Blogs

Mother Alexandra and Cindy Nimey"We are all very excited about our new North American Board project—contributing to the building of St. Thekla Convent—and the arrival of Mother Alexandra to the Antiochian Village," NAB President Cindy Nimey said. “Mother Alexandra is a dynamic person and we will all learn very much from her.”

Five elected officers, the immediate past president, and six appointed coordinators comprise the NAB. “We have all been elected or appointed to positions to be leaders and provide programs and information about our projects to the seven Dioceses of our Archdiocese,” Cindy wrote in a encouraging letter to the board and to officers and coordinators of the Dioceses.

“We had a wonderful meeting this summer (at Archdiocese convention in Palm Desert, CA); thanks to the hard work and love from all the Antiochian Women chapters we were able to give Metropolitan PHILIP a check in the amount of $112,800.00 for the support of the Al K'afaat Foundation in Lebanon.

Today is the day we honor the holy hierarch Raphael! Who can describe his many sorrows and his many labors? Who can describe his many pains? He journeyed on land and on the sea, searching for his lost sheep, in weariness and in poverty, in sleeplessness, thirst and hunger. He became the good shepherd of the lost sheep in America, so let us cry out unto to him: O our Father, intercede for the salvation of our souls!

--Praises at Orthros, Tone 5

On this day [the first Saturday in November] we commemorate our father among the Saints, Raphael (Hawaweeny) the Bishop of Brooklyn, “good shepherd of the lost sheep in America.”

O holy hierarch Father Raphael, the first to be consecrated to apostolic ministry in the New World, lift up thy hands and bless thy people, consecrating us, thine inheritance, who consecrate this day to thee.

Through his prayers, O Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen.

--The Synaxarion

Learn more about St. Raphael of North America via this excellent online resource that includes pictures from his glorification, the story of his life, hymns and more.

Akolouthia for St. Raphael

Also, see this New York Times article about St. Raphael written on his arrival in America.

Mother Alexandra with Nijad and Zeina FaresOn Saturday, October 17, 2009, St George Orthodox Church in Houston, Texas presented a Special Banquet honoring His Eminence, Metropolitan PHILIP and the Archdiocese Board of Trustees to benefit the Convent of St Thekla.  His Eminence, Metropolitan PHILIP, His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN, His Grace, Bishop ALEXANDER, and members of the Board of Trustees were among the honored guests.  The Banquet was hosted at the Hilton Houston Post Oak where over 400 faithful enjoyed an evening of fellowship, fine food, and excellent music provided by the Lex Valk Trio.  Thank you to our beloved Hierarchs, Board Members, clergy and faithful for their continued support of the Convent.  Pictures taken by Judy Braun can be found at http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/AOCAphotos by clicking on St George Houston Banquet.

Heartfelt gratitude is extended to Fr. John Salem and St. George in Houston; Nijad and Zeina Fares, who were the Banquet Chairpersons and Sponsors; Mr. Ralph Albercia and Mr. Elias Shaheen, who were the Honorary Chairpersons; and the following:

By Janice Bidwell

As a cradle Orthodox Christian, for most of my life I’ve been quiet about my faith. My silence did not stem from apathy or ignorance, but rather from peace. There was never any reason to break my silence, until now when others want to listen.

The Orthodox InterSeminary Movement will meet on the campus of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology this weekend, November 6 and 7. Seminarians from Holy Trinity Seminary, Christ the Savior Seminary and St. Vladimir's Seminary in New York, St. Tikhon's Seminary in Pennsylvania, and a seminarian from St. Herman's in Alaska, approximately 25 in all from outside Holy Cross, will attend.

The keynote address will be given on Saturday morning at 11:30 in the Booras Room by the Very Rev. Archimandrite Joachim Cotsonis, PhD, Director of the Archbishop Iakovos Library and Learning Resource Center at Holy Cross. The talk is entitled "The History of the Image of and devotion to St. Nicholas".

Douglas Cramer:

Chrissie Hart:

Kh. Maggie Hock:

Fr. Johannes Jacobse:

Frederica Mathewes-Green:

Terry Mattingly:

Fr. George Morelli:

Dr. Bradley Nassif:

Fr. Constantine Nasr:

Virginia Nieuwsma:

Fr. John Oliver:

Fr. Patrick Reardon:

Fr. Kevin Scherer:

YONKERS, NY—St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary welcomed two prestigious guests from Russia to its campus this fall: the Minister for Justice of the Russian Federation and the President of The International Foundation for the Unity of Orthodox Christian Nations (IFUOCN). Both Russian visitors were drawn to campus because of the seminary’s global influence in theological circles, including the 250 million Orthodox Christians worldwide that share its creed.

In November 2009, the seminary administration welcomed The Honorable Alexander V. Konovalov, the minister for justice, and his wife, Maria Suslina, to chapel services and gave them a campus tour. Mr. Konovalov—whose U.S. counterpart would be the Attorney General—is a devout Orthodox Christian, with a long-standing interest in the works of the former dean of St. Vladimir’s, Father Alexander Schmemann, particularly his views on the challenge of secularism. Father Schmemann, who died in 1983, had enormous religious influence on Russian society during the Soviet Era, through Radio Liberty Broadcasts and samizdat writings—including capturing the notice and admiration of Alexander Solzhenitsyn. The seminary has the distinction of the being the first place Solzhenitsyn visited after his 1974 expulsion from the Soviet Union.

Selections from Heroes of the Fourth Century: St. John Chrysostom
from The Word, March 1968

St. John Chrysostom was born in Antioch, which was then in Syria, in AD. 347. The name “Chrysostom”, which means in Greek “the golden-mouthed,” was not given him until after he died. It was conferred upon him because of his marvelous preaching which has had no equal or superior among any of the Greek or Latin Fathers of the Church. The Divine Liturgy which is performed in Orthodox Churches on almost every day of the year bears his name, because he was responsible for composing some of the prayers and for otherwise modifying the Liturgy of St. Basil…

In 381, the year of the Second Ecumenical Council, John returned to Antioch and was ordained deacon by Meletius. For five years he ministered to the poor and the sick and then was ordained priest by Meletius’ successor Flavian. The years between 381 and 398 were John’s golden years, during which he became an ornament to the Christian Church through his preaching…

During these golden years of his priesthood John preached in the church which had been begun by Constantine and finished by Constantius. He directed many of his sermons against the immorality of the times, especially against the theater and chariot races. But his great opportunity came in the year 387.

The days are becoming chilly at the Village and the nights are downright cold.  That can only mean one thing - Winter Camp must be around the corner.  We have two sessions of Winter Camp planned for young people in grades 7 through 12 on the observances of Martin Luther King Jr. weekend (Jan. 15-18) and Presidents weekend (Feb. 12-15).  There are two ways to register: online or mail-in paper forms.  If you register online, you will need to download and mail the Medical and Snow-tubing forms.    We are also accepting Winter Camp Staff applications.  Our tentative theme for both sessions of Winter Camp is "The 6 Most Important Decisions You'll Ever Make."  Don't wait another day, register today!  Check back soon for more details and visit our Winter Camp page for additional information.

January 28-30, 2010 + Silver Spring, MD
Click here for more information
Download event flyer (PDF)

Camp directors, youth workers, administrators, cabin staff and youth advisors from all SCOBA jurisdictions are welcome! Featured keynote speaker will be His Grace Bishop DANIEL of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA.

The 2010 Orthodox Christian Camp and Youth Worker Conference will be held January 28-30, 2010 in Silver Springs, MD (30 minutes from Washington, DC) and hosted by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA. This year's theme is "Communicating the Gospel in the 21st Century." We invite all youth workers, church school teachers, camp directors, camp staff, and anyone interested in working with youth to attend this annual conference.

The Antiochian Archdiocese’s Christian Education Director Carole Buleza, department web editor Timm Wenger, and the team at antiochian.org, have redesigned and significantly improved the department’s popular web pages this fall. At www.antiochian.org/christianeducation, browsers can find resources for parents, Sunday School teachers and directors, youth workers and homeschoolers. Curriculum is readily available, and a special section created for small church schools helps instructors in communities where resources are limited. The Department of Christian Education now has a Facebook presence as well, and teachers can log in by clicking the Facebook button for that purpose posted on the web page’s right-hand column.

Titled “Road to Unity,” a conference at Antiochian Village during the last weekend in October brought together Orthodox Christians of all jurisdictions. Sponsored by Orthodox Christian Laity, a group devoted to the cause of Orthodox outreach and unity, the sessions covered subjects such as the legacy of Ligonier, Orthodoxy and American culture, and the need to keep young people in the Church. His Grace Bishop THOMAS of the Antiochian Archdiocese participated, as did John Maddex of Ancient Faith Radio and Fr. Hans Jacobse, an Antiochian priest and author. Metropolitan Jonah of the OCA presented the keynote address, “Unity in Our Time.” Audio for all segments is available from Ancient Faith Radio.

Chaplain's Corner, November 2009

By Fr. George Morelli

Sadly, a couple weeks ago I heard a line said by the star of a newly released Hollywood film to advertize its opening. The line, a quote from the film’s script, spoken in a derisive tone, went something like this: ‘The last time I thought about God, was when I was high-tailing it away from the cops.’ What is most sad about this is that not only was this mocking the God, who is our Creator and Provider of Blessings, but it was reflecting the attitude of many in today’s society who relegate God at best to a sort of good luck charm or talisman which has about as much value as other magical trinkets, or, at worst, consider that God is irrelevant and to be ignored.

How different is the spirit and tradition in the Eastern Church with its remembrance of God and thanksgiving for His benefits which we have all received. In the Divine Liturgy and daily prayer of the Church thanksgiving is a central theme. The Eucharist, which Eastern Christians affirm as the very real Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ, is derived from an ancient Greek word meaning: grateful, thankful. God is acknowledged and given thanks likewise in all the Churchs’ Holy Mysteries and in its many special blessing prayers.

Imad Shami (sponsor), Rima Shami, Ghassan Kebaien (new member), Fr. Michel Boghos, Bishop JOSEPH, Antoine Hindeleh (new member), Anton Bishouty (sponsor), Bill TsoukalasOn October 25, 2009, Bishop JOSEPH inducted three new members into The Order of St. Ignatius at Holy Nativity Mission in Langley, British Colombia.

Click here for more pictures.

Discovering Early Christianity

Father Peter Gillquist

author of The Physical Side of Being Spiritual, Designed for Holiness, and Becoming Orthodox

November 9 + 7:00 P.M.
Bettendorf Public Library
2950 Learning Campus Drive
at 18th Street, Bettendorf, Iowa

Hear Fr. Peter recount how he and 2,000 evangelical Protestant Christians discovered early Christianity in the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Fr. Peter is an internationally sought after speaker on the Orthodox Christian Faith. Engagements have included an address before the World Council of Churches in Ethiopia and an evangelistic tour of Romania, during which Fr. Peter spoke to crowds numbering in the tens of thousands.

For more information, call 563-514-1931 or e-mail thehost55@hotmail.com.

Download a poster for this event (PDF)

For families and teachers, Ancient Faith Radio is featuring several helpful posts about the Orthodox perspective on Halloween.

Fr. George Morelli, Orthodox priest and psychologist, gives frank talk on the origins of Halloween and speaks to how parents can approach the holiday and how the festival can be redeemed in his podcast, “Orthodoxy and Halloween.”

A book for children, titled Halloween Town, by Dennis Eugene Engleman, draws children in with an enchanting story line about the dangers that lie behind the Halloween spirit. Parents can buy the book at the Regina Press website. Children can also listen to a reading of the book on Ancient Faith Radio.

In another insightful reflection, Fr. Peter Bouteneff speaks of the cross and its relationship to Halloween, in his Oct. 19 podcast episode: “Halloween, Demons and the Cross.” 

His Eminence Metropolitan Philip joined other American Orthodox Primates in an audience with His All Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Most of the Primates had also attended the Ninth Annual Orthodox Prayer Service for the United Nations Community the previous evening. Present at the audience were Archbishop Demetrios of America (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese); Metropolitan Philip (Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese); Metropolitan Christopher (Serbian Orthodox Archdiocese); Metropolitan Nicholas (Carpatho- Russian Diocese); Archbishop Nicolae (Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese); Metropolitan Jonah (Orthodox Church in America), Metropolitan Constantine (Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the USA); Bishop Ilia (Albanian Orthodox Diocese) and Archpriest Alexander Abramov (Representation of the Moscow Patriarchate in the USA). Archbishop Demetrios welcomed His All Holiness on behalf of the Primates.

The remarks of His All Holiness follow:

from Christ and Truth by John Boojamra
from The Word, December 1964

The most important aspect of Christianity is truth. The central fact of the Christian faith is that of the Resurrection, and St. Paul says, “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” (I COR. 15:14). Thus, our faith has its source in, and is dependent upon, an historical fact. The only valid and honest reason to believe in Christianity’s claim is that we have experienced the reality of God and believe that the fullness of his revelation is to be found within the Christian faith. The Church is firmly convinced that God has and continues to reveal his truth to and through her and that this truth is absolutely necessary for salvation. The New Testament and the Church’s history both attest to this belief.

Since the sixteenth century a large segment of Christianity has come to the belief, at least implied, that the truth of the Church has been lost and cannot be known. From this comes the idea that it does not matter what you believe as long as you lead a good life and are sincere in the beliefs you hold. This group of Christians on the whole also maintains that all that is necessary for salvation is to confess Jesus Christ as Savior. It does not matter, however, what or how you believe in him. Most Protestant Christians freely quote from St. Paul’s epistle to the Romans that all that is needed for salvation is a belief in Jesus Christ, but they ignore the fact that throughout the epistles Paul is passionately concerned not only about belief in Jesus Christ, but more importantly about right belief in him.

Test.