Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America

A sermon from Fr. Thomas Williams
St. John the Theologian Mission, Rapid City, South Dakota

Gospel Matthew 17:14-23 (10th Sunday after Pentecost)

This kind is cast out only by prayer and fasting. Prayer and fasting.

When I was ten or eleven growing up in New York City I was one of the lucky kids whose family had a television. New York had seven channels in the 50s. Every Sunday, for some reason, when I came home from the nine o'clock mass, I would sit in front of the twelve-inch screen, eat breakfast and watch Channel 11, waiting for the Yankees game that would come on promptly at 12:30.

But as I was waiting I would always watch the Oral Roberts program on Channel 11, with lots of preaching and shouting. What fascinated me the most were the healings.  "Heal!!! Be thou healed in the name of Jesus," he would shout, and almost always the person who was healed would fall back as he pushed them back on their head. Just as they were about to hit the floor, his assistants would catch them, pulling them up, and off the person would go, somewhat wobbly, but waving their hands and shouting praises to God ... and everyone in TV land. I was fascinated by this. Now I am not sure if it was the shouting (Catholic priests didn't shout during the mass or even in their sermons); or if I was waiting to see if anyone would ever hit the floor. I didn't believe in my heart that anyone was really being healed. It all seemed too loud, and besides who would ever go on television to be healed?

This kind is cast out by prayer and fasting. Prayer and fasting.

During the weekend of August 17, 2008, His Grace Bishop Basil of the Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America visited St. Elias Cathedral in Ottawa, Canada. His Grace was invited to co-officiate along with our Bishop Alexander  at the wedding of Camille Baba and Ramia Ibrahim. Bishop Basil presided over vespers at the cathedral on Saturday and concelebrated the divine liturgy on Sunday with Bishop Alexander. They were assisted by Fr. Ghattas Hajal, the dean, deacon Dimitri Choueiry and several clergy in attendance for the wedding. The liturgy was chanted by the Byzantine choir of the cathedral, headed by Nader Hajjar, guest chanter Rasim Almaseeh and others who came for the wedding.

"O Master Who lovest mankind, King of the ages and Bestower of good things, Who hast destroyed enmity and givest peace to the human race: Grant peace even now unto all Thy servants who dwell in the lands of the Caucasus. Establish among our nations love one for another; quell every uprising; and allay all dissent and temptations. Grant unto them, O Lord, health and oneness of mind, protect them from all tribulations, afflictions and sudden death; bring an end to all enmity and malice which ariseth through the activity of the devil. Plant peace, O Lord, through the intercessions of the holy Theotokos, of the holy Apostle Andrew the First-called, of the first hierarchs of Moscow, of the holy Nino, Equal-to-the-Apostles, and of the Great Martyr George the Victorious. For Thou art our Peace, and we send up glory unto Thee—the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit—now and ever, and unto ages of ages.  Amen."  (Released by the Press Service of the Moscow Patriarchate) 

Icon: St. Nino, Equal-to-the-Apostles

By His Grace Bishop BASIL (Essey)

Mary the Theotokos is very close to my heart, and, I am certain, close to the hearts of all who love her Son, Jesus. I can hardly think of her name without tears. When God, in the fullness of time, because of His great love for His creation, sent His Only-Begotten Son to save us sinners, He chose to do so in a way that is at once simple and tender, and profound, beyond our comprehension. He came to find a bride.

And God the Father, who is above all and in all and over all, chose to unite Himself, through the Person of the Most Holy Spirit, with one of us: the only daughter of Joachim and Anna, the young woman of Nazareth who had been prepared from all ages to become the bride of God. She is our boast. She is like us in her earthly beginning, and she is like us in her earthly end. She is at once our sister—a daughter of Adam, just like us—and also our mother.

To begin the betrothal of Mary with God, an archangel was sent, one of those who stand perpetually around the throne of God and sing His praises. An angel, beneath whom mankind was created, was sent to the house of Joseph, the betrothed of the Virgin, and began the relationship of betrothal and marriage, an unwedded marriage, between God the Father and the young virgin of Nazareth, with the word, “Rejoice.”

There will be a diocesan-wide pilgrimage to Kearney, Nebraska on the weekend of October 25-25, 2008 in honor of Fr. Nicola Yanney, who was the first priest ordained by St. Raphael of Brooklyn and who was also the first priest to serve in what has become today our Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America.

One important part of the pilgrimage will be a commemorative journal that will be a souvenir of the event. We are asking for your assistance in the creation of this journal.  The Journal will consist of informative pictures and articles about Father Nicola, his family, and his parishes.  In addition, it will also contain one-page entries describing each parish in the diocese. We ask for your participation in forming the entries from each parish.

We are asking that each parish contribute a one page written history of their community. Along with the history, we are also asking for photos of the current parish church building and the current parish clergy. Please send the text and photos: all of the pages will be formatted by the journal staff into a consistent format.

Please download and complete the Parish Information Form here: http://www.stjfc.org/Pages/Dowama/dowama.php   and send it in by August 15th, accompanied by your parish history, photo and order fee. 

Thank you!