception of the saints

relics into the church, completion of the building of the altar

the washing and vesting of the altar and the chrismation of

the walls of the church itself. Immediately following the con-secration there was a hierachical Divine Liturgy as a fullfillment

of the consecration.

Parishioners did most of the handicrafts in preparation

for the event. The altar and iconostasis were built by

wood craftsman Lee Frazier. The altar is made from

alder, a tree that commonly grows along the stream beds

in the Northwest. Irene Humphrey sewed the vestments

for the altar. Heather McKean, a nationally known ico-

nographer who has become a member of the parishthrough her long works on the frescoes of the church,

has written the Communion of the Apostles, the

Theotokos for the sanctuary and Christ Pantocrator which

will be placed in the central dome of the nave. She will

also paint the icons for thr iconostasis and the walls.

St. Nicholas parish originated in 1895 when

Archimandrite Sebastion Dabovich, the first Orthodox

priest born in the contentantal United States passed

through on a mission trip from San Francisco to Seattle

He celebrated the Liturgy for 12 Serbs, Aleuts, Arabsand Russians. Parishioners later built a small church in

what is now southeast Portland. In the 1920s they bought

a church in northeast Portland and placed a cupola on

the steeple. This church is now a landmark in that par

of town. In 1979, the parish bought land in southwes

Portland and prepared to build a new church. The parish

celebrated its first Pascha in the new building in 1996.

His Beatitude Consecrates the Altar of St. Nichola

8


11/16


St. Innocent MissionarySociety Formedby Priest Lawrence Russell

The Diocese of the West has a new society, one which

focuses on missions and missionary labors. The creationof the St. Innocent Mission Society is the latest in a se-

ries of Diocesan decisions to provide greater focus on

Diocesan missions and missionary labors. The society

invokes as its patron the sainted 19th century Russian

missionary to America, Innocent whose fiery, apos-

tolic love and zeal led him to organize a similar society in

Russia to respond to growing missionary opportunities.

We will come back to the Society later on. Let us first

briefly address some particulars about our growth and

opportunities. There is no doubt that both our Dioceseand our missionary possibilities are growing. Consider

the following. In just eight years, thanks be to God, the

number of missions has grown from nine to twenty one,

with an overall increase in the number of parishes and

institutions in the Diocese of the West of over 25%. This

growth happens to correspond with the fact that during

the last fifteen years the population of the ten states in

our Diocese has grown, on average, by about 20%.

When, however, we consider that the 20% increase means

one in five Americans, roughly 50,000,000 souls, nowlive in our Diocese, we begin to realize the magnitude of

our missionary task and responsibility: The harvest truly

is plenteous (Matt.9:37).

We are now in a historically unique position to gather

the fruits of over two hundred years of apostolic work in

our land. Virtually all objective, preparatory criteria of

St. Innocents program for bringing Orthodoxy to conti-

nental America have been or are now being fulfilled (see

Alaskan Missionary Spirituality, pg. 251-2). Especially

notable is the fact that the Service books (not to mentionthe writings and lives of the Saints) are now available in

their entirety in the English language. While pondering

this spiritually fruitful and arduous accomplishment, the

words of another missionary saint came to mind: Na-

ked, indeed, are all nations without their own books.

Who, being without arms, cannot fight the adversary of

our souls and are ripe for the dungeon of eternal tor-

ments (Prologue to the Gospels, by St. Cyril, Apostle

to the Slavs).

Now, back to the Society. The charter of the Societyis the

same as that of its Russian predecessor: namely, prayer

united effort and financial support, in that order. A contem-

porary Orthodox theologian has observed that preaching

Christ is not a Christian commercial, it implies love for

those to whom the message is directed, and love means

self-giving, not simply giving something (Witness to the

World, pg.188). With the help of God, the St. InnocenMission Society hopes to provide a greater means for self-

giving. We hope to bring together greater participation in

the work of intercessory prayer, a more focused and united

usage of our God-given talents and increased financial re-

sources with which to work. Based on the generous re-

sponse at our inaugural membership drive (held at a recent

Mission Deanery retreat), it appears that many in our Dio-

cese are looking for just such a vehicle for missionary work

Beginning this Fall, members of the Diocesan Mission

Board will be traveling parish to parish with a slide pre-

sentation on the work of the Society. The presentation

will provide you with information about membership

plans for the advancement of the Societys work, and

how membership revenues will be expended. We hope

you will join us in this God-given task. For those of you

who would like to join, please fill out the enclosed card

I would like to join the St. Innocent MissionarySociety and support the works of the Diocese

in the missionary field.

Levels of Support

qCharter Member..................................$2,500qSustaining Member...................$500 per yearqSupporting Member..................$250 per yearqStudent Member.........................$50 per year

Name:____________________________Address:__________________________City:___________State:_____Zip:______Phone:___________________________

Mail to:

St. Innocent Mission Society

P.O. Box 5032Santa Maria, CA 93454

(805)928-7386

9


12/16


This will seem like a strange way to begin an answer, but,

when my son began Karate lessons, I discovered that there

were a number of ranks in the ancient sport, each of which

was accompanied by its own peculiarly colored belt. Thefirst belt he received was white and these were followed, in

turn, by yellow, green, blue, purple, brown and black. My

son explained that, while the colors might vary from sport to

sport, they derived from the changes in appearance of a

new white belt as it is worn over many years.

The connection with your question is this: the original

church vestments worn by clergy were all white. The

undergarment or STICHARION was and is, simply, The

Robe of Light or baptismal robe. Over this, were worn

the ordinary street clothes of the first through third cen-tury lower social classes. The FELONIAN or PLANETA

was a form of poncho worn over the head. The

DALMATIC or Deacons Sticharion (Named for the

wool of the province of Dalmatia from which it was

woven) was a form of TUNIC or large outer shirt, etc.

We know that special clean clothes of these kinds were

kept at the place of worship, so that the Bishop, Presby-

ters, Deacons and other ministers could be fastidiously

dressed. In time, it seems, these garments would age and

discolor so natural dyes seem to have been used to ren-

der the old gray vestments more seemly. It must be re-

membered that, for most of Church history, most par-

ishes could only afford two or three sets of vestments so,

few if any parishes had all of the possible colors.

The Orthodox service books direct that the brightest

vestments, usually white, should be worn for the highest

festive days and second best sets for lesser feasts. It is

sometimes directed that a dark vestment (dark red, blue,

purple, violet or even brown) should be worn. I under-stand that black did not enter as a liturgical Color until

the reign of Tsar Peter when it may have been imported

from the Roman Catholic color scheme, which had only

become standardized itself after the Reformation. As ar-

tificial dyes made more brilliant colors possible, it was

probably natural that meaning would be attached to the

various colors and that Altar and Analoi covers would

also be made in matched sets.

What Do the Color Changes Mean

In The Church?By Archpriest Joseph Hirsch

Today, most parishes use White for Holy Pascha and the

Pentecost season. Red is normally used for the Holy

Apostles and other Martyrs. Light blue is often used for

feasts of the Holy Theotokos, Green for the Feast of

Pentecost and Sundays following and Dark Blue, Violet

Purple or Black for the Lenten Season. Additionally, Gold

or Red are sometimes used for Autumnal weeks after

Pentecost while many Greek Churches follow the Ro-man practice of wearing Violet for the pre-Christmas fast

and some traditions use Red for the Sunday of the Holy

Cross in Lent and Green for the Sunday of Palms. Bright

Red or Red and White are also not uncommon usage for

Pascha.

In any case, the colors are intended to be evocative of

the theme or mood of the feast or season. White is light

Green is life, Red is blood, Violet is mourning, etc. When

we enter the Temple and see a change in color, it should

be one more lure to draw our attention Godward. I mightadd the note that every Sunday is a Little Pascha and

that White or at least Bright Vestments are always ap-

propriate on Sundays. It is also good to recall that White

is the original color of all vestments. My son reminded

me that the oldest and most venerable teachers of Karate

wear simple white belts. We should also aspire so to pass

through all of the ordeals and trials of this earthly struggle

that, at the end, our garments (Our spiritual robes) may

be White with wear.

Make Your Advertising Count

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10


13/16


Missions[cont. from p. 3]

an assistant at Holy Cross in Sacramento. Chico now is

served by Fr. Michael Rome. Eureka joined the OCA as

a parish, and Fr. Jonah works with Deacon David Bower

to shepherd the parish. Arcing up from Sonora and Chico

through Eureka brings us to St. Annes in Albany OR,which has been growing solidly for a long time under the

steady care of Fr. Stephen Soot, and to our newest mis-

sion station in Longview, WA. Winner in the farthest

from any other category is Salt Lake City, where Or-

thodox roots go back a surprisingly long way, to Serbian

immigrants in the 1860s. The Salt Lake community is

growing, and is looking for a priest.

The diversity and vitality of our mission communities can

come as somewhat of a surprise to many in the Diocese.

In February of 1998, the Mission Board received Bishop

TIKHONs blessing to found the St. Innocent Mission

Society, which helps our people get more involved in the

work of the missions. Missions mean growing the Dio-

cese and everyone has a stake in this labor and its suc-

cesses. The society aims to keep people aware of what

is happening in the missions so that they can understand,

appreciate and support the work being done. The most

important way to support this work, as St. Innocent him-

self said in founding the prototype mission society in Russia

130 years ago, is to pray for the success of the missions.It is hard and often enough discouraging workOur Lord

himself had surprisingly little success (as St. Innocent

points out)but it is the work the Church is sent to do.

If you would like to know more about the missions,or the St. Innocent Society, please drop a line to St.Innocent Mission Society at P.O. Box 5032, Santa

Maria, CA 93454, or call Fr. Lawrence at (805) 9287386. You can also email Fr. Lawrence [email protected], or Peter Schwalbenberg

at [email protected]. Please do keep the missionsin your prayers daily.

Hesperia Recieves Six Into Churchby Priest Michael Spainhoward

For the new rector, Fr. Michael Spainhoward and the faith-

ful of St. George the Great Martyr Church in Hesparia, CA

Palm Sunday this year was quite special. This small mission

in the high desert of California celebrated not only the Feas

of the Entrance of our Lord into Jerusalem, but also the en-

trance of six people into the Church through the Holy Mys-

teries of Baptism and Chrismation.

Basil and Debra Thomas along with their two daughters

Ann and Bethany first came to St. George out of their

desire to offer to God their familys love and happiness

They wanted to honor the faith of Debras parents who

are Orthodox. Innocent and Irene Campbell, who drivenearly an hour to attend Church, came to Orthodoxy from

a Protestant Evangelical background. They were seek-

ing, as so many have, the faith of the Fathers.

The procession around the baptismal font was a won-

derful experience with the priest, the newly illuminated

and their sponsors forming a complete circle. The words

of the hymn, As many as have been baptized into Chris

have put on Christ. Alleluia. took on a new meaning

for the faithful who witnessed, with many tears in their

eyes, this singular event in the life of a mission. MayGod Grant Them Many Years!

Fr. Michael with the Newly Received Servants of God

The 1998 A nnual D iocesan A ssembly and R etrThe 1998 A nnual D iocesan A ssembly and R etrThe 1998 A nnual D iocesan A ssembly and R etrThe 1998 A nnual D iocesan A ssembly and R etrThe 1998 A nnual D iocesan A ssembly and R etreateateateateatwill be held on Twill be held on Twill be held on Twill be held on Twill be held on Tuesdayuesdayuesdayuesdayuesday , S eptember 22 to F riday , S eptember 22 to F riday , S eptember 22 to F riday , S eptember 22 to F riday , S eptember 22 to F riday , S eptember 25 , S eptember 25 , S eptember 25 , S eptember 25 , S eptember 25

at the M enucha R etrat the M enucha R etrat the M enucha R etrat the M enucha R etrat the M enucha R etreat and Confereat and Confereat and Confereat and Confereat and Conference C enter outside of P orence C enter outside of P orence C enter outside of P orence C enter outside of P orence C enter outside of P ortland, Ortland, Ortland, Ortland, Ortland, Oregonegonegonegonegon

Contact the ChancellorContact the ChancellorContact the ChancellorContact the ChancellorContact the Chancellors Ofs Ofs Ofs Ofs Of fice at ( 702) 898-4800 for details. fice at ( 702) 898-4800 for details. fice at ( 702) 898-4800 for details. fice at ( 702) 898-4800 for details. fice at ( 702) 898-4800 for details.

11


14/16


Fire[cont. from p. 5]By 7:15 AM the fire department had managed to put the

fire out. In the process they had to break all the doors

and many of the original 1909 stain glass windows. Ap-

parently they came just in time as the old all-wooden

structure was ready to be engulfed in flames. Specialists

have testified that literally 2 minutes later the flames wouldhave covered the remaining structure. If that had happened,

the entire block would have been in jeopardy not just the

church.

Details of the fire are still sketchy. It apparently started

in a small room adjacent to the altar. The room had been

used as a chapel many years ago but was recently con-

verted to a meeting room and storage of liturgical items.

Many of the churchs older and special items were stored

there. Sources confirm that there were neither flammableitems nor electrical cords in the area that could have

started the fire. There is some concern by the authorities

that the fire may have been arson and some one was seen

walking away from the church just before the fire was

noticed. Authorities have called in specialists to investi-

gate.

Initial estimates put the damage at $200,000, however

considering all repair work for the building close to

$500,000 may be needed to spent. The cathedral did

have adequate insurance which may cover a large por-tion of those repairs. In conjunction with this tragedy,

there was a benefit dinner on June 14 at St. Nicholas

Antiochian Orthodox Church in San Francisco to raise

money for the repairs.

Fr. Viktor states thankfully, But God was merciful to

us, and the cathedral survived. We lost the space under

it. Everything is covered with blackness. Our bookstore

is gone and all items in our gift store are uselessBut

we are all alive, as is our beloved cathedralthe next

day we sang the Paschal Vespers and the church was as

full as it is usually on Sundays. With tears we praised the

Resurrection and salvation.

Council [cont. from p. 5]Santa Maria, CA; St. George in Hesperia, CA; Annun-

ciation in Milwaukie, OR; and Holy Apostles in Port-

land, OR. He stated that it is the natural progression for

a mission parish in the Missions Deanery to develop to

the point where it joins its sister parishes in the geographi

cal deanery where it resides. Fr. Ian reported that Mis-sion Deanery held a successful Deanery Retreat in Boul-

der City, NV with over forty-five clergy and faithful in

attendance. In addition, Fr. Ian related the success of

their first Clergy Wives Retreat held in Boulder City, NV

on May 1-3 with fifteen clergy wives in attendance.

Archpriest Michael Regan highlighted two areas of con-

cern in his report on the Pacific Central Deanery: (1) the

Fire at Holy Trinity Cathedral in San Francisco, and (2)

the status of the members of the SS. Peter and PauAntiochian parish (about 350 people) attending at St

Nicholas Orthodox Church in Saratoga, CA.

Fr. Michael reported that the situation at Ben Lomand is

delicate and stressful. His Grace Bishop TIKHON in-

formed the council on measures taken to address this

situation and indicated that it was being resolved at the

highest levels in the OCA and Antiochian Church admin-

istrations. Fr. Gregory Safchuk indicated in his report on

the Pacific Southwest Deanery that the two parishes

brought into the deanery have become a catalyst instill-ing new energy into the deanery.

Fr. John Pierce indicated in his report on the Pacific North-

west Deanery that they are experiencing growth in the

Northwest. The two additional parishes in Oregon (An

nunciation in Milwaukee and Holy Apostles in Portland)

have increased the deanery from three to five parishes

All of the parishes are either renovating, building or land-

scaping. In addition, the deanery parishes are support-

ing a few young missions.

Archpriest Joseph Hirch indicated in his report on the

Rocky Mountain Deanery that the deanery is a healthy

area within the diocese. The deanery has a good sum-

mer camp, holds a series of youth and adult retreats and

activities, and other activities throughout the year. His

Grace Bishop TIKHON encouraged the Diocesan Coun-

cil members to promote the July 4th celebration at Fort

Ross. The next Diocesan Council meeting is scheduled

for August 21st at the Diocesan facility in San Francisco

If you are interested in helping HolyTrinity Cathedral with repairs, please

contact Priest Viktor Sokolov at(415)673-8565

12


15/16


12

I greet you, beloved brother, on receiving the grace of the priest-

hood. When our souls come in contact with Divine Grace, our usual

hardness is softened, as wax before a flame. Since, I believe, your

soul is also experiencing the same at this sacred and unique moment

in your life, I shall take advantage of this opportunity to exhort youconcerning your new ministry.

....Your flock is composed of Arabs, Greeks and Slavs. For many

years they managed without a priest. Having come here in search of

a living, of their daily bread, perhaps they ponder little over the

Bread of Heaven, the one thing needful (Lk.

10:42). Because of this their hearts have in-

evitably become hardened. And when they

were given spiritual comfort in the person of a

priest, their hearts were perhaps not sufficiently

touched by the sacred flame and did not burn

with love for the Divine. They know that Di-

vine Wisdom has built itself a house amongstthem, too, and sacrificed itself and prepared a

feast, but we must call them by the way and at

the gates and from the tops of the high places

(Prov. 8:2-3); call them to forsake the foolish(Prov. 9:6) and to prefer the knowledge of thedivine to pure gold (Prov. 8:19). Well, shall we

be burdened by this? After all, we are but ser-

vants of Wisdom which sends us out for this

purpose. For this It is sending you now. There-

fore, preach not only to those who thirst, but

try to find those who are not seeking you, re-

veal yourself to those who do not ask for it,

and stretch your arms to the rebellious and dis-obedient (Is. 65:1-2). Others have compassed sea and land to makeone proselyte (Mt. 23:15). Hurry to help, and try to persuade all

those who are cold towards their Mother, the Holy Orthodox Church.

What I have said so far refers to your future external work. But do

not think that you can limit yourself to this. The external may be

sufficient in other vocations, but never in the priesthood, although

there are some pastors who devote themselves wholly to external

works. Beloved brother, did you ever take note of the Saviours

words: Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not

prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils?

and...done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto

them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity (Matt.

7:22-23). Is it possible to be a pastor, preach Christ, work wonders

in his Name, and yet not be recognized by the Lord? Yes, it is! Fear

this, lest it be your lot! Remember that the success of ministry de-

pends not so much upon external works as upon spiritual exploits

and the life of grace of the pastor himself. A priest can be a builder

of souls and their guide to Christ only if he builds himself up spiritu-

ally and conscientiously follows the path of Christian self-perfec-

tion. Indeed, it cannot be otherwise, for such is the law of spiritual

life. It is necessary, says St. Gregory Nazianzus, first of all to purify

oneself, and only then purify others; to gain wisdom and then instill

wisdom; to become the light and then illumine. An elder experi-

enced in spiritual life once said: one cannot do more good to an-

other than there is in oneself. Therefore, in order to make you

ministry successful, you must above all see to your own enlighten

ment and purification. The Most Holy Chief Shepherd, Christ Him

self, spent forty days in the desert fasting and praying before begin

ning His ministry to mankind. Thus, looking upon the Chief Shepherd, all true Christian pastors began their ministry with the act o

inner self-perfection.

Now, through the laying on of my unworthy hands, Divine grace

has descended upon you. May it not be in vain (I Cor. 15:10)Quench not the Spirit which you have received

(I Thess. 5:19), but kindle it in every way (ITim. 1:6). I shall tell you in brief some meanto this end. First of all, prayer. As our bodie

cannot live without air, so our souls canno

live without the breath of the Almighty, with

out Divine Grace; and grace is best drawn to

man through fervent prayer to God. St. JohnClimacus, whom we commemorate today, call

prayer the intercession for the gifts of grace

Prayer is the food, power, and strength of the

soul; the air, the light, the life-giving warmth

and heavenly rain which freshens and fertil

izes our souls. In a word, without prayer ther

cannot be real spiritual life, and if prayer is nec

essary for every believer, how much more so i

it for a priest who is there to offer prayers to

God for himself and for the people (Heb. 5:3)

That is why you must pray constantly. Do no

limit yourself to public services, but in the cel

of your home, in quiet and solitude, warm andcleanse your soul with prayer to God.

In order to kindle in yourself Divine Grace make it a practice to read

the Holy Scripture. For the Word of God is a hammer that breaks up

and softens our stony hearts; it is fire that burns out sinful impuri

ties and warms our cold hearts (Jer. 23:29). It is profitable fodoctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteous

ness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished

unto all good works (II Tim. 3:16-17). Therefore study the law o

the Lord...day and night (Ps. 1:2). Make it your rule to read theWord of God daily, and read it with reverent attention. Then wha

seemed to you long ago evident, what earlier did not impress you

greatly, will acquire suddenly a new and great meaning and signifi

cance; it will seem to you that you are hearing it for the first time

your soul will be stirred and your heart will be filled with peace

happiness and compunction.

There is much else I could tell you, but perhaps you are now too

weary to absorb it all. Instead, take the Hierarchical Instructions to

a Newly-Ordained Priest, and by reading it, edify and affirm yoursel

in salvation! And I shall pray to the Lord to make you a good pastor

rightly directing the word of truth.

Translated from R ussian and first published in the H oly Trinity C athedral L I F ETranslated from R ussian and first published in the H oly T rinity C athedral L I F ETranslated from R ussian and first published in the H oly Trinity C athedral L I F ETranslated from R ussian and first published in the H oly T rinity C athedral L I F ETranslated from R ussian and first published in the H oly T rinity C athedral L I F E

Vol. 1, N o. 8, A pril 1994Vol. 1, N o. 8, A pril 1994Vol. 1, N o. 8, A pril 1994Vol. 1, N o. 8, A pril 1994Vol. 1, N o. 8, A pril 1994

ExhorExhorExhorExhorExhortation to a N ew P riest by H is Grace TI K H ON , B ishop of the A leutian I slands and N ortation to a N ew P riest by H is Grace TI K H ON , B ishop of the A leutian I slands and N ortation to a N ew P riest by H is Grace TI K H ON , B ishop of the A leutian I slands and N ortation to a N ew P riest by H is Grace TI K H ON , B ishop of the A leutian I slands and N ortation to a N ew P riest by H is Grace TI K H ON , B ishop of the A leutian I slands and N orth A merica ( the futurth A merica ( the futurth A merica ( the futurth A merica ( the futurth A merica ( the futureeeee

S aint and P atriarS aint and P atriarS aint and P atriarS aint and P atriarS aint and P atriarch of A ll R ussia) at H oly Tch of A ll R ussia) at H oly Tch of A ll R ussia) at H oly Tch of A ll R ussia) at H oly Tch of A ll R ussia) at H oly Trinity Cathedral in S an F rancisco on A pril 9, 1900.rinity C athedral in S an F rancisco on A pril 9, 1900.rinity Cathedral in S an F rancisco on A pril 9, 1900.rinity C athedral in S an F rancisco on A pril 9, 1900.rinity Cathedral in S an Francisco on A pril 9, 1900.



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Summer 1998 Orthodox Vision Newsletter, Diocese of the West