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Volume LXVI (USPS 099–120) ISSN: 0734–0036 Portage, Penna. February 14, 2010 Number 2
Archpastoral Letter at the Beginning of the Great FastProt. N. 193
Very Reverend Protopresbyters, Very Reverend and Reverend Fathers, anddearly beloved faithful of our God-saved Diocese:
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory Forever!
“He had no form or glory, and wesaw Him; and He had no formor beauty. But in comparison to
all men, His form was lacking inhonor. He was a man in suffer-ing, and He knew how to bearsickness. Although He was ill-treated, He opened not His
mouth. He was led as a sheep toslaughter, and as a lamb silent
before his shearers, He opens notHis mouth…”
Isaiah 53: 2-4; 7-8
Again we stand at the threshold ofthe Great Fast! Ten weeks before
the Glorious Feast of Pascha, we beganour preparation for the glorious andawesome mystery of the Passion andDeath of our Lord, God, and SaviourJesus Christ! It was for this reason thatHe, the very Son of God Himself,came into the world: to die for us andour salvation!
For the next forty days we will antici-pate the Great and Holy PassionWeek. Forty days out of 365 is ap-proximately one tenth of the year, andas the hymns of this first week of theLenten period reflect, we offer ourtithe of time in doing more than whatwe have done throughout the rest of the year: more fasting, more prayer, morechurch attendance and participation in Divine Services, more works of char-ity and love and generosity and forgiveness, more Scripture reading and med-itation, all of which assist us in spiritual growth and closeness to our sweetSaviour and help to prepare us for the end of His earthly life.
While there are many important themes and motifs throughout these daysand weeks, which already began three weeks ago, our focus remains the same!Our Lord began in advance to prepare His disciples for His impending Cru-cifixion. We hear in the Gospel reading on the fifth Sunday of the Great Fast,“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem…” (Mark 10: 32). Then He tells themprecisely why! To be delivered up to death!
Can you even begin to imagine the panic and the fear, the anxiety and theconfusion, the uncertainty and the disbelief, that must have struck the heartsof those followers? How could such things as these that He described happen
to the One Who healed the blind, the crippled, the deaf, the possessed, andthose afflicted with many other maladies? How dare anyone consider perpe-trating such a crime on the One Who raised from the dead the widow’s onlyson, the daughter of Jairus, and Lazarus? How could anyone put to death theOne Who blessed the little children who flocked to Him, Who offered for-giveness and compassion to so many who were weak and lost and full of sin?
But did His followers desert Him at this crossroads? NO! Instead they didwhat they had set out to do; they continued to follow Him in order to witness
these events that would transpire!
And at this most holy time, we arecalled upon to do likewise, to followHim to the bitter end! When in ourhuman existence, we receive word thata loved one, a relative or friend, is veryill, who has contracted a disease thatwill most likely take his life, out ofcompassion and love we make haste tobe with that person, to offer comfortand support through visits, cards, tele-phone calls, and most importantly,prayers. In this way, we prepare themfor the mystery of death. Can we doany less for our God? Is it not appro-priate, then, that we do the same forthe Lord of Glory Whom we professto love?
Let us, therefore, make a vow to fol-low Him now during Lent, and thenespecially during Holy Week. As youhear the events of the Passion unfold,envision yourself within that selectgroup of the Twelve and watch theMaster’s ordeal, and weep for Himand with Him as He accomplishes oursalvation.
Look upon this Man of Sorrows, asIsaiah calls Him; see the horribleagony in the Garden of Gethsemane,the arrest and trial, the whipping, thespitting, the crowning with thorns,the carrying of the Cross, and the nail-
ing of His sacred Body to that Cross.Witness how nature responds: the sky darkening at midday, the quaking of theearth, the tearing in two of the veil of the temple. See how He is jeered andmocked even as He dies! If you have taken the time to see the movie “ThePassion of the Christ” that was in theaters a few years ago and is available forhome viewing, you will observe and comprehend how terrible this kind ofdeath, crucifixion, was. And it should evoke tears from our eyes.
On the other hand, however, we also need to remember that this Man is morethan a brutalized man: He is the God-Man Who offers His life freely! In iconsof the Crucifixion, we see less of the gruesome details that Jesus suffered; in-stead, we see Him as the Victor over death, sin, the devil, and the world. Heis depicted in a more regal manner. Even the sign above His head reads “KINGOF GLORY,” rather than the “I.N.R.I” (Latin) inscription. It is terrible thatany man should die this way, especially a good man, but even less fair is it that
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Page 2 THE CHURCH MESSENGER February 14, 2010
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Hitting a “Home Run” in a Higher League!
The future and athletic career for23 year old Grant Desme
seemed bright indeed. It appearedthat the “sky was the limit” for thisbudding superstar, who was consid-ered one of the top prospects in theOakland A’s baseball organization. Incollege in 2007, he was the Big WestPlayer of the Year. Bouncing backfrom an injury-plagued first year inprofessional baseball in 2008, Grantbatted .288 last year, with 31 homeruns and 89 runs batted in, while ap-pearing in just 131 games. He wasslated to begin the 2010 season inClass AA, and the “word in the street”had Grant being called up to the ma-jors by the All Star break. But a funnything happened as his meteoric climbto fame and fortune accelerated rap-idly: Grant received another “call”and he decided to answer it. In midJanuary, Grant Desme informed theOakland A’s management of a choicehe had made: he was retiring frombaseball and entering a seminary. In-stead of following in the footsteps of
the likes of Barry Bonds and Alex Ro-driguez, he would follow Christ andbecome a Roman Catholic priest. TheOakland front office was stunned.Oh, they said all of the right and po-litically correct things about losingone of their prized players. Theywished Grant well and lauded him asbeing a “fine young man.” The assis-tant manager of their Vancouver affil-iate—where Grant had played in2009—even joked that he was prob-ably the only player he would allowhis daughter to date (not now, ofcourse!!). Still, questions were askedabout the timing and motivation ofMr. Desme’s choice. The same assis-tant manager made this comment tothe press: “He was so close to makingit big—he could always have waitedand become a priest when he was 35,or even 60 years old.”
In a society where athletes have be-come our “gods” and our finances re-ceive far more attention than ourfaith, I suppose that many would say
Lent : The Road Less TraveledTwo roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by, Andthat has made all the difference
The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
In my tenth grade English Litera-ture Class we covered contempo-
rary poets; writers like Walt Whitmanto Maya Angelou. In the course ofmy studies there was one poet whosetalent I came to admire - RobertFrost. His poem quoted above is oneof the most quoted and analyzed inthe entire genre of American history.In fact, Frost himself concedes thatunderstanding the poem can be diffi-cult since he has described it as“tricky”. With certitude the poem isabout choice and making a decisionabout a specific situation that is pre-sented - a fork in the road. I believethis poem puts a wonderful perspec-tive on the period we approach in theGreat and Holy Fast.
Fr. Alexander Schmemann in hisbook Great Lent refers to the GreatFast as a journey. He writes, “Whena man leaves on a journey, he mustknow where he is going. Thus withLent. Above all, Lent is a spiritualjourney and its destination is Easter,the Feast of Feasts.” Each and everyone of us is unique, with our own per-sonal spiritual struggles and obstacles,as such, Lent is unique to all of us.All of us have a different struggle fromthe person sitting next to us or behindor in front of us. But together we allhave one common fork in the roadalong our spiritual life journey. Thatis precisely where Frost’s poem makethis Great Fast a difficult decision.
It’s simple really, the yellow wood isthe joyful, festive moments of the Na-tivity of Christ extended by His Bap-tism in the Jordan and His powerfulPresentation in the Temple. We getcaught up in the the excitement ofcarols, gift-giving, house blessings,fast-free weeks, that we come skippingalong to the Great Fast - this year,more quickly than usual. We’restopped dead in our tracks at this forkin the road and we being to questionourselves.
Where do I go? What do I do? How
have I prepared or how should I pre-pare? Can I do it? Should I do it?
To answer these questions or seekguidance, we need look no furtherthan the life of Christ Himself. Re-member that the Lord walked on theearth for 33 years. I n that time, Hecleared the brush of temptation andthe weeds of sin. He mapped outeverything that led to His death andglorious Resurrection. Followingclosely behind Him were the 12Apostles and the 70 disciples whomade the path bigger by their exam-ples, writings and their lives. The in-fant church became established andthe path was paved. Like any paththough, it awaited “wear and tear” tobe used by the faithful for their ownsalvation.
However, Satan and the powers ofdarkness in true cunning and deceitbuilt a bypass around that road. Itwas quick and easy - six lanes of openspace with nothing to stop anyonefrom getting to Pascha. They werethe architects of “The Path of LeastResistance”. Tragically, as the zeal andfervor of the infant and ancientchurch waxed and waned, less and lesspeople began to travel the path thatChrist had made with His Blood, Hissweat and His tears. Eventually, thoseweeds had grown so bad that few rec-ognized The Way anymore.
What is the path that Christ madeand Mr. Frost eludes to in this con-sideration? It is the path of uncer-tainty and potential suffering. It isthe unknown road, “bent in the un-dergrowth”, that possesses the rewardof risk and exploration. Christ asksthe Church, His Body, to suffer forHim as He did for us, to “be imita-tors of Christ” as St. Paul tells theCorinthians (1:11:1) is the path tosalvation. He asks us to suffer in ourlove for Him and put the world onnotice that His Death and Resurrec-tion was not in vain.
Jesus Christ loved to suffer for us, notout of some twisted and prideful de-sire, but out of unconditional andhumble love in order to redeem Hiscreation “from the curse of old” (Ves-peral Aposticha: Sunday of Forgiveness).But what about Christ’s suffering? It
-cont’d on page 5-cont’d on page 6
February 14, 2010 THE CHURCH MESSENGER Page 3
the completely innocent, sinless, all-loving, all-forgiving, all-compassionateGod should succumb in this manner. THIS IS THE MYSTERY AND THEBEAUTY of our Faith!
As we begin this Great Fast together, the following fasting regulations are tobe observed by our faithful:
1) Monday, February 15, 2010 (Clean Monday), the first day of Lent, is a dayof strict abstinence; likewise, Great and Holy Friday and Great and Holy Sat-urday, namely
April 2 and 3. On these days, no meat or dairy products may be eaten.
2) All Wednesdays and Fridays during this entire season are days of abstinencefrom meat.
3) Meat and meat products may not be eaten during all of Great and HolyWeek, March 29 through April 3.
4) For the evening Presanctified Liturgy, a minimal three-hour fast from allfood and drink ought to be observed before the reception of Holy Commun-ion. (Normal fasting from midnight is still practiced before the Liturgies of St.John Chrysostom and St. Basil the Great.
5) Where the Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is celebrated on Great andHoly Thursday, the three-hour fast is required.
These are only the minimum requirements that must be observed during thisseason. But for those of a stronger body and a more willingly spirit, again Iwhole-heartedly recommend the penitential practices of a sterner quality whichthe time-honored traditions and customs of our Holy Orthodox Church havehanded down to us. (The faithful should always consult with one’s spiritual fa-ther and confessor, concerning an individual’s fasting discipline.)
With my prayers for you and your families that you walk with the Lord andwitness His sufferings and grow in spirit and experience a meaningful, uplift-ing, and spiritually beneficial Great Fast, I remain
Most sincerely yours in Christ,
+Metropolitan Nicholas
March 12 Bridgeport, CT
Lenten Visitation-Pre-sanctified Liturgy
March 13 Yonkers, NY
Lenten Visitation-St. Nectarios Moleben
March 14 Bridgeport, CT
St. Basil’s Lenten Liturgy
March 21 Homestead, PA
St. Nicholas Church
ACRY 60th Annual Communion Breakfast
Ordination to the Diaconate of Sub-deaconMatthew Stagon
March 28 Johnstown, PA
Christ the Saviour Cathedral
Palm Sunday and Beginning of Holy Week
April 4 Johnstown, PA
Christ the Saviour Cathedral
Paschal Celebration of the Resurrection ofChrist
April 7-9 Mercer, PA
Camp Nazareth SS. Cyril and MethodiosChurch
Clergy Convocation
April 18 Ambridge, PA
St. John Church
25th anniversary of diaconal ordination of
Protodeacon John S. Youhas
April 25 Price, Utah
Dormition Greek Orthodox Church
50th anniversary of priestly ordination of
Archimandrite Athanasios Emmert
May 9 Cheektowaga, NY
St. Mary’s Church
Blessing of Icons
May 23 Johnstown, PA
Christ the Saviour Cathedral
Pentecost
May 28-30 Potomac, Maryland
Holy Resurrection Church
National ACRY Bowling Tournament
June 6 Mercer, PA
Camp Nazareth
Annual Family Day Celebration
June 14-15 Johnstown, PA
Christ the Saviour Cathedral
Re-convening of Diocesan Council-Sobor XXI
June 27 Homestead, PA
St. Nicholas Church
50th anniversary of priestly ordination of Pro-topresbyter Paul Herbert, and Golden Wed-ding Anniversary of Father Paul and PaniEleanor Herbert
Schedule of Metropolitan Nicholas
Glory to Jesus Christ!
Dear Fathers, Members of the Parish Councils and Faithful:
As you know, our XXI Diocesan Council-Sobor held in July 2009 didnot officially conclude, but was recessed for one year. This unique meas-ure took place in order to provide two new commissions established atthe Sobor on (1) Missions and (2) Stewardship to gather informationand propose courses of action for us to take for the future. Both com-missions have been meeting. The Priests’ Pension Board has also beenmeeting and is charting a course of action to present to the clergy.
The recessed Sobor will re-convene on Monday and Tuesday, June 14and 15 in Johnstown at Christ the Saviour Cathedral and EducationalCenter. Because we are in recess, only those delegates who were seatedat Diocesan Council XXI are permitted to participate in the re-convenedSobor to its conclusion.
The Chancery has arranged a special rate with the Holiday Inn down-town of $79.99 per night plus tax for all rooms. Check-in is after 3 PMon June 13, and check-out is before 12 noon on June 15. Deadline toreceive this rate is May 22. Additional information regarding meals willbe sent to each parish as it becomes available.
Thanking you for responding to these initial arrangements, and lookingforward to spending this important time with your parish delegates, I re-main with blessing and prayers
Sincerely yours in Christ,
+Metropolitan Nicholas
-Lenten Archpastoral, cont’d from page 1
Office of the Metropolitan
312 Garfield Street
Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Page 4 THE CHURCH MESSENGER February 14, 2010
The Week of Christian Unity
One of the events that many of our parishes participate in their respectivecommunities is the ecumenical prayer service marking the “Week of
Christian Unity.” At the same time, many Orthodox pastors and churches re-main aloof or are even openly critical of any participation or cooperation withnon-Orthodox Christians. Some have even gone so far as to label “ecu-menism” a modern heresy, to wit, “the belief that the Church of Christ is onlynow being formed through the Ecumenical Movement out of the many differ-ent churches.” To further substantiate their point, the critics of the “Pan-heresy of ecumenism” will cite chapter and verse of canons that forbid prayerwith heretics and condemn any and all who are seen at ecumenical affairs.Their solution is to “wall themselves off ” into a pure world of their own mak-ing.
In the ancient Church there existed a schismatic movement that also believedin “walling themselves off” from the rest of the Church and society. They wereknown as the Novatianists, named after their founder, Novatian.
The Novatianists, who otherwise were Orthodox in their beliefs, denied thepossibility of penance after Baptism. They believed that those who had com-mitted serious sins after Baptism should pray and live in repentance in thehope of God’s mercy, but they were unprepared to accept them into theChurch as communicants again. They believed that their own purity tookprecedence over God’s mercy.
It is recorded that at the First Ecumenical Council the Novatian bishop, Ace-sius, explained this doctrine of purity to the Emperor Constantine when he in-quired how their beliefs were different from the rest of the Church. TheEmperor, probably with a laugh, responded by saying, “Plant a ladder here,Acesius, and climb up to heaven yourself!”
However, there is very often a great difference between the heretics of the an-cient Church and the non-Orthodox Christian churches of today. The hereticsof the past often denied the existence of the Trinity, the two natures of Christ,or the reality of the Incarnation. The Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, Unitari-ans and extremely liberal Protestant churches represent these groups todaywith whom an ecumenical relationship is simply not possible.
On the other hand, the Roman Catholic Church and many “mainline” Protes-tant churches, such as the Lutherans, Episcopalians, Methodists, and others,all share in the Orthodox heritage that is preserved in the Ecumenical Coun-cils concerning the Trinity, the Person of Jesus Christ, the Canon of the NewTestament, the meaning and necessity baptism and a sacramental life andmany other things. To be certain, there are very often differences, especially inregards to ecclesiology (i.e. the nature and function of the Church and its min-isters) and in the nature of the sacraments.
As we enter into relationships with these churches, we do so with our eyeswide open, not as “ecu-maniacs” who pretend that there aren’t any differencesexcept in form or custom or that the differences that exist are all legitimate ex-pressions of “diversity.”
We refute the accusation that the true Church of Christ is only now beingformed in the Ecumenical movement and other such ideas that the modern“Neo-Novatianists” have accused Orthodox participants in the ecumenicalgatherings of believing in.
As Orthodox Christians we are called upon to provide a unique theological andspiritual witness to the Christian churches of the West since, historically, wecome from the same font. Many people are surprised to discover that manyRoman Popes are Saints in the Orthodox Church and that the Roman Churchwas regarded in the fourth and fifth centuries as a beacon of Orthodoxy inthe midst of the heresies that were sweeping the Eastern part of the RomanEmpire or to discover that St. Patrick, the “enlightener of Ireland,” has a placeon the Orthodox Calendar.
These Churches have preserved much of our own heritage for us to rediscover;
they are often a window to our own past.
Yes, I know well that Orthodoxy “is the faith that created the universe” as weproclaim every Orthodoxy Sunday. What can we possibly learn from the oth-ers? We can re-learn the practice of those aspects of our faith that we haveoften left “lying in the tomb of negligence.”
We all hear that Orthodoxy is the Church of the Bible; most Orthodox homeshave a Bible in them. Certainly our worship is replete with quotes from theBible, “more than any Protestant Sunday service,” according to one reviewer. Many centuries ago St. Evagrios wrote, “May the rising sun find you with aBible in your hand.” Closer to our own time St. John of Kronstadt tells us:
If you read worldly magazines and newspapers, and derivesome profit from them, as a citizen, as a Christian, a memberof a family, then you ought still more and still oftener to readthe Gospel…
How refreshing it is to discover people in the other Christian churches whopractice the tradition of the Orthodox Church Fathers of actually reading theScriptures. We all know that contemporary Orthodox Christians, includingmany clergy, show their great respect for the Bible by leaving it closed upon ashelf and contemptuously referring to those who do read the Scriptures as“bibliashi,” thinking that the reading of Scripture “isn’t our tradition.” Thinkof the number of souls lost to the Church who discovered God’s Word andthen found that their love was not shared by others.
Very interestingly, many Protestant churches do not celebrate the Eucharistevery Sunday. Some only celebrate it once a month or even only four times ayear. At the time of the Protestant Reformation, the Roman Church requiredits members to receive Holy Communion four times a year and many Protes-tants simply confined the celebration of the Eucharist to those times. Voiceslike that of John Calvin, the Reformer in the city of Geneva, after reading theFathers of the Church, came to realize the importance of the celebration of theEucharist every Sunday. However, the popular opinion that it was “tooRoman,” refused to permit this.
Of course, in the Orthodox Church, we proudly point to the fact that we cel-ebrate the Eucharist every Sunday in the Divine Liturgy. Well, let’s qualify thatstatement. The Church celebrates the Eucharist every Sunday. However, manypeople are only present for the Liturgy, since they steadfastly maintain the “tra-dition” of only receiving the Eucharist once or twice a year. It is certainly a re-flection of Orthodox belief that when the Eucharist is celebrated in otherChristian churches, no one refuses to come forward and receive it. To quoteSt. Nicholas Cabasilas:
…. If anyone having the possibility, refuses to come forwardto the Eucharistic Banquet, he will not obtain the sanctifica-tion procured by this banquet; not because of the fact itself ofhis not approaching, but because, having that possibility, he re-fuses to come… How could one believe in the love of the onewho, having the faculty to receive the sacrament, does not re-ceive it? (from On the Divine Liturgy).
Although many of these Protestants (though not all) believe that their Eu-charist is only a symbol of the Body and Blood of Christ, they come forwardin faith and love for the Lord. Ought not we to do the same who believe thatwe are receiving the Body and Blood of Christ?
It also speaks volumes that many of these churches, although they have dif-ferences among themselves, are able to cooperate enough to put out stan-dardized English translations of hymns and the Bible. It is a sorry fact thatwe, the holders of the Faith that created the universe, cannot even bring fortha standard English translation of the Divine Liturgy or other services, muchless an Orthodox edition of the Bible. The multiplicity of English translationsthat now exist in Orthodox America will condemn any attempts at unity tofailure. If we cannot pray together, if we cannot learn the texts together, thenour hearts cannot be together.
Fr. Alexander Elchaninov wrote in the 1930’s,
The Protestants, who have small things, have done great thingswith them. We Orthodox, with great things, vegetate in medi-ocrity.
This is why we participate in ecumenical activities: not only to teach and bearwitness to the truth of Orthodox theology but to learn and rediscover in oth-ers the witness of our own past, to awaken in us the memories of the timewhen these things were ours as well and to ask for the grace to renew themagain.
February 14, 2010 THE CHURCH MESSENGER Page 5
Survivors of Haiti’s devastating January 12 earthquake living in temporaryshelters in the Belair neighborhood of Port-au-Prince access clean drinkingwater provided by International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) inpartnership with fellow ACT Alliance member Norwegian Church AID(NCA). Water purification and sanitation equipment for 10,000 Haitians and500 family tents valued at more than $600,000 was airlifted to Haiti on Jan-uary 18. The water system provides homeless families in the ravaged neigh-borhood with piped in water points.
The Diocesan Chancery has announced that it has forwarded a check in theamount of $44,446.37, the total received from the diocesan Haiti Relief Ap-peal to the International Orthodox Christian Charities. Additional donationsfrom diocesan parishes and the National ACRY are estimated to bring the totalto $46,000.00.
(Photo credit: Arne Grieg Riisnæs, Norwegian Church Aid/ACT Alliance)
Chancery Announces Updated TotalsFor Haiti Appeal
His Eminence,
Metropolitan
Orestes P. Chornock
Consecrated
September 18, 1938
Entered Repose
February 17, 1977
May his memory
be eternal!
The 2010 A.C.R.Y. Annualhas been distributed. To orderadditional copies of the An-nual kindly contact Fr. An-drew Fetchina, 211 WestGrand Avenue, Rahway, NJ07065 (732) 382-8844. Totalcost per Annual, includingshipping and handling, is$15.00. Checks should bemade payable to the ACRYAnnual Fund.
was genuine wasn’t it? Didn’t He weep Lazarus when He died ... did not Heturn the other cheek when He was mocked and beaten in the Praetorium ...didn’t He bleed when the metal spikes were driven into His Body? Yes, Hemost certainly did. No other god in any faith has ever sacrificed itself for thefaithful as Jesus Christ has done.
For forty days we are asked to walk with Jesus and strive to draw closer to Himby leaving behind the passions and desires of this world. We are encouragedto pray more than we ever have, to give more of our time, talent and treasureto the church. We are to exclude, more fervently rather than at a minimum,meat from our diet during the entire period. But how does this make us suf-fer and walk the road less traveled? My friends, it separates us from the world!The path Christ wants us to walk instills a self-discipline that frightens the
world. This path causes us to poked at and scorned by our friends and rela-tives, some of whom may even call themselves Orthodox Christians. It causesus to be the subject of criticism and gossip, hated by the world because we notthe world’s (cfJN 15:19). But remember, the same thing was done to Christ!That is how He suffered and that is how we are called to suffer with Him, butmore importantly, for Him.
The path leads to His Death on the Cross. The entire human race, God’smost precious creation, is carried by Him day in and day out. On that HolyFriday when the Son of Man is lifted up, He will experience the ultimate suf-fering. Shortly thereafter, He will breath His last breath and give up His Spirit.Then you and I will have to carry Him. In one second Death has won! But,
as quickly as Death came, it must leave in defeat. The moment Christ died,He descended into the belly of the earth and harrowed the realm of Death. Weare rocked to the core on Holy Friday when the priest reads, “the earth trem-bled and quaked, the rocks split open” (MT 27:51). For us, our suffering withChrist, our suffering for Christ lets Him descend into the innermost depth ofour soul and clean out that which is dead and useless. Our walking that roadless traveled opens our whole heart, our whole soul and our whole mind to theWill of God so that we can rejoice with Christ on that bright Paschal morn-ing.
The Great Fast is more than giving up chocolate and sweets or putting changein those cute little self denial banks. Lent is more than those quaint Protes-tant sayings we read on church signs and certainly more than Friday night fishfries. These superficial and egotistical claims are merely the path of least re-sistance that Satan has devised, the six-lane highway which will get us to Paschawith no real sincere effort on our part. For us, the Great Fast is about walk-ing away from sin and our prideful attitudes and taking the path of suffering.Marked with true confession and repentance, the path is actually very clear -we just have to see the Tree of suffering through the forest. And when we seethe Tree, run to it and embrace it.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Walk together as a family and a parish family this Lent. Suffer with Christ thisLent. Suffer for Christ this Lent. Walk with Him along the path of sufferingfor that is the road less traveled by. If we truly do this, then in the awesomebrightness of that Paschal morning, this Lent will have made all the difference.
Fr. Michael Chendorain
-Guest Sermon, cont’d from page 2
Page 6 THE CHURCH MESSENGER February 14, 2010
JOHNSTOWN, PA--The DiocesanStewardship Committee met with HisEminence, Metropolitan Nicholas atthe chancery offices in Johnstown,Pennsylvania on January 22-23,2010.
The Commission was appointed byHis Eminence following the July,2009 Sobor, during which FatherBasil Aden offered a presentation onthe concept of Christian stewardshipgenerally, and more specifically in thecontext of financial support for ourlocal parishes and Diocesan aposto-lates.
This newly-formed Commission ischaired by Father Frederick Watson,pastor of St. Elizabeth mission parishin Woodstock, Georgia. Father Basil,pastor of Christ the Saviour parish inRockford, Illinois, Deacon Steve Hallof St. Thomas the Apostle mission inWaldorf, Maryland, and DiocesanTrustee John Bilanin of Holy Ghostparish in Phoenixville, Pennsylvaniaalso serve on the Commission.
Metropolitan Nicholas opened theFriday afternoon meeting with prayerand by welcoming the commissionmembers. He expressed his view thatthe development of a Diocesan stew-ardship program is now long overdue,and that he looks forward to seeingthe fruits of the Commission’s labors.
The Commission began its first for-mal working session with a review ofthe work assignments that its mem-bers had completed since its estab-lishment in late July. Thecommissioners agreed that OrthodoxChristian stewardship is a Christ-cen-tered lifestyle – a way of life – whichacknowledges accountability, rever-ence and responsibility before God. Itis a call to all the faithful to share will-
ingly and cheerfully the gifts that Godhas bestowed on them, includingsharing these gifts for God’s work inHis Church.
A draft set of goals and objectivesaimed at promoting stewardship - this‘way of life’ – were also reviewed andadjusted to accommodate the near(current year) and intermediate (sec-ond and third year) needs of ourparishes and Diocesan apostolates.These goals and objectives guided theremainder of the work of the meeting.
The Commission conducted a surveyof Diocesan parishes between Octo-ber and December of 2009 in orderto better understand current sourcesof financial support in the parishes,and the relative contributions amongthose sources. Thirty-three of seventy-six parishes (43%) responded to thesurvey. The results indicate that two-thirds of responding parishes use adues (‘fee’) system for a portion oftheir income, and that half of theseparishes use income from dues to sup-port their general funds. A quarter ofparishes are using a pledge system –an important step toward propor-tional giving, and pledges accountedfor 90% of total income in one ofthese parishes. The percentage ofpledging parishes was found to bemuch higher among our missionsthan among older, establishedparishes. However, there are also ex-amples of established parishes recentlymoving to this form of stewardship.Detailed information on their newprograms was provided to the Com-mission by two of these parishes.These ‘early adopters’ are recognizedas potential resources for promotingstewardship throughout the Diocese.
The Commission recognized that itsfocus in the near term must be to pro-
vide educational opportunities thatwill explain and encourage ChristianStewardship as a way of life, and thatthe educational process must beclearly rooted in the teachings of ourLord.
With the blessing of His Eminence,the Commission’s 2010 goals includethe following:
• A presentation during the Priest’sConvocation during Bright Week(April).
• Preparation of a Stewardship book-let prior to the re-convening of theSobor (June).
• A series of Messenger articles onStewardship (July and following).
• Youth lessons on Stewardship forinclusion in the Diocesan SummerCamp program (July-August).
• A presentation at the annual ACRYConvention (September).
• A presentation at the annual Edu-cation Conference (Tentative – Oc-tober).
• A presentation at the annual Dea-cons Retreat (December).
The Commission also agreed that itsstewardship educational process mustinclude the gifts of ‘Time, Talent andTreasure’ – all aspects of God’s gener-ous gifts to us.
The Commission’s meeting closed onSaturday with prayer. The partici-pants departed for home with theirrespective assignments, to work to-gether toward the day when, to quoteFr. Basil, “Our giving becomes‘Thankfulness-driven,’ and not sim-ply ‘Expense-driven.’”
Diocesan Stewardship CommissionMeets in Johnstown
this was an acceptable conclusionto reach. Yes, Grant could havewaited and yes, he may have be-come the next Babe Ruth. We willnever know that now, will we?What we do know, however, is this:here is a young man whose actionsare to be admired and applauded,not questioned and criticized, forhe fully understood that when God“calls” you cannot put Him on“hold.” He must be answered im-mediately! Isn’t this what the Apos-tles did when the Lord said:“Follow Me.” They had families.They were gainfully employed. Youcould have made a very good livingas a fisherman in Galilee in thosedays! The Apostles could have toldChrist: “Come see us when Youpass through town again. Maybewe’ll be ready then.” But whentheir hearts were stirred to service,the Apostles knew they couldn’tdelay their calling for even a mo-ment. Their response had to be de-cisive and immediate—as it neededto be for Grant Desme.
Grant Desme is a shining examplefor young men who may be afraidto make that initial step down theroad leading to the holy priest-hood. Perhaps many potential can-didates to serve in the Lord’svineyard are reluctant to do so,simply because the priesthood isnot perceived to be a lucrative pro-fession—which it certainly is not!Yet if the Lord calls us, we musthave the confidence to believe thatHe will provide for us and sustainus. Anyone who may feel that hehas felt, even the slightest touch ofthe Master’s hand upon his shoul-der should consider Grant Desme’sexplanation for his life-changingdecision: “I was doing well in base-ball, but it was time for me to getdown to doing what was good for mylife. Baseball offered me a good life,but it would be selfish of me to staywith it when I felt that God was call-ing me to other things. I love thegame, but I love the Lord more.” Theharvest is still great and the laborersare still few. The need for priestshas never been greater. Let us praythat the story of Grant Desme willinspire a few more young men tocommit their lives to Christ andHis Church in this noblest of ways.
Protopresbyter Michael Rosco
Editor
The Church Messenger
-Editorial, cont’d from page 2
February 14, 2010 THE CHURCH MESSENGER Page 7
There are places that remain hid-den to most – where no roads
lead, where survival is a daily struggle,and where people live on the fringe ofhopelessness. There are places wherethe light of the Gospel has yet toshine.
In October 2009, the small plane Iflew on from Nairobi, Kenya,touched down in the small frontiertown of Lodwar. Amidst this thirstylandscape, an OCMC Mission Teamhad worked to build a church for acommunity of Orthodox Christiansfrom the Turkana tribe – a people in-digenous to the region.
This was not the first time I had beenamong the Turkana. When my fam-ily and I served in Kenya as mission-aries in the late 80s we had metseveral Turkana – distinctive fromother Kenyan tribes in both appear-ance and custom. The expansion ofthe Church into Turkana lands, how-ever, is a more recent development.Evangelistic efforts of charismaticpreachers had planted the seeds ofOrthodoxy among a handful ofTurkana in Lodwar. Two of these men(Fr. Vladimir and Fr. Zachariah) at-tended seminary in Nairobi and arenow serving as Orthodox priests inthis arid northern region.
It was for the community, under thepastoral care of Fr. Vladimir, that thefirst OCMC Mission Team came tobuild a church. Inspecting the stoneedifice of the structure that this Teamworked so hard to build, I wasstricken by how close we as the faith-ful of North America have come tothe frontier of missions. This onephysical manifestation of the Churchwas like a gateway beckoning us totake the Gospel to the thousands ofpeople just over the horizon livingwithout hope in Christ.
The following day I traveled out ofLodwar with Fr. Vladimir and Fr.Zachariah to meet with some of thesepeople now within reach of theChurch. The three hour jeep ride tothe village of Loupala across thedeserts of northern Kenya hinted athow far removed the Turkan a arefrom the rest of the world and whatstruggles they face. The soft contoursof the pale red earth were sun-bakedwith merciless intensity; the colorgreen was conspicuously absent fromthe scenery I watched fly by througha film of dust that covered the win-dows.
In Loupala, we met a burgeoningcommunity of Orthodox Christiansevangelized by Fr. Zachariah. Beforehis arrival, 75% of the village was not
Christian. Fr. Vladimir asked that wepreach and teach, so under a shadetree about 200 people gathered as wespoke about the God’s plan for salva-tion and the importance of Baptism.Men, women, and children listenedattentively, and some asked very goodquestions, even though many of themlooked tired and weak.
Fr. Zachariah shared that some of thepeople who attended our catecheticalseminar began the day with a fifteen-mile walk just to fetch water. Rain, asit turns out, is a very rare and preciousresource for the Turkana people. Theyare plagued with cyclical drought.The fatigue of dehydration and star-vation could be seen on the faces ofmalnourished children and parentsfeeling powerless to change the situa-tion.
Many Turkana lose loved ones tothese harsh conditions. Some havetaken to violence and banditry amongtheir own people as a means to escapethe extreme poverty that surroundsthem. Could Christ and His Churchbe an answer to these problems and asource of hope for the Turkana peo-ple?
In February 2010, I will lead anotherOCMC Mission Team to minister tothe Turkana. This Team will continuethe evangelism and catechism initi-ated by Fr. Vladimir and Fr.Zachariah and that I was able to par-ticipate in last October. This Teamwill also continue building the bondsof love that have begun to take hold,offering encouragement and fellow-ship as we are able.
I would like to invite you to track theprogress and hear the stories of theMission Team that is going to north-ern Kenya in February. Please visi tOCMC.org and MyOCN.net dailyfrom February 17th to March 1st toview pictures and read the Team’s blogfrom the field.
OCMC is committed to partneringwith the Church in Kenya to shareChrist with the Turkana people. Wewill continue exploring new ways ofserving the people of northern Kenyain order to make the Gospel knownand to address the significant spiritualand physical needs that exist there.
In our efforts to develop ministriesaimed at welcoming people who,until now, have been beyond reachinto the Body of Christ, the OCMCwill be coordinating mission walksacross the country this summer. Aportion of the $100K we hope to raisewill be used to bring water to theTurkana and broaden the evangelisticefforts taking place in the region.Please contact Kenneth Kidd at theOCMC by e-mail [email protected], or by phone at 1-877-GO-FORTH, if you and/or yourcommunity are interested in partici-pating in bringing the light of Christto the Turkana.
Please pray for the Turkana people,for the OCMC Mission Team that ispreparing to serve them, and for theChurch and Her ministries in Kenya.May the mercies of God the Father,the salvation of His only begottenSon, and the blessings of the HolySpirit be with the Turkana.
On the Frontier of Orthodox Missions:THE TURKANA OF NORTHERN KENYA
by Fr. Martin Ritsi
JOHNSTOWN, PA--On Sunday,January 31, faithful from churchesof Greater Johnstown filled Christthe Saviour Cathedral for a Com-munity Ecumenical Vespers Serv-ice. The Service was hosted by HisEminence, Metropolitan Nicholas.Present with him were the MostRev. Joseph V. Adamec, bishop ofthe Altoona-Johnstown CatholicDiocese, and Bishop Gregory R.Pile, bishop of the AlleghenySynod of the Evangelical LutheranChurch of America. The threebishops have been hosting ecu-menical gatherings during the an-nual Week of Prayer observance forthe past twenty years.
Responses were sung by Christ theSaviour Cathedral Choir under thedirection of Helen Spanovich.Plain Chant was led by Dr. Don-ald Koval, Cathedral cantor, andseminarians of Christ the SaviourSeminary. Protodeacon John S.Youhas also assisted at the Vespers.
Protopresbyter Frank P. Miloro,Cathedral Dean, delivered thehomily, focusing on the parable ofthe Prodigal Son. “If we are look-ing to discover the main theme ofthe entire chapter 15 of Luke’sGospel, it is this: There is great joyin heaven every time a sinner re-pents! Imagine it! Imagine the an-gels breaking forth in song andblowing their trumpets every timea sinner confesses. Imagine all thebells of heaven ringing every time asinner says ‘I’m sorry.’ Imagine achoir of heavenly hosts singing ‘Al-leluia’ every time a sinner says ‘For-give me.’
“Now think about this… Imagine,with our mixed ecumenical group– all of us sinners present here thisafternoon – imagine all of us say-ing ‘forgive me.’ I can hear theheavenly choir right now singing inthree-part harmony an Orthodox,Catholic and Protestant ‘Alleluia’ –not separately, but together, uni-fied, harmoniously as one voice.
“We Christians must realize that allof us must be willing to admit wehave fallen short. If we do notadmit that, we are forced to fallback on all kinds of reasons for oursplintered condition. Most of thosereasons will blame somebody else.But how about blaming the con-tinuation of our broken conditionon ourselves. We have a wonderfulexample today. The lost sonblamed his condition on himself:‘Forgive me father, I have sinnedagainst heaven and you…’”
The three bishops greeted eachworshipper as they came forward atthe end of the Service. The Cathe-dral women provided a meal in theCathedral Auditorium.
Ecumenical Service inJohnstown
Page 8 THE CHURCH MESSENGER February 14, 2010
Archpastoral Letter for the Patriarchal Pence
To the Reverend Fathers and Clergy, and to the Beloved Faithful ofthis God-Saved Diocese:
Glory to Jesus Christ!
Afew months ago, on the televised news program, His All-Holi-ness, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, described the tra-
vails of the Christian community in the city of Constantinople. TheTurkish authorities frequently take over Orthodox institutions. Thegovernment forcefully appropriates land and buildings that areowned by the Patriarchate. The Orthodox community lives undersecond-class citizenship, in which they are taxed at higher levels thanthe Muslim population and are liable to increased regulation andbureaucratic persecution.
The constant oppression waged by the Turkish government againstthe Orthodox Christian community, and the Ecumenical Patriar-chate in particular, comes to a head at two points. The governmentrefuses to even call His All-Holiness “Ecumenical,” despite centuriesof universal custom. They would rather demote him to a position ofa small, minority ethnic religious leader: they care nothing for the re-ality that it is the worldwide Orthodox community that reserves thistitle for this Apostolic See of Constantinople.
Moreover, the Turkish government actively prevents the opening ofthe Theological School of Halki. What harm is there, the Patriarchasked, in opening a seminary that produces priests and bishops?Surely, what harm is there in a school, in an Orthodox community,in a small gathering of Christians, in a title of ‘Ecumenical Patri-arch”?
I will tell you this: there is no harm. There is nothing for Ankara tofear from the Phanar. The Turkish government can benefit greatlyfrom the blessings of God were they to give courtesy to the Patriar-chate. God would protect them from the hateful jihadists that infesttheir nation. God would help them with their many needs.
God promises to bless those governments that bless the OrthodoxChurch. The Turkish government has turned its back on this prom-ise, and continues to oppress our Mother Church in Constantinople.The oppression has become so painful that indeed, our beloved Pa-triarch Bartholomew related to the 60 Minutes interview that hefeels as though his community were “crucified.”
Beloved, our Mother Church in Constantinople is the Church thathas given the entire Christian world the Canon of the New Testa-ment. It is the Church that has articulated the Orthodox doctrine ofthe Holy Trinity, recognizing that Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit areconsubstantial with the Father. It is the Church that has extolledJesus Christ as fully divine and fully man. It is the Church that hasbequeathed unto us the Nicene Creed as the Rule of Faith, the Di-vine Liturgy that we are blessed to celebrate, and the full LiturgicalCycle that leads us into the fullness of the Christian Faith.
We must protect the Holy City of Constantinople. We must standtrue with our Mother Church at the Phanar, the household of theEcumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
We must not fail our Father in the Christian Faith, his All-Holiness,the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constan-tinople.
Let us give richly and without fail in our Patriarchal Pence this Greatand Holy Fast. Let us give out of our own pockets. As individuals.As families. As chapters of the ACRY. As choirs. As Altar Societies.As Church Councils. In memorials for our departed loved ones.
Let us give, together, you and I.
In fidelity to the Holy City of New Rome, Constantinople, and theEcumenical Patriarchate. I grant you my Archpastoral Blessing,
+Metropolitan Nicholas
The Feast of the Sunday of Orthodoxy
Now to Him Who by the power at work within us is able to do far moreabundantly than all that we can ask or think, to Him be glory in theChurch and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen,
(Eph. 3:20-21).
The Hierarchs of the Standing Conference of the Canonical OrthodoxBishops in the Americas
To all the Clergy and the Laity of the Holy Orthodox Churches in theAmericas
Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We, the Hierarchs of the Standing Conference of the CanonicalOrthodox Bishops in the Americas, greet you on the Feast of
the Sunday of Orthodoxy with words of the Holy Apostle Paul thatwere selected by the Primates of the worldwide Orthodox Church toclose their Message proclaimed on October 12, 2008. Indeed, we gloryin our God whose love for us exceeds every thought or imagining thatcould enter our minds or hearts. As the Apostle Paul says in anotherplace: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into theheart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that loveHim (I Cor. 2:9).
In the historic Synaxis and in the Message that was declared by it, thePrimates of worldwide Orthodox Christianity proclaimed the follow-ing with one voice and one heart:
As the Primates and the Representatives of the Most HolyOrthodox Churches, fully aware of the gravity of the afore-mentioned problems, and laboring to confront them di-rectly as “servants of Christ and stewards of Cod’s mysteries”(I Cor. 4:1), we proclaim from this See of the First-throneamong the Churches and we re-affirm: ... our desire forthe swift healing of every canonical anomaly that hasarisen from historical circumstances and pastoral require-ments, such as in the so-called Orthodox Diaspora, with aview to overcoming every possible influence that is foreignto Orthodox ecclesiology. In this respect we welcome theproposal by the Ecumenical Patriarchate to convene Pan-Orthodox Consultations within the coming year 2009 onthis subject, as well as for the continuation of preparationsfor the Holy and Great Council. In accordance with thestanding order and practice of the Pan-Orthodox Consul-tations in Rhodes (beginning in I960), all AutocephalousChurches will be invited.
With this common declaration, and the subsequent consensus achievedat the Pan-Orthodox Consultations that took place last year in Juneand December in Chambesy, Switzerland, the way forward to Ortho-dox canonical order and unity in the Western Hemisphere has beenmapped out in a substantive way. This should be a cause for joy amongall the faithful, as it demonstrates the kind of progress that SCOBA hasalways looked for, but by itself, never could achieve. SCOBA has hadgreat accomplishments in its fifty-year history, and the growth of Pan-Orthodox Agencies and ministries shows the willingness and the needto work together. Nevertheless, SCOBA has always been an organiza-tion without the mechanism and authority to forge a comprehensiveway forward.
Now we have arrived at a truly watershed moment in the life of theChurch in the Western Hemisphere. In the week in which we celebratethe Descent of the Holy Spirit on the glorious Feast of Pentecost, thecanonical Orthodox Bishops who live in North and Central Americawill gather in order to proceed with the roadmap that has been agreedto by world-wide Orthodox Christianity (see material athttp://www.scoba.us/chambesy.html). The issues are many and com-
-cont’d on page 12
February 14, 2010 THE CHURCH MESSENGER Page 9
Fasting is a medicine. But medicine, as beneficial as it is, becomes useless be-cause of the inexperience of the user. He has to know the appropriate time
that the medicine should be taken and the right amount of medicine and thecondition of the body which is to take it, the weather conditions and the sea-son of the year and the appropriate diet of the sick and many other things. Ifany of these things are overlooked, the medicine will do more harm than good.So, if one who is going to heal the body needs so much accuracy, when we carefor the soul and are concerned about healing it from bad thoughts, it is nec-essary to examine and observe everything with every possible detail
Fasting is the change of every part of our life, because the sacrifice of the fastis not the abstinence but the distancing from sins. Therefore, whoever limitsthe fast to the deprivation of food, he is the one who, in reality, abhors andridicules the fast. Are you fasting?Show me your fast with your works.Which works? If you see someonewho is poor, show him mercy. If yousee an enemy, reconcile with him. Ifyou see a friend who is becoming suc-cessful, do not be jealous of him! Ifyou see a beautiful woman on thestreet, pass her by.
In other words, not only should themouth fast, but the eyes and the legsand the arms and all the other parts ofthe body should fast as well. Let thehands fast, remaining clean from steal-ing and greediness. Let the legs fast,avoiding roads which lead to sinfulsights. Let the eyes fast by not fixingthemselves on beautiful faces and bynot observing the beauty of others.You are not eating meat, are you? Youshould not eat debauchery with youreyes as well. Let your hearing also fast.The fast of hearing is not to acceptbad talk against others and sly defama-tions.
Let the mouth fast from disgracefuland abusive words, because, what gainis there when, on the one hand weavoid eating chicken and fish and, onthe other, we chew-up and consumeour brothers? He who condemns andblasphemes is as if he has eaten broth-erly meat, as if he has bitten into theflesh of his fellow man. It is because ofthis that Paul frightened us, saying: “Ifyou chew up and consume one an-other be careful that you do not anni-hilate yourselves.”
You did not thrust your teeth into theflesh (of your neighbor) but youthrusted bad talk in his soul; youwounded it by spreading disfame,causing unestimatable damage both toyourself, to him, and to many others.
If you cannot go without eating all daybecause of an ailment of the body, beloved one, no logical man will be able tocriticize you for that. Besides, we have a Lord who is meek and loving (phil-anthropic) and who does not ask for anything beyond our power. Because heneither requires the abstinence from foods, neither that the fast take place forthe simple sake of fasting, neither is its aim that we remain with empty stom-achs, but that we fast to offer our entire selves to the dedication of spiritualthings, having distanced ourselves from secular things. If we regulated our lifewith a sober mind and directed all of our interest toward spiritual things, andif we ate as much as we needed to satisfy our necessary needs and offered ourentire lives to good works, we would not have any need of the help renderedby the fast. But because human nature is indifferent and gives itself over mostlyto comforts and gratifications, for this reason the philanthropic Lord, like aloving and caring father, devised the therapy of the fast for us, so that our grat-ifications would be completely stopped and that our worldly cares be trans-ferred to spiritual works. So, if there are some who have gathered here andwho are hindered by somatic ailments and cannot remain without food, I ad-
vise them to nullify the somatic ailment and not to deprive themselves fromthis spiritual teaching, but to care for it even more.
For there exist, there really exist, ways which are even more important than ab-stinence from food which can open the gates which lead to God with boldness.He, therefore, who eats and cannot fast, let him display richer almsgiving, lethim pray more, let him have a more intense desire to hear divine words. In this,our somatic illness is not a hindrance. Let him become reconciled with his en-emies, let him distance from his soul every resentment. If he wants to accom-plish these things, then he has done the true fast, which is what the Lord asksof us more than anything else. It is for this reason that he asks us to abstainfrom food, in order to place the flesh in subjection to the fulfillment of hiscommandments, whereby curbing its impetuousness. But if we are not about
to offer to ourselves the help renderedby the fast because of bodily illnessand at the same time display greaterindifference, we will see ourselves inan unusual exaggerated way. For if thefast does not help us when all theaforementioned accomplishments aremissing so much is the case when wedisplay greater indifference because wecannot even use the medicine of fast-ing. Since you have learned thesethings from us, I pardon you, thosewho can, fast and you yourselves in-crease your acuteness and praisewor-thy desire as much as possible.
To the brothers, though, who cannotfast because of bodily illness, encour-age them not to abandon this spiritualword, teaching them and passing onto them all the things we say here,showing them that he who eats anddrinks with moderation is not unwor-thy to hear these things but he who isindifferent and slack. You should tellthem the bold and daring saying that“he who eats for the glory of the Lordeats and he who does not eat for theglory of the Lord does not eat andpleases God.” For he who fasts pleasesGod because he has the strength to en-dure the fatigue of the fast and he thateats also pleases God because nothingof this sort can harm the salvation ofhis soul, as long as he does not want itto. Because our philanthropic Godshowed us so many ways by which wecan, if we desire, take part in God’spower that it is impossible to mentionthem all.
We have said enough about those whoare missing, being that we want toeliminate them from the excuse ofshame. For they should not beashamed because food does not bringon shame but the act of some wrong-
doing. Sin is a great shame. If we com-mit it not only should we feel ashamed but we should cover ourselves exactlythe same way those who are wounded do. Even then we should not forsakeourselves but rush to confession and thanksgiving. We have such a Lord whoasks nothing of us but to confess our sins, after the commitment of a sin whichwas due to our indifference, and to stop at that point and not to fall into thesame one again. If we eat with moderation we should never be ashamed, be-cause the Creator gave us such a body which cannot be supported in any otherway except by receiving food. Let us only stop excessive food because that at-tributes a great deal to the health and well-being of the body.
Let us therefore in every way cast off every destructive madness so that we maygain the goods which have been promised to us in the name of our Lord JesusChrist and the Father and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Abridged from St. John Chrysostom homilies “On Fasting”
On Fasting
Saint
John Chrysostom
Page 10 THE CHURCH MESSENGER February 14, 2010
ZAAFARANA, EGYPT – Egypt’s chief archaeologist unveiled an extensiverenovation of the oldest monastery in the world Thursday, touting the workat the 1,600-year-old site as a symbol of peaceful coexistence between thecountry’s Muslims and Christians.
It’s the message Egypt’s government has been emphasizing since a drive-byshooting at a church in southern Egypt killed six Christians and a Muslimguard on Jan. 6, the Coptic Christmas Eve.
“The announcement we are making today shows to the world how we are keento restore the monuments of our past, whether Coptic, Jewish or Muslims,”top archaeologist Zahi Hawass said. Copts are the dominant Christian sect inEgypt.
Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities spent eight years and $14.5 millionto carry out a comprehensive restoration and conservation of the ancientmonastery, situated in the rugged desert mountains near Egypt’s Red Sea coast.
It was in this remote spot, at the end of the third century, that renowned Chris-tian ascetic St. Anthony took up a residence in a cave, with little more than aspring and some palm trees to sustain him.
Upon his death in A.D. 356, his followers created the world’s first Christianmonastery, which houses 120 monks, the burial place of four saints, andchurch paintings dating to the Middle Ages.
Workers renovated the fortresslike ancient wall surrounding the monastery,several outbuildings, and its two main churches – the 15th-century Church ofthe Apostles and the fourth-century Church of St. Anthony.
“We have found a missing part of our history with this restoration, for thereis nothing written about the beginning of the monastery,” said Father Max-imus, who oversaw the renovation.
PHOENIX, AZ --- Representatives from the American Carpatho-RussianOrthodox Diocese of the USA, The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Arch-diocese of North America, The Serbian Orthodox Diocese of the USA, TheGreek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and the Orthodox Church in Amer-ica took part in a campus ministry conference hosted by the Orthodox Chris-tian Fellowship (OCF) at the Courtyard Marriott in Tempe, Arizona fromFebruary 4-6, 2010.
The purpose of the conference was to implement a regional chaplaincy net-work that would support the building up of existing Orthodox Christian Fel-lowship chapters and the establishment of new chapters throughout the variousregions of North America. The conference was led by OCF Executive Direc-tor, Fr. Kevin Scherer and Fr. James Coles, the North American RegionalChaplain. In attendance also were members of the OCF Student AdvisoryBoard from throughout North America.
The conference, although short in duration, marked an important step for-ward in strengthening and growing Orthodox Christian campus ministry inNorth America. Plans were set in motion for implementing improved com-munication and enhanced resources to local OCF chapters and parish youthministry programs designed to prepare High School Students for the transi-tion to College.
The Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) is the official collegiate campusministry program under SCOBA (the Standing Conference of Canonical Or-thodox Bishops in the Americas). Its mission is to support fellowships on col-lege campuses, whose members experience and witness to the OrthodoxChristian Church through community life, prayer, service to others and studyof the Faith. The OCF headquarters is located in Indianapolis, IN and sup-ports 270 local university chapter across the U.S. and Canada.
His Holiness Patriarch Irinej (Gavrilovic) of Serbia was born in the village ofVidova, near Cacak in 1930 by his father Zdravko and mother Milijana. Whenhe was baptized he was named Miroslav. He finished the elementary school inhis village, and then in Cacak he finished the high school. After the end of thehigh school he enrolled and completed a seminary in Prizren, and then he fin-ished the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Belgrade. Upon graduation, hewent into the army. Following his return from the army he was soon appointeda professor of the Prizren seminary. Before taking the office of the professor inOctober 1959, at the Rakovica monastery he was tonsured by His HolinessPatriarch German, gaining the monastic name of Irenej.
That same month, on St. Petka’s day, October 27, 1959 at the Ruzica churchon the Kalemegdan, he was ordained to the rank of hieromonk. While heworked as the professor at the Prizren seminary he was sent to the postgradu-ate studies in Athens. In 1969 he was appointed as the head of the monasticschool at the monastery of Ostrog, from where he returned back to Prizren andthere he was appointed a rector of the Prizren Seminary. From that duty in1974 he was elected for a vicar bishop of His Holiness Patriarch of Serbia withthe title of Bishop of Moravica. A year later, in 1975 he was elected for Bishopof Nis, where he has been until now.
Patriarch IrinejNewly elected Patriarch of the Serbian
Orthodox Church
OCF Regional Campus MinistryConference
Prayers and best wishes are ex-tended to His Eminence, Metropol-
itan Nicholas, on the occasion ofhis Birthday (February 23). May
God bless his with many yearspeace, health and fruitful serv-ice in the Vineyard of Christ!
Eis polla eti despota!
Egypt Completes Restoration ofWorld’s Oldest Monastery
Paul Schemm, The Associated Press
February 14, 2010 THE CHURCH MESSENGER Page 11
EAST PITTSBURGH, PA--Jr. ACRY members of St. John the BaptistChurch in East Pittsburgh are shown standing by boxes holding a total of 160medical kits that were sent to the IOCC on January 25. The President of theJr. ACRY is Alexis Tobias, and the Advisor is Sandy Carlisle. In addition tothese bags, the St. John’s Church sent $2000 to the Diocese as part of the total$40,000 Diocesan contribution to the IOCC for Haiti Relief. Pastor of St.John’s Church is Very Rev. Fr. Jonathan Tobias.
NILES, IL -- The Annual Christmas Program at Saint Michael’s Church thisyear included a Holy Night Supper Prayer Service presented by the childrenenrolled in the Church School program. Pastor of St. Michael’s Church is VeryRev. Fr. Samuel Sherry.
WARREN, OH--Anna Staviski of St. Nicholas Church in Warren, OH, willcelebrate her 103rd birthday on March 21, 2010. She was born on March 211907 in Bardejov, Slovakia. She married Peter Staviski in 1924 and moved toAmerica in 1938. Anna has four children, eight grandchildren and sixteengreat grandchildren. The most important things in her life are her family andher church. She still helps pinch pirohi.
JENNERS, PA--Parishioner Vinson Sheftic is pictured with Fr. Elijah Bremer,Pastor of St. Mary’s Church in Jenners, PA, following a food/non-perishableitem drive benefitting the Boswell food pantry. St. Mary’s, in conjunctionwith Father’s history students at Penn Highlands Community College, sentfour boxes of food, numerous cases of canned goods, and a turkey into thelocal community to benefit the hungry. Mr. Sheftic is a volunteer at the pantryand personally delivered the items on behalf of St. Mary’s.
WASHINTON, D.C.--On Friday January 22, 2010, the thirty seventh an-niversary of the legalization of abortion, Diocesan clergy and faithful fromConnecticut, Florida, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia participated inthe annual March For Life in Washington DC.
Page 12 THE CHURCH MESSENGER February 14, 2010
PE
RIO
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CZ Orthodox Crossesin a sterling silver setting
designed by JOANNEThe sparkle from this cross is the light to heaven.
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To place orders, call Joanne at (607) 729-4192 or email toJM09225@ hotmail.com
SPONSORED BY THE NATIONAL A.C.R.Y.
CENTRAL REGION
Location: St. Nicholas Church, Homestead, PA Date: Saturday March 6, 2010
Time: 9:00 am – 5:00 pmTopic:
Adults: Accepting God’s Mercy: What To Do When Great LentIsn’t So Great
Fr. Stephen LoposkyYouth: “You are the Light of the World”
Very Rev. Miles ZdinakREGISTRATION DEADLINE: 2/28/2010
WESTERN REGION
Location: St. Nicholas Church, Hobart, IN Date: Saturday March 20, 2010
Time: 2:00 pmTopic: “I was in prison and you visited me…..” Matt 25:36
The Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry
EASTERN REGION
Location: National Christian Conference Center, Valley Forge,PA
Date: Saturday March 20, 2010 Time: 9:30 am – 5:00 pm
Topic:Adults: The Expulsion of Adam & Eve From Paradise: Insights intothe Battle With Sin & the Spiritual Life From the Book of Genesis
Very Rev. Protopresbyter Luke MihalyTeens (12-18): Music and the Orthodox Spiritual Life
Subdeacon Nicholas MihalyYouth (6-11): Let Us Forgive All In The Resurrection
Protodeacon Gregory Benc REGISTRATION DEADLINE: 3/6/2010
Diocesan Lenten Retreats
For All Orthodox Christians, Family & Friends
Choir Classic Recordings Available in CD Format
Two choral masterpieces recorded by St. Michael’s A Capella Choir underthe direction of Edward Sedor in Binghamton, NY, have been re-masteredand released in a CD format. The Christmas and Easter CD includes 15selections of both traditional carols and the Liturgical music of Christmas,as well as six Lenten melodies and 11 selections of the Easter Paschal music.
The Divine Liturgy CD features the choir and Fr. Stephen Dutko render-ing the Liturgy in Church Slavonic. Copies are available at a cost of $15each, including shipping and handling. Checks payable to “St. Michael’sChoir” should be sent to Josephine Sedor, 113 Zoa Avenue, Johnson City,NY 13790.
+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
Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese in the USA
+Archbishop NICOLAE
Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in America and Canada
+Metropolitan JOSEPH
Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Church
+Metropolitan JONAH
Orthodox Church in America
+Metropolitan CONSTANTINE
Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA
+Archpriest Alexander Abramov
Representation of the Moscow Patriarchate in the USA
+Bishop ILIA of Philomelion
Albanian Orthodox Diocese of America
Diocesan faithful areasked to please remember
in their prayers:
VERY REV. PROTOPRES-BYTER RONALD HAZUDA
VERY REV. FR. MICHAEL
KLEBAN
DEACON RICHARD
HOWRILKA
PANI KAREN MIKLOS
plex, but SCOBA is fully committed to the process that will form a successorbody, an Assembly of Bishops of the Holy Orthodox Church in the Americasthat will have both the authority and methodology to effectuate real progressin the establishment of canonical Church order in the Americas.
This Sunday of Orthodoxy, as we gather throughout our communities andparishes, let us with fervent prayer entreat the Lord of all to grant us His graceand His wisdom. Let us pray for this coming Assembly of Orthodox ChristianBishops, that it will bring forth the fruits of unity and Orthodox faithfulness.Let us pray for the pious and Orthodox Christians everywhere, and for ourunity in Christ, power at work within us is able to do far more abundantly thanall that we can ask or think, to Him be glory in the Church and in ChristJesus to all generations, forever and ever, Amen.
With paternal blessings and love in Christ
-Sunday of Orthodoxy, cont’d from page 8
