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By Fr. George Morelli

Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pt 5:8).

The names we use for ourselves, for others, and for God shape our thought and influence our understanding of God’s revelation to us. A fundamental link between God and mankind “is concentrated in the use of the Name, in the ‘invocation of the Name.’ The Name is the preeminent word, the proper, exclusive word which is much more than a concept: it carries something of the presence, of the person” (Bobrinskoy, 1999). Paul Evdokimov (1998) makes this meaning even clearer. In recounting Jesus’ visit to the country of the Gerasenes where He met a man with an unclean spirit, St. Mark records Jesus’ words: “What is your name?” (Mk 5:9). Evdokimov goes on to explain: “To the Jewish mind the name of an object or a being expresses its essence, and the old adage nomen est omen sees in the name both the expression and destiny of a person. Christ’s question meant therefore: “Who are you; what is your destiny, your secret being?”

His Grace Bishop BASIL, a signatory to the Declaration, highlights this news release:

Washington, D.C., Press Conference Unveils 4,700-Word Statement Signed by More Than 125 Orthodox, Catholic & Evangelical Leaders

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2009—Today a group of prominent Christian clergy, ministry leaders and scholars released the Manhattan Declaration, which addresses the sanctity of life, traditional marriage and religious liberty.  The 4,700-word declaration issues a clarion call to Christians to adhere to their convictions and informs civil authorities that the signers will not - under any circumstance - abandon their Christian consciences.  Drafted by Dr. Robert George, Dr. Timothy George and Chuck Colson and signed by more than 125 Orthodox, Catholic and evangelical Christian leaders, the Manhattan Declaration is available at DeMossNews.com/ManhattanDeclaration.

The story is also covered today in the New York Times, and by the Orthodox Church in America.

The full declaration can be read and signed by clicking here.

Dn. John Shumski writes:

His grace, Bishop THOMAS, visited St. John Chrysostom Church in York, PA on the occasion of their patronal weekend, November 6-8, 2009. Sayidna had dinner with the clergy, parish council members and their spouses on Friday evening. On Saturday afternoon he met with Teen SOYO for an “Ask Sayidna” session. Bishop THOMAS presided at Great Vespers with Litia and Artoclesia and was the honored guest at a banquet attended by the congregation. On Sunday, Divine Liturgy was celebrated and a parishioner was inducted into the Order of St. Ignatius. The children of the parish sang a Troparion for Sayidna and a reception followed in the social hall.

The feature article in the December 2009 issue of National Geographic Magazine is entitled "Called to the Holy Mountain" and is about Athonite monasticism.  The entire article, with text by Robert Draper and photography by Travis Dove, may be accessed on-line. Be sure to check out all three links on the page: Feature Article, Photo Gallery, and Map of Mount Athos.

The holy peninsula of Mount Athos reaches 31 miles out into the Aegean Sea like an appendage struggling to dislocate itself from the secular corpus of northeastern Greece. For the past thousand years or so, a community of Eastern Orthodox monks has dwelled here, purposefully removed from everything except God. They live only to become one with Jesus Christ. Their enclave—crashing waves, dense chestnut forests, the specter of snowy-veined Mount Athos, 6,670 feet high—is the very essence of isolation.

Today is the prelude of God's goodwill and the prophecy of the salvation of men. The Virgin appears openly in the temple of God and foretells Christ to all. So let us cry to her with loud voices: Rejoice, thou who art the fulfillment of the Creator's providence.

--Troparion of the Feast, Tone 4

Today in the Holy Orthodox Church we celebrate the feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple. Leading the procession into the Temple were virgins with lighted tapers in their hands, then the three-year-old Most-holy Virgin, led by her father and mother. The virgin was clad in vesture of royal magnificence and adornments as was befitting the “King’s daughter, the Bride of God” (Psalm 44:13-15). Following them were many kinsmen and friends, all with lighted tapers.

Fr. Noah Bushelli writes:

The Parish of St. Philip was blessed recently to welcome Bishop THOMAS on our patronal feastday, November 14th.  Fr. Joseph Butts and Fr. Andrew Damick concelebrated with me and Dn. Herman for the Matins and Divine Liturgy.  At the end of the Liturgy, Bishop THOMAS gave to our humble parish a relic of St. Raphael of Brooklyn.  By God's mercy the rain was stayed and we processed around the church with the relics.  Bishop THOMAS encouraged us strongly in our daily evangelistic work, to be disciples of St. Philip and invite people to church by saying, "Come and See."  Fr. Andrew spoke briefly about St. Raphael's life and continuing presence with us after his death.  The parish is commissioning an icon of St. Raphael in which to have the relics embedded.  We are moving forward with mission work and feel very blessed to have the protection and physical presence of St. Raphael, the Good Shepherd of the Lost Sheep in America.

Who Are You by Fr. Vladimir Berzonsky
from The Word, October 1968

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.”  (Matthew 7:1-2)

It’s interesting the way a person is evaluated; the method changes from one generation to another. Notice, for example, when you are introduced to somebody, how your new acquaintance goes about learning more about you.

The older generation, those more than sixty years of age, always ask about your origin. Where were you born? Where did your parents and grandparents come from? Apparently from learning what city or village in Europe your ancestors originated, they feel able to know you better and to understand your behavior, personality, likes and dislikes.

To anyone less than sixty, origin and nationality are not so important. ‘They ask, “What do you do?” They evaluate a person by his occupation. To simplify, they judge the status of a man by his income bracket. We hear, “He’s a $7,000 a year man.”

To assist that type of character analysis, maybe we should leave the price tags on the sleeves of our suits and dresses, and on the left rear window of our automobiles. What really does this say about a person? After all nothing essentially changes in the man who moves from 137th Street to “Worstershire Regal Estates.”

November 16, 2009

The Most Reverend Metropolitan CHRISTOPHER
Serbian Orthodox Church in North & South America
The Venerable Hierarchs and the Clergy and Laity
of the Holy Serbian Orthodox Church

We are deeply saddened by the news of the falling asleep in Christ of His Beatitude, +PAVLE, Patriarch of the Holy Orthodox Church of Serbia.  We were blessed to receive his blessings during one of his visits to the United States of America.  His Beatitude, PAVLE has lived a holy, long and fruitful life.  His contribution to education and the monastic life will never be forgotten. 

We will never forget his courageous voice against the unfortunate wars between Orthodox Serbs, the Catholic Croats, and Bosnian Muslims.  He was a catalyst for peace and understanding amongst all these groups.  “Blessed are the peacemakers.”  His departure from this temporal life is a great loss, not only to the God-loving people of Serbia, but to Orthodox Christians all over the world. 

On behalf of myself, our venerable hierarchs, the clergy and laity of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, we convey to you, your venerable hierarchs, clergy and laity and the Holy Synod of our sister Patriarchate of Serbia, our deepest sympathy.  May our gracious Lord receive His Beatitude, PAVLE in His holy mansions where the faces of the saints shine like the stars of heaven.  May his soul rest in peace.  Surely his memory will be eternal. 

+ Metropolitan PHILIP, Primate
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America

His Grace Bishop MARK has recently provided a collection of articles and resources pertaining to proper governance and financial procedures in Orthodox parishes. These PDF, Word and Excel files are available for download at www.antiochian.org/toledo/parish_council_guidelines.

Each year during the Nativity season, all congregations in the Diocese of Wichita are requested to solicit contributions from all of their individual parishioners and parochial organizations for this worthy endeavor, which provides assistance to mission priests throughout the Diocese.

Download PDF brochure

Every year we have the opportunity to celebrate the feast of St. Basil the Great and honor our own Bishop BASIL by donating to the Bishop BASIL Missions Endowment Fund.

It began in 1975 when the Southwest Region (name at that time) wanted to increase awareness of the need for mission work in the Region. At that time, the Southwest Region consisted of only 8 communities (our Diocese now numbers 51 congregations). Pledges were made to the "Missions Fund", and in 1977 Father Michael Wellborn was partially funded by the Region and assigned to the Region's first mission, Three Hierarchs in New Orleans, Louisiana (renamed St. Basil and relocated to Metairie, Louisiana). In 1978 a "Region Missions Blitz Weekend" was held in Dallas, Texas, resulting in the founding that very weekend of the Region's second mission, Ss. Constantine and Helen in Dallas. The Region also helped fund their first priest, Father Anthony Nelson. Over the years, the Region has funded many missions and helped fund their priests.

His Grace with Dn. Michael and Shamassy Melanie SakranOn Thursday, November 12, 2009, during the Divine Liturgy for the commemoration of St. John Chrysostom, Bishop BASIL ordained to the holy diaconate Michael Sakran, a DOWAMA vocation at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, at his home parish of St. George in Houston, Texas.

FOCUS North America has announced the launch of a new website and video for its youth-based domestic outreach program “Youth Equipped to Serve” (YES). The website can be found at http://www.yesnorthamerica.org/  The video can be found at www.yesnorthamerica.org/yesvideo.

"We are so excited for you to get to know the YES Program through our new website and YES video! Read testimonies from students, view videos that they made and hear firsthand how God is working in the lives of the youth that become His hands and feet in service to the poor," said Katrina Bitar, FOCUS North America YES Program Director.

Feedback from student participants has been enthusiastic.

“The website is fantastic and lively. The new YES video does an excellent job showing the many encounters that happen on a YES trip.” - Peyton Powers

“The website is awesome! The bright colors are great and show how fun these trips are. The video perfectly captured our trip!” - Grace Farha

FOCUS North America believes that engaging all of the faithful, especially our youth, in the Gospel work of serving the poor in our own communities is essential in keeping the youth faithful to Christ and active in the Church for a lifetime. The YES Program has dramatically influenced the spiritual lives of its hundreds of participants. For more information on the YES program or to schedule a trip, visit: www.FOCUSNorthAmerica.org/YES.

FOCUS North America and its programs are committed to serve those in need, support Orthodox Christian social action ministries and supply parishes and others with the education, resources and training to initiate social action ministries in their own communities. In all of this, FOCUS North America continues its work in Restoring Living Icons.

His Holiness PAVLE, Patriarch of Serbia (1914-2009)Metropolitan PHILIP's Letter Remembering Patriarch PAVLE

His Holiness PAVLE (Paul), Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovac, and Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Serbia, reposed on Sunday, November 15, 2009 at the age of 95.

The Patriarch was born Gojko Stojcevic on September 11, 1914 at Kucanci, a village which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian empire but is now in Croatia. After attending the Fourth Male Gymnasium in Belgrade, he studied at a seminary in Sarajevo. During the Second World War he took refuge in a monastery at Ovcar, and then returned to Belgrade, where he briefly worked in the construction industry.  In 1946 he became a monk at Blagovestenje monastery in Ovcar, taking the name Pavle (Paul). For 11 years he lived as a monk at the Raca Monastery in central Serbia, and from 1950 lectured at the Prizen Seminary in Kosovo.  From 1955 to 1957 Pavle studied Orthodox Theology at the University of Athens, where he discovered a particular gift for liturgics – he was later to become one of the most prolific liturgical writers in the Serbian Church.

On completion of his studies he was elected Bishop of Raska-Prizren (the diocese includes Kosovo), remaining in that post for 33 years until his election as Patriarch on December 1 1990.  Pavle had by this time experienced at first hand the hatred that was to consume the former Yugoslavia: in 1989 he had been beaten up by a group of Albanian youths in Kosovo, receiving injuries that required three months' hospital treatment.

Detail from 11th Century Nativity Fresco, CappadociaThis Sunday, November 15, 2009, is the beginning of this year's Nativity Fast. The Nativity Fast is one of the four Canonical Fasting Seasons in the Church year. This is a joyous fast in anticipation of the Nativity of Christ. In the weeks between now and December 25, Orthodox Christians prepare themselves to celebrate to birth in the flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ. As we begin the fast, both believing Orthodox and inquirers may find the following resources helpful as they approach this time of preparation:

• With the Nativity Fast (Advent) upon us, what’s the point of this season?
• Sunday's Child: Christmas and the Family
• Unless the Lord Comes to Us: Advent Reflections
• Prayer and Liturgics for Nativity Season
• Guidelines for the Nativity Fast

Beautiful fall weather greeted approximately 70 wives of clergy from many jurisdictions on the weekend of November 5-7 at Antiochian Village in Ligonier, Pennsylvania for what was hopefully the 1^st Annual Clergy Wives Weekend. Wives of priests, deacons and seminarians from 17 states and one Canadian province gathered to hear speakers and to share prayer and fellowship at a weekend event arranged in memory of Kh. Joanne Abdalah, who during her lifetime was an inspirational counselor and friend to many clergy, clergy wives, and countless other people.  The idea for the Weekend grew from the desire of Kh. Joanne’s son Joe wanting to find a way to honor his mother’s memory, and a similar idea from clergy wives who knew and loved her, too. It proved a most fitting and successful tribute!

Friday night was a relaxed time to be together in the Lodge building at the Village camp, with dinner, snacks, and a log fire. On Saturday morning everyone gathered in the camp church for a Divine Liturgy on the feast of St. Raphael of Brooklyn, whose shrine could be seen out the church window.

Conciliar Press announces an outstanding sale on all available back issues of AGAIN Magazine and The Handmaiden Magazine. The publications are arranged in groups and are sold as Library Packs at 75% off the original cover price. Both magazines are a great and timeless resource of Orthodox spirituality, and contain content by some of the best Orthodox writers and editors over the last 25 years. It is the hope of Conciliar Press, that this sale will help get the magazines into the hands of all those who loved and enjoyed them over the years and will help to preserve the rich heritage and legacy of the publications.

November 3th, 2009– Kansas City, MO

FOCUS North America is excited to announce the launch of a new website and video for its youth-based domestic outreach program “Youth Equipped to Serve” (YES). The website can be found at www.YESNorthAmerica.org. The video can be found at www.yesnorthamerica.org/yesvideo.

"We are so excited for you to get to know the YES Program through our new website and YES video! Read testimonies from students, view videos that they made and hear firsthand how God is working in the lives of the youth that become His hands and feet in service to the poor," said Katrina Bitar, FOCUS North America YES Program Director.

Feedback from student participants has been enthusiastic:

Fishers, IN – November 11, 2009

Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) continues to receive funding from the Lilly Endowment in support of its Just Love service learning programs, having recently been awarded a matching grant of $35,000. The grant comes as part of the Programs for the Theological Exploration of Vocation (PETV).

In the past year, OCF has been able to add several new service learning programs due to the support of the Lilly Endowment. One of these programs, Just Love, is an inner-city immersion program designed to allow students to spend a day serving the poor of their city, learn about the complexity of poverty and the challenges facing the poor, and how we are called as Christians to respond.

Another new program these funds will go to support is the Pilgrimage for Justice. This yearly event brings students together from throughout North America to experience and reflect upon some of the harsh realities of injustice in our world today such as human trafficking and homelessness. The very first Pilgrimage was held in June of this year and incorporated simulated activities, reflective exercises, and prayer to challenge students to live out the Gospel each day of their lives.

[And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully; And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. (Luke: 12:16–18)]

…Although we be "God's husbandry and God's building," and "neither is he that planteth anything, nor he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase," yet in all things He requires our ministry and service, and wishes us to be the stewards of His gifts, that he who bears God's image may do God's will.

For this reason, in the Lord's prayer we say most devoutly, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done as in heaven, so also on earth."  For what else do we ask for in these words but that God may subdue those whom He has not yet subdued, and as in heaven He makes the angels ministers of His will, so also on earth He may make men?

And in seeking this we love God, we love also our neighbor: and the love within us has but one Object, since we desire the bond-servant to serve and the Lord to have rule.  This state of mind, therefore, beloved, from which earthly love is excluded, is strengthened by the habit of well-doing, because the conscience must needs be delighted at good deeds, and do willingly what it rejoices to have done.