Christos Anesti! - Iglesia Ortodoxa

Transcription

MAY 2008 • Vol. 73 • No. 1239
www.observer.goarch.org • e-mail: [email protected]
$1.00
Ecumenical Patriarch
Makes ‘Time 100’
Christos Anesti!
D. PANAGOS
Sharing the Light of Christ – At the Resurrection service at Holy Trinity Archdiocesan Cathedral, Archbishop Demetrios, Fr. Frank Marangos, dean,
and assistant priest Fr. Vasilios Bassakyros light the candles of several of the faithful shortly after midnight. The scene is repeated thousands of
times throughout the world as Orthodox Christians come together to celebrate Christ’s victory over death. The service was broadcast live to six
European nations, including Greece.
(More coverage of Holy Pascha on pages 8-9).
(RNS) Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was named in this year’s
“Time 100” list of the World’s 100
Most Influential People,” according to
the Religion News Service and other
reports.
The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople was listed in the “Leaders
and Revolutionaries” category in the
May 12 issue of Time magazine. The
Ecumenical Patriarch was number 11 in
its list of the 20 top world leaders.
Included in Time’ s first 11 world
leaders are President George W. Bush,
Vladimir Putin of Russia and Sens. Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John
McCain
Known as the “Green Patriarch”
Time magazine describes his vision as

 page 4
Archbishop Demetrios Leads Orthodox Delegation for Pope’s Visit
Throughout the six-day visit of Pope
Benedict XVI , April 15-20, the presence
of Orthodox Christianity was in full view
through the person of the Exarch of the
Ecumenical Patriarchate, Archbishop
Demetrios of America.
Although not trumpeted in any way,
from the very first days of the announcement of the visit of Pope Benedict, the
Roman Catholic Church in the United
States, through the two Archdioceses
of Washington and New York that the
Pope was to visit, as well as through the
United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops, the Archdiocese was involved
in planning the participation of the Orthodox community at various venues.
Archbishop travels to Washington
Although the Pope arrived in Washington on April 15, the official headof-state welcome by President George
Bush took place Wednesday morning,
April 16.
President Bush invited Archbishop
Demetrios to be present at the White
House welcome, together with other local religious leaders (the Archbishop was
the only national leader invited).
The President invited the Archbishop both as Exarch of the Ecumenical
Patriarchate and as the chairman of the
Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas
(SCOBA).
Archbishop Demetrios was seated
on the South Lawn below the Truman
Portico, together with the Papal delegation and the leading Cardinals of the
United States. Seated directly across
were Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and leaders from the House and Senate.
As the Marine Corps Band and
Chorus (“The President’s Own”) played
the national anthems of both the United
States and the Vatican, a sea of 13,000
people filled the South Lawn all the way
to the Ellipse.
Battle Hymn encore
Of special note: the Archbishop had
been at the White House only three weeks
earlier for Greek Independence Day, leading 200 to 300 Greek Orthodox faithful
from around the country in a celebration
of shared Greek and American values of
democracy, freedom, human rights and
religious liberty. That day, the musical
selection, The Battle Hymn of the Republic, was brilliantly performed by the
Metropolitan Youth Choir (children from
the Direct Archdiocesan District). On April
16, it was not by coincidence that the Marine Corps Band and Chorus performed
the same hymn for the official welcome
of the Pope.
On Thursday, April 17, Archbishop
Demetrios, together with Metropolitan
Maximos of Pittsburgh, was the special
guest of Roman Catholic Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington at the Papal Mass
at the new Nationals Stadium, as representatives of the Orthodox Christian Faith.
More than 45,000 attended the Mass,
which was exceeded by the Mass at Yankee
Stadium on Sunday April 20, where 57,000
people were present. The Archdiocese was
also represented at the Yankee Stadium
Mass by clergy who were accommodated
as special guests of the Roman Catholic
Archdiocese of New York.
Ecumenical Service in New York
The most important event for the
Orthodox Church in relation to the Papal
visit came at one of the smaller, but highly
significant events, the Ecumenical service
at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in
the Yorkville section of New York on Friday, April 18. This service was to include
approximately 300 of the most important
Christian religious leaders in the United
Pope Benedict greets Archbishop Demetrios at the ecumenical service.
States, and they did come from around
the country to attend.
Of special importance to the Roman
Catholic Church was the prominence of
the Archbishop in the event. This was not
a joint service of any kind; rather it was
completely conducted by Roman Catholic
clergy and laity.
All of the ecumenical attendees were
guests, not participants. However, last to
be seated (security was remarkable!) and
first in position and first to greet the Pope
was Archbishop Demetrios. The unique
roles of the Archbishop, principally as
exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate,
but also as chairman of SCOBA were
treated with extraordinary deference and
ANA/EPA
respect.
And not only was this respect given
only to the Archbishop, but as a result of
the close cooperation between the Greek
Orthodox Archdiocese and the many Roman Catholic authorities responsible for
this ecumenical service, the position of
Orthodox Christian and Oriental Orthodox Christian hierarchs was prominent
in a way that truly reflected the historical paths of Christianity throughout the
world; the diversity of culture, politics,
and language that marks this history, and
the hope that people of faith and good
will can come together in peace and in
a spirit of reconciliation, mutual forgiveness and love.
2
A RCHDIOCESE N E WS
MAY 2008
Archdiocesan Council Holds Spring Meeting
NEW YORK – Archdiocesan Council
members at their spring meeting on May 9
discussed the pros and cons of a proposed
plan to change the frequency of the ClergyLaity Congresses from two to three years to
save on the increasing costs of holding the
event. The issue that will be taken up by the
39th Congress in Washington in July.
They also heard Archbishop Demetrios
discuss the congress theme of bringing
the unchurched and disconnected to the
Church.
“They reach a point that they need a
connection,” he said of the nearly 60 million Americans who fall into this category.
He said the unchurched are “born into
a secularized environment and are “part
of the secularization of society,” and Orthodox Christians must reach out to these
groups. “It opens a tremendous window of
opportunity,” said His Eminence. “They are
looking for something.”
The Archbishop called for the development of methodology to reach out to the
unchurched.
Archdiocesan Council Vice Chairman
Michael Jaharis emphasized the importance
of teaching the youth about the influence of
Greek culture and its link to the Church. He
also noted the role of the Faith Endowment
in promoting the teaching of Hellenism in
the parochial schools.
In the financial report to the Council,
Executive Director of the Archdiocese Jerry
Dimitriou said the Archdiocese is experiencing an increase in giving through stewardship and other avenues that will help put
the Church on a sound financial footing.
He singled out the Metropolises of Detroit,
Chicago and San Francisco in achieving
a 100 percent goal in National Ministries
committment to the Archdiocese.
In efforts to improve church administration, the Archdiocese has launched a
new program on “Redefining the Parish
Council Ministry,” which will involve holding training sessions over the next several
years at the parish level to emphasize the
roles and responsibilities of the parish
council.
In other highlights, Theo Nicolakis, director of the Department of Internet Minis-
ORTHODOX OBSERVER
Archbishop Demetrios addresses the Archdiocesan Council. He is joined by (from left) Vice Chairman Michael Jaharis, Legal Counsel Emanuel
Demos, Holy Synod members Metropolitans Iakovos of Chicago, Maximos of Pittsburgh, Methodios of Boston, Isaiah of Denver, Alexios of Atlanta,
Nicholas of Detroit, Gerasimos of San Francisco and Evangelos of New Jersey.
tries and Information Technology, reported
on a new correspondence management
system for the Archdiocese, which eventually can be extended to each Metropolis,
that will track all correspondence within
the Archbishop’s Office and help manage
the large volume of paperwork the office
processes.
The system will be financed by a Leadership 100 grant.
Council members also heard reports
from the following ministries and departments of the Church.
• Department of Religious Education –
The department published a 24-page “zine”
in March on the services, meanings and
traditions of Holy Week written for sixth
graders. Between March 24 and April 11,
10,000 copies were sold to parishes. The
DRE has been meeting with teachers for the
development of high school resources.
• Intermarriage Ministries – Goals for
the upcoming year include improving the
Inter-church marriage web site, developing
a premarital education program, scheduling more clergy workshops and conducting marital enhancement workshops for
spouses, parents and clergy.
• Communications -- TSD Communications, a Washington-based audit firm is
studying the function of communications
within the Archdiocese through interviews
of individuals representing a cross-section
of people involved with communications
both inside and outside the Archdiocese.
The firm began its work earlier this year and
will issue a final report before the ClergyLaity Congress.
• Marriage and Family – The Center
for Family Care has received a Leadership
100 grant to develop a strategic plan in
cooperation with the Office of Parish Development for the growth and development
of Orthodox families.
• Young Adult Ministry – The department is working with Holy Cross School of
Theology to begin a seminary visitation program from successful parish clergy, mission
directors and lay workers. The third annual
National Altar Boy Retreat and Girls Retreat
took place in April at the seminary.
• Greek Education – The department
has taken steps for the first time to publish
new language books. In conjunction, semi-
nars will take place to provide teachers with
more effective instructional skills. Another
seminar will occur in cooperation with the
University of Cyprus to train teachers who
work in Archdiocese parochial schools. The
seminar will take place July 19 to Aug. 4.
• Direct Archdiocesan Office of Education – The office holds an annual staff
development seminar in collaboration
with the School of Education/Department
of Literacy at St. John’s University. The office also has published the new curriculum
for Kindergarten for teaching Greek as a
second language to children of this age
group. Another major undertaking of this
office is the Comprehensive Examination
in Modern Greek, which is administered in
schools in the state of New York and parts
of New Jersey, Connecticut and Virginia.
In his closing remarks, Archbishop
Demetrios commented on his upcoming
official visit to Russia at the end of May
at the invitation of the Russian Orthodox
Church. He said the Patriarchate of Moscow “counts primarily on us in any work
we do.”
His Eminence also noted that the
Onassis Foundation would be giving its
support to the Greek education effort of
the Archdiocese and that the Faith Endowment intends to provide scholarship gifts
to every valedictorian and salutatorian of
Greek language schools.
The Archbishop also expressed his
appreciation to the Leadership100 Endowment Fund for providing grants for a
number of programs and projects.
8mm Film Reels,
Photos Requested
ORTHODOX OBSERVER
Archdiocesan Council members at the opening session on May 9 at the New York Hilton.
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Greek Orthodox Telecommunications is producing a video highlighting
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for any 8mm film reels of the late Archbishop. Send your reels to: GOTelecom,
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the upcoming Clergy-Laity Congress. Send
photos and other information to the press
office at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese,
8 East 79th St., New York, 10075
Materials will be returned.
A RCHDIOCESE N E WS
MAY 2008
Archbishop Leads Celebration
for Metropolitan Nicholas of Amissos
JOHNSTOWN, Pa.– Archbishop Demetrios led seven Orthodox hierarchs and
other clergy in a celebration of the 25th
anniversary of the episcopacy of Metropolitan Nicholas of Amissos, primate of
the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox
Diocese of the USA. The Johnstown-based
diocese is under the authority of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
The hierarchs included Metropolitans Maximos of Pittsburgh and Isaiah of
Denver; Bishop Philotheos of Meloa; Metropolitan Constantine, Archbishop Antony, and Bishop Andrej of the Ukrainian
Church; Bishop Thomas of Charleston,
Oakland and the Mid-Atlantic (Antiochian
Archdiocese); and prominent Roman and
Eastern Catholic hierarchs at the celebration.
Bishop Philotheos’ presence at the
celebration was particularly meaningful,
as he is the last remaining co-consecrator
of Metropolitan Nicholas.
The celebrations took place at the
headquarters of the Carpatho-Russian
Diocese and were marked by a Divine
Liturgy, a banquet and breakfast.
More than 50 priests of the CarpathoRussian Church attended, together with
hundreds of faithful, who filled the Cathedral of Christ the Savior to capacity.
At the evening banquet, Archbishop
Demetrios highlighted the lengthy and
spiritually prosperous ministry of Metropolitan Nicholas, noting his intense
devotion to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of
Constantinople and the person of His All
Holiness. Among the many hierarchs who
spoke, Bishop Philotheos was especially
warmly greeted by the crowd at the banquet, when he took to the podium to add
his own message of congratulations and
remembrance of the day of the episcopal
ordination.
Archons Hold Lenten Retreat
at St. Basil Academy
GARRISON, NY – The fifth annual
retreat of the Order of St. Andrew-Archons
of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on April
11-12 focused on “Spiritual Renewal” and
provided the Archons and their spouses
an opportunity to study in greater detail
the theological meaning of Holy Scripture and to participate in discussion with
retreat-master, Bishop Savas of Troas, the
Archdiocese chancellor.
The retreat, organized by the Spirituality Committee of the National Council of
The Order of St. Andrew, was held at St.
Basil Academy.
Serving as a philanthropic center for
the Archdiocese, the academy provides a
home for children in need and provides
a loving Christian environment, where
resident children are nurtured into adulthood.
Commenting on the purpose of the retreat in a letter of invitation to the Archons,
National Commander Anthony Limberakis
remarked, “It is how we conduct our lives
on this earth, how Christ-like we comport
ourselves and how we serve as instruments
of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior that will
ultimately determine our salvation. Thus, it
CLERGY
is the healthy and meaningful integration
of our hectic daily lives into our spiritual
lives that really matters,”
The retreat began with introductions
in St. Basil’s Chapel by Fr. Constantine Sitaras, executive director of the Academy.
An Akathist hymn service was later
celebrated by Bishop Savas. A Lenten meal
followed served by the children of the academy. Dr. Limberakis later introduced His
Grace who offered introductory remarks
and provided an overview of the retreat
itinerary.
On Saturday morning, April 12, a
morning prayer service was celebrated by
retreat participants in the chapel followed
by breakfast.
All participants received the newest
edition of The Orthodox Study Bible and
the bishop lectured on the remaining time
in Great Lent, beginning with Lazarus
Saturday through Holy Week and into the
Resurrection of Our Lord.
He emphasized in detail the relationship and unique perspectives each of the
Evangelists wrote and how to take the lessons learned from this into our own daily
spiritual lives.
UPDATE
Ordination to the Priesthood
Deacon Conan Gill – Metropolitan
Isaiah of Denver – Holy Trinity Church,
Dallas 03/30/08
Assignments
Fr. Conan Gill – Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver – Holy Trinity Church,
Dallas 04/01/08
Fr. Gregory Hohnholt – Holy Trinity Church, Nashville, 03/01/08
Fr. Demetrios Sean Govostes – St.
Mary’s, Minneapolis, 04/01/08
V. Rev. Luke G. Kontgas – St. Nicholas, Temecula, Calif. 04/06/08
Offikia
Metropolitan Evangelos of New
Jersey bestowed the office of Protopresbyter upon: Rev. Fr. James A. Tsigounis
09/25/05
Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos bestowed the office of Confessor upon:
Rev. Fr. Jon Boukis 02/10/08
Clergy Returning
to the United States
Fr. Demetrios Sean Govostes, returning from the Metropolitanate of
Hong Kong April 2, 2008
Suspended
Fr. Ignatios Achlioptas 01/30/08
Suspension Rescinded
Fr. Dionisios Marketos 03/21/08
3
Communiqué of the Holy Eparchial Synod
The Holy Eparchial Synod of the
Holy Archdiocese of America convened
in its regular Spring Session in the Synodal Chamber of the Holy Archdiocese
in New York on May 7 and 8.
Archbishop Demetrios presided.
Present were the following Synodal Hierarchs: Their Eminences Metropolitans
Iakovos of Chicago, Maximos of Pittsburgh, Methodios of Boston, Isaiah of
Denver, Alexios of Atlanta, Nicholas of
Detroit, Gerasimos of San Francisco and
Evangelos of New Jersey. Present also
was the Chief Secretary of the Synod,
the V. Rev. Archimandrite Sebastian
Skordallos.
The Holy Eparchial Synod deliberated on issues pertaining to the life of
the Church. Among them, the following
were discussed:
1. Liturgical Issues. A discussion
took place and a decision was made
regarding the submission of the text of
the Divine Liturgy along with Liturgical Guidelines for their approval by
the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Said text will be
translated into English following its approval. Additionally, the Synod assigned
to the Synodal Committee in charge of
Liturgical Issues the responsibility to
prepare similar texts for Sacred Services, Orthros and Vespers Services.
2. Canonical Issues. The Holy
Eparchial Synod discussed canonical
issues pertaining to the clergy and made
relevant decisions with regard to issues
of pastoral and disciplinary nature.
Moreover, it discussed the text regarding Regulations of the Holy Eparchial
Synod that is in the making, as well as
issues of Inter-Orthodox relations and
Ecclesiastical presences in America.
3. Educational Issues
a. Greek Education. There was
a discussion with positive comments
expressed, in regard to the new instruction manual for the Greek language
designed for kindergarten children,
which was published recently by the
Department of Greek Education of
the Holy Archdiocese. The Hierarchs
were briefed and exchanged ideas with
respect to the new instruction manuals for the Greek language that are in
preparatory stages by the relevant Committee with the collaboration of the
well known linguist Professor George
Babiniotis. It was also announced that
the number of teachers who will attend
the 15 day educational seminars in Cyprus in July of this year increased from
twenty to thirty compared to last year.
b. Religious Education. A new
type of reference book planned by the
Department of Religious Education of
the Holy Archdiocese was presented.
During the subsequent exchange of
views, the importance of this new type
of reference book was emphasized,
based on the first published sample
with the title Journey Through Holy
Week.
4. Clergy-Laity Congress. In reference to the upcoming Clergy-Laity
Congress in Washington DC in July of
this year, the importance of its theme
Gather My People to My Home was
underscored, as well as the need for a
wider participation of Parishes. A more
direct involvement of the members of
the Holy Eparchial Synod in the analysis and application of the theme of the
Clergy-Laity Congress was planned by
means of a special meeting to be convened at its commencement.
5. In addition to the above, there
was discussion and decisions were
taken with regard to issues pertaining
to Youth, Care for the Clergy, Retired
clergymen, SCOBA, Leadership 100 and
the Special Educational Program for
Deacons. After the conclusion of the
Sessions of the Holy Eparchial Synod,
her members had the opportunity to
participate in the subsequent session of
the Executive Committee of the Archdiocesan Council, preside over Committees of the Council and participate in
the workings of the plenary session of
the Archdiocesan Council on May 8 and
9 of this year.
From the Office
of the Holy Eparchial Synod
Registration Open but Space Filling Fast
Ionian Village, the travel abroad summer camp program of the Archdiocese, is
preparing for its 38th season.
Ionian Village combines the classic elements of a youth summer camp
program, with excursions to some of
Greece’s most important religious and
cultural sites, offering Greek Orthodox
teens from all over the United States an
inspiring, educational, and often lifechanging experience of Orthodoxy and
Hellenism.
Teens are eligible to register once
they have completed the 7th grade, and
may register through the summer following their senior year of high school.
In recent years, Ionian Village has been
experiencing a trend of growth, and
indications thus far point to two full sessions in 2008.
Each session is approximately three
weeks long. Registration includes round
trip airfare from New York to Greece;
four meals a day, three nights stay at
the Metropolitan Hotel in Athens, transportation and entrance to a number of
museums, archeological sites, churches
and monasteries.
Ionian Village maintains a seven to
one camper/staff ratio, and is also staffed
by medical professionals.
Campers and staff members will
make excursions to the churches of St.
Dionysios on Zakinthos and St. Gerasimos on Kefalonia.
They will ascend to the heights of
Meteora’s cliff side monasteries, and hike
to the summit of the Acropolis.
In all, participants will explore
over 14 destinations, visiting churches,
museums, monasteries, archeological
sites, Greece’s metropolitan cities and
traditional Greek villages.
To register, visit www.ionianvillage.
org or call the Ionian Village office at 646
519 6190.
4
MAY 2008
ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE
Ecumenical Patriarch Makes ‘Time 100’

 page 1
“dominated by his concern for the environment.”
Patriarch Bartholomew, the subject
of a profile by Archbishop of Canterbury
Rowan Williams, is noted for his attention
to the environment. “In a way that is profoundly loyal to the traditions of worship
and reflection in the Eastern Orthodox
Church, he has insisted that ecological
questions are essentially spiritual ones,”
writes Williams of the patriarch.
He is also known for his international mission of peace that secured the
first Muslim condemnation of 9/11 as an
“anti-religious act,” said leaders of the
Washington-based Coordinated Effort of
Hellenes (CEH) organization.
The Sacred See in modern-day-Turkey
of the nearly 2,000-year-old Ecumenical
Patriarchate of Bartholomew is where
much of the New Testament was codified
and the Nicene Creed created.
Patriarch Bartholomew is the 269th
direct successor of the Apostle Andrew
whose brother the Apostle Peter has as
his 271st direct successor Pope Benedict
XVI.
The Patriarch and Pope were bishops
of the same church until 1054. Today
Bartholomew and Benedict head the two
largest Christian denominations and have
a close personal relationship.
The American government has singled
out Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in
an effort to secure his full “religious freedom” in Turkey.
Unaltered Turkish policies will terminate Bartholomew’s Sacred See in
the foreseeable future because Turkey
requires that.
–RNS and CEH reports
The following is the text of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, that appeared in Time.
The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople enjoys a resonant historical title but, unlike the Pope in the Roman Catholic context, has little direct
executive power in the world of Eastern Orthodoxy.
Patriarchs have had to earn their authority on the world stage and, in fact,
not many Patriarchs in recent centuries have done much more than maintain
the form of their historic dignities.
Patriarch Bartholomew, however, has turned the relative political weakness of the office into a strength, grasping the fact that it allows him to stake
out a clear moral and spiritual vision that is not tangled up in negotiation
and balances of power. And this vision is dominated by his concern for the
environment.
In a way that is profoundly loyal to the traditions of worship and reflection in the Eastern Orthodox Church, he has insisted that ecological questions
are essentially spiritual ones.
He has stressed that a world in which God the Creator uses the material
stuff of the universe to communicate who He is and what He wants is one
that demands reverence from human beings. Probably more than any other
religious leader from any faith, Patriarch Bartholomew, 68, has kept open this
spiritual dimension of environmentalism.
The title Ecumenical Patriarch historically refers to the Patriarch’s pastoral
responsibility for “the whole inhabited world.” The brave and visionary pastor has given a completely new sense to the ancient honorific; his work puts
squarely on our agenda the question of how we express spiritual responsibility
for the world we live in.
N. MANGINAS
Patriarch Bartholomew welcomes senior EU official, Jose Manuel Barroso, commission president, to the Phanar.
EU Officials Visit Ecumenical Patriarchate
ISTANBUL – Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew welcomed senior European Union officials, Jose Manuel Barroso,
president of the European Commission,
accompanied by Olli Rehn, Enlargement
commissioner to the Phanar on Friday,
April 11, according to wire service and
press reports.
No statement was made to the press
concerning the content of talks between
Mr. Barroso and Patriarch Bartholomew,
one topic of their discussion focused on
the Orthodox Theological School of Halki,
which has been closed by Turkish authorities since 1971.
The Halki Theological School on Heybeliada Island was closed to new students
in 1971 under a law that put religious and
military training under state control in the
predominantly Muslim country. The school
closed its doors in 1985, when the last five
students graduated.
The official argument for the seminary’s closure is that a religious institution
without government oversight is not compatible with secular institutions of Turkey,
a country where all Muslim clerics are
trained and paid by the government, and
are handed scripts of Friday sermons by a
state agency.
Patriarch says Ankara refuses to open
the seminary because it aims to prevent
the church from raising new leaders. The
church’s leader has to be a Turkish citizen,
which makes it difficult for the dwindling
Greek community of several thousand to
produce any candidates.
Turkey’s reluctance to reopen it
stems from a deep mistrust many here
feel toward the patriarchate because of
its traditional ties with Greece, Turkey’s
historical regional rival. Turkey does not
recognize Bartholomew’s international
role as spiritual leader of hundreds of millions of Orthodox Christians worldwide. It
rejects his use of the title «ecumenical,» or
universal, arguing instead that the patriarch
is merely the spiritual leader of Istanbul’s
dwindling Orthodox community.
The patriarchate in Istanbul dates from
the 1,100-year-old Orthodox Greek Byzantine Empire, which collapsed when Muslim
Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople,
today’s Istanbul, in 1453.
A day prior to his meeting with His All
Holiness, Mr. Barroso welcomed a recent
Turkish decision to return property, such
as school buildings, churches and orphanages, seized decades ago from religious
minorities, such as Jewish and Christian
foundations. The EC president said the
move was “a welcome step forward to
address the difficulties of non-Muslim
religious communities.” It was confirmed
that a certain sluggishness continues in
the various processes toward religious
freedom rights. Barroso said the move
was “a welcome step forward to address
the difficulties of non-Muslim religious
communities.”
Turkey had seized the properties in
1974, around the same time it invaded
Cyprus after a failed coup by supporters of
uniting the island with Greece.
Austrian Foreign Minister Meets with Ecumenical Patriarch
N. MANGINAS
Editor’s note: Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik met with Patriarch
Bartholomew at the Phanar on a visit there
April 22. Following their meeting, Mrs.
Plassnik issued the following statement: “It
was important for me, from the very beginning in coming to Turkey, to meet also His
All Holiness. I have met him on a number
of occasions before.
He has been individually, as a person,
and also from his function contributing
tirelessly to the dialogue of religions, to
a better understanding, to a world where
people can live without fears, they can live
their religion, their faith, or live even without faith. I think this is my interpretation
of the freedom of religion that has to be
possible in our European societies. It is part
of the standards we have in our European
value system and value basis. This is also
part of what we are negotiating with other
countries who want to become members
of the European Union.
“For me it was also a gesture of personal appreciation and respect for His All
Holiness also with regard to his many activities concerning the environment. He last
informed me during his visit in Vienna -this
was before the Conference in Greenland. I
would have liked to get closer information
on the results. I did, unfortunately, not
have the time to follow up all the interesting subject matters of interest to both of
us that we could have discussed but I am
confident that the link will continue, that
we will continue to support him and his
work, and that we’ll meet again and continue to work together.”
MAY 2008
INTER-ORTHODOX ECUMENICAL
& INTERFAITH RELATIONS
Archpastoral Reflections
Constant Renewal in Everyday Life
5
We conclude our series on renewal by addressing
the most significant purpose of our spiritual transformation to salvation and eternal life. Over the past few
months, we have examined the importance of the renewal of heart, renewal of spirit, and renewal of our
lifestyles. These are vital areas in giving us knowledge
and direction in the heavenly kingdom. They are also
aspects of the complete and saving renewal of our relationship with God. The renewal of this relationship is
the ultimate goal of our lives.
In the Holy Scriptures and in the message of the
Gospel proclaimed by the Apostles and the Church, we
know that this relationship was broken and injured
by sin. Communion with our Creator and life in His
by His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America
D. PANAGOS
Rabbi David Rosen presents the Isaiah Award to His Eminence.
American Jewish Committee
Honors Archbishop Demetrios
WASHINGTON – The American Jewish Committee presented Archbishop
Demetrios with its “Isaiah Award” at its
102nd annual meeting on April 30. The
Archbishop joins the ranks of a select
few, including Billy Graham and Edward
Cardinal Cassidy, by being the recipient
of the prestigious award for interreligious
understanding.
This honor follows closely on the
Archbishop’s reception of the inaugural
“Damaskinos Award” bestowed by the
American Sephardi Federation and the
American Friends of the Jewish Museum
of Greece.
The award citation reads, in full:
“Through your ceaseless efforts as a champion of interreligious understanding and
human rights, outspoken opposition to
bigotry and anti-Semitism, and unwavering defense of mankind’s most noble values, you have raised high the sacredness
and dignity of faith.”
The Archbishop was presented to the
assembly by Rabbi David Rosen, international director of Interreligious Affairs of
the AJC.
In his introduction, which was followed by a standing ovation in honor of
the Archbishop, Rabbi Rosen said, “It is
an honor and a privilege to present the
American Jewish Committee’s prestigious
Isaiah Award to His Eminence Archbishop
Demetrios, Primate of the Greek Orthodox
Church of America for his great achievements in Interreligious Leadership.”
Archbishop Demetrios has been a
good friend of the Jewish People since
his childhood in Thessaloniki before the
Second World War when the local Jewish community was thriving and played
a major part in the life of the city. In an
event held by the American Sephardi Federation and the American Friends of the
Jewish Museum of Greece last December,
Archbishop Demetrios of America received
the inaugural Damaskinos Award for “his
important work in constructive interfaith
endeavors.”
In his unscripted remarks, Archbishop
Demetrios spoke of the humbling nature
of such an award, named after the Holy
Prophet Isaiah. He thanked the assembly
and shared with them, both in Hebrew
and in English, verses from the Prophet
Isaiah that speak to the contemporary human condition of suffering and injustice,
yet always tinged with hope for “waters
in the desert.”
In his remarks, the Archbishop spoke
of the emotional power that this award
had for him, noting that in his first year
studying theology at the University of Athens, Archbishop Damaskinos was on the
throne of the Church of Greece. He also
spoke at length of his personal experience
in Thessaloniki during WWII, and how
his Jewish fellow students disappeared
without warning. This very point was
made in the keynote address of the evening by the distinguished lawyer, Richard
Ben-Veniste.
The Archbishop concluded his remarks by emphasizing the important work
of the Jewish Museum of Greece which
keeps alive the memory of those whose
lives were so unjustly taken from them.
Among the honorees, the former
Consul General of Greece in New York
Catherine Bouras, was cited “for her
extraordinary work in promoting Greek
Jewish history in the United States.”
Throughout the evening, hosted by
Alexis Christoforous of CBS News, the
enthusiasm of the Greek-Jewish community was evident, from the singing of the
national anthems of the United States and
Greece by everyone in attendance, to the
musical presentation of Nadia Weinberg
in Greek, Ladino and Hebrew that concluded the evening. Of special note was a
congratulatory message received from and
signed by the entire Holy Eparchial Synod,
who wrote to the Archbishop: “We are
proud that Your Eminence is the recipient
of the Damaskinos Award presented by the
American Friends of the Jewish Museum
of Greece and the American Sephardi
Federation, and we offer our warmest
congratulations.
The award recognizes your lifelong
dedication to fostering good relations
between our Greek Orthodox community
and the Jewish community throughout
the world, especially in Greece and the
United States.”
divine presence was hindered to such a degree that life itself was overcome
by death, and the ability and potential of the divine image within us was
held in bondage. After the Fall, this burden was so great and its effects so
extensive, that humankind alone was incapable of renewing this relationship of life and peace.
Thus, the path to renewal and to a complete restoration of our relationship with God was made possible through Jesus Christ. His life, miracles,
teachings, Passion, and Resurrection are a visible witness of the love of God
offered to all humanity.
His message is an invitation to experience grace through repentance,
life through His conquering of death, and renewal through the power of
the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6), and
it is through our faith in Him and in the mystery and power of what He
has accomplished that begins, continues, and perfects the renewal of our
relationship with God.
The renewal of this blessed relationship is not possible unless we seek
God’s forgiveness with repentant hearts. This was discussed in our reflection on “renewal of the heart.” Here we can contemplate the imagery of the
parable of the Prodigal Son. God is waiting to receive us, embrace us, to
clothe us in righteousness and lead us to the great banquet, to restore us to
a place of dignity; but we must recognize the futility of the ways of the world,
admit our own failings and sinful passions, and seek His forgiveness.
He is calling us to return, to renew a loving relationship if we are
willing to move our hearts, minds, and all of our lives away from sin and
toward Him.
Our relationship with God is renewed as we respond to His grace
through prayer and worship. Our knowledge of the truth of life and our
experience of His power, holiness, and love lead us to offer Him praise and
thanksgiving. This is a continuous response that originates in our hearts,
that is guided by the divine services of the Church, and that culminates in
lives filled with joy and beautiful communion with Him and one another.
Further, our relationship with God is nurtured through daily prayer and
times of solitude and contemplation, where we offer to Him our concerns
and burdens and receive strength, guidance, and peace to address the
challenges and tasks of life. Through prayer we express our trust in Him
and our commitment to His will; and His loving presence and faithfulness
to our needs gives us the assurance of renewal and of the fulfillment of all
of His promises.
Finally, our relationship with God is renewed through our knowledge
of the truth. Our world is filled with competing philosophies about life,
knowledge, being, purpose, and happiness. Yet God has revealed His great
love for us and has made known the Truth concerning all things necessary
for our salvation and our restoration to communion with Him. Through
the presence of our Risen Lord, the Holy Scriptures, the lives of the Saints,
and through our prayer and worship of God in spirit and in truth, (John
4: 23) we can forge anew a relationship with God that will perpetually
sustain us throughout this life and into His great and glorious presence
for all eternity.
GET RESULTS advertise
[email protected]
Tel.: (212) 570-3555 • Fax: (212) 774-0239
6
MAY 2008
OUTREACH and
EVANGELISM
Outreach is a Person-to-Person Process
by Fr. James W. Kordaris
First of Two Parts
The interviewer asked, “How many
churches have you converted to Orthodox
Christianity?” The answer was “None.”
Converting churches is an impressive
feat, but even if it occurs often, it is unlikely
to revitalize or grow existing parishes. Unless we instill an outreach mindset in our
parishes, they will not grow. But with over
600 priests, over 6,000 parish council
members, and hundreds of thousands of
active parishioners, we have an army of
believers, each of whom could invite one
or more people to church.
If you want to fill a dozen milk bottles,
you can’t stand back and spray them with
a hose.
You’ll get them wet but you won’t fill
them.…You have to fill them one at a time.
Research has shown that 96 percent of the
unchurched are at least somewhat likely to
attend church if they are invited.
In other words, more than nine out of
ten unchurched individuals would come to
church if invited. We need to invite them,
and we need to be ready for them when
they walk through out doors.
The Department of Outreach & Evangelism provides a number of resources to
assist parishes in revitalizing the faith of
active Orthodox Christians; reaching out
to inactive Orthodox Christians, and offering the Orthodox Christian faith to all who
would receive it.
OUTREACH-ORIENTED SERMONS
The Department of Outreach & Evangelism has collected a large number of
outreach-oriented sermons and reflections
to assist priests in instilling an outreach
mindset among parishioners. These have
been offered as sermons and included in
parish newsletters.
YOUTH LESSONS
A large number of outreach oriented
youth lessons have been collected to help
our parish priests, Catechetical School staff
and youth leaders to instill an outreach
mindset in the youth of the parish.
BROCHURE MINISTRY
A large number of educational brochures have been prepared to fulfill our
mission of revitalizing the faith of active Orthodox, reaching out to inactive Orthodox
and offering our faith to inquirers. Topics
covered include many of the sacraments
and feast days of the Church, Missions,
Parish Council as a Ministry, Interfaith Marriage and more.
FAMILY OUTREACH SUNDAY
The DOE, in cooperation with National Philoptochos and the Center for the
Family, has developed a program for a Family Outreach Sunday in which active church
members are encouraged to invite inactive
family members and Orthodox Christian
friends for a special day of Christian fellowship and spiritual renewal.
This is modeled on successful programs carried out in the parishes throughout the Archdiocese.
All Orthodox Christians are aware that
many of our Orthodox friends and relatives
have fallen away from active involvement in
the Church. Jesus Christ calls each one of us
to engage in active outreach to these relatives and friends. Family Outreach Sunday
is a first step in this direction.
RESOURCES FOR GREAT LENT,
HOLY WEEK AND PASCHA
On Easter Sunday in 1999, over 1
million atheists and agnostics in America
attended a church service. Each year we
may assume that many Americans continue
to search for the ancient Christian Church.
With church attendance increasing over the
Lenten period with its usual peak during
Holy Week, this is our greatest opportunity
to reach out to our inactive Orthodox and
to inquirers about the faith. The Department provides a number of brochures,
sermons and other resources by prominent
Orthodox theologians and priests on a variety of Lenten topics. Lenten Welcome Banners (3 x 6) are available from the DOE.
INTERFAITH MARRIAGE
Marriage and Interfaith Marriage are a
critical area for outreach efforts. With the
number of Orthodox marrying non-Orthodox ranging from 50 to over 90 percent in
some parishes, it is critical that we minister
to the non-Orthodox spouse. For this reason, this department is coordinating with
Rev. Dr. Charles Joannides, Ph.D., LMFT,
of the Department of Interfaith Marriage,
to develop parish resources for Interfaith
Couples and the clergy who minister to
them.
PARISH OUTREACH BANNERS
To assist parishes in outreach and
evangelism, the Department has designed
an attractive outdoor welcome banner
personalized with parish information.
The original 3–x–6–foot vinyl banner in
burgundy and gold welcomes people to
the parish with the invitation to “Find Your
Spiritual Home in the Orthodox Christian
Church.” A Lenten banner with the phrase,
“Join Us on a Lenten Journey to the Resurrection,” has been designed to support
parish Lenten outreach efforts. A Nativity
season welcome banner is available declaring “Christ is Born: Glorify Him!”
GETTING STARTED
A useful starting point for parish councils and outreach committees formulating a
parish outreach plan, this booklet outlines
basic actions to be taken by the parish to
improve parish outreach and evangelism efforts. Copies may be ordered by contacting
the DOE ([email protected]).
THE HOME MISSION PARISH PROGRAM
The purpose of this program is to encourage the establishment of new Greek
Orthodox parishes.
With the generous assistance of the
Leadership 100 Home Missions Grant, the
Home Mission Parish Program provides assistance to parishes throughout the Greek
Orthodox Archdiocese of America in their
critical first years of existence.
In special situations assistance may
also be provided to parishes that have
declined but are in a period of renewal
and outreach.
There are usually 12-15 parishes receiving some level of support through the
program making it financially feasible for
a priest to be assigned.
The priest is able to offer much-needed
consistency in leadership during the critical stages of parish formation and renewal,
increasing immensely the likelihood of the
parish becoming self–sufficient.
MINISTRY PROFILES
Research has shown that people are
looking to serve others through their
church.
Ministry Profiles is a program designed
to profile exceptional ministries carried out
in parishes throughout the Archdiocese
with a step-by-step plan of implementation.
(Continued next issue)
7
MAY 2008
The Voice of Philoptochos
National Philoptochos Board Holds Spring Meeting
by Christine Karavites
The following is a summary report of
the National Board’s March 28-29 meeting
at Hellenic College/Holy Cross.
SPIRITUAL RENEWAL
Bishop Andonios, spiritual advisor
to the National Philoptochos, opened the
meeting and spoke to the Board about
the importance of the Lenten period and
members’ responsibilities to be knowledgeable about the Faith and to continually read
scripture and the Church’s teachings.
PRESIDENT’S REMARKS
President Georgia Skeadas reviewed
the past few months’ accomplishments
and thanked the chairmen and Metropolis
of San Francisco for their presentation of
the Children’s Medical Fund Luncheon in
November. To date the Children’s Medical Fund has received, before expenses,
$523,000 and, through the generosity of
the sponsors, National Philoptochos has
distributed $150,000 to seven children’s
hospitals and children’s programs; $30,000
to the IOCC for the Parktown Medical
Clinic in Zimbabwe that serves 200 patients
a week; and $20,000 to Autism Speaks/Cure
Autism Now, that guest speaker Michael
Chiklis accepted on behalf of that organization. Through these funds National
Philoptochos launches its Autism Awareness program and asks that all chapters
participate in the National Autism Awareness month in April.
President Skeadas announced that the
National Philoptochos is awarding scholarships to deserving female students at
Hellenic College/Holy Cross who meet the
same academic and financial requirements
as the male GOA seminarians.
Other accomplishments include the
development of the Philoptochos website
that is near completion, the successful Go
Red Sunday, the completion of the handbook, and the release of an IOCC video that
chronicles Philoptochos’ work in Woliso,
Ethiopia, and Zimbabwe.
The National Philoptochos was honored by the Federation of Hellenic Societies
of Greater New York who has asked Mrs.
CONVENTION SCHEDULE
SATURDAY, JULY 12
• Convention Registration
• National Board Meeting
SUNDAY, JULY 13
• Hierarchical Divine Liturgy
• Delegate Orientation
• Opening Ceremony
• Budget Preview
• Bylaws Review
• Resolutions Committee
MONDAY, JULY 14
• Keynote Address by His Eminence
Archbishop Demetrios
• Philoptochos General Assembly
• Philoptochos Banquet
TUESDAY, JULY 15
• Discussion Groups
• Clergy-Laity Congress Cultural Event
WEDNESDAY, JULY 16
• Awards Presentations
• Chapter Challenge
• Ask Philoptochos
THURSDAY, JULY 17
• A New Look At Compassionate Giving
• Effective Fundraising
• Presidents’ Program:
• Generations Working Together
• Grand Banquet
Skeadas to represent the entire organization as a grand marshal for the Greek Independence Day Parade in New York.
CONVENTION PLANS
The 2008 National Convention plans
are under way with the theme being “Looking Forward: The Future is Something We
Create, Not Something We Enter.”
The president announced that as a
first step toward establishing a blueprint
for the future, a major component of the
spring board meeting would be devoted
to a strategic planning session conducted
by Jerry Manetos and Laura Paulus from
the Archdiocese Office of Parish Development.
GREETINGS
Fr. Nicholas Triantafilou, HC/HC
president, welcomed the National Board
to Hellenic College/Holy Cross on behalf
of Archbishop Demetrios and the entire
community.
Fr. Triantafilou presented a beautiful,
framed photograph of the Holy Cross Chapel to President Skeadas and asked that it
be placed at the National Office.
He thanked the National Philoptochos
and all chapters for giving more than $1
million since 2000. A special keepsake
foldout booklet was presented to all the
members that highlights the Philoptochos
commitment to the School.
TREASURER’S REPORT
Treasurer Aphrodite Skeadas announced that, as of Feb. 29, the ending
fund balance, total of all funds, was
$1,548,766. A fund disclosure letter for the
year ending Dec. 31, 2007 was sent to all
chapters. Vasilopita funds are still coming
in and exceed previous years.
The top three chapter donations to
the Vasilopita are Holy Trinity of Dallas,
$11,000; Annunciation Cathedral of Houston, $10,118; and Assumption Cathedral of
Denver, $6,000.
Philoptochos provided $50,000 the
Hellenic Red Cross as an immediate first
response to the fire devastation and funds
collected through the chapter appeal exceed $157,857. Internal Audit Committee
Chairman Diane Saphos reported that the
committee had met on March 17 and, after
careful review of financial records, reported
that the Society’s records were in “excellent
and meticulous order.”
The committee commended the treasurer, assistant treasurer, the entire Finance
Committee and national office staff, for upholding the highest of standards and ethics
regarding financial transactions.
DISBURSEMENTS
The National Board approved following distributions:
• $37,500 Hellenic College/Holy Cross
Scholarship Fund for 25 $1,500 scholarships to seminarians
Scholarship for two $1,500 scholarships to
female students
for four $1,000 Special Merit Scholarships
• $73,500 earmarked from the 2008
Hellenic College/Holy Cross Lenten Fund
appeal for Polemanakos Hall to purchase
desks and chairs for 160 single rooms and
new dormitory entrance and breezeway
doors
• $500 St. Photios for the annual
Landing Day
• $100,000 Ecumenical Patriarchate
• $15,840 National Philoptochos Hellenic Fires Fund to the Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese to close the fund
• $10,000 National Sisterhood of
Presbyteres Fund
• $1,000 In memory of the late Archbishop Iakovos and on the occasion of the
three-year memorial to the Archbishop
Iakovos Library and Resource Center
STRATEGIC PLANNING
The Board members engaged in a
SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) planning process
throughout the two-day meeting. Through
interactive group discussions the board
identified strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to the organization at the
local, Metropolis and National levels and
prioritized the session outcomes.
TRISAGION & HERETISMI SERVICES
At the conclusion of day one, Bishop
Andonios offered a Trisagion service at
National Philoptochos Honors Chapters
One of the highlights of the National
Philoptochos Biennial Convention is the
Awards Program. Under the outstanding
leadership of National President Georgia
Skeadas and the Awards Committee, the
revised Awards Program was overwhelmingly received by the delegates of the 2004
and 2006 conventions.
Guidelines for the 2008 National
Awards Program remain the same as previously. Noted below are the program
categories. A chapter is encouraged to
participate in as many categories as it
chooses. However, the chapter must submit a separate pamphlet and application
form for each category.
Chapter awards are not based on size,
so small as well as large chapters have as
equal an opportunity to be selected. The
National Philoptochos wants to recognize
the very heartbeat of our society – the local
chapter - whose commitment to volunteer
work, projects and accomplishments is so
often overlooked. By submitting projects to
the Awards Committee the chapter shares
valuable information about its success with
every chapter.
Deadline for receipt of applications is
June 1. Applications must be sent by registered mail to the Awards Committee c/o the
National Philoptochos Office, 345 E. 74th
St., NY, NY 10021. Chapters must follow the
directions in submitting only the materials
requested. Questions may be directed to
Awards Chairmen Elaine Kevgas or Esther
Mitchell, or Co-Chair Philippa Condakes
at the National Philoptochos office at 212
744-4390 or [email protected]
Chapter Awards Program Categories
Growth and Expansion
A first and second place award will be
presented to the chapter with the greatest
increase in membership between May 1,
2006 and April 30, 2008.
National Commitments
The winner of this category will be determined on a chapter’s 100 percent participation in All National Commitments from
August 1, 2006 through May 31, 2008.
Best Practices
Chapters submit a short summary
and description of a creative, unique successful project that exemplifies the spirit of
Philoptochos and that may be replicated by
other Chapters.
Best Outreach Project
Chapters submit a short summary
and description of their outstanding community outreach project.
Best Newsletter
Chapters submit one or two copies of
their monthly newsletter.
the gravesite of Archbishop Iakovos of
blessed memory. President Skeadas placed
a wreath of flowers on the Archbishop’s
grave on behalf of the entire Philoptochos
Society.
A heretismi service took place at the
Holy Cross Chapel.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
The Convention and Standing committees offered reports including: Children’s
Medical Fund, Cardiac, Convention Banquet/Program, Ecumenical Patriarchate,
Family and Society, Hellenic College/
Holy Cross, IOCC, Membership, OCMC,
Public Relations/Philoptochos Website, St.
Basil Academy, Social Services/Aging,and
UNICEF.
President’s Message
Looking Forward
National Philoptochos President
Georgia Skeadas issued the following
invitation to all chapter presidents
and members for the 2008 National
Philoptochos Biennial Convention:
“It is with a great sense of excitement and anticipation that I invite
you to attend the 2008 National
Philoptochos Biennial Convention,
which is scheduled to take place at
the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in
Washington from July 13-18, 2008.
“This convention promises to
be a most memorable experience
for each and every delegate. Our
convention committee chairs have
demonstrated creativity, innovation
and initiative in preparing a program that will be filled with exciting,
educational and informative sessions.
Each of these sessions will offer you
a unique forum for Looking Forward
to the future Philoptochos – a new
vision – a new spirit – a new day – a
new opportunity.
We will create a blueprint for
the future of Philoptochos and our
philanthropic work, as we start on the
next great chapter in the accomplishments of Philoptochos history.
“The program has been designed
around your input and feedback
to ensure high quality content and
interaction and to maximize the opportunity for building relationships
across our Philoptochos Society, as
you exchange your thoughts, your
ideas and your experiences.
Our new and varied sessions
will allow you the chance to further
increase the knowledge necessary for
the effective and responsible operation of a not-for-profit organization.
I am confident that each delegate
will find this convention to be truly
exceptional.
“I urge each of you to make every
attempt possible to attend the 2008
National Philoptochos Convention.
Please remember that it is the
responsibility of each chapter to be
represented at our convention, as
this occasion provides a very special
opportunity for the entire Philoptochos Society, to share the collective
wisdom, talents and experiences of
our more than 480 chapters across
the nation, as part of our Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
“I look forward to welcoming
you to Washington, An American
Experience, as we celebrate a week
of summer, filled with fellowship,
fun and camaraderie in our nation’s
capital.”
8
MAY 2008
Why Easter is Greek to Me: Xristos Anesti!
by Rita Wilson
Once every few years, “Greek Easter”
falls the same week as “American Easter,”
as it was called when I was growing up.
In order for Greek Easter to be celebrated the same week as American Easter, Passover has to have been celebrated
already. We Greeks don’t do Easter until
after Passover, because how can you have
Easter BEFORE Passover. Jesus went to
Jerusalem to celebrate Passover, after all.
Unless it is one of the years when the two
holidays align.
Like last year.
Here are some of the things that
non-Greeks may not know about Greek
Easter: We don’t do bunnies. We don’t do
chocolate. We don’t do pastels.
We do lamb, sweet cookies, and deep
red eggs. The lamb is roasted and not
chocolate, the sweet cookies are called
koulorakia and are twisted like a braid,
and our Easter eggs are dyed one color
only: blood red.
There is no Easter egg hunt. There is
a game in which you crack your red egg
against someone else’s red egg hoping to
have the strongest egg, which would indicate you getting a lot of good luck.
Holy Week, for a Greek Orthodox,
means you clear your calendar, you don’t
make plans for that week at all because
you will be in church every day, and you
fast. Last year, in addition to not eating red
meat and dairy before communion, my
family also gave up sodas for the 40-day
Lenten period.
During one particularly stressful
moment, there were many phone calls
amongst our kids as to whether or not
a canned drink called TING, made with
grapefruit juice and carbonated water was,
in fact, a soda and not a juice, which our
then 10-year-old decided it was, so we had
a Ting-less Lent.
No matter where I find my self in the
world I never miss Easter, or as we call it,
Pascha. I have celebrated in Paris, London,
New York City, Los Angeles, and in Salinas,
Calif., at a small humble church that was
pure and simple.
When we were kids, our parents
would take us, and now as parents ourselves we take our children to many of the
Holy Week services including the Good
Friday service where you mourn the death
of Jesus by walking up to the Epitaphio,
which represents the dead body of Christ,
make your cross, kiss the Epitaphio, and
marvel at how it was decorated with a
thousand glorious flowers, rose petals and
smells like incense.
Some very pious people will crawl
under the Epitaphio. I have always been
so moved to see this. There is no self- consciousness in this utter act of faith. There
is no embarrassment to show symbolic
sorrow at the death of our Savior.
At a certain point in the Good Friday
service, the Epitaphio is carried outside by
the council members of the church, as if
they are pall bearers, followed by worshippers carrying lit candles protected from
dripping on your clothes and on others by
having a red plastic cup that sits below the
flame to catch the wax drippings.
Every Greek person knows all too well
the smell of burning hair.
One time, in London, I smelled
something and turned to look at where the
smell might be coming from, only to be
horrified that it was coming from me and
my head was on fire. But I digress.
It is somber and quiet as we follow the
Epitaphio, in candlelight, from the altar to
the outdoors, in order for it to circle the
church before it returns to the altar. We
sing beautiful lamentations that make your
heart break with their pure expression of
sadness and hope.
One of my favorite services during
Easter is Holy Unction. This happens on
the Wednesday of Holy Week. Holy Unction is a sacrament. It is for healing of our
ills, physical and spiritual.
It is preparing us for confession and
communion. This sacrament has always
been so humbling to me.
When you approach the priest for
Holy Unction, you bow your head and as
he says a prayer and asks you your Christian name, he takes a swab of blessed oil
and makes the sign of the cross on your
forehead, cheeks, chin, backs of your
hands and palms. It is a powerful reminder
of how, with faith, we can be healed in
many ways.
The holy oil is then carefully dabbed
with cotton balls provided by the church
so you don’t leave there looking as if
you’re ready to fry chicken with your face,
and before you exit the church, you leave
your cotton balls in a basket being held by
altar boys, so as not to dispose of the holy
oil in a less than holy place. The church
burns the used cotton balls.
There have been times when I have
left church with my cotton ball and have
panicked when I am driving away. At home
I take care of it.
Imagine a grown woman burning
cotton balls in her sink. But that is what
I do.
The midnight service on Saturday
night going into Sunday morning is the
Anastasi service. We will arrive at church at
around 11 p.m., when it starts, and listen
to the chanter as he chants in preparation
for the service. My kids, dressed in their
suits and having been awakened from a
deep sleep to come to church, groggily
sit and wait holding their candles with red
cup wax catchers.
As the service progresses, the moment
we have all been waiting for approaches.
All the lights in the church are turned off.
It is pitch black. It is dead quiet. The priest
takes one candle and lights his candle from
the one remaining lit altar candle, which
represents the light of Christ.
From this one candle, the priest approaches the congregation and using his
one candle he shares his light with a few
people in the front pews.
They in turn share their light with the
people next to them and behind them. In
quiet solemnity, we wait until the entire
church is lit with only the light of candles;
the light that has been created by one
small flame has now created a room of
shared light.
And at a moment that can only be
described as glorious, the priest cries
out, “Xristos Anesti!” “Christ is Risen!”
We respond with “Alithos Anesti!” -“Truly,
He is Risen!” We sing our glorious Xristos
Anesti with the choir. That moment, which
happens about an hour, to an hour and
a half into the service and seems as if the
service is over, actually marks the beginning of the service.
The service then continues for another hour and a half.
When I was a kid, after the service was
over, we would go to the Anastasi dinner
that the church would throw in the church
hall, where we would break our fast, drink
Cokes at 2:30 in the morning, dance to
a raucous Greek band and not go home
until our stomachs were full of lamb, eggs,
koulouraki, and we saw the sun rise. Or
was it the Son rise?
But usually now, after midnight Liturgy, we drive home with our still-lit candles.
I always love seeing the looks on people’s
faces as they pull up to our car seeing a
family with lit candles calmly moving at 65
m.p.h. down the highway.
When we get home, we crack eggs,
eat cookies, drink hot chocolate (so not
Greek) and I burn a cross into our doorways with the carbon from the candle
smoke to bless our house for the year.
There have been many times when
painters touching up the house have wondered why there was this strange black
cross burned in to our doorways. The next
day is usually followed by a late sleep in,
then getting up and doing the same thing
you just did but in the daytime at the Easter picnic, usually held at a local park.
I have to say, the Greeks know how
to do Easter. Make no mistake. This is the
most important holiday in our Church. It
is a beautiful week. I haven’t even begun
to touch on what the week is really like.
This is a sampling of a sampling of what it
is like. It is so much more deep, so much
richer than I have written here.
But one thing is clear. It is a powerful,
beautiful, mysterious, humbling, healing
and moving week. It is filled with tradition
and ritual. It is about renewal and faith.
Xristos Anesti! Alithos Anesti!
(Editor’s note: This article is reprinted with permission from actress
Rita Wilson. It was previously published
in a recent edition of the “On Faith” section of the Washington Post. Ms. Wilson,
whose mother and father both were born
in Greece, and her husband, Tom Hanks,
are members of St. Sophia Cathedral in
Los Angeles.
9
MAY 2008
Holy Week Around the Archdiocese
Metropolitan Iakovos lights the candle
of this young parishioner during the Easter Sunday
Agape service at St. Demetrios Church in Chicago.
Metropolitan Methodios
at the Apokathelosis service on Good Friday afternoon
at St. John the Baptist Church in Boston.
(Alex Mavradis Photography)
Metropolitan Maximos, assisted by priests at St. Nicholas
Cathedral in Pittsburgh, blesses the red eggs following the Resurrection service. Also shown (From left)
Cathedral Dean Fr. Sarantos Serviou, Deacon Euripides
Christulides and Fr. Stylianos Muksuris, assistant to the
Metropolitan.
At the Agape service on Easter Sunday at Ascension
Church in Fairview, N.J., Metropolitan Evangelos holds
5-year-old Irene Arvanites, a cancer patient undergoing
testing at Sloan /Memorial Hospital in New York. They
are shown with her family, who came from Greece to get
medical care for their daughter, one of ten children.
Archbishop Demetrios places flower petals on the Epitaphios at the
Good Friday Lamentations service at Holy Trinity Archdiocesan Cathedral in New York.
Metropolitan Isaiah at the Lamentations service
at Denver’s Assumption Cathedral on Good Friday.
At right, Cathedral Dean Fr. Apostolos Hill.
Metropolitan Nicholas
blesses a young parishioner
at the Agape Service at Sts. Constantine and Helen Church
in Westland, Mich.
Metropolitan Gerasimos
presents a palm cross to this little boy
at the Palm Sunday service at St. John the Baptist
Church in Las Vegas.
Metropolitan Alexios leads the Nymphios
service on Palm Sunday evening at St. Sophia Church
in Winter Park, Fla.,
assisted by the pastor,
Fr. Dean Photos and the psalti, Niko Mallas.
10
MAY 2008
A Dialogue between War and Peace
by Rev. Dr. Miltiades B. Efthimiou
It was a cold December evening
when the fierce but revered Sir War and
the equally distinguished but humble
Rev. Peace decided to hold a discussion
relative to their respective positions
on who controls the fate of the planet
Earth. The discussion took place at the
grand estate of Sir War as the pendulum of time moved ever closer to the
climax of the Middle East crisis when
two great armies were planning to annihilate each other.
Sir War was very rich and, because
of his great fortune, lavished his guest
with sumptuous hospitality. Rev. Peace
lived in humble surroundings, and
could never afford to entertain on the
scale of Sir War. After his arrival, Peace
and War sat near a crackling fireplace
and began their dialogue:
“There really isn’t much point to
our conversation, is there, my friend?”
Rev. Peace’s eyes were downcast as he
replied, “Well, Sir War, I guess there
isn’t since it is inevitable that soon
many will call upon you and invoke
your name! Yes, it is true, the powerful
do not respect me! Each day that goes
by, I feel that something in me dies. I’m
afraid my last days are coming soon. If
there is a conflict in the Middle East,
perhaps my name will become just a
 Concern for country
Editor,
I’m hoping and praying with all the
religious leaders and experts who write
columns for the Orthodox Observer that
someone can answer my questions about
this now “unholy world.”
I do not believe that I am the only one
who can see what’s happening to our once
beautiful land of America.
Once we allowed God to be removed
from our government sessions and from
our school affairs, we have seen a real
no-care attitude in our people, old and
young alike.
Whether it’s our elected officials,
our company executives and even many
clergy, their only reason for living, is to
accumulate dollars, the more the better
and, yet, when we leave this earth, no
dollars can we take.
Does anyone realize we seldom see
anyone who will stand up for what is legal
and what is right? If someone tells them
they can get what they want, by just a
little white lie they think nothing of saying
“Okay that’s the way I will do it.”
I need what I need and if that’s faster,
that’s what I want right or wrong. I can’t
even imagine a neighbor telling my granddad he could get money form the government if he lied on this tax return.
I do believe he would have shown
him to the door.
Those were the years when we respected our elected officials and thanked
God for what we had. Our homes were
our biggest investment and, live or die;
we stayed honest in all our dealings with
everyone.
Today, due to so much public information between TV, radio, Internet,
newspapers, each form of entertainment
has become more and more lacking in
decency. Once it was a few snide remarks,
memory.”
It was obviously what Sir War was
waiting to hear, except for the fact that
Rev. Peace added this: “But look at you!
Time has not been kind to you for you
are looking ragged, and hate has turned
you ugly and you have grown fat by
the misery of others. You’re dressed
in the finest silk, and you are adorned
with rubies and diamonds.” Rev. Peace
scanned the eyes of Sir War and said,
“Look at your house! It’s not a normal
house; it’s a gigantic castle built on
the sands of time with the monies derived from all the wars fought in your
name from the beginning of time. The
Lord even spoke about you in one of
His parables, The rich man and poor
Lazarus.”
“Well, let’s look at you,” sneered
Sir War with a look of contempt. “Your
simple garb reflects the humanity of
the lower class of all ages. Of course,
you live in humility, for you roam the
world like your Lord, trying to gather
followers to your hopeless cause of
peace. Your efforts are useless. No one
listens to you!” And with a haughty and
defiant stare at his guest, he haughtily
proclaimed: “No matter what my appearance is, I have statesmen, kings,
dictators, presidents and the powerful
who worship me. War is a thriving en-

 page 11
then it was a little bit of nudity, then the
filthy language was okay at times. Now
each and every form of public entertainment thinks nothing of allowing sex and
violence to be seen by everyone, no
matter the age.
Everyone would rather “just let it
go” than to make a fuss over anything
indecent or violent. How can parents
who labored to bring a child into the
worked not care about what they become as they grow up?
If we fail to give them direction then
their sin will be on us, not on them.
When we decide to become parents we
better realize it’s our duty to follow His
word and raise them right.
Too many times parents tell their
children what to do but when it comes
to their (own) behavior, they do as they
please, even if it’s a detriment to the
children?
We have become the ME generation
even though we are in the middle of a
war and our sons and daughters are dying each and every day.
As we see today, even our government does not enforce the laws that are
already on the books. We should stand
up for our rights, but only when our
rights are truly right.
We must set the example as
adults.
We cannot blame our elected government officials until we learn to stand
up for what is right and stop allowing
“anything goes” to be our way of life.
Fran Glaros-Sharp
Clearwater, Fla.
 Heroes' holiday
Editor,
We remember this month those brave
men and women who made the supreme
sacrifice to that others might live. We re
Archpastoral Notes
“Gather My People to My Home”
Theme for the 39th Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Christ is Risen!
It is in the joy of the Risen Christ that I greet you and invite
you to reflect on the theme of our 39th Biennial Clergy-Laity
Congress which will convene in Washington DC, July 13-18,
2008. In this blessed Paschal season, we are celebrating the
splendid and unending life given to us by the Lord.
This summer we will celebrate our unity as His Body. We
will also demonstrate our strong spiritual bond through fellowship and renewed commitment to the work of ministry.
We will be meeting at a very critical time, as people, families,
and communities throughout this country, when the world
faces serious challenges and struggles. The people are in
need of love and communion with God. They are in need
by His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America
of a spiritual home within the Church, where they can experience the healing and
transformative power of faith, hope, truth, and love.
The theme for our Congress is Gather My People to My Home. This theme is
based on Deuteronomy 4:10, but it also reflects truths found throughout the Holy
Scriptures, especially in the teachings of Christ. The words from Deuteronomy,
Gather the people to me, and let them hear my words, reflect the nature and depth
of the relationship that God was seeking with His chosen people. He rescued them
from bondage in Egypt, and He guided them through trials to the promised land.
He called them to live in holiness as a witness to the world of His power and love,
and He nurtured their trust and faith in the true God who desired to give them life.
To those who believed and followed His will, God made a covenant that offered a
spiritual and eternal home of peace and blessing.
This same covenant and home has been offered to all humanity through our
Lord Jesus Christ. His Incarnation, death, and glorious Resurrection revealed the
power of God over sin and death. Through Him, the great mercy of God is made
known so that every person may return to full communion with the One who has
Created us for fellowship and life.
Thus, our theme recognizes the value of each and every person, created in the
image and likeness of God for eternal life and communion with Him. As our Lord
taught in the Parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14), God desires that His house
be filled. He invites everyone to participate in the great feast of joy and life. He has
extended the invitation to all to come to His table, to His home.
Our theme acknowledges that many people are struggling and are seeking
a spiritual home where they can find true peace and hope, and where they can
experience an illuminating and transforming faith that offers them perfect truth
and the loving presence of God. Many people are burdened with the challenges
and instability of our contemporary world. Many more have placed their hopes in
empty promises, vain goals, and perishable treasures. Others have been misguided
by those whom they trusted to give them better lives and happiness. Many are like
the Prodigal Son (Luke 15), who having journeyed far from home in the pursuit of
pleasure and power, now find their souls in despair. The beautiful image of the
father waiting for the prodigal son, receiving him with open arms and rejoicing in
his return home, is one that calls all to return to our Father’s Home.
Finally, our theme is an affirmation of our calling to find the lost sheep, to bring
home the unchurched, and to help others renew the bonds of their faith. Our theme
affirms our calling to strengthen the unity of the family, to proclaim the necessity of
the Gospel to new generations, and to guide all into the spiritual haven of the Church,
into the blessings of worship and faith that offer to each and every person a foretaste
of our eternal home with God. In our homes, occupations, families, communities,
and through our parishes, Metropolises, and the entire Archdiocese, we are called to
be engaged in the divine vocation of gathering God’s people, which means everyone,
to His home. Our message should help the unchurched and the lost understand
and experience the communion with God and life within the community of faith,
as an experience of love, acceptance, spiritual security, and healing.
As we prepare for our Congress, may we rejoice in the home that we have in God
through our faith in Jesus Christ. May we be thankful for the meaning and purpose
that He grants to us through our communion with Him. Let us also be mindful that
there are many more to gather to His home. We do not have to look far to see the
many who have never experienced life in the Church or who are struggling to find
answers and direction. In our preparations and through our commitment to God
and to His Church, let us work to make every effort to hear the calling of our Lord
and gather His people to His home.

member and lament the loss of our fellow
Americans, who because of their sacrifice
will never again see the dawn of a new
day or watch the world tiptoe towards
darkness.
It is altogether proper that we as a
nation should remember these dead, for
these honored dead died to make men
free. They have lit forever the eternal and
sacred flame of freedom. We remember
them today and always as our eyes turn
towards heaven in sober testimonial.
John A. Micklos
Baltimore
 Remembers student
Editor,
Six decades ago I had a bright, sensitive youngster in my seventh grade class.
I speak of Rev. Dr. Efthimiou.
Even then he was questioning, search
MAY 2008
A Dialogue between War and Peace

 page 10
terprise! My coffers are full, I am never
hungry and I eat the best and most expensive food, wear the best clothes, I am
warm in winter and cool in summer, and
I say to myself every night, “Soul, soul,
you have many, many riches ...!”
And then Sir War took Rev. Peace by
the hand and looked into the fire and
said: “Have I not made freedom and
democracy my slave?” And then from
the fire, he looked into Rev. Peace’s eyes
and said, “Can I not make you one of my
slaves also? You will never hunger nor will
you ever feel the icy winds of winter, nor
the hot rays of the summer sun!”
Stunned by the reality of what Sir
War was saying, Rev. Peace slumped in
his chair, yet in his own defiant way,
replied in a whisper, “Never! Never will
I succumb to you, for I have hope and
faith that one day you will be defeated,
and that the world will come to its senses
and destroy all the pain and suffering you
cause! It may be a pipe dream, but I will
continue to speak out so that people; on
this planet, once and forever, will make
me, Peace, their philosophy to live by.”
“I, defeated, are you mad? Impossible!” as Sir War roared with laughter.
“Even though I am much older than
you,” said Sir War, “I shall live until the
end of time, for I share power with Satan, while your power is just a faith in a
Higher Being!” Sir War took Rev. Peace
to the window, and looking out into the
darkness, said: “Who loves you? No one,
but insignificant souls who don’t matter
in this life anyway!”
Rev. Peace took him back to the fireplace so that Sir War could see his eyes
flickering in anger as he replied softly, but
with conviction: “You are wrong! Most of
the world loves me! Little children sing
songs to me and all the good people in
every country around the world praise my
name and yearn for my presence!”
“Ridiculous! Gibberish! What are the
miserable populace of the world anyway?
They are not important! What power do
they give you? What does your Bible do
for them? What have you and your God
done to improve civilization?” Sir War
demanded.
“My God has done everything! In
His name, neighbors love each other,
according to the new commandment
that He has given us. In my name, families live together, children are brought
forth in love, cities are built, crops are
planted, His creation is respected, and
love is spread among nations throughout
the world! What good have you accomplished, Sir War?”
Sir War’s face became distorted and
said, “You speak nonsense! I spread
hate and evil. Do you think I grew rich
and fat spreading goodness and love? In
my name, new weapons are invented to
destroy each other. Who cares for the
good will of neighbors? Who needs peace
and love?” Strengthened by his cause, his
voice grew sharper as he continued, “I
make the rich richer. I give power to ruthless dictators, and I live by the tenet that
the weak should be ruled by their lords
and that poverty, despair and ignorance
must rule the world.”
With these disturbing thoughts, Rev.

ing and recording events that he found
interesting and challenging.
In his letter to the editor, speaking
about Byzantine Orthodox churches, he
Peace began to realize: “But the more
power you have, the closer you come to
destroy the whole world. What, then, will
you do without the world to keep you
rich and fat? There can be no more wars
if there aren’t more people left to fight.
Will you then become humble and lowly
like me and even die?”
“No, you idiot! There will always be a
world,” said Sir War. “Many will die, but
many will yet survive and my power will
increase. I will continue to build my castle
bigger on the bones of the dead. Those
who survive will be my slaves. It is you,
Peace, who are dying. I have hatred and
evil to fight my battles and they are much
stronger than the Bible, compromise,
peace and love. Don’t forget! Monuments have been erected in my name,
and widows and orphans have cried at
my tombs.”
Rev. Peace looked Sir War in the eyes
and said: “If you prevail in the Middle East
and the powers that govern have their
way, there will not be much of a world
left, for poverty, despair and starvation
will be the plague of the Middle East, and
eventually, the world.”
Rev. Peace stood up and stretched
out both hands and said: “Is it too late
to make a partnership of peace and
love and plant our beliefs like beautiful
flowers throughout the world? You can
grow accustomed to the laughter of little
children and be pleased by the smiles of
happiness on the face of people! Won’t
you consider it?”
“Never!” said Sir War. “As you cannot join me, neither can I join you. As I
said in the beginning, our conversation
is useless.”
Sir War turned his head in disgust
and clapped his huge hands which
jangled with the sound of gold and said,
“Slaves of the world, bring me my supper,
I am ravished and hungry!”
He then turned his head back again
to ask Rev. Peace to join him, for War
was always hospitable and never turned
guests away hungry. But, Peace was gone.
Left was only an empty fireplace where
the former flames curled up in black
clouds of smoke which filled the great
hall of the castle. Peace had disappeared,
and War seemed lifeless and empty.
And, War thought, had Peace ever
been there? Did Peace ever really exist? Or is Peace just a figment of one’s
imagination?
The Rev. Dr. Miltiades B. Efthimiou, a
retired protopresbyter of the Ecumenical
Patriarchate of Constantinople, served
as ecumenical officer for the Orthodox
Churches in the Americas, and has authored several books, as well as articles,
on the Christian Churches in the Middle
East. He resides in New York. E-mail
[email protected]
• This was written on an airplane
enroute to New York from Baghdad, after
the writer had attended a “Peace Mission”
with 18 other clergymen representing 60
million Christians, living in the Americas.
It took place right before Desert Storm in
Iraq and was sponsored by the National
Council of Churches. Areas visited were
Cyprus, Jerusalem, Lebanon, Damascus,
Amman and Baghdad.
reveals once again his beautiful, probing
mind.
You can imagine the feeling of this
octogenarian as I read his letter.
Helen Christ Arvanitis
Somers, N.Y.
11
12
MAY 2008
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Archbishop
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praises Dr.
Patsavos’
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to the
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HC/HC Honors Dr. Lewis Patsavos
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BROOKLINE, Mass. -- Hellenic College-Holy Cross School of Theology
recently held a reception to honor Dr.
Lewis Patsavos upon the publication of
his new book A Noble Task: Entry into the
Clergy in the First Five Centuries.
Those attending included Archbishop Demetrios, Metropolitan Gerasimos
of San Francisco, school trustees, clergy
from surrounding communities, faculty,
and others.
In his remarks, Archbishop Demetrios referred to his collegial relationship
with the honoree dating back to the time
of his own tenure as a member of the
Holy Cross faculty.
He expressed gratitude for Dr. Patsavos’ many years of service to Holy Cross
as a professor and to the Archdiocese as
a consultant on canonical affairs.
Other speakers included HC/HC
President Fr. Nicholas Triantafilou and
Holy Cross Dean Fr. Thomas Fitzgerald.
In his response, Dr. Patsavos expressed his deep appreciation for being
honored. He then referred to his book,
A Noble Task, which takes its title from
St. Paul’s instruction to his spiritual son
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Timothy: “If anyone aspires to the office
of bishop, he desires a noble task” (1
Tim 3:1).
Commenting on these words, Dr.
Patsavos stressed that, although they
speak of the office of bishop, all ministry exercised in the name of Christ is
noble.
The purpose of the work is to provide those aspiring to the high office of
the priesthood with an account of the
virtuous life which should be their goal.
The exemplary lives portrayed as
models of emulation especially for the
clergy are also admirable examples for
anyone aspiring to live the Christian life.
The author expressed hope that the book
will serve as a valuable spiritual resource
both for the clergy and for the average
layperson.
Dr. Patsavos began his fulltime
teaching career at Holy Cross School of
Theology in 1974 after years of study in
Greece, Germany and Italy.
Since then, he has taught Orthodox
canon law and directed the practical
training of students through the Field
Education Program at Holy Cross.
WASHINGTON – The National Sisterhood of Presvyteres (NSP) National Board,
led by President Cynthia Paleologos, at
its recent meeting here reviewed reports
from standing committees and metropolis
representatives, discussed programming
for the upcoming Clergy Laity Congress,
announced plans for its biennial retreat
in October 2009, and discussed other
concerns.
The NSP conference will be held
July 13-18 at the Marriott Wardman Park
Hotel.
The event will feature an icebreaker/
tea, lunch at the Greek Embassy, clergy
couple wellness seminars, a clergy family
dinner, business meetings and election of
officers for the 2008-10 term. Child care will
be provided at a cost. Child care reservations must be made in advance, no walk-ins
will be accepted.
Plans are underway for the 2009 National NSP Retreat.
This biennial
retreat will be Oct.
9-12, 2009 at the
Bon Secours Spiritual Center in Marriottsville, Md.
The Metropolis
of New Jersey Sisterhood is hosting the
retreat.
The NSP National Board officers
are Cynthia Paleologos, president;
Stephanie Panagos,
vice president; Jeannie Monos, corresponding secretary; Alice Noplos, recording secretary; and Maria Kerhulas, treasurer.
Metropolis representatives are Terry
Calogredes, Archdiocesan District; Georget
Photos, Atlanta; Katina Pantelis, Boston;
Tulla Poteres, Chicago; Katina Gartelos,
Denver; Ginny Emroll, Detroit; Pauline Pavlakos, New Jersey; Zoe Denas, Pittsburgh;
and Barbara Retelas, San Francisco.
Other representatives included Flora
Chioros, Past President/Advisor; Renee
Lambakis, Sister to Sister; Alexandra Poulos, Caregivers; Ione Filandrinos, Retired
Presbyteres; Mary Scoulas, Widowed Presbyteres; Anastasia Jonas, Historian; Kathryn
Patitsas, The Listening Connection; and
Pauline Pavlakos, Web Site.
Also in attendance was Assistant
Chancellor of the Archdiocese Fr. Michael
Kontogiorgis.
For more information, visit the NSP
website at www.nsp.goarch.org
ΜΑΙΟΣ 2008
ΕΤΟΣ 73 • ΑΡΙΘΜΟΣ 1239
Εαρινή Σύνοδος του
Αρχιεπισκοπικού Συμβουλίου
OΡΘΟΔΟΞΟΣ ΠΑΡΑΤΗΡΗΤΗΣ
Κατά τη διάρκεια της Εαρινής Συνεδρίας του Αρχιεπισκοπικού Συμβουλίου το
οποίο έλαβε χώρα σε ξενοδοχείο της Νέας
Υόρκης συζητήθηκαν τα υπέρ και τα κατά
του προτεινόμενου σχεδίου να πραγματοποιείται η κληρικολαϊκή συνέλευση ανά
τρία και όχι δύο έτη, όπως ισχύει σήμερα,
με σκοπό τη μείωση του κόστους. Το θέμα
αυτό πρόκειται να συζητηθεί κατά τη διάρκεια της επερχόμενης 39ης Κληρικολαϊκής Συνελεύσεως τον Ιούλιο τ.ε. στην
Ουάσινγκτον.
Τα μέλη του Αρχιεπισκοπικού Συμβουλίου άκουσαν τις απόψεις του Αρχιεπισκόπου Δημητρίου αναφορικά με το
θέμα της εφετινής Κληρικολαϊκής Συνελεύσεως σχετικά με την επιστροφή στην
Εκκλησία των μη εκκλησιαζομένων και
αποκομμένων απ’ αυτήν. «Φτάνουν στο
σημείο να έχουν ανάγκη σύνδεσης», είπε
ο Αρχιεπίσκοπος Δημήτριος για τα περίπου
60 εκατομμύρια των Αμερικανών οι οποίοι ανήκουν σε αυτή τη κατηγορία.
Ανέφερε, επίσης, ότι οι μη εκκλησιαζόμενοι έχουν «γεννηθεί μέσα σε ένα κοσμικό περιβάλλον και είναι μέρος της κοσμικότητας της κοινωνίας». Συνεχίζοντας,
είπε ότι «οι Ορθόδοξοι Χριστιανοί θα
πρέπει να ενισχύσουν και να βοηθήσουν
αυτές τις ομάδες, καθώς η πραγματικότητα αυτή προσφέρει μία εκπληκτική ευκαιρία».«Ολοι κάτι περιμένουν», κατέληξε.
Ο Αρχιεπίσκοπος, επίσης, ζήτησε την
ανάπτυξη πρακτικών μεθόδων βάσει των
οποίων θα προσεγγισθούν οι μη εκκλησιαζόμενοι.
Ο Αντιπρόεδρος του Αρχιεπισκοπικού
Συμβουλίου, κ. Μάικλ Τζαχάρης, τόνισε
την αναγκαιότητα να διδάσκονται οι νέοι
την σπουδαιότητα της επίδρασης της Ελληνικής Παιδείας και της σχέσης της με
την Εκκλησία. Επίσης, τόνισε το ρόλο του
οργανισμού «Κληροδότημα Πίστης» στην
προώθηση της διδασκαλίας του Ελληνισμού στα κοινοτικά σχολεία.
Από την πλευρά του, ο Εκτελεστικός
Διευθυντής της Αρχιεπισκοπής Αμερικής
κ. Τζέρι Δημητρίου στην οικονομική έκθεση που κατέθεσε στο Αρχιεπισκοπικό
Συμβούλιο ανέφερε ότι η Αρχιεπισκοπή
απολαμβάνει αύξησης εισφορών μέσω των
μελών των εκκλησιών και άλλων οδών οι
οποίες θα βοηθήσουν την Εκκλησία να
σταθεροποιήσει την οικονομική βάση της.
Επίσης, έκανε αναφορά στις Μητροπόλεις
Ντητρόϊτ, Σικάγου και Αγίου Φραγκίσκου
οι οποίες κατάφεραν να εκπληρώσουν
εκατό τοις εκατό τις υποχρεώσεις τους
προς την Αρχιεπισκοπή.
Στα πλαίσια των προσπαθειών για
καλυτέρευση της εκκλησιαστικής διαχείρισης, η Αρχιεπισκοπή ξεκίνησε ένα νέο
πρόγραμμα «Επαναπροσδιορισμού του
ρόλου του Κοινοτικού Συμβουλίου» το
οποίο θα συμπεριλαμβάνει εκπαιδευτικά
σεμινάρια σε επίπεδο κοινοτήτων μέσα
στα επόμενα χρόνια, με σκοπό να τονισθεί
ο ρόλος και οι υπευθυνότητες του κοινοτικού συμβουλίου.
Σύμφωνα με την έκθεση που κατέθεσε ο Theo Nicolakis διευθυντής του τμήματος Διαδικτυακών Υπηρεσιών και Πληροφορικής της Αρχιεπισκοπής Αμερικής,
έχει δημιουργηθεί ένα νέο σύστημα αλληλογραφίας το οποίο θα επεκταθεί με την
πάροδο του χρόνου σε όλες της Μητροπόλεις. Το σύστημα αυτό θα μπορεί να ελέγχει όλο το εύρος της αλληλογραφίας που
διακινείται μέσω του Γραφείου του Αρχιεπισκόπου και ταυτόχρονα να διαχειρίζεται τον μεγάλο όγκο αλληλογραφίας και
εντύπων τα οποία προωθούνται από το
Γραφείο αυτό σε καθημερινή βάση. Το
σύστημα αυτό χρηματοδοτείται από δωρεά της «Ηγεσίας των 100».
Άλλες εκθέσεις
• Τμήμα Θρησκευτικής Εκπαίδευσης: Το τμήμα αυτό εξέδωσε ένα
24σέλιδο περιοδικό τον περασμένο Μάρτιο το οποίο συμπεριέλαβε τις λειτουργίες,
τις έννοιες και τα παραδοσιακά έθιμα της
Μεγάλης Εβδομάδος γραμμένα ειδικά για
παιδιά της 6ης δημοτικού. Στο χρονικό
διάστημα μεταξύ 24 Μαρτίου και 11 Απριλίου το εν λόγω περιοδικό πούλησε 10,000
αντίτυπα στις κοινότητες.
• Τμήμα διακονίας μελών μεικτών
γάμων: Στους στόχους για το τρέχον έτος
συμπεριλαμβάνεται η καλυτέρευση και
οργάνωση του διαδικτυακού τόπου το
οποίο προσφέρει πληροφορίες επί θεμάτων μεικτών γάμων, δημιουργίας προγραμμάτων προγαμιαίας εκπαίδευσης και
εν γένει μιας πιο δυναμικής παρουσίας
 óåë. 14
Αρχιεπίσκοπος Β. & Ν. Αµερικής Μιχαήλ (1892-1958)
Ο Αρχιεπίσκοπος Β. και Ν. Αμερικής Μιχαήλ (τρίτος από δεξιά) σε εκδήλωση το 1951
παρουσία του τότε Κυβερνήτη της Πολιτείας της Νέας Υόρκης Αβεριλ Χάριμαν. Παρόντες
επίσης ήταν ο Πρέσβης Μάικλ Σωτήρχος (αριστερά), Περικλής Λαντζούνης, ένας
ανώνυμος συνεργάτης του Κυβερνήτη, ο π. Βασίλειος Ευθυμίουκαι ο π. Καζαράς.
Ο Αρχιεπίσκοπος Μιχαήλ, κατά
κόσμον Θουκυδίδης Κωνσταντινίδης,
εγεννήθη το 1892 στη Μαρώνεια της
Κομοτηνής.
Το 1907 εισήχθη στην Θεολογική
Σχολή της Χάλκης και απεφοίτησε το
1914 με άριστα.
Εδίδαξε στην ίδια για ένα χρόνο και
έκανε μεταπτυχιακή εργασία στην
ιστορική Θεολογική Σχολή του Λένιγκραντ και Κιέβου (1915-1919).
Το 1919 εχειροτονήθη ιερεύς και
διορίσθη στο ναό του Αγίου Στεφάνου
της Κωνσταντινουπόλεως. Το 1923 διορίσθη Πρωτοσύγκελλος της Αρχιεπισκοπής Αθηνών και πάσης Ελλάδος,
όπου και υπηρέτησε για τέσσερα χρόνια. Το 1927 εξελέγη πρωτοπρεσβύτερος του Καθεδρικού Ναού της Αγίας
Σοφίας στο Λονδίνο όπου και παρέμεινε
μέχρι το 1939.
Το 1939 εξελέγη Μητροπολίτης της
αρχαίας ιστορικής Επισκοπής Κορίνθου
όπου και παρέμεινε μέχρι το 1949.
Τον Οκτώβριο του 1949, η Ιερά
Σύνοδος του Οικουμενικού Πατριαρχείου τον εξέλεξε Αρχιεπίσκοπο Βορείου
και Νοτίου Αμερικής.
Ξεκίνησε τα καθήκοντά του στις 15
Δεκεμβρίου 1949 ως διάδοχος του Αθηναγόρα Ι, ο οποίος εξελέγη Οικουμενικός Πατριάρχης.
Θεωρείται εκ των λογιωτάτων ιερωμένων της Ανατολικής Ορθοδόξου Εκκλησίας. Γνώριζε Ελληνικά, Αγγλικά,
Γαλλικά, Τουρκικά και Ρωσσικά. Έχει
συγγράψει περισσότερα από 25 βιβλία
σχετικά με τη διοίκηση, διεύθυνση και
διδασκαλία της Ελληνικής Ορθοδόξου
Πίστεως.
Τον Ιούλιο του 1958, κατά την διάρκεια της 14ης Κληρικολαϊκής Συνελεύσεως στο Σόλτ Λέϊκ Σιτι της Γιούτα
αρρώστησε και εισήχθη στο νοσοκομείο. Η κατάστασή του χειροτέρευσε
και μετεφέρθη σε νοσοκομείο της Νέας
Υόρκης όπου και υπεβλήθη σε εγχείρηση.
Α πεβίωσε τ ην 13 ην Ιουλίου του
1958.
ΑΡΧΙΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΣ ΑΜΕΡΙΚΗΣ
Στις 11 Οκτωβρίου 1949, εξελέγη
από την Ι. Σύνοδο του Οικουμενικού
Πατριαρχείου Αρχιεπίσκοπος Βορείου
και Νοτίου Αμερικής, παρά την προσωπική αντίθεση του Πατριάρχου Αθηναγόρα.
Συνειδητοποιώντας ότι ο Αρχιεπίσκοπος Αμερικής δεν είναι μόνον ποιμενάρχης ενός εκατομμυρίου αποδήμων
Ελ λήνων, αλ λά συγχρόνως και πρεσβευτής της Ελλάδος κατά την Αμερικανική κοινή γνώμη, δεν έχανε την ευκαιρία να γνωστοποιεί στο λαό της
Αμερικής τα εκάστοτε προβλήματα που
απασχολούσαν την πατρίδα, προεξάρχοντος του Κυπριακού. Το 1953 κινητοποίησε την ομογένεια για την προσφορά
χρηματικής βοήθειας προς τους σεισμόπληκτους των Ιονίων νήσων, όρισε πανομογενειακό πένθος για τους βανδαλισμούς και το πογκρόμ των Ελλήνων
της Κωνσταντινουπόλεως και της Σμύρνης, διαμαρτυρήθηκε για την απόλυση
του Αρχιεπισκόπου Κύπρου Μακαρίου,
έστειλε επιταγή $30.000 στους σεισμοπαθείς της Θεσσαλίας.
Ο Αρχιεπίσκοπος Μιχαήλ έδωσε
νέα ώθηση στα ημερήσια και απογευματινά σχολεία, αναδιοργάνωσε το
Γραφείο Παιδείας και είχε όραμα την
ίδρυση περισσότερων ημερησίων και
απογευματινών σχολείων. Πίστευε πως
η νέα γενιά έπρεπε να ενστερνισθεί την
εθνική συνείδηση των γονιών της για να
εξασφαλισθεί η επιβίωση του ελληνικού
στοιχείου και να αποκτήσει συνείδηση
της φυλετικής και πολιτιστικής κληρονομιάς της.
Αναδιοργάνωσε τα Κατηχητικά
σχολεία. Για πρώτη φορά εξέδωσε εγχειρίδια Κατηχητικού για διδάσκοντες
και διδασκομένους.
Ενίσχυσε τη Θεολογική Σχολή του
Μπρουκλάιν και πίστευε ότι έπρεπε να
ενδυναμωθεί με κάθε θυσία ώστε οι
φοιτητές εξερχόμενοι να είναι θεολογι-
 óåë. 20
14
ΟΡΘΟ∆ΟΞΟΣ ΠΑΡΑΤΗΡΗΤΗΣ
Επίσκεψη Αρχιεπισκόπου Ιερωνύμου στο Φανάρι
N. MΑΓΓΙΝΑΣ
Μακαριώτατε,
Ἱερώτατοι ἀδελφοί,
Ἐξοχώτατε κ. Πρέσβυ,
Πρό ὀλίγου ἐν τῇ Εὐχαριστίᾳ περί τήν
«Τράπεζαν τοῦ Κυρίου» συνιερουργήσαµεν
καί ἐγεύθηµεν τοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἄρτου καί ἐπίοµεν
ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ ποτηρίου σωτηρίου, συµµετέχοντες εἰς τό µυστήριον τῆς ἀγαπητικῆς
«κοινωνίας» ἐντός τῆς µιᾶς πίστεως, διά τῆς
µιᾶς ἱερωσύνης, ἐν τῷ ἡγιασµένῳ τόπῳ µιᾶς
ἱστορικῆς Μονῆς τῆς Μεγάλης τοῦ Χριστοῦ
Ἐκκλησίας.
Μετά τήν ἐκ τῆς ἱερουργίας ἔξοδον καί
τήν πλήρωσιν δι᾿ ἁγιασµοῦ τῆς ὑπάρξεως
ἡµῶν, κυκλοῦµεν εἰς «καιρόν ἀρίστου» ὡς
«νεόφυτα ἐλαιῶν» τήν «τετανυσµένην εἰς
µῆκος» Πατριαρχικήν Τράπεζαν διά νά
«ἀριστεύσωµεν» βρῶσιν καί πόσιν καί πάλιν
ἐν ἀγαπητικῇ «κοινωνίᾳ», ὡς ἀδελφοί πρός
ἀδελφούς. Καί ἡ «κοινωνία» αὕτη διά τήν
µετάληψιν τῶν καρπῶν τῆς γῆς πρός πλήρωσιν τῆς φυσικῆς ἀναγκαιότητος ἐνέχει
ἰδιαιτέραν σηµασίαν διότι διεξάγεται κατά
τήν παλαιάν µοναστηριακήν τάξιν µετά τό
«Κυριακόν ∆εῖπνον» καί µάλιστα ἐντός
χώρου ἱστορηµένου µέ σειράν ἱερῶν «φιλοξενιῶν» ἐκ τῶν δύο ∆ιαθηκῶν, καθώς καί µέ
τό πρωτοχριστιανικόν «δεῖπνον ἀγάπης» καί
µέ τήν «σύναξιν» τῶν σοφῶν τοῦ Γένους
ἡµῶν. Τήν κορυφαίαν θέσιν τοῦ προεξάρχοντος συνδαιτυµόνος ἐν τῇ τραπέζῃ ταύτη ἐν
µέσῳ ἡµῶν κατέχει ὁ Κύριος µέ τόν ἀναπεσόντα «ἐπί τό στῆθος» αὐτοῦ ἠγαπηµένον
µαθητήν Ἰωάννην, τοῦ ὁποίου τήν κληρονοµίαν ἀνεδέχθη καί στερρῶς φέρει µετ᾿
ἐκείνην τοῦ Πρωτοκλήτου Ἀνδρέου ἡ Ἀποστολική αὕτη Καθέδρα τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ἥτις
καί µετεβιβάσθη ἐκ τῆς καθ᾿ ἡµᾶς Ἀνατολῆς
καί εἰς τήν καθ᾿ Ἑλλάδα Ἐκκλησίαν.
Ὡς συνδαιτυµόνες «ἀριστηταί» εἰς
χῶρον µνηµονεύοντα τοσούτων γεγονότων
τῆς Ἱερᾶς Ἱστορίας τῆς Ἐκκλησίας καί τοῦ
Γένους ἡµῶν, ἐνθυµούµεθα καί τήν πολλήν
µέριµναν τῶν ἁγίων πατέρων ἡµῶν διά τήν
κατά τάξιν παράθεσιν τῶν «τραπεζῶν ἀγάπης» τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ὅπως ἐµφαίνεται ἐκ
σχετικοῦ κειµένου τοῦ Μ. Βασιλείου γράφοντος: «Πῶς δεῖ περί τάς καθέδρας καί τάς
κατακλίσεις ἐν καιρῷ τῶν ἀρίστων ἤ τῶν
δείπνων ἔχειν» (Migne, P.G. τ. 31. στ. 976).
Ὁ Ὅσιος Λουκᾶς, ὁ ἐν Στειρίῳ, ἐπισκεφθείς
τόν Θ’ αἰῶνα ἄρχοντα ἐν Θήβαις, τόν ψέγει
«ἐπεί ἀρίστου καιρός ἦν» καί ἦτο «ἐπί
στρωµνῆς ὕπτιος ἀνακείµενος» ὑποτιµῶν
τούς «µετ᾿ αὐτοῦ ἑστιωµένους». Ἀλλά ἀπό
τῆς ἀρχῆς τῆς δευτέρας χιλιετίας καί
ἐντεῦθεν παρῆλθον τά ἀρχαῖα ἑλληνικά ἤθη
περί τῶν γευµάτων καί «ἀνεκλίθησαν» ἀπό
τάς «κατακλίσεις» οἱ ἐν Χριστῷ ἀδελφοί,
ὥστε ὡς συνδαιτυµόνες νά παρακάθηνται εἰς
τήν τράπεζαν εἰς µίαν διαπροσωπικήν στάσιν
ἐπικοινωνίας ὡς «ἐνώπιοι ἐνωπίοις».
Καί ἰδού, ἡµεῖς ἱστάµεθα σήµερον,
Μακαριώτατε, «ἐνώπιοι ἐνωπίοις» ζῶντες
τόν σύνδεσµον τῆς ἑνότητος καί τῆς ὁµοφροσύνης ὡς µέλη τοῦ «σώµατος τοῦ Χριστοῦ», τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, εἰς τήν ὁποίαν κεφαλή εἶναι ὁ Κύριος, προσέχοντες νά µή
ὑποφέρῃ ἡ κεφαλή ἐκ τῶν ἀδυναµιῶν τῶν
µελῶν τοῦ σώµατος, ἐξ ἀτάκτων, ἀκανονίστων καί «κοσµοποιῶν» παραµορφώσεων,
ἐφ᾿ ὅσον εἴµεθα µέλη ἀλλήλων καί τοῦ αὐτοῦ
σώµατος µέ κεφαλήν τόν Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν.
Τά κυκλοφοροῦντα Φαρµακίδεια «ἀναπλάσµατα» ἀκόµη καί τά νεώτερα δῆθεν ζηλωτικά «ἐπινοήµατα» ἀποτελοῦν «ἐπίπλαστον
µαταιοτεχνίαν» πρός ἀνάφλεξιν κοσµικοῦ
χαρακτῆρος ἀντιεκκλησιαστικῶν ἰδεολογηµάτων, πρός ἀναίρεσιν τῆς κανονικῆς τάξεως
ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ καί πρός ἀθέτησιν τῆς ἀπό
αἰώνων παγίας οἰκουµενικῆς τακτικῆς καί
ἱστορικῆς πορείας τοῦ καθ᾿ ἡµᾶς ἱεροῦ Θεσµοῦ διά τήν «καταλλαγήν» ἐν τῇ Χριστιανωσύνῃ. Ὅµως ἡ Ἀποστολική αὕτη Καθέδρα ἄν µεγαλύνεται καί σήµερον «ἐν τοῖς
ἐκκλησιαστικοῖς πράγµασι», τοῦτο ὀφείλεται ἀρχικῶς εἰς τήν διαβεβαίωσιν τοῦ Θείου
Ἱδρυτοῦ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ὅτι «πύλαι Ἅδου
οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς». Εἰσέτι µεγαλύνεται καί διά τήν ἐµµονήν εἰς τήν Ὀρθοδοξίαν
καί εἰς τήν τήρησιν τῆς κανονικῆς τάξεως,
ὡς ἡ περίοπτος κορυφαία φρυκτωρία τῆς
Οἰκουµένης ἡ φωτίζουσα καί ὑπερασπιζοµένη τά κανονικῶς ὁρισθέντα δίκαια αὐτῆς
ἐκ τῶν Οἰκουµενικῶν Συνόδων, τά ὁποῖα
τήν κατέστησαν ἐπί δεκαπέντε καί πλέον
αἰῶνας πηγήν τῶν ἱερῶν θεσπισµάτων διά
τήν καθ᾿ ἡµᾶς Ἀνατολήν. Ἡ Μήτηρ Ἐκκλησία µεγαλύνεται, διότι παρά τήν µακράν καί
µαρτυρικήν αἰχµαλωσίαν αὐτῆς, παρέµεινεν
ἀρραγής µέχρι θανάτου ἡ ἅλυσις τῶν κοπιασάντων Ἁγίων προκατόχων ἡµῶν Πατριαρχῶν, οἵτινες ὑπερησπίσθησαν τάς ἀληθείας τῆς πίστεως, τήν γλῶσσαν καί τήν παιδείαν τοῦ κλήρου καί τοῦ λαοῦ τοῦ εὐσεβοῦς
ἡµῶν Γένους, ἀλλά καί διά ὀτρηρῶν ἀγώνων
διησφάλισαν τήν σποράν τῶν παραδοθέντων
εἰς τοῦτο πρός καρποφορίαν ἰδεωδῶν καί
ἀρχῶν ἐν τῷ ἡµετέρῳ Πατριαρχικῷ κλίµατι
καί εἰς τάς ἐξ αὐτοῦ προελθούσας ἀδελφάς
Αὐτοκεφάλους Ἐκκλησίας, ἀλλά καί εἰς
ὅλην τήν Ὀρθοδοξίαν.
Ἡ «τελεία» ἀγάπη ἔξω βάλλει τόν φόβον», κατά τόν Εὐαγγελιστήν Ἰωάννην (Α’
Ἰω. δ’ 18), καί ὁ ἀγαπῶν καί µόνον εὐαρεστεῖ
τόν Κύριον ἐπειδή διά τῆς ἀγάπης ἐκπληροῦται τό θέληµά Του «ἵνα ὦµεν ἕν» ἐν Αὐτῷ.
Ἡ «ἑνότης» τῆς Ἐκκλησίας εἶναι ρητή
ἐντολή τοῦ Σωτῆρος Χριστοῦ διότι «ἀδελφός ὑπό ἀδελφοῦ βοηθούµενος ὡς πόλις
ὀχυρά καί ὑψηλή, ἰσχύει δέ ὥσπερ τεθεµελιωµένον βασίλειον» (Παρ. ιη’ 19).
Ὡς γνωστόν, εἰς τόν Πάνσεπτον Πατριαρχικόν Ναόν τό Γένος περιβάλλει µέ µεγάλην τιµήν ἀπό αἰώνων τό ἱερόν λείψανον τῆς
Ἁγίας Σολοµονῆς, µητρός τῶν Μακκαβαίων,
ὡς παραδείγµατος διδαχῆς µητρός τῆς
ἐγκαρτερήσεως, τῆς συνεπείας, τῆς µακρο-
ΜΑΙΟΣ 2008
Εαρινή Σύνοδος του
Αρχιεπισκοπικού Συμβουλίου
μέσω νέων και σύγχρονων σεμιναρίων
απευθυνομένων σε λαϊκούς, γονείς και
κληρικούς.
• Επικοινωνίες: Ένας εξωτερικός
οργανισμός, η TSD Communications, με
έδρα την Ουάσινγκτον μελετά τον ρόλο
των επικοινωνιών μέσα στην Αρχιεπισκοπή μέσω συνεντεύξεων με άτομα από
κάθε τομέα της Αρχιεπισκοπής τα οποία
έχουν σχέση με το Τμήμα Επικοινωνιών.
• Γάμος και οικογένεια: Το Κέντρο
«Οικογενειακή Μέριμνα» έχει δεχθεί
χρηματική δωρεά από την «Ηγεσία των
100» με σκοπό την ανάπτυξη στρατηγικού
σχεδίου για την περαιτέρω ενίσχυση και
ενδυνάμωση των Ορθοδόξων οικογενειών,
με την συνδρομή του Τμήματος Κοινοτικής
Ανάπτυξης.
• Τμήμα Διακονίας Ενηλίκων: Το
συγκεκριμένο Τμήμα συνεργάζεται με τη
Θεολογική Σχολή του Τιμίου Σταυρού με
σκοπό την έναρξη προγράμματος στα
πλαίσια του οποίου θα πραγματοποιούνται
επισκέψεις επιτυχημένων ιερέων διαφόρων κοινοτήτων, διευθυντών ιεραποστολών αλλά και λαϊκών.
• Γραφείο Ελληνικής Παιδείας:
Το Τμήμα αυτό ξεκίνησε διαδικασία συγγραφής βιβλίων με ανανεωμένη διδακτική ύλη καθώς και πραγματοποίησης σεμι-
ναρίων για δασκάλους με σκοπό την καλυτέρευση των εκπαιδευτικών ικανοτήτων
τους. Επίσης, κατά το χρονικό διάστημα
μεταξύ 19 Ιουλίου και 4 Αυγούστου τ.έ. θα
πραγματοποιηθεί σεμινάριο εκπαίδευσης
των διδασκάλων της Αρχιεπισκοπής Αμερικής στην Κύπρο, με τη συνεργασία του
Πανεπιστημίου Κύπρου.
• Γραφείο Παιδείας Αμέσου Αρχιεπισκοπικής Περιφέρειας: Το συγκεκριμένο Γραφείο διοργανώνει ετησίως
επιμορφωτικά σεμινάρια για τους εκπαιδευτικούς σε συνεργασία με το Πανεπιστήμιο Saint John’s της Νέας Υόρκης.
Kυκλοφόρησε, επίσης, νέο οδηγό διδασκαλίας της Ελληνικής Γλώσσας –ως
δεύτερη γλώσσα– για παιδιά Νηπιαγωγείου. Στις ευθύνες του Γραφείου αυτού
εντάσσονται, επίσης, οι Εξετάσεις Σύγχρονης Ελληνικής Γλώσσας και Γραμματείας
οι οποίες προσφέρονται σε σχολεία της
Πολιτείας Νέας Υόρκης, σε τμήματα της
Νέας Ιερσέης, του Κονέκτικατ και της
Βιρτζίνιας.
Ο Αρχιεπίσκοπος Αμερικής κ. Δημήτριος ανακοίνωσε ότι το ίδρυμα «Ωνάσης»
θα ενισχύσει την προσπάθεια της Αρχιεπισκοπής για την Ελληνική εκπαίδευση
και ότι ο οργανισμός «Κληροδότημα Πίστης» σκοπεύει να προσφέρει υποτροφίες
στους valedictorians και salutatorians των
σχολείων Eλληνικής εκπαίδευσης.
θυµίας καί τῶν λοιπῶν ἀρετῶν πρός τά
ἑαυτῆς τέκνα διά τήν ὑπεράσπισιν τῶν ἀξιῶν
καί τῶν δικαιωµάτων τοῦ ἀνθρώπου. Ὁ Μ.
Βασίλειος σχολιάζων τό Μακκαβαϊκόν
σθένος ἀντιστάσεως ἐξαίρει εἰς τάς τάξεις
αὐτῶν τῶν πολεµιστῶν τήν θαυµαστήν
ὁµοψυχίαν καί ἑνότητα, ἐπειδή ἐβάδιζον µέ
µίαν ψυχήν καί µίαν θέλησιν ὡς εἷς ἄνθρωπος καί ἐπέτυχον κατατρόπωσιν τῶν ἐναντίων καί ἐνδόξους νίκας.
Ἡ ἀδελφική ἀγάπη δέν συγκατοικεῖ µέ
ὑψηγορίαν καί οἰησισοφίαν, κρυψίνοιαν καί
πανουργίαν, κουφολόγον ψευδοδοξίαν καί
µέ πολυπλανεῖς ἐνεργείας, διότι ἐάν εἰς τά
τοῦ κόσµου συµβαίνοντα τῆς «ἀναρχίας
µεῖζον οὐκ ἔστι κακόν, αὕτη πόλεις ὄλλυσιν,
ἥδ᾿ ἀναστάτους οἴκους τίθησι», κατά τόν
Σοφοκλῆ, πολλῷ µᾶλλον εἰς τά ἐκκλησιαστικά πράγµατα ἡ ἀθέτησις τῶν θεσµοθετηµένων εἰς Τόµους καί Πράξεις εἶναι «στα-
σιῶδες πρόκριµα» ἀσεβείας καί ἀναρχίας,
καταλύουσα τήν οὐσιώδη ἐκκλησιολογικήν
ἀρχήν τῆς ἀγαπητικῆς σχέσεως Μητρός καί
θυγατέρων Ἐκκλησιῶν, ἡ ὁποία διά νά
συλλειτουργῇ κατά τήν κανονικήν τάξιν «οὐ
ζηλοῖ, οὐ ζητεῖ τά ἑαυτῆς».
Μακαριώτατε,
Αἱ γενόµεναι ἐπίσηµοι ἑστιάσεις εἰς τόν
Θετταλόν Τρίκλινον παρά τόν Καθεδρικόν
Ναόν τῆς Σοφίας καί τοῦ Λόγου τοῦ Θεοῦ
διεξήγοντο κατά µαρτυρίαν µέ τήν µοναστηριακήν τάξιν µέ ἀναγνώσεις πατερικάς.
Ἡµεῖς ὅµως τανῦν ἀνταλλάσσοµεν εὐχαριστηρίους προπόσεις καί ἀντιπροπόσεις
ὑψοῦντες «κρασοβόλιν»κρατῆρα καί εὐχόµενοι νά ὑγιαίνετε καί νά µακροηµερεύετε,
νά ὁδηγῆτε, νά ποιµαίνετε, νά ἐµπνέετε, µέ
τόν λόγον Σας τόν γλυκύν ἀλλά πρό παντός
µέ τό εὔλαλον παράδειγµά Σας καί µέ τό
ἐκκλησιαστικόν ἦθος καί φρόνηµά Σας.
 óåë. 13
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for all who relate to their father’s life histories.
Archbishop Michael (1892-1958): A Tribute
Remembering
Michael
Editor’s note
July 2008 marks the 50th anniversary of the passing of Archbishop
Michael, who in his 11–year tenure
as head of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America,
had a profound impact on the modern
church.
He was enthroned Dec. 18, 1949,
as the third hierarch to lead the
Archdiocese, succeeding Archbishop
Athenagoras.
During the 1950s, Archbishop
Michael led the effort to achieve recognition of Orthodox Christianity as
a major faith, established the Greek
Orthodox Youth of America (GOYA)
and helped create a sound financial
basis for the operation of the Church.
In honor of this outstanding Churchman, who died July 13, 1958 after a lingering illness, the Orthodox Observer
dedicates this four–page section.
by Michael Sotirhos
Very few people have had an enduring influence on my life. One, however,
stands out in my mind and heart – Archbishop Michael.
In the late 1940s, many parishes in
the United States formed youth groups.
Many of these groups banded together
to form Greek Orthodox Youth Federations. I presided over one such federation in New York that had 14 youth
groups as members. Other federations
also existed – in Chicago and the upper
Midwest.
When Archbishop Michael assumed
leadership of our Church in North and
South America, he helped these federations of youth groups unite at the national
level in an organization named the Greek
Orthodox Youth of America, or GOYA.
With Archbishop Michael’s encouragement, GOYA had as many as 37,000
members in the mid-1950s. From the
membership of GOYA came hundreds
of future presidents of local parishes,
boards of trustees, for not only a local
parish but for archdiocesan institutions
and leadership of Philoptochos and its
organization.
GOYA became a training ground for
our Church’s future leadership and that
leadership helped to broaden Greek
Orthodoxy in the United States.
The Archbishop had close ties with
those of us in New York. He was always
supportive, encouraging and helpful
in GOYA’s progress and success. Many
hours were spent in those formative
years with the Archbishop.
Not only were we building an organization, but we were building friendships and character – things that my
generation held deeply. Many of those
friendships continue to endure today.
The Archbishop attended all our
national conferences. Feeling poorly,
the Archbishop attended the 1958 conference of GOYA in Salt Lake City.
None of us knew how ill the Archbishop was. His plan was to attend
only the opening session but, to our
surprise, he gathered his strength to
attend all the important events of the
conference.
Little did we know that he would
soon meet his Maker.
I was so fortunate to know this
great man He was always ready to advise, to love, to inspire and to motivate
our Church’s youth.
His kindness to all and to me, in
particular, was one of his key traits.
Further, his good humor and a
depth of knowledge enhanced his hard
work and success.
I was especially honored by the
auxiliary bishops who chose me to lay
the ceremonial wreath upon his grave
at St. Basil’s Academy the day of his
funeral.
We who know you, Your Eminence,
pray for you, as we know you pray for
us and our beloved Church.
Michael Sotirhos is a former U.S.
ambassador to Greece and to Jamaica,
and is a founder of the New York
GOYA.
A Remarkable
Ministry
by Paul G. Manolis
ARCHBISHOP MICHAEL (Archdiocese Archives)
Archbishop Michael became the first Greek Orthodox hierarch to deliver a prayer at the inauguration of a U.S. President – in 1957 for President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Vice President Richard
Nixon.
(Archdiocese Archives)
Archbishop Michael, who served as
Archbishop of North and South America
from 1949 until his death in 1958, was
noted as a theologian, a scholar, a pastor,
an administrator and an ecumenist.
His years as Archbishop of our Church
in the Americas were a bridge between
the archbishoprics of Athenagoras and
Iakovos.
He built upon the foundations laid
by Athenagoras, who had united American
Hellenism and the Church. Michel was
able to progressively develop the Church
administratively in many ways, especially
financially. He placed great emphasis
on education, both ecclesiastically and
Greek.
Archbishop Michael was born Thucydides Constantinides in Maroneia of western Thrace on May 27, 1892, He entered
the Halki theological school in1906 and
graduated in 1914.
In 1915 he was sent to Russia for
further study at the theological schools of
Kiev and St. Petersburg, Russia, were he
studied for four yeas on a scholarship from
the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
He returned to Constantinople after
the Russia Revolution and was ordained
a priest in 1919 and served parishes in
Constantinople.
He went to Greece in 1923 and was
named chancellor of the Archdiocese of
Athens.
In 1927 he was appointed the priest to
the Cathedral of St. Sophia in London, England, where he remained until 1939, when
he was elected Metropolitan of Corinth.
During the 12 years of his service in
London he was pastorally, theologically
and socially very active.
During this period he was the author
of many theological studies including
translations from the Greek, Russian and
English.
He was at the same time active in
ecumenical affairs. He represented the
Ecumenical Patriarchate at the Faith and
Order meeting in Lausanne in 1927, repre-

 page B 2
B2
MAY 2008
Church Makes Progress in the Decade of the 1950s A Remarkable
Ministry
by Peter Kourides
The second modern era of our Church
began with the arrival of Archbishop Michael on Dec. 15, 1949.
For a decade, he had been the Metropolitan of Corinth and for 12 years prior he
had been the dean of the Cathedral of St.
Sophia in London.
Archbishop Michael’s personality was
totally different from that of his predecessor, Archbishop Athenagoras.
He was an intellectual, a deeply
learned man, a theologian and an author.
He was reserved in demeanor, a very
quiet person and literally avoided publicity
and personal popularity.
His long tenure in Great Britain did
not anglicize his approach to his religious
assignment in the Americas. His attitude
to his new responsibilities was no different than if he had been transferred from
Corinth to Thessaloniki.
He somehow felt that the United
States was just another Greek eparchia
assignment.
His English was not very fluent and
his mentality was entirely Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese of America It was difficult to
believe that this hierarch had lived in Great
Britain for so long and yet no part of that
experience had been imprinted on him.
He was a very pious, spiritual man
concerned intensely with the sacramental
life of the Church.
In succeeding a man of Archbishop
Athenagoras’ stature and charismatic gifts,
Archbishop Michael was faced with a great
challenge. He made no effort to compete.
He was not of competitive nature and felt
no need to win the acclaim of the populace.
As a result, his reign was particularly low
key and totally different from the exciting
and vibrant Athenagoras tenure.
It is reasonable to conclude that after
18 years of Archbishop Athenagoras, the
time had come for a period of consolidating the unity that was gained with so much
struggle.
Michael’s era was the 1950 decade of
consolidating and extending the unity and
reconciliation that Archbishop Athenagoras
attained with so much blood, sweat and
tears during the 1930s and the 1940s.
Notwithstanding his lack of familiarity
with the unique problems that confronted
the administration and direction of our
Church in the Americas, Archbishop Michael within a few months concluded that
it was not possible to fund the archdiocesan responsibilities with the “monodollarion.”
As a result of the 10th Biennial Congress in November 1950 in St. Louis, Missouri, he recommended that the one dollar
annual contribution to the Archdiocese be
increased to $10 – the dekadollarion.
To the surprise of many, there was
practically no opposition either tin committee or at plenary sessions. By the time
of his death eight years later, the annual
income of the Archdiocese had increased
from $100,320.25 during the last year of
Archbishop Athenagoras’ monodollarion,
to $585,698.99 under the dekadollarion
for the 1958 calendar year. Because boom
times had come to the U.S. and the Greek
American population had “matured” as
citizens and economic units, Archbishop
Michael within his short reign was able to
increase the revenue of the Archdiocese
six-fold.
Another significant contribution of
Archbishop Michael was the organization
in July 1951 of the Greek Orthodox Youth
of America, popularly known as GOYA.
During his reign, it mushroomed into
nearly 250 communities in every part of the

 page B 3

 page B 1
Visiting President Harry S. Truman in the White House in 1950 (Archdiocese Archives)
President Eisenhower takes part in the cornerstone-laying ceremony for St. Sophia Cathedral in
Washington on Sept. 30, 1956. At right is first lady Mrs. Mamie Eisenhower. (Archdiocese Archives)
Proclamation signing – Pennsylvania Gov. George Leader signs a proclamation recognizing
Greek Orthodoxy as a major faith in his state in October 1955. (Archdiocese Archives)
Priests’ retirement – Archbishop Michael accepts the first check for the establishment of a retirement fund for priests of the Archdiocese. (Archdiocese Archives)
sented the Church of Greece at the meeting
of Anglicans and Orthodox in 1920 on the
occasion of the Lambeth conference, the
Patriarchate of Alexandria on the Anglican
Orthodox Committee at Lambeth in 1931
and finally represented the Ecumenical
Patriarchate at the Conference of Life and
Work at Oxford and Faith and Order at
Edinburgh in 1937.
He wrote extensively on these ecumenical activities, which were published
in various ecclesiastical journals. Both the
Church of Greece and the Ecumenical Patriarchate named him Great Archimandrite.
He was elected Metropolitan of Corinth
in 1939, and was a remarkable leader of his
people during the war years and German
occupation. After his election of Archbishop of the Americas in 1949, he undertook
to reorganize the Archdiocese.
He began by doubling the number of
assistant bishops to help him administer
the Archdiocese. He increased the number
of parochial and Sunday schools and reorganized the finances of the Archdiocese by
instituting the dekadollarion (ten dollar)
program instead of the previous monodollarion (one dollar) program.
He was the founder of GOYA, which
became a vibrant nationwide organization
of youth under his leadership.
He took great interest in promoting
the Holy Cross Theological School and St.
Basil’s Academy. He reorganized the Orthodox Observer, and founded the Home
for the Aged in New York.
In 1956 he was invited by President
Eisenhower to deliver the invocation at the
second Eisenhower inauguration, the first
time that an Orthodox churchman was so
honored. This established a precedent for
future presidential inaugurations.
His presence in America strengthened
Orthodox presence in international ecclesiastical meetings and especially in the World
Council of Churches.
Death found Archbishop Michael actively presiding over the 14th Clergy Laity
Congress meeting in Sal Lake City in July
1958.
He was flown to New York and died
one week later. Following his funeral in
the Holy Trinity Cathedral in New York,
he was buried on the grounds of St. Basil’s
Academy in Garrison, N.Y.
Michael was one of the most eminent
and prominent ecclesiastical personalities
of the Orthodox Church during the first 60
years of the past century.
His career at the three great centers,
Corinth, London and America left a remarkable reputation.
Besides his role as an ecclesiastical
leader he was distinguished as an author.
His numerous books and almost a hundred
theological articles remind us of one of the
most learned hierarch of the Orthodox
Church in recent times.
He is remembered by many for his
deep spirituality, his distinctive liturgical presence and his stirring and learned
sermons.
His strong devotion and emphasis on
the youth of the church spawned an entire
generation of young people, especially
within GOYA, who were devoted to him.
Paul Manolis is retired director of the
Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute
in Berkeley, Calif., was board chairman
of the Orthodox Observer when it was
transformed into its present newspaper
format, and was assistant to a U.S. senator
from California in the late 1950s and early
1960s.
B3
MAY 2008
The Lasting Legacy of St. Michael’s Home
50 Years of Quality Care for the elderly
With Sunday School teachers at a conference in July 1955 at St. Basil Academy in Garrison, N.Y.
St. Michael’s Home Director Bishop Andonios of Phasiane and board member Nikitas Drakotas
welcome Archbishop Demetrios on Good Friday. (Orthodox Observer)
by Bishop Andonios of Phasiane
Being interviewed by Eleanor Roosevelt for a radio program in the summer of 1951.
Archbishop Michael served as a president of the World Council of Churches in the 1950s. He is shown
here at a meeting with the other WCC presidents in New Haven, Conn. (Archdiocese Archives)
Church Makes Progress in the Decade of the 1950s

 page B 2
country. It was thee first time that a serious
centralized effort had been made to organize our young people under the aegis of
our Church. Archbishop Michael continued
the efforts that were begun by Archbishop
Athenagoras to obtain formal recognition
of our Church through resolutions adopted by the state legislatures directing that
all references to major faiths, which were
heretofore limited to Protestant, Catholic
and Jewish, would hereinafter also include
the Greek Orthodox.
As a result of this concerted action,
27 states adopted the uniform incorporation act or the major faith resolution. The
activity was begun in 1943 in New York in
an effort to legitimatize Greek Orthodoxy,
to blot out its “ghettoized” disarray during
the pre-Athenagoras period and to give it
sufficient respectability so as to make it a
part of the religious and social mainstream
of the United States.
The crowning event of this effort occurred in 1956 during the 13th Biennial
Congress. President and Mrs. Eisenhower
not only participated in the dedicatory ceremonies of the Cathedral of St. Sophia in
the nation’s capital but joined us for nearly
two hours in worshipping there.
Then Vice President Nixon addressed
one of its plenary sessions and Secretary of
State John Foster Dulles was the principal
speaker at the banquet. There is no record
of any other religious conclave in the history of the United States that had been so
signally honored by the attendance at its
functions of the three highest ranking officers of the nation: President, Vice President
and Secretary of State.
Peter Kourides for many decades was
the legal counsel to the Archdiocese. He
is retired and a member of Holy Trinity
Archdiocesan Cathedral. This article is excerpted from his chapter “Our Three Hierarchs” published in “History of the Greek
Orthodox Church in America,” compiled
and edited by Fr. Miltiades B. Efthimiou,
Ph.D., retired ecumenical officer of the
Archdiocese.
In the United States, the month of May
has been designated “Older Americans
Month” and it is a “celebration of age”.
How appropriate it is that this month also
marks the 50th Anniversary of St. Michael’s
Home for it was on May 25, 1958 that
the late Archbishop Michael opened the
doors of this only Archdiocesan institution serving the needs of elderly Greek
Orthodox.
The facility was known then as the
“Spiti Tou Protoporou” - “Home of the Pioneer” (the name of the Home was changed
in 1966 to honor its founder, Archbishop
Michael) since the first residents were the
pioneers of the Greek American community in the United States, those individuals responsible for establishing many of
the parishes and institutions of our Holy
Archdiocese.
St. Michael’s was the idea of Archbishop Michael who saw the need for such
a facility to care for the first wave of Greek
immigrants who had reached the “golden
years” of their lives.
His Eminence was assisted in this
endeavor by the Clergy Syndesmos of
the New York Metropolitan area and a
Certificate of Incorporation was issued on
January 25, 1957. During the same year,
the first board of trustees was formed,
comprised of: Rev. John Poulos, Rev. Demetrios Frangos, George Diamond, Cleon
Cosmetto, Rev. Christos Papachristou,
Rev. Philip Gialopsos, Rev. George Papadeas, Rev. Neophytos Spyros, Nicholas
Stevason, Thomas Bartzos, Rev. Demetrios
Stephanopoulos, Theodore Tsolainos,
Costas Goulandris, Louis Dukas, Katherine
Poulos, Demi Vagelos, Penny Chrisomales,
Sophie Megdanes, Calliope Sapounakis
and Rev. James Aloupis.
On July 17, 1957, the trustees, at a
cost of $125,000, purchased a former B’nai
Brith nursing home and during the next
10 months the building was renovated to
accommodate the first Greek Orthodox
residents.
This monumental undertaking was
wholeheartedly supported by the area
clergy, parishes, Philoptochos chapters,
GOYA and societies but also by individual
members of the community and the Home
was blessed with its first Great Benefactors, John Athanasiou, Barbara Cosmeto
and Efthalia Nicolaou, who made sizable
gifts to help underwrite the costs of opening the first Greek Orthodox institution
in the Americas serving the needs of the
elderly.
With the appropriate solemnity and
celebration the Home embarked upon
its sacred mission and for half a century
St. Michael’s has been a haven and home
away from home for countless men and
women.
Nestled in a quiet neighborhood 20
minutes from the heart of New York City,
the Home is truly one of the hidden treasures of our Archdiocese.
At the present time, there are 60 residents, ranging in age from 75 to 98 years
old. While most are from the metropolitan
area (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut), a growing number of residents
are from other areas of the United States
and individuals have been admitted from
Colorado, North Carolina, Florida and
Pennsylvania.
Within the confines of the Home,
these individuals enjoy the care and comfort they so deserve in a Greek Orthodox
environment. While in the past most
residents where first generation GreekAmericans (i.e. those who had immigrated
to the U.S.) there are a growing number of
American-born residents of Greek extraction who opt to live at the Home because
of its unique environment.
According to the constitution of St.
Michael’s, ALL residents must be Greek
Orthodox.
St. Michael’s is a New York State Department of Health certified residential
adult care facility and provides the elderly
with services above and beyond those
mandated by the State.
The Home is visited weekly by two
geriatric specialists, a podiatrist, a psychiatrist, two psychologists (one Greekspeaking and the other English) and by
a dermatologist, audiologist and optometrist as needed.
A certified nutritionist monthly reviews the diet of the residents and arrangements have been made with the
appropriate providers to be able to do
blood tests, x-rays, EKG’s and other tests
within the facility.
St. Michael’s is staffed 24 hours a day,
seven days a week and provides the elderly
with services such as housekeeping, laundry, meals and a well balanced recreation
program so that their stay at the Home is
enjoyable and carefree.
There are resident aides who help
the residents bathe, dress and assist with
their daily routine since many suffer from
dementia while there are health aides who
are responsible for overseeing the health
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B4
MAY 2008
Archbishop Michael’s Living Legacy
The Lasting Legacy of St. Michael’s Home

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of the residents as well as distributing their
medications.
All residents, regardless of the type
of room they occupy and the boarding
fee they pay, receive the same level of
care and attentiveness. At NO time is any
applicant expected to turn over his/her
assets to the Home nor is anyone denied
admission because they cannot afford to
pay for their stay. Truly it is a unique adult
care facility!
Throughout its 50–year history, the
Home has been self-sufficient, not receiving subsidies from any outside agencies.
To meet its expenses, St. Michael’s has
two sources of income: the monthly
boarding fees which the residents are able
to submit and the donations we receive
from parishes, the Philoptochos, societies,
estates and the many individual friends of
the Home.
In 2007, our expenses directly related to the care of the elderly were over
$1,350,000 while our total expenses were
$1,596,000 which included miscellaneous
expenditures for fundraising, etc.
Our income in 2007 was comprised of
about $1,200,000 in boarding fees which
the elderly were able to pay, while the
balance came from donations. Without
this magnanimous support, the quality
of life for the residents would be greatly
diminished.
Constantly looking to enhance its
programs and always striving to meet the
needs of the Greek Orthodox faithful, the
Home is presently aggressively pursuing
the expansion of both the number of beds
as well as the level of care it provides the
elderly.
Its current certification from the State
as an “adult home” means that the Home
cannot accept or keep individuals who
need chronic nursing care or who are no
longer ambulatory. In 2007, 14 residents
had to be transferred to nursing homes
and for this reason, St. Michael’s is seeking
to either expand the facility into a continuum care facility so that we can retain
all of our residents and also accept others
who do not meet the present criteria for
admission.
Without a doubt, St. Michael’s provides an environment not found anywhere
else. This institution enables the elderly
to live out their golden years with dignity
and self-esteem.
Always treated with love and respect,
they can maintain a degree of independence in a safe surrounding where they
are provided with the assistance they may
need at this point in their lives.
The tradition continues – Both Archbishops Iakovos and Demetrios have maintained close ties
with U.S. presidents. Archbishop Iakovos offers a prayer at the inauguration of John F. Kennedy
and Archbishop Demetrios talks with President Bush during one of his many visits to the White
House.
(Archdiocese Archives and Dimitri Panagos)
Residents and visitors enjoy a Lenten luncheon at St. Michael’s Home during the visit of the
Archbishop, which was followed by the Apokathelosis service. (Orthodox Observer)
This is the unique environment which
St. Michael’s has provided for five decades
and with the assistance of all Greek Orthodox communicants, the Home will
celebrate many more milestones in its
history...a history of offering quality care
to the elderly which is the fastest growing
segment of the American population.
According to national statistics, the
fastest growing segment of the American
population is that group 65 years old and
older and by the year 2020, over 25 percent of the population will be in this age
group. These statistics also indicate that
most people in this age group are opting
to live in facilities specifically serving the
needs of the elderly rather than live with
their children. Based on this trend, there
will be a much greater need for the services which St. Michael’s provides and we
trust that the all the parishes and faithful
will do their utmost to support the Home
in its endeavors.
On the occasion of this auspicious
celebration, please consider helping
St. Michael’s observe its 50th Anniversary by making a contribution to the
Home at 3 Lehman Terrace, Yonkers,
N.Y. 10705 or by visiting our webpage,
www.stmichaelshome.org, for more
information or to make an online
donation.
St. Michael’s Chapel provides spiritual nourishment. (Orthodox Observer)
Still going strong – Goyans today take part in many activities that have become an integral
part of the organization over the years, whether its sports such as the Olympics, or volleyball or
basketball, and spiritual aspects such as retreats and conferences. (Orthodox Observer)
ΜΑΙΟΣ 2008
Ο πρωτοβεστιάριος Γεώργιος Σφραντζής (1401-1466), επιφανής στρατιωτικός, πολιτικός και συγγραφέας ευγενούς
καταγωγής, υπήρξε αυτόπτης του ψυχομαχητού της Βυζαντινής Aυτοκρατορίας,
έζησε τα δραματικά γεγονότα της Αλώσεως, υπέστη την πικρή μοίρα του νικημένου, αιχμαλωτίστηκε, κακόπαθε, είδε
τον αυτοκράτορα Κωνσταντίνο να πέφτει
στις επάλξεις και γενικά ήπιε ως το τέλος
το ποτήρι της ήττας. Στα γεράματά του
κατέληξε στην Κέρκυρα, όπου και έγραψε τις πολύτιμες αναμνήσεις του σε
μορφή ιστορικού Χρονικού, το οποίο και
είναι ένα από τα δραματικότερα κείμενα
της υστεροβυζαντινής εποχής. Σημειώνει
ο Σφραντζής για την τελευταία Δευτέρα
(28 Μαίου 1453), την αρχή του τέλους της
Βυζαντινής Αυτοικρατορίας των 11 και
πλέον αιώνων:
«..Ακούγοντας εμείς στην Πόλη την
πελώρια κραυγή που έμοιαζε με βρόντο
μεγάλο της θάλασσας, αναρωτιόμασταν
τι να ήταν άραγε. Σε λίγο μάθαμε σίγουρα
ότι για την επαύριο ο αμιράς ετοίμαζε
πόλεμο εναντίον της Πόλεως από ξηράς
και θαλάσσης, όσο πιο σφοδρό μπορούσε.
Εμείς, βλέποντας τόσο μεγάλο πλήθος
ασεβών —όπως μου φάνηκε εμένα, ήταν
περίπου πεντακόσιοι προς έναν, σε σχέση
με μας—, όλες τις ελπίδες μας τις κρεμάσαμε στο Θεό. Διέταξε, λοιπόν, ο αυτοκράτωρ τους ιερείς, αρχιερείς και μοναχούς, γυναίκες και παιδιά, μαζί με τις
άγιες και σεπτές εικόνες και τα άγια λείψανα, να περιφέρονται με δάκρυα στα
τείχη της Πόλεως και να ψάλλουν το
«κύριε ελέησον», και να ικετεύουν το Θεό
να μη μας παραδώσει για τις αμαρτίες μας
στα χέρια εχθρών ανόμων και αποστατών
και πονηρότατων σε όλη την οικουμένη,
αλλά να μας λυπηθεί, ως κληρονόμους
του αληθινού Θεού. Και με κλάματα ενθάρρυνε ο ένας τον άλλο να αντισταθούν
γενναία στον εχθρό την ώρα της συμπλοκής.
Επίσης, και ο αυτοκράτωρ στο ίδιο
οδυνηρό βράδυ της Δευτέρας, αφού μάζεψε τους πάντες, άρχοντες και αρχόμενους, δήμαρχους, εκατόνταρχους, πρόκριτους και στρατιώτες, τους είπε τα εξής:
«Ευγενέστατοι άρχοντες και εκλαμπρότατοι δήμαρχοι και στρατηγοί, και
γενναιότατοι συστρατιώτες, και όλος ο
πιστός και τίμιος λαός, ξέρετε καλά πως
έφτασε η ώρα που ο εχθρός της πίστης
μας θέλει με κάθε τέχνασμα και τρόπο να
μας στενοχωρήσει περισσότερο και να
μας κάνει πόλεμο σφοδρό, με μεγάλες
συγκρούσεις και συρράξεις από στεριά
και θάλασσα, για να κατορθώσει και να
χύσει το δηλητήριό του, σαν φίδι, και να
μας καταπιεί σαν ανήμερο λιοντάρι. Σας
λέω λοιπόν να σταθείτε αντρειωμένοι και
γενναιόψυχοι, όπως κάνατε πάντοτε ως
τώρα εναντίον των εχθρών της πίστης.
Σας παραδίνω την εκλαμπρότατη και
φημισμένη αυτή πόλη, πατρίδα σας και
βασίλισσα των πόλεων. Ξέρετε καλά,
αδέρφια, ότι για τέσσερις λόγους οφείλουμε όλοι να προτιμήσουμε το θάνατο
παρά τη ζωή: πρώτον, για την πίστη και
την ευσέβειά μας· δεύτερον, για την πατρίδα· τρίτον, για το βασιλέα και το Χριστό· και τέταρτον, για τους συγγενείς και
φίλους. Λοιπόν αδέρφια, αν οφείλουμε
να αγωνιστούμε μέχρι θανάτου για έναν
και μόνο από τους τέσσερις αυτούς λόγους, πολύ περισσότερο για όλους μαζί,
όπως προφανώς κατανοείτε. Αν για τις
αμαρτίες μας παραχωρήσει ο Θεός τη
νίκη στους ασεβείς, θα διακινδυνεύσουμε
υπέρ της πίστεως της αγίας που μας παραχώρησε ο Χριστός με το αίμα του. Αυτό
είναι το σπουδαιότερο απ’ όλα. Τι θα
ωφεληθεί κανείς αν κερδίσει τον κόσμο
όλο και χάσει την ψυχή του; Δεύτερον,
χάνουμε έτσι μια περίφημη πατρίδα και,
ΟΡΘΟ∆ΟΞΟΣ
ΠΑΡΑΤΗΡΗΤΗΣ
ORTHODOX
OBSERVER
19
Η Αλωση της Πόλης
ακόμη, την ελευθερία μας. Τρίτον, χάνουμε την άλλοτε περιφανή και σήμερα
ντροπιασμένη, ταπεινωμένη και εξουθενωμένη βασιλεία, η οποία γίνεται έρμαιο
του ασεβούς τυράννου. Τέταρτον, στερούμεθα τις προσφιλείς γυναίκες και τα
παιδιά μας και τους συγγενείς μας. Ο
αλιτήριος αυτός αμιράς έχει πενήντα
εφτά ημέρες αφότου ήρθε, και μας πολιορκεί και μας πολεμάει νυχθημερόν, με
κάθε τέχνασμα και με όλη του την ισχύ.
Χάρη στον παντεπόπτη Χριστό και Κύριό
μας, διώχτηκε ντροπιασμένος κακήν
κακώς πολλές φορές ως τώρα από τα
τείχη. Μη δειλιάσετε και τώρα, αδερφοί,
επειδή το τείχος έπεσε σε μερικά μέρη από
τα βλήματα και τις εκπυρσοκροτήσεις των
τηλεβόλων, γιατί, όπως και εσείς βλέπετε,
όπως μπορούσαμε το διορθώσαμε. Εμείς
κάθε ελπίδα μας τη στηρίζουμε στην
ακαταμάχητη δύναμη του Θεού. Αυτοί
έχουν πλήθος όπλα και στρατό και ιππικό,
αλλά εμείς έχουμε πίστη στο όνομα του
Κυρίου και σωτήρα και, δεύτερον, στα
χέρια μας και τη δύναμή μας, που μας
χάρισε η θεία πρόνοια. Ξέρω ότι αυτό το
αναρίθμητο μπουλούκι των εχθρών, καθώς είναι η συνήθειά τους, θα βαδίσει
εναντίον μας με βαναυσότητα και με
έπαρση, με πολύ θράσος και βία, για να
μας συνθλίψουν, λόγω του ολιγάριθμου
της παράταξής μας, και να μας καταπονήσουν με την κούραση, και με φωνές
πολλές και ισχυρές να μας φοβίσουν. Τις
φλυαρίες τους αυτές τις ξέρετε καλά και
δεν είναι ανάγκη να μιλήσουμε γι’ αυτές.
Και σε λίγη ώρα θα τα κάνουν όλα αυτά,
και θα πετάξουν πάνω μας σαν άμμο της
θάλασσας αναρίθμητες πέτρες, βέλη και
βλήματα. Ελπίζω να μη μας βλάψουν με
αυτά, γιατί βλέποντάς σας χαίρομαι πολύ
και τρέφω τη σκέψη μου με ελπίδες σαν
κι αυτή, δηλαδή πως, αν και είμαστε λίγοι,
είμαστε ωστόσο πολύ επιδέξιοι, επιτήδειοι, ρωμαλέοι, δυνατοί, ικανοί για μεγάλα
έργα, και καλά προπαρασκευασμένοι. Με
τις ασπίδες σας καλύπτετε καλά τα κεφάλια σας στις συμπλοκές και τις συρράξεις.
Το δεξί σας χέρι, που κρατάει τη ρομφαία,
να είναι πάντοτε μακρύ. Οι περικεφαλαίες σας, οι θώρακες και η σιδερέ νια πανοπλία σας είναι πολύ ικανά, όπως και τα
άλλα σας όπλα, και στη συμπλοκή θα σας
εξυπηρετήσουν πολύ. Οι αντίπαλοι ούτε
έχουν τέτοια ούτε γνωρίζουν να τα χρησιμοποιούν. Εσείς είσαστε, επίσης, προστατευμένοι πίσω από τα τείχη, και οι
απροστάτευτοι δύσκολα προχωρούν. Γι’
αυτό γίνετε μαχητές έτοιμοι, ισχυροί και
μεγαλόψυχοι, για όνομα του Θεού. Μιμηθείτε τους λίγους ελέφαντες των αρχαίων
Καρχηδονίων, που μόνο με τη φωνή και
την όψη τους έτρεψαν σε φυγή μέγα
πλήθος ρωμαϊκού ιππικού. Και αν είχαν
τη δύναμη να τρέψουν σε φυγή ζώα χωρίς
λογική, πόσο μάλλον εμείς που είμαστε
κύριοι των ζώων· αυτοί που έρχονται να
μας αντιπαραταχθούν σαν ζώα χωρίς
λογική, είναι χειρότεροι απ’ αυτά. Τα
δόρατά μας, οι ρομφαίες μας, τα τόξα μας
και τα ακόντιά μας θα στραφούν εναντίον τους. Και φανταστείτε πως παίρνετε
μέρος σε κυνήγι αγριόχοιρων, για να καταλάβουν οι ασεβείς ότι δεν αντιμάχονται
με ζώα χωρίς λογική, όπως είναι αυτοί,
αλλά με άρχοντες, και αφέντες τους, και
απογόνους των Ελλήνων και των Ρωμαίων. Ξέρετε καλά πως ο ασεβέστατος αυτός αμιράς και εχθρός της αγίας μας πίστης, χωρίς καμιά δικαιολογημένη αιτία,
καταπάτησε την ειρήνη που είχαμε και
αθέτησε τους πολλούς του όρκους χωρίς
να λογαριάζει τίποτε· φτάνοντας ξαφνικά
εδώ έστησε οχυρό στο στενό του Ασωμάτου, για να μπορεί να μας βλάπτει κάθε
μέρα. Τα χωράφια μας, τους κήπους μας,
τα οικογενειακά μας καταφύγια, τα σπίτια
μας τα έχει κιόλας πυρπολήσει. Τους
αδερφούς μας τους Χριστιανούς, όσους
βρήκε, τους θανάτωσε και τους αιχμαλώτισε. Διέλυσε τη φιλία μας και έπιασε
φιλίες με τους κατοίκους του Γαλατά, και
αυτοί χαίρονται, μη γνωρίζοντας και αυτοί
οι ταλαίπωροι το μύθο του παιδιού του
γεωργού, που έψηνε σαλιγκάρια και είπε
“ω ανόητα ζώα” και τα λοιπά. Ήρθε λοιπόν, αδερφοί, και μας απέκλεισε, και
κάθε μέρα έχει ανοιχτό το αχανές στόμα
του για να βρει ευκαιρία να μας καταπιεί,
εμάς και την Πόλη που έκτισε ο τρισμακάριστος και μέγας βασιλεύς Κωνσταντίνος, και την αφιέρωσε στην πάναγνη και
αειπάρθενη δέσποινά μας, τη Θεοτόκο·
και τη χάρισε σ’ εκείνη, ώστε να είναι
Κυρία της Πόλεως, αλλά και σύμμαχός
της και σκέπη της πατρίδας μας και κα-
ταφύγιο των χριστιανών, ελπίδα και χαρά
όλων των Ελλήνων, το καύχημα όλων που
ζουν κάτω από τον ήλιο.
Και αυτός ο ασεβέστατος την άλλοτε
περιφανή και ζωηρή σαν ρόδο του αγρού
Πόλη θέλει να την υπαγάγει υπό την
εξουσία του. Αφού η αυτοκρατορία μας
υποδούλωσε, μπορώ να πω, σχεδόν όλη
την υφήλιο, και υπόταξε κάτω από τα
πόδια της τον Πόντο, την Αρμενία, την
Περσία, την Παφλαγονία, Αμαζόνες και
Καππαδοκία, Γαλατία και Μηδία, Κολχούς και Ίβηρες, Βοσποριανούς και Αλβανούς, Συρία και Κιλικία και Μεσοποταμία, Φοινίκη και Παλαιστίνη, Αραβία
και Ιουδαία, Βακτριανούς και ΣκύΘες,
Μακεδονία και Θεσσαλία, Ελλάδα, Βοιωτία και Λοκρούς και Αιτωλούς, Ακαρνανία, Αχαΐα και Πελοπόννησο, Ήπειρο και
Ιλλυρικό, τους Λυχνίτες κοντά στην Αδριατική, Ιταλία, Τοσκάνη, Κέλτες και Κελτογαλάτες, Ιβηρία ως τα Γάδειρα, Λιβύη
και Μαυριτανία και Μαυρουσία, Αιθιοπία, Βελέδες Σκούδη, Νουμιδία και Αφρική και Αίγυπτο, Τώρα σκέφτεται αυτός
να μας υποδουλώσει, και την Πόλη που
κυριαρχεί στον κόσμο να την υποτάξει σε
ζυγό και δουλεία, και τις άγιες εκκλησίες
μας, όπου προσκυνούνταν η αγία Τριάδα
και δοξολογούνταν ο Θεός, και όπου οι
άγγελοι ακούγονταν να υμνούν τη Θεία
και ένσαρκη πρόνοια του Λόγου του Θεού,
Θέλει να τις κάνει προσκύνημα της δικής
του βλασφημίας και του ανόητου ψευδοπροφήτη του Μωάμεθ, και στάβλο για
άλογα και καμήλες. Λοιπόν, αδερφοί και
συμμαχητές, θυμηθείτε όλα αυτά, για να
μνημονεύουν τη δόξα σας και την ελευθεροφροσύνη σας αιώνια».
Στράφηκε τότε στους Ενετούς, που
στέκονταν προς τα δεξιά και τους είπε:
«Ευγενείς Ενετοί, αγαπημένοι αδερφοί
μας εν Χριστώ τω Θεώ, άνδρες ισχυροί
και δυνατοί στρατιώτες και δόκιμοι στους
πολέμους, εσείς που με τις αστραφτερές
σας ρομφαίες θανατώσατε πολλές φορές
πλήθος Αγαρηνών, και το αίμα τους έτρεξε από τα χέρια σας σαν ποτάμι, σας παρακαλώ σήμερα την πόλη τούτη, που
βρίσκεται σε τόση συμφορά πολέμου, να
την υπερασπιστείτε ολόψυχα. Γνωρίζετε
πως πάντα την είχατε δεύτερη πατρίδα
 óåë. 20
20
 óåë. 19
σας και μητέρα σας. Σας λέω λοιπόν άλλη
μια φορά, και σας παρακαλώ, αυτή την
ώρα να ενεργήσετε ως φίλοι της πίστης,
ομόθρησκοι και αδερφοί». Κατόπιν, γυρίζοντας προς τα αριστερά, λέει στους Γενουάτες: «Ω Γενουάτες, αδερφοί εντιμότατοι, άντρες πολεμιστές και μεγαλόκαρδοι και φημισμένοι, ξέρετε καλά και καταλαβαίνετε ότι η δυστυχισμένη αυτή
πόλη δεν ήταν πάντοτε μόνο δική μου,
αλλά και δική σας, για πολλές αιτίες.
Εσείς μας βοηθήσατε πολλές φορές πρόθυμα, και με τη δική σας συνδρομή σώθηκε από τους Αγαρηνούς εχθρούς. Τώρα
πάλι έφτασε ο καιρός να δείξετε, βοηθώντας την, την αγάπη σας εν Χριστώ, την
ανδρεία σας και τη γενναιότητά σας».
Και γενικά, αφού στράφηκε προς
όλους, είπε: «Δεν έχω καιρό να πω περισσότερα· μοναχά το ταπεινωμένο σκήπτρο
μου το αναθέτω στα χέρια σας, για να το
διαφυλάξετε με προθυμία. Σας παρακαλώ
ακόμα, και ζητώ την αγάπη σας, να είστε
πειθαρχικοί στους στρατηγούς σας, τους
δημάρχους και τους εκατόνταρχους, ο
καθένας κατά την τάξη του, τη θέση του
και την υπηρεσία του. Να ξέρετε τούτο:
αν από μέσα από την καρδιά σας φυλάξετε τις εντολές μου, ελπίζω στο Θεό ότι
θα λυτρωθούμε από την παρούσα δίκαιη
απειλή του.
Δεύτερον, σας περιμένει στον ουρανό
το αδαμάντινο στεφάνι, και η μνήμη σας
θα είναι αιώνια και άξια στον κόσμο». Με
αυτά τελείωσε τη δημηγορία του, ευχαριστώντας με δάκρυα και στεναγμούς το
Θεό, ενώ όλοι, με ένα στόμα, του αποκρίνονταν με δάκρυα λέγοντας: «θα πεθάνουμε για την πίστη του Χριστού και την
πατρίδα μας».
Τα άκουσε ο αυτοκράτωρ και, αφού
τους ευχαρίστησε θερμά, υποσχόμενος
πολλές δωρεές, τους είπε τέλος: «Λοιπόν,
αδερφοί και συμμαχητές, να είσαστε
έτοιμοι το πρωί. Με τη χάρη και την αρετή που μας δώρισε ο Θεός και με τη βοήθεια της Αγίας Τριάδος, στην οποία αναθέτουμε “την πάσαν ελπίδα μας”. θα κάνουμε τον εχθρό να φύγει κακήν κακώς
και ντροπιασμένος από εδώ».
7. Μόλις τ’ άκουσαν οι δυστυχείς
Ρωμαίοι, έκαναν καρδιά λιονταριού και,
αφού συχωρέθηκαν μεταξύ τους, ζητούσαν να συνασπιστούν ο ένας με τον άλλο,
χωρίς να θυμούνται ούτε αγαπημένα
παιδιά ούτε γυναίκες ούτε περιουσία,
παρά μόνο ήθελαν να πεθάνουν για να
υπερασπίσουν την πατρίδα.
Ο καθένας ξαναγύριζε στον τόπο που
του είχε οριστεί, και φρουρούσαν άγρυπνα τα τείχη. Ο αυτοκράτορας πήγε και
προσευχήθηκε στον πάνσεπτο ναό της
Αγίας Σοφίας και μετάλαβε των αχράντων
μυστηρίων, πράγμα που έκαναν και πολλοί άλλοι εκείνη τη νύχτα.
Κατόπιν ήρθε στα ανάκτορα και,
αφού έμεινε λίγο, ζήτησε συγχώρηση απ’
όλους. Ποιος θα διηγηθεί τους
κλαυθμούς και τους θρήνους
εκείνη τη στιγμή στο παλάτι;
Ακόμα και αν ήταν από ξύλο ή
από πέτρα, δεν μπορούσε να
μη θρηνήσει. Ανεβήκαμε στα
ΟΡΘΟ∆ΟΞΟΣ ΠΑΡΑΤΗΡΗΤΗΣ
άλογα και βγήκαμε από τα ανάκτορα
περιδιαβαίνοντας τα τείχη, για να φιλοτιμήσουμε τους φρουρούς να φυλάνε
άγρυπνα. Τη νύχτα εκείνη ήταν όλοι στα
τείχη και τους πύργους. Όλες οι πύλες
ήταν κλεισμένες ασφαλέστατα και δεν
μπορούσε κανείς να βγει ή να μπει.
Όταν φτάσαμε στα Καλιγάρια, την
πρώτη ώρα του λαλήματος του πετεινού,
κατεβήκαμε από τα άλογα και ανεβήκαμε
στον πύργο· ακούσαμε συχνές ομιλίες και
μεγάλο θόρυβο περίεργο απ’ έξω, και μας
είπαν οι φρουροί ότι αυτό κάνουν όλη τη
νύχτα. Έσερναν όσα μηχανήματα ετοίμαζαν για την τειχομαχία, κουβαλώντας τα
κοντά στο όρυγμα. Ταυτόχρονα, μετακινούσαν από τις ακτές τα μεγαλύτερα
σκάφη τους και τα έφερναν κοντά στα
τείχη και τις γέφυρες. Κατά το δεύτερο
λάλημα του πετεινού, χωρίς κανένα σινιάλο, όπως συνέβαινε να γίνεται τις
προηγούμενες ημέρες, άρχισαν τον πόλεμο με μεγάλη βιασύνη και βία.
Ο αμιράς είχε καθορίσει προηγουμένως ότι όλοι όσοι δεν είχαν μεγάλη πολεμική πείρα, και μερικοί γέροι και νέοι,
αυτοί θα άρχιζαν πρώτοι τη μάχη, και θα
συμπλέκονταν για να μας κουράσουν λίγο
και κατόπιν οι άλλοι, οι πιο δυνατοί, ανδρείοι και έμπειροι στον πόλεμο, με περισσότερο θάρρος και προθυμία θα βάδιζαν εναντίον μας. Έτσι και έγινε· και ο
πόλεμος και η συμπλοκή άναψαν σαν
καμίνι. Οι δικοί μας έδειχναν γενναία
αντίσταση και τους υποδέχονταν σκληρά,
γκρεμίζοντάς τους από τα τείχη· και κατέστρεψαν αρκετά πολεμικά όργανά τους
και σκεύη.
Και από τις δυο μεριές έγινε θανατικό,
και μάλιστα από την πλευρά των Τούρκων. Μόλις άρχισαν να μη φαίνονται τ’
αστέρια του ουρανού και ξημέρωσε η
αυγή βάφοντας ροδόχροη την ανατολή,
όλο το πλήθος των αντιπάλων έγινε σαν
κομπολόι, από το ένα μέρος της πόλης ως
το άλλο.
Τα πολεμικά όργανα, τύμπανα και
άλλα πνευστά, ήχησαν, ενώ ακούστηκαν
φωνές και αλαλαγμοί ισχυροί, και όλα τα
τηλεβόλα ξέρασαν φωτιά. Όλοι μαζί, την
ίδια στιγμή, από ξηρά και θάλασσα έκαναν επίθεση και ήρθαν σε πολεμική σύρραξη. Μερικοί θαρραλέοι πολεμιστές ρίχνουν τις σκοινένιες σκάλες, ενώ τα βέλη,
πυκνά, στρέφονται εναντίον αυτών που
ήταν στους πύργους.
Η μάχη κράτησε δυο ώρες, γεμάτη
φρίκη και στεναγμούς, και επικράτησαν
μάλλον οι Χριστιανοί.
Τα καράβια με τις σκάλες και τις
γέφυρες αποχώρησαν άπρακτα από τα
τείχη προς τη θάλασσα, ενώ τα πετροβόλα μηχανήματα μέσα από την Πόλη σκότωσαν πολλούς Αγαρηνούς. Και από τη
στεριά, με τον ίδιο και χειρότερο τρόπο
υποδέχτηκαν τον εχθρό.
Κι ήταν παράξενο το θέαμα, σαν ένα
σκοτεινό σύννεφο που σκέπαζε τον ήλιο
και τον ουρανό. Και από τα μηχανήματα
έριχναν υγρό πυρ και έκαιγαν τους εχθρούς, και τις
εξέδρες και τις σκάλες τις
τσάκιζαν, μαζί κι αυτούς που
τις ανέβαιναν, ρίχνοντας
από πάνω βαριές πέτρες, και
ΜΑΙΟΣ 2008
Η Αλωση της Πόλης
τους έδιωχναν με βλητικά μηχανήματα
και τόξα. Και όπου έβλεπαν συγκέντρωση
πολλών, εκεί και έβαζαν φωτιά με τα
τηλεβόλα και χτυπούσαν και σκότωναν
πολλούς.
Οι αντίπαλοι, από την κούραση του
πολέμου και την αντίσταση, είχαν τόσο
αγανακτήσει, ώστε ήθελαν να οπισθοχωρήσουν λίγο, για να πάρουν ανάσα. Οι
υπαξιωματικοί και οι ραβδούχοι της αυλής
με σιδερένιες ράβδους και βούνευρα
χτυπούσαν τους στρατιώτες τους για να
μη δείχνουν τα νώτα τους στον εχθρό.
Ποιος θα διηγηθεί τις φωνές και τις κραυγές τότε, και τις οιμωγές των πληγωμένων
που ανέβαιναν ως τον ουρανό, φωνές και
κρότοι.
Και μερικοί δικοί μας βλέποντάς τους
έτσι να πάσχουν έλεγαν μεγαλόφωνα:
«Αυτά κάνατε, γι’ αυτό φάγατε τα μούτρα
σας». Κι αυτοί, θέλοντας με τη βία να
δείξουν την ανδρεία τους, ανέβαιναν και
πάλι τις σκάλες· και μερικοί άλλοι τολμηροί, δυνατοί και δραστήριοι, ανέβαιναν ο
ένας στους ώμους του άλλου, και τρίτος
επάνω στους ώμους του δεύτερου, όπως
μπορούσε, για να φτάσουν επάνω στα
τείχη. Και κάνοντας όλα αυτά χτυπιού-
νται σφοδρά και βίαια στις εισόδους και
τις ανόδους· γίνεται μάχη φοβερή και τα
ξίφη συμπλέκονται τσακισμένα και γίνεται σκοτωμός πολύς κι από τις δύο πλευρές. Και ενώ η μάχη έκλινε προς την παράταξή μας, ο Θεόφιλος Παλαιολόγος και
ο Δημήτριος Καντακουζηνός, άνδρες
άριστοι, όρμησαν μπροστά και νίκησαν
τους Αγαρηνούς, και τους ανέτρεψαν από
τα τείχη και από τις σκάλες, και τους
γκρέμισαν και τους σκόρπισαν. Τότε
έφτασαν και άλλοι, που είχαν διατεθεί ως
ενισχύσεις. Εκεί βρέθηκε έφιππος ο αυτοκράτωρ, και ενθαρρύνοντας τους στρατιώτες και διεγείροντάς τους να πολεμούν
πρόθυμα, τους έλεγε: «Ω συστρατιώτες
μου και αδερφοί, σταθείτε παλικαρίσια
σας παρακαλώ, για τους οικτιρμούς του
θεού· γιατί βλέπω τώρα ότι το πλήθος των
εχθρών άρχισε να στερεύει, και σε λίγο
θα σκορπιστεί· δεν έρχονται όπως έχουν
συνήθεια να παρατάσσονται. Ελπίζω στο
Θεό η νίκη να είναι δική μας. Λοιπόν,
χαίρετε αδερφοί, ο πολύτιμος στέφανος
της νίκης ανήκει σε μας, όχι μόνο ο φθαρτός και γήινος, αλλά και ο επουράνιος. Ο
Θεός πολεμάει μαζί μας και κάνει να δειλιάζει το πλήθος των ασεβών»...
Αρχιεπίσκοπος Β. & Ν. Αµερικής Μιχαήλ (1892-1958)
 óåë. 13
κώς, εθνικώς και χριστιανικώς πάνοπλοι για να υπηρετήσουν την ιερωσύνη.
Αγωνιζόταν πάντα υπέρ της Σχολής και
προσπαθούσε να εξασφαλίσει την συνεχή οικονομική ενίσχυσή της. Δημιούργησε νέα πτέρυγα, βιβλιοθήκη,
αναγνωστήριο και ναϊδριο.
Ταυτόχρονα ενίσχυσε και την Ακαδημία Αγίου Βασιλείου με τον καλύτερο
δυνατό τρόπο. Προσωπικό του έργο
υπήρξε η οργάνωση της νεολαίας G. O.
Y. A. Το ενδιαφέρον για το μέλλον της
νέας γενιάς είχε καταστεί γέφυρα η
οποία ένωνε την Αρχιεπισκοπή Αμερικ ής με τ η νέα γε ν ιά των Ε λ ληνο αμερικανών.
Ο Αρχιεπίσκοπος Μιχαήλ ήταν αυτός που στην κυριολεξία «ανέστησε» τον
Ορθόδοξο Παρατηρητή, το επίσημο
έντυπο της Αρχιεπισκοπής Αμερικής
που είχε ιδρύσει ο Μητροπολίτης Θυατείρων, το οποίο όμως με την πάροδο
των χρόνων έπνεε τα λοίσθια.
Σύντομα, ο Ορθόδοξος Παρατηρητής με το προσωπικό ενδιαφέρον του
Αρχιεπισκόπου Μιχαήλ και μετά από
αλλεπάλληλες συσκέψεις, προσέλκυσε
νέους συνδρομητές ώστε να καταστεί
ανεξάρτητο οικονομικά.
Ο Ορθόδοξος Παρατηρητής δημοσίευε άρθρα ελληνιστί και αγγλιστί,
γεγονός που προσέλκυσε τη νέα γενιά
και σαν αποτέλεσμα κατέστη το δημοφιλέστερο περιοδικό της Ομογένειας.
Η εισφορά του ενός δολλαρίου από
κάθε ομογενειακή οικογένεια υπέρ της
Αρχιεπισκοπής και των ιδρυμάτων της
που είχε καθιερώσει ο Πατριάρχης Αθηναγόρας το 1930, δεν αρκούσε πλέον.
Επρεπε να συντηρηθεί η Θεολογική
Σχολή, η οποία προσέφερε δωρεάν διαμονή και διατροφή στους φοιτητές, η
Ακαδημία του Αγίου Βασιλείου, ο Ορθόδοξος Παρατηρητής, όπως επίσης και
να χρηματοδοτηθούν οι υπηρεσίες της
Αρχιεπισκοπής και τα Κατηχητικά.
Ταυτόχρονα έπρεπε να καλυφθούν οικονομικά κατηχητικά βοηθήματα, συνέδρια, ενημερωτικά έντυπα, οργανωτικό υλικό κ.λπ.
Ως σ υνέπεια, μετά από πολ λές
αντιδράσεις, επεβλήθη το δεκαδόλαρο.
Ο Αρχιεπίσκοπος Μιχαήλ καθιέρωσε επίσης Εβδομάδα Ελληνικών Γραμμάτων και Τύπου, με την οποία η ομογένεια ενημερωνόταν σχετικά με πολιτιστικά και ιστορικά θέματα με σκοπό
τη διάδοση του ελληνικού Πνεύματος.
Τον Αύγουστο του 1954, στο Παγκόσμιο
Συνέδριο του Evanston, εκπροσώπησε
το Οικουμενικό Πατριαρχείο και στις 27
Αύγουστου του 1954 μίλησε ενώπιον της
συνελεύσεως αγγλιστί, με θέμα: «Η
παρούσα έντασις των σχέσεων των λαών
του κόσμου προς αλλήλους και η ενότης
ημών εν Χριστώ».
Το 1956 συμμετείχε στο συνέδριο
της Κεντρικής Επιτροπής του Παγκοσμίου Συμβουλίου των Εκκλησιών.
21
MAY 2008
PEOPLE
Earns Ph.D.
Deacon Nathanael Symeonides,
deacon to Archbishop Demetrios, received
his Ph.D after successfully defending his
doctoral thesis on Orthodoxy and Bioethics at Boston University.
Podcasting Bible study
Presbytera Jeannie Constantinou,
wife of Fr. Costas Constantinou of San
Diego, recently began podcasting her
Bible studies on ancientfaith.com. Her
program is called “Search the Scriptures.”
She started by discussing the Fathers and
the Bible, and also has done a study of
the Trial and Crucifixion of Christ, and a
discussion of the gospels of Holy Week.
One greater than none
Anjelica Mantikas, a member of
St. Demetrios Church in Merrick, N.Y.,
and seven of her sophomore classmates
at Kennedy High School in neighboring
Bellmore, recently took the initiative to
establish a humanitarian organization,
“One Is Greater Than None,” to aid in
rescuing young boys in Ghana from a
condition of servitude in the fishing
industry.
They created various handmade
items, including necklaces, and a line
of T-shirts and other clothing for sale.
They have so far raised more than
$60,000. Their efforts have attracted
national attention, with appearances of
the group on The Today Show, Martha
Stewart, CBS News Morning Show, ABC
News and Teen vogue.
The items are available at stores
where teens shop in several states from
Connecticut and New York to Illinois,
Arizona and California.
First Eagle Scout
When Boy Scout Troop 67 was
founded in Seattle in 2004, they could
hardly have guessed that less than three
and half years later they would produce
their first Eagle Scout.
Winning Scouting’s highest rank
was Forrest Michael Fiore Goff, son
of Sean and Sofia Goff and grandson
of Fr. Michael Johnson, retired Greek
Orthodox priest, also an Eagle Scout,
and co-founder of the troop, and the
late Presbytera Maria Johnson.
Troop 67 is sponsored by St.
Spiridon Cathedral (Orthodox Church
in America) on behalf of Eastern Orthodox parishes in the Seattle area.
Troop members include OCA, Greek
Orthodox, Antiochian Orthodox and
Romanian Orthodox boys.
For his Eagle Scout service project,
Forrest organized a concerted effort by
the troop to catalog and photograph all
the gravestones in the oldest Orthodox
cemetery in the Seattle area.
At age 13, Forrest is one of the
youngest Eagle Scouts in the Chief
Seattle Council and the first boy ever
to achieve the Eagle rank as part of
an Orthodox-sponsored troop in the
Pacific Northwest.
’Loukoumi’ winner
‘Growing Up With Loukoumi’ author
Nick Katsoris recently held a nationwide
“3 Dream Days: Contest”-based on his
award-winning children’s book where kids
could win a day in their dream career. One
of the winners, 10-year-old Nika Linn of
Fort Collins, Colo., of Greek American
background who wants to be a TV chef,
got her wish to meet Rachael Ray on the
set of her hit show.
A Popular Destination for (Orthodox) Tourists
OCEAN CITY, MD – Just as Ocean
City’s population swells in the summer
time because of its status as a major
beach resort with hundreds of thousands of tourists, so do the pews of St.
George Church as Greek Orthodox from
many parts of the Mid-Atlantic region
flock to the city.
As one might expect, a large number of Greek Orthodox in “OC”, as it’s
known locally, cater to the tourist trade;
with some owning restaurants, apartments or hotels and motels.
However, the parish has many
professional people among its membership.
P A R I S H
the parish, according to a church history.
“Fr. Yachnis went to every restaurant
and asked for Greek Orthodox people to
join the community,” said Mrs. Kaouris.
He also celebrated services at Holy Spirit
Episcopal Church in Ocean City.
Before the community built its church,
services alternated between the Episcopal
churches in Salisbury and Ocean City.
Meanwhile, the parish received a
unique “gift” unheard of in most communities – its own building.
A gift that keeps on giving
Parishioner Evanthia Cappy and her
husband, Michael, a building contractor
of Italian Catholic background, decided to
sion project was completed and the
first St. Nektarios Summer Camp was
jointly held with youth from Holy Trinity
Church in Wilmington, Del.
At the turn of the century, the St.
George Youth Folk Dance Group, active to this day, debuted at the annual
dance.
Present-day church
Parish membership now consists
of mostly third and fourth generation
American-born Greek Orthodox, some
converts, and some of Russian, Ukrainian or other Orthodox background.
As noted above, attendance swells
in the summer with the influx of tourists
p ro f i l e
Name: St. George Greek
Orthodox Church
Location: Ocean City, Md.
Metropolis: New Jersey
Size: about 250 members
Founded: 1985
Clergy: Very Rev. Vasilios
Penteridis (Holy Cross ‘88)
E-mail: [email protected]
Noteworthy: Serves
parishioners in three states
ST. GEORGE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH
For many years before the parish’s
founding, there was a Greek presence
in Maryland’s “Eastern Shore” and the
Delmarva Peninsula (the peninsula
comprised of Delaware and parts of
Maryland and Virginia), about 145 miles
southeast of Washington.
Before the community’s organizers, most of whom lived in Salisbury,
30 miles west of Ocean City, formed
the parish, the closest Greek Orthodox
church was in Wilmington, Del., about
100 miles to the north.
In the early 80s, a group of women
in Salisbury, including Matina Sarbanes,
mother of now retired U.S. Sen. Paul
Sarbanes of Maryland, began meeting
at each other’s homes to discuss their
dream of starting a church, according
to Mrs. Christina Kaouris, the current
Philoptochos chapter president, who
was part of that group.
Their group evolved into the
“Greek Orthodox Community of the
Eastern Shore.”
Most of the Greeks who settled
in this part of southeastern Maryland
had roots in various parts of Greece,
especially Crete, Patras, Athens and
Macedonia.
Beginnings of worship
Through a cousin of Presbytera
Xanthi Karloutsos, Fr. Alex Karloutsos
was invited to a meeting at Mrs. Kaouris’
restaurant. He asked that the 20 families
interested in forming a community
should take steps to organize.
Fr. Karloutsos and Bishop Silas of
New Jersey soon led the first service for
the fledgling community at St. Albans
Episcopal Church in Salisbury.
Following this initial effort, (the
late) Fr. George Gallos of Annapolis and
Fr. Michael Yachnis, a priest with a lay
profession as an engineer with the U.S.
Navy in Washington, helped to organize
construct the church building and give it to
the St. George community mortgage-free as
a way of giving thanks to God after having
weathered a very difficult period in their
lives. The Cappys also purchased the two
lots on which the church was built. Mrs. Kaouris said the community later reimbursed
the couple for part of their expense.
Still in use today, that building sits
along Route 528, the main north-south
thoroughfare through the city that connects
U.S. 50 and the Delaware state line.
According to the current pastor, Fr.
Penterides, the name of the parish became
St. George, possibly because so many of the
men had that name.
Also involved with the parish’s establishment was Fr. John Tavlarides, dean of
St. Sophia Cathedral in Washington. He
and Fr. Gallos celebrated the first Liturgy
at the newly completed church on June
22, 1985.
A visiting priest, Fr. Elias Mentis held
services between 1985 and 1987. The following year, the first full-time priest, Fr.
Spyridon Korkos was assigned. He served
until 1994. Fr. Mentis again served as an
interim priest briefly until the ordination of
Deacon Peter G. Sourtizidis in June 1994,
who was assigned to the parish. He also
served as a U.S. Air Force chaplain at Dover
Air Force Base in Delaware.
Over the years, the parish increased in
size and in its ministries. The stewardship
program was adopted in January 1997, also
the year the “Ocean Pearls” senior fellowship group organized. The group remains
very active as many permanent residents of
the community are retired. The following
year, the first Epiphany service took place
with more than 500 attending, and the first
summer camp was held. The diving for the
cross service is held the first Saturday after
Epiphany when it doesn’t fall on that day.
Fr. Penterides arrived in the community in 1999, the year the church expan-
and it’s Fr. Vasilios’ busy season. “That’s
why I get my vacation in the winter,”
he said.
Many have second homes or condominiums in “OC,” with several coming
from Pennsylvania, Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis, Md.
Some of his year-round parishioners live beyond the confines of Ocean
City, within a radius of about 60 miles,
as far north as Dover, Del.
Active ministries
The Philoptochos chapter is among
the most active groups in the community. Sunday School has about 40
students up to the 11th grade and there
also is a Greek school. Each year since
2003, St. George Church sponsors one
or two church school students to attend
Ionian Village, Fr. Vasilios said.
Another program for youth, now
in its fourth year, is providing a one
week vacation at the end of August to
children of St. Basil Academy, including room and board at a hotel, a fishing
boat excursion and sightseeing in the
local area.
Over the years the community acquired additional property, including
three houses that are rented year-round
and provide a steady source of income
in addition to its strong stewardship
program.
Another income source is the annual festival, which is held at the end
of July indoors in the air-conditioned
Ocean City Convention Center.
Fr. Penteridis, a native of Florina,
Greece, with degrees in mathematics
and economics from Greece, and engineering from Columbia University,
worked as an engineer before deciding
to become a priest in 1986. He said of his
community that “People stick together.
They are like an extended family.”
— Compiled by Jim Golding
22
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I n
M e m o r i a m
Fr. Panagiotis Kastaris
Beloved Orthodox priest, husband,
father and grandfather, Rev. Panagiotis
“Peter” Kastaris, 78, died peacefully on
April 7 in Gainesville, Fla.’s Shands Hospital, after an active ministry of more than
five decades.
Fr. Kastaris was born in Alexandria,
Egypt, on May 24, 1929, and was raised
in Athens, Greece.
He served most of his 51 years as
an Orthodox priest in the United States,
where he was head priest at St. Nicholas
in Lorain, Ohio; Assumption in St. Louis;
St. Demetrios Cathedral in Jamaica, N.Y.;
Holy Trinity in Canton, Ohio; St. Sophia
in Winter Haven, Fla. and St. Elizabeth the
Wonderworker in Gainesville.
While he retired in 1996, Fr. Kastaris
tirelessly continued celebrating the Divine
Liturgy and provided spiritual counseling,
two of his greatest pastoral joys, until almost the end of his life.
He was the son of Euripides Kastaris,
who fled Asia Minor as a teenager during
the ethnic cleansing against the Greeks in
the early 1920s, and the former Penelope
Doukas of Tinos, daughter of renowned
artist Demetrios Doukas, a master marble
craftsman who’s work adorns churches, as
well as supports the Parthenon restoration
project of the early 1900’s.
Known for his warm, interpersonal
style, quick wit and zeal for classical music, Fr. Kastaris endured the hardships
of World War II and the Greek Civil War,
before serving as a lieutenant in the Greek
army during peacetime.
In December 1955, he married Georgia Skouris, who shared his deep devotion
to the Church and his commitment to
academic excellence.
After earning a graduate degree in
theology from the University of Athens,
Fr. Kastaris pursued an additional master’s and a Ph.D. degree from Concordia
Seminary in St. Louis.
Ordained into the priesthood in August 1956, after serving only three days
as a deacon, he became head priest of
Sts. Constantine and Helen Church in
Thessalonica, Greece, where the couple
eventually had three children.
In 1961, the young family immigrated
to America to continue his ministry.
Memorial services were held in St.
Elizabeth Church in Gainesville and St.
Catherine’s Church in Astoria, N.Y., before
Fr. Kastaris was buried at Mount Olivet
Cemetery in Queens, N.Y., on April 12.
He is survived by Presbytera Georgia, his wife of over 52 years, their three
children, Penelope “Penny” Kastaris, a
management consultant and journalist;
Demetrios Kastaris, a music teacher and
composer; Euripides “Rip” Kastaris, an internationally renowned Olympic artist and
iconographer; and four grandchildren:
Georgia, Mary, Kathryn, and his 10-yearold namesake, Peter.
Fr. George J. Mamangakis
Fr. George J. Mamangakis, 81, a retired priest, died March 16.
He had served parishes in New York,
New Jersey and Florida.
He was born Nov. 30, 1926 in Brooklyn, N.Y., the son of John and Athena
Kafatos Mamangakis.
He attended public schools in New
York and, after graduating from Stuyvesant
High School, he studied cartography in the
military for one year, then enrolled at the
University of Maryland and graduated with
a bachelor of arts in psychology.
He served in the United States Navy
and was honorably discharged after which
he attended Halki Theological Seminary.
MAY 2008
Upon return to the United States
he married Stella Kouzoucas and was
ordained a deacon Jan. 29, 1956, in
Brooklyn, and as a priest on March 11,
1956, in Astoria.
Fr. Mamangakis’ first assignment was
at Three Hierarchs Church in Brooklyn
from September 1955 to January 1956.
He was next assigned to St. Demetrios
in Astoria until July 1957.
Fr. Mamangakis spent the next 28
years at Sts. Constantine and Helen
Church in Orange, N.J. until Jan. 14, 1985.
His last assignment was at St. Nicholas
Church in Fort Pierce, Fla., until May 31,
1990.
Fr George was the brother of Mary
and Emerald, the father of John, Georgia,
Steven and Harriet and the grandfather
of eight.
Memorial contributions may be sent
in Fr. George’s name to St. Nicholas Greek
Orthodox Church at 2525 South 25th St,
Fort Pierce, FL 34981.
Fr. Michael Michalopulos
Fr. Michael Michalopulos, 75, a retired priest, died April 5. He had served
parishes in South America and in the state
of New York.
He was born Nov. 18, 1931 in Filia,
Kalavrita and attended public school in
Greece. He also studied at Holy Cross in
Brookline, Mass., for one year.
He emigrated to Argentina in 1950
and married Magdalena Prodomidou.
They had two children, Katerine Athanasia
and Alexander Nicholas.
He was ordained as a deacon at Assumption Church in Buenos Aires in April
1956, and as a priest at Three Hierarchs
Church in Brooklyn, N.Y., in October
1961.
He served five years as a deacon and
six months as a priest in Buenos Aires,
then was assigned to Florianopolis, Brazil from 1962-1966. His next assignment
was the Cathedral of Sao Pedro in Sao
Paulo, Brazil. He returned to Argentina,
to the Iglesia de San Miguel Arcangel in
Olivos, Buenos Aires, where he served
from 1970-81.
In September 1981, he came to the
United States to Annunciation Church in
Binghamton, N.Y for a brief period before
being assigned to Annunciation in Vestal,
N.Y., serving until his retirement in June
2002.
Deacon John T. Kontogianes
Deacon John T. Kontogianes, 67,
a clergyman with a lay profession, died
March 15. He served at Holy Trinity parish
in Tulsa since January 2003.
He was born Aug. 10, 1940.
Deacon Kontogianes had worked
at Tulsa Community College since 1997
where he served as executive vice president for academic affairs and held other
positions at the college.
He earned a Ph.D. in mathematics
education at the University of Oklahoma
and also attended the University of Tulsa
and Harvard University.
He was also very active in numerous
civic and cultural organizations in Tulsa.
[email protected]
Tel.: (212) 570-3555
Fax: (212) 774-0239
MAY 2008
Family Ministry
Reading the Bible
by Melissa Tsongranis
For many of us, there is nothing better
than curling up with a book and getting
lost in it. We all love a good book—but
how about the Good Book? How often
do we curl up with the Bible and lose ourselves in the stories and teachings of our
Lord? At bedtime, do our children beg us
to read the parable of the Good Samaritan
for the hundredth time? The Bible has lessons that will direct us in every application
of life. It is the story of God’s tremendous
love for us and it calls for us to immerse
ourselves deep into its pages.
Making the Bible an important part of
our families’ lives is critical. Our families
should read the Bible together, as well as
individually. This time we spend reading
together should help lay the foundation
for personal Bible study by giving our children the tools they need to read as they
grow. By making this a regular practice,
they will learn that familiarity with the
Bible is necessary for growth as Orthodox
Christians.
Shift your Mind
Reading the Bible isn’t like reading
anything else–we don’t read through it
and then stack it on a shelf along with the
latest John Grisham novel. The Bible is
something we should be constantly reading and integrating into our life. There are
two important things that we must keep in
mind as we begin to read the Bible.
First, reading the Bible is less about
accumulating rote knowledge and more
about developing a relationship. For
example, when we read a textbook for a
class, we go through it taking notes and
commit to memory certain concepts.
When we finish the text, there is a certain amount of knowledge that we have
gained. When we read the Bible, however,
we enter into a relationship. Think about a
new relationship; the more time we spend
with the person, the more we learn and
the more we begin to understand them.
As a result, we learn more about ourselves
through this dynamic, healthy, and loving relationship. The Bible reveals God’s
relationship with mankind. The more we
read, the more we understand, and the
more we learn about ourselves.
The next thing we must keep in
mind is that God is mysterious—so great
and so loving that we can’t possibly ever
comprehend His essence. So, as we read
the Bible, we must be mindful that what
we have understood has merely scratched
the surface of what is there. Years ago, I
decided to read the Bible cover to cover.
I started with Genesis and I unfortunately
got stuck there. I got so caught up with
wanting to fully understand all aspects
of the book that I dissected it, resulting
in two pages of questions I had for my
spiritual father. As I bombarded him with
questions, he lovingly reminded me that
I should not be reading this like an investigative reporter, but rather as a humble
servant, grateful that my Master is allowing
me access to know Him better. Questioning and getting proper answers leads to
growth, but God’s wisdom infinitely surpasses our limited understanding, and we
must accept that there are certain things
in the Bible that will remain mystifying to
us. However, each time we read more is
revealed, drawing us closer and closer to
God’s Heavenly Kingdom. As we become
more familiar with its teachings, we see
it bear tangible fruit in our lives through
our actions.
Getting Started
Once we have come to terms with
the difference of reading the Bible from
that of our average New York Times
Best Seller, we are ready to get started.
It becomes quite apparent that there are
many Bibles to choose from—perhaps too
many. Thomas Nelson Publishers recently
published the new Orthodox Study Bible
which contains the complete Old and New
Testaments. This version has commentary
and footnotes from noted Orthodox theologians and can be an excellent resource
as you begin to read the Bible. If your
children are young, consider investing in
a children’s Bible to increase both their
attention and comprehension. Two excellent children’s Bibles are the Children’s
Bible Reader (published by American Bible
Society) and The Bible for Young People
by Zoe Kanavas (published by Narthex
Press). Another helpful resource in finding
the appropriate text for different age levels
can be the Antiochian Gospel Program
which can be viewed at www.antiochian.
org/node/1448. This program takes the
text from the Sunday Gospel reading
and writes it for different developmental
levels of understanding along with ageappropriate questions.
The next issue to deal with as we decide to get started is what to read. There is
so much in the Bible—where do we start
and how often do we read? In the Old Testament, God establishes His covenant with
Israel, taking us from the story of Creation
through the prophetic writings. The New
Testament shares Jesus’ life and teachings (in the Gospels), how we can live as
Christians (in the Epistles), and ends with
the prophecy of the Book of Revelation.
The Church does have readings that are
prescribed for each day which can be a
helpful place to begin your studies. These
readings are available at the Online Chapel
of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of
America www.onlinechapel.goarch.org. It
can be particularly edifying to look ahead
at the Sunday Gospel and Epistle readings
and read them as a family in preparation
for the Liturgy. Whatever you decide,
start slowly, and build on your practice
from there.
With all worthy things, we need to
begin with prayer. Make sure to begin all
Bible study by asking God for enlightenment in studying His word.
Shine within our hearts, loving Master, the pure light of Your divine knowledge, and open the eyes of my mind that
I may understand Your teachings. Instill
in us also reverence for Your blessed commandments, so that having conquered
sinful desires I may pursuer a spiritual way
of life thinking and doing all those things
that are pleasing to You.
– Prayer for Enlightenment
Read and Discuss
Once a passage is read, discuss it as a
family. Discussing the passage reinforces
our understanding and helps us to apply
the lessons to our lives. The Bible has
many riches for us but there will also be
numerous questions that will arise in its
study. As mentioned before, you are not
expected to have all the answers but turn
to your parish priest for any questions and
guidance you may need. As you discuss ask
the following questions:
What happened in this story/passage?
(Allow children to retell the story in their
own words to check for understanding.)
What do you think this means to our
life? (Allow children to discuss how a certain passage will impact them as they live
a Christian life?)
Explore
Take time as a family to get to know
your Bible and learn more about how to
use it with the following activities:
Page through your Bible and learn
how it is laid out. Do a search for certain
passages and let your children learn how
to look them up. Have fun and make a
game out of it!
Get a concordance and use it to look
up passages about different topics: truth,
love, family, or whatever interests your
family at that particular moment. If you
don’t have a concordance handy, use
Bible Gateway www.biblegateway.com for
a Bible search.
Look at the four Gospels and compare and contrast similar stories in each
account. Discuss how each reveals something different about Jesus’ life.
Attend parish sponsored Bible study
classes and send your children to your
church school program and/or other
youth programs. In doing this, you will
all have the opportunity to study the
scripture with you peers and bring home
your learning to share.
When you love someone, you want to
know all about them. The more you learn,
the deeper your connection grows. One of
the most important ways we come to know
God is through study of the His Word.
The more we read the Bible, the
greater our understanding of God and His
divine plan for our lives becomes. As we
prayerfully study the scripture, the words
will take hold and dwell in our hearts
bringing us peace and joy. May your family
discover the true treasures that come from
curling up and getting lost in the greatest
book ever written—the Holy Bible.
Melissa Tsongranis is the Resource
Coordinator for the Center for Family Care
of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese (www.
familyaschurch.com). She has worked
extensively with very young children and
their families for the past 14 years. She can
be reached at [email protected]
23
From the Fathers
To search the scriptures is
a work most fair and profitable
for souls. For just as the tree
planted by the channels of waters, so also the soul watered
by the scriptures is enriched
and gives fruit in its season…
If we read once or twice and
do not understand what we
read, let us not grow weary,
but let us persist, let us talk
much, let us inquire… Let us
draw from the fountain of the
perennial garden and from the
most pure waters springing
unto life eternal.
St. John Damascene
FAMILY ACTIVITY CORNER
Preparing
for Pentecost
This year, we celebrate Pentecost on
Sunday, June 15. As a family, prepare for
the celebration of this Great Feast by using
the suggestions below:
Pray Together
Begin your preparation by learning
the following Apolytikion of Pentecost:
Blessed are You, O Christ our God, who
made fishermen all-wise, sending down
upon them the Holy Spirit, and through
them netting the world. O Loving One,
Glory to You.
Read and Discuss Together
Next read the following Epistle and
Gospel reading for the feast: Epistle: Acts
2:1-11 and Gospel: John 7:37-52, 8:12
Following your reading, discuss the
passages and what they mean to our lives
today. Write down a few of the questions
that arise and seek out their answers by
consulting with your parish priest. As
a family, discuss how you can become
“fishers of men” (as indicated in the
Apolytikion) working as contemporary
apostles.
To Do Together
Create a mural illustrating the scene
from Acts. Imagine the scene and draw
the vivid images—the strong wind and the
tongues of fire which ignited the apostles
in undertaking the evangelization of the
world.
This activity was adapted from the
Family Gospel Program from the Center
for Family Care of the Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese of America.
Further Gospel lessons for other Sunday can be found at www.familyaschurch.
org/fr-familynight.asp
The articles on this page are
provided by the Center for Family
Care of the Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese of America.
For further information, visit
www.familyaschurch.org
or call (845) 424-8175
24
by Fr. Charles Joanides, Ph.D., LMFT
Good marriages are highly dependent
on the decisions that people make prior to
marriage and during the dating process. In
your efforts to make some good choices
when dating, this article, along with the
previous two that have appeared in this
column, should prove helpful.
The number of couples who are cohabiting has spiked dramatically over the
past 10 years. Today, over 50 percent of all
couples who marry determine to cohabit
first. When asked why, most will state that
it’s a way for them to get to know their
partner before they actually make the commitment to marriage. But is this trial-run
logic, a sound and effective strategy?
Our Christian tradition cautions us
to avoid this alluring pitfall. Moreover,
research validates this counsel. Not only
does the best research indicate this strategy doesn’t work, but when non-cohabiting
couples who marry are compared with
those who have lived together prior to
marriage, non-cohabiting couples report
higher levels of marital satisfaction and
lower levels of divorce. This means that
the trial-run logic that couples use to
justify cohabitation is based on myth, and
not reality. Instead, reality would mirror
what Holy Tradition teaches, which counsels couples to wait until they’re married
before living together.
Sex, Love and Marriage
These days, many singles view sex as
a recreational activity. This perspective
argues that sex can be enjoyed outside of
a committed relationship, and is part and
parcel of a single lifestyle. One of the catch
phrases used by many singles these days
who espouse this philosophy is “hooking
up.” I’ve counseled several single persons
who were victims of this philosophy. While
in theory this philosophy may seem attractive and sound, it not only runs counter
to what Christian tradition teaches, and
doesn’t work, but it is another myth that
MAY 2008
Marriage and Family
Dating Tips that Lead to Good Choices
causes lots of heartache.
Moreover, the reason this philosophy doesn’t work, is because it separates
sex from love and marriage. However,
this simply can’t be done, because sex
is always relational. Try as many singles
do to convince themselves that sex with
someone means nothing, the reality is it
always does mean something. The primary
reason why this is true has something to
do with what our Holy Tradition teaches
– that we are psychosomatic beings, and
our bodies and spirits cannot be compartmentalized. As such, sex and self are
profoundly interconnected to one another
when people are physically intimate. In
addition to what Holy Tradition teaches,
results from numerous studies further
validate the point that “hooking up” is
anything but harmless.
These studies suggest that the more
sexual partners a person has before marriage negatively impacts their ability to
remain in a committed, faithful relationship. That’s because what one believes has
a great impact on one’s future decisions
and behavior. So, if you believe that sex,
love and marriage are interconnected,
with God’s help, struggle to live up to this
belief. One way to do this is to select dating
partners who have similar values.
Choose Wisely
In one of St. John Chrysostom’s homilies about marriage, he offers the following
succinct counsel. “Choose wisely.” One
way to do this is to permit God to be an
active part of the dating process. God’s
divine guidance and wisdom will help you
avoid many of the pitfalls that are part and
parcel of the territory of dating.
But let’s assume that you’re already
collaborating with God during the dating
process. Is this enough?
From my perspective, I’d say, no.
Why? Well, before answering this question, let me share a quote I recently read
on a church’s marquee. It read as follows:
“If God is your copilot, swap places.” I
believe this is excellent advice for those of
you who are looking for the love of your
life, because this quote reminds you that
it’s not simply enough to collaborate with
God during the dating process, you should
also be willing to allow Him to guide you.
I remember speaking to a group of college
students and making this point. After my
presentation, one young man came forward and thanked me, stating that he’d
never quite understood what God’s role
was until I shared this guideline.
So, if God is your copilot, and you’re
in collaboration with Him, but you still
have most of the control, swap seats.
Getting it Right the Second Time
People who’ve been divorced and are
considering remarriage often encounter
a host of additional challenges that are
unlike the challenges encountered when
marrying the first time.
That’s one main reason why the
divorce rate among this population of
couples is significantly higher. With that
stated, people considering remarriage
should not only consider the above suggestions, but should also seek to understand some of the pitfalls that people encounter when they remarry. For example,
some of these potential pitfalls are related
to the challenges that step-families and
step-parents encounter.
Others are related to the ex-spouse
and how to deal with them. And still others
are related to marriage after 50, and the
unique challenges that couples face during this part of the life cycle. Since those
who are divorced and are considering
remarriage do not want to experience the
trials and tribulations connected to a failed
marriage, it goes without saying that considerable prayer and care can prove very
helpful during the dating process.
Conclusion
During the Sacrament of Marriage
celebrated in the Orthodox Church, a
gospel reading from St. John’s gospel
(John. 2:1-11) is read that recounts how
Jesus turns water into wine.
It seems to me that when the spiritual
lessons behind this miracle are related to
marriage, they serve to remind us that a life
in Christ, and by extension, the grace of
God that comes into people’s lives when
Christ is in our midst, can help couples
transform a stale marriage into an exciting
vital marriage.
In addition, a life in Christ, can turn
defeat into victory; anguish and frustration
into healing; resentment into understanding; unhappiness into contentment, and
irreconcilable differences into an opportunity for growth and the increased oneness
that our Lord referred to when he stated:
“…a man shall leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife, and the two shall
become one flesh” (Matt. 19:5).
Yet, as absolutely crucial and central
as God’s grace is to marriages, I always
remind young people who are looking for
the love of their life that our theology also
reminds us that our part in the salvation
process is absolutely necessary. So, don’t
shrink from this responsibility. Take the
time to get to know yourself and your
partner, and with God’s direction and
help, choose wisely. Amen.
If you have other questions or concerns don’t hesitate to e-mail me at
[email protected] You might also log
onto the Interfaith Marriage Web site
www.interfaith.goarch.org
25
MAY 2008
missions
Two Examples of Orthodox Christian Outreach in Tanzania
Mission Team Addresses Needs of the Faithful
by Philemon Patitsas
As we crossed the Mediterranean on a
British Airways flight bound from London
to Entebbe, Uganda, the blossoming of the
Orthodox Church of Tanzania was on the
forefront of our minds.
We were traveling with an Orthodox
Christian Mission Center (OCMC) Team
destined for Bukoba, Tanzania, now under
the Metropolitanate of Mwanza.
I had first discussed the possibility
of volunteering for a short-term OCMC
mission assignment with Fr. Luke Veronis,
during the spring semester at Holy Cross
School of Theology, where he was my
missiology professor, The entire Veronis
family has been intimately committed to
missions for years.
Fr. Alexander Veronis, Fr. Luke’s father, has championed overseas missions
and the formation and development of the
OCMC over the last five decades.
The purpose of our missionary journey was to provide theological instruction to Church workers and catechists as
part of an annual training program held
in western Tanzania under Metropolitan
Jeronymos. We would stay at the small
12–student seminary compound, 20 minutes away in neighboring Kazikizi, which
had been built by earlier OCMC teams.
During his short tenure in Tanzania,
Metropolitan Jeronymos, ordained to the
Holy Episcopate in 1999, the Orthodox
Church has grown from 5,000 to 50,000
faithful.
In addition to the 32 priests serving
170 communities in the Metropolis, His
Eminence calls upon the Royal Priesthood
of believers, (1 Peter 2:5,9), for assistance
as catechists, evangelists, readers, teachers
and volunteers. At least one catechist is
assigned to each of the 170 communities
and is provided with ongoing theological
training and leadership development.
His Eminence Jeronymos has established an Orthodox catechetical camp
in Rubale which, for the last five years,
has enriched and nurtured the developing churches catechists and supported
the efforts of the theological school in
Kazikizi.
The camp, which is really a “train the
trainer” educational program, runs for
several weeks and covers a range of topics, mostly theological, but also includes
health, agriculture and economic issues.
Participants are committed Orthodox
Christians who are expected to share what
they’ve learned in their home parishes.
His Eminence also understands the
importance of job creation and economic
development for the life of his community.
He asked each of his communities to plant
10,000 trees with seedlings grown in the
Metropolis’ own nurseries. In addition
to the environmental benefit, the future
value of the mature trees will provide an
economic benefit to each community.
Jobs are also being created through
many construction projects, the Metropolis farm and furniture–making shop. The
Metropolis is also drilling water wells and
plans to drill many more in the months
to come to protect its people from commonly occurring, but avoidable, waterborne diseases.
It is evident from the projects and
activities that, not only is the Tanzanian
Church being edified through the Metropolitan’s capable leadership, the people
Often a river or lake is blessed as the newly illumined of Tanzania are immersed in the life
transforming water of baptism.
are also benefiting economically through
job creation and capital investment.
At our final gathering with Metropolitan Jeronymos, we had the chance to
reflect on our experiences together and
the things we had witnessed. We discussed
the beauty of the people, the things we
had seen accomplished and our small
contribution to the overall effort.
I asked Metropolitan Jeronymos
the following: “We’ve seen the amazing
work the Church is accomplishing here
in Tanzania. As we return to our home
parishes in America what message would
you like us to convey to them? Is there
anything else you need or would like us
to share?”
His answer was simple and straightforward, “More than anything else we
need your prayers. Everything requires
God’s Grace.
Recently I was traveling with my
driver in a remote region of Tanzania.
Our car lost its brakes and we started to
go off the side of a cliff. We would have
plunged to our death had it not been for
the intervention of the Theotokos. More
than anything we need your prayers.”
In the face of all the extreme challenges of mission life, in the face of poverty,
remoteness, disease and death, and the
many other challenges faced each day, the
Metropolitan was keenly aware that everything good requires God’s Grace, and that
prayer is essential to His success. We pray
that God grants Metropolitan Jeronymos,
many years of health and happiness in
service to our Lord Jesus Christ.
tion and answer session with Metropolitan
Jonah of Kambala and Uganda in his conference room, followed by a prayer service.
The ladies of the parish have prepared
a feast of traditional African cuisine for us
and while we eat, the Metropolitan opens
with an enthusiastic, “Welcome to Africa!”
After a pause, he continues much more
solemnly, “This is Africa . . .” and speaks
with a heavy heart about the AIDS epidemic
which affects 50 percent of the population,
a high infant mortality rate and low life
expectancy for his people.
The life span of a typical Tanzanian
is 47 years old and the average age is 17,
with those figures decreasing. Metropolitan Jeronymos is holding his head in his
hands through Metropolitan Jonah’s entire
speech and we see in his expression that
these statistics shape his daily life.
After a few questions, we end in a
hymn. The metropolitans and our hosts all
sing a hymn to the Theotokos (the MzaziMungu, or “God Producer” in Swahili.) It is
a hymn I have known since childhood, one
of my favorites, and the familiar tune – despite the unfamiliar words – makes me feel
a kinship with this group of people whom
I have just met, who live on the other side
of the globe.
It is the first of many “moments” I have
on this journey in which I realize that the
sharing of faith is infinitely more powerful
than the sharing of language or culture. All
of us who make the journey have become
collectors of such moments. The evening
prayer service that follows takes place by
Philemon Patitsas anticipates the
completion of his Masters of Divinity from
Holy Cross School of Theology in 2008. He
and his wife, Maria, were part of the 2007
OCMC Orthodox Mission Team to Tanzania to assist in teaching at the Orthodox
catechetical camp.
One California Parish’s Mission Work
by Nadine Iskander
The strangest thing about my journey
to Tanzania is that I don’t remember where
it began. Someone suggested that I assist
with a luncheon to raise funds for a churchbuilding project in East Africa.
Of course I agreed, but having had
no personal connection to mission work,
my imagination halted with literally serving lunch. A few individual members of
our St. Paul’s Irvine family had, over the
years, committed themselves to mission
work, both short and long-term, and all
spoke glowingly of their life-altering experiences.
They were the impetus for forming the
Mission Committee at our church, and met
occasionally to plan outreach. We helped
sponsor a soup kitchen in Albania, the
poorest country in Europe, and worked on
a regular basis with St. Innocent’s Orphanage in nearby Mexico. I viewed us as an
active parish. I thought we did “enough.”
Fr. Steven Tsichlis, who has been our
pastor for the past 11 years, had the vision and understanding necessary to help
me – to help all of us – see that there is no
such thing as “enough” in the life of the
Church.
In September 2006, he steered us in
the direction of large-scale mission work
as a parish. Fr. Steve communicated with
the Orthodox Christian Mission Center in
Florida and, through its director, Fr. Martin
Ritsi, was brought into contact with then
Bishop Jeronymos of Bukoba, Tanzania.
The diocese has grown exponentially
in the past decade from one priest and
scattered pockets of Orthodox Christian
communities, to the 35 priests and 166
communities it boasts today.
Our own community was so staggered
by these numbers, and also so encouraged
that this shadowy concept of a church on
the other side of the world materialized
into a concrete reality very quickly. We
seemed to move from discussing vague
dollar amounts to scheduling vaccinations and booking airline tickets in rapid
succession.
In March 2007, now Metropolitan
Jeronymos celebrated Liturgy with us in
Irvine and accepted our $40,000 donation for the future St Paul’s Church in his
diocese. At that point, the foundation had
already been laid by local masons.
He selected the village of Kobunshwi
himself, with 10 percent of its population
Orthodox Christian, based on their great
need and their great faith. As for the 20 of
us who made the journey from Southern
California to East Africa, we arrived at Entebbe Airport in Uganda at 8 a.m. on July 5,
2007, where Metropolitan Jeronymos was
the first person I see in the greeting area.
Over the next two weeks I learn – we all
learn – that a true missionary bishop such
as Jeronymos of Bukoba, places himself in
the forefront of everything: of hard work,
of sacrifice, and of personal discomfort for
the sake of spreading Orthodoxy to people
who are hungry for it.
The afternoon of our arrival, we are
driven to St. Nicholas’ Orthodox Church
and Spiritual Center in Kampala for a ques-
 page 30
26
MAY 2008
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Bible InsightS
Sowing and Reaping
by Fr. William Gaines
In the lesson from Mark 4:1-8, when
you plant seed, you expect the harvest
to be much larger than the amount of
the seed planted.
You can expect to reap more than
you have sown because it is the very
principle of seed to increase.
Our acts and deeds multiply their
results in the same way that crop seeds
do after a farmer sows them.
Sow a thought and reap an act; sow
an act and reap a habit, sow a habit and
reap a character; sow a character and
reap a destiny.
Life itself is a seed time for each one
of us. It may truly be said of all men,
“They have sown.”
Yet the prudent man stops to reflect
and put the question: “What will the harvest be?” It is an important question, for
the harvest invariably yields fruit of the
seed sown and more than was sown.
According to Romans14:7, you can
expect to reap more than you have sown
because others reap with you.
As we live out our days, our lives
affect others for good or evil. It might
not be so bad if we reaped alone, but
that mother and father, that wife and
family, or those business partners reap
along with us.
Does not the alcoholic cause his wife
and children to reap a bitter harvest?
What shall we say about the harvest of a
broken home that affects every member
of it?
My deeds and attitudes may be carried forth in my children, my friends and
my neighbors to be reproduced through
them for good or evil.
Harvests have a way of multiplying
whether they are healthy or rotten.
You can expect to reap more than
you have sown because it takes a longer
time to reap.
Consider the length of time one
reaps either the effects of an ill-directed
or dissipated lie, or the blessings of a
godly life.
Look at the length of time one
spends brooding with a smitten conscience over a matter of stealing or lying
or the mistreatment of a fellow human
being.
Contrast this with the peace of mind
of one who speaks and lives the truth
and who deals honestly with his neighbor, knowing the forgiveness of God.
In conclusion, the Beatitudes in
Matthew 5:3-12 show that we can reap
a magnificent harvest simply by doing
what God wants.
This great truth of sowing and reaping is the answer to one whose life is
given over to selfish and evil pursuits.
It should give him reason enough to
change the direction of his life by repenting of sin and accepting Jesus Christ as
his savior.
No one can live a Christian life
until he becomes a true Christian. We
become Christians by taking Christ into
our hearts as Savior and Lord.
He who receives Him begins a new
life. His life is thenceforth lived for God
and His glory, and immediately he begins to reap the benefits of such living.
According to Matthew 6:33, without
God nothing is wise or strong or worth
doing.
To live unto God is the only wise
sowing.
The Joy of the Ascension
Doesn’t the Ascension of Christ
intrigue you? Did Christ really ascent to
Heaven and, if so, what became of His
body? Did Christ really ascent to Heaven
and, if so, what became of His body?
There is no doubt about the fact
of the Ascension. As St. Luke puts his
description of it in the first chapter of
the Acts of the Apostles, he describes it
thusly: “Until the day on which He was
taken up, after having given instructions
through the Holy Spirit to His Apostles
whom He had chosen.
“It was also to them that after His
suffering He showed Himself alive with
many proofs, while He appeared to them
during 40 days and spoke to them about
the Kingdom of God.”
Notice that the description St. Luke
mentions that Jesus remained on earth
40 days, which constitutes the reason
why the Ascension is celebrated 40 days
after Easter, the Feast of His Resurrection.
The early Christians had no problem
with the disappearance of the resurrected body of Christ. They had been
told of His mysterious appearances, for
instance His appearance to St. Thomas
and the other Apostles even though they
were behind closed doors.
They knew that the human nature
of the risen Christ had been taken from
this into the sphere of the diving life of
the Holy Trinity.
The Ascension of Jesus, as His life
in God, transcends our experience in
which we know only through our senses
and imagination. We can’t imagine the
kind of life that Jesus enjoys in heaven.
The early Christians looked upon
the Ascension as a pledge of a new kind
of His presence.
St. John recorded this belief: “It is
expedient for you that I depart. For if I
do not go, the Advocate (Holy Spirit) will
not come to you. But if I go, I will send
Him to you.” (John 16:7)
St. Paul speaks of the resurrection
and ascension of Christ as though they
were one action – and that we are not
only raised up by our unity with Christ,
but ascend with Him to heaven.
In writing to the Christians at
Ephesus, he said, “When we were dead
through our sins, He brought us to life
with Christ. It is through grace that you
have been saved – and raised us up with
Him and gave us a place with Him in
heaven, in Christ Jesus.” (Eph. 1:5-6).
The Ascension is not an event that
we view as spectators; it is a pledge of
our existence with Christ whose resurrection is also a pledge of resurrection
from the dead.
Curiously, we have developed our
attitude towards the Ascension as spectators, not participants, because artists
could paint the Ascension only as a fact
that took Jesus away from us.
There is a 15 th century German
painting that shows the Apostles looking
at a pair of footprints – Jesus has just
disappeared; the artist just plain gave up
trying to depict the Ascension.
Every picture I have seen of the
Ascension emphasized Jesus leaving the
world and everyone in it behind.
The joy of the Ascension is the fact
that we are to join Him in an everlasting existence of love and joy – as the
Apostles related.
28
MAY 2008
Politics,
Faith
Subject
Metropolises Hold Parades of Boston OCF Panel
by Joseph Al-Shanniek
Metropolitan Nicholas of Detroit leads close to 10,000 marchers up Monroe Street from
Woodward Avenue to the heart of Greektown in the city’s annual Greek Independence
Day parade on April 6. The Detroit parade was revived in 2001 after an absence of several
decades and is sponsored by the Detroit Greek Independence Day Committee.
Young people in ethnic regalia “float” their way through downtown San Francisco in that
city’s recent Greek Independence Day parade.
Metropolitan Methodios leads dignitaries and marchers along Boylston Street in Boston’s
recent Greek Independence Day parade.
BOSTON – The interest in
the role of politics and faith has
been heightening especially in
the past couple months, during
the presidential debates and
Lenten season, and in response
to students’ interest, Boston
College’s Orthodox Christian
Fellowship organized a panel
called “Love Thy Neighbor:
Building a Just Society.”
The panel included five
Greek Orthodox speakers invited to discuss their perspectives
on the role of faith in building Fr. Constantine Sitaras and Metropolitan Methodios of
Boston take part in the recent OCF panel discussion at
a just society.
Boston College.
The group addressed the
The panelists emphasized the necesmost pressing contemporary issues like
faith and politics and gender and racial eq- sity to stress the philanthropic aspects of
uity in society. These issues tend to affect Christianity as the basis for building a just
Americans most and their critical decision society, and shared their personal endeavors to exercise the Christian teaching of
in choosing the next president.
“Before answering the question, ‘How love in their lives.
Fr. Constantine Sitaras, executive
do we build a just society?’ we need to first
ask ourselves, ‘Who is our neighbor?’” said director of St. Basil Academy and director
Dr. Demetrios Katos, assistant professor of the Archdiocese Center for Family Care,
of religious studies at Holy Cross School cited his role in developing the Center at
of Theology. “We can find the answer in the Academy.
“…Not all my attempts are successthe gospels, as well as the parable of the
good Samaritan. To me, my neighbor is ful,” he said. “I heard a youngster, whom
whoever comes into my presence. If we I had taken into St. Basil Academy three
do not love those who surround us, we weeks earlier, saying that he does not
do not love our God, for he who does not believe in God. But I couldn’t blame him.
Why should this young boy, who had been
love our brother cannot love God.”
The panelists agreed that uncondi- victimized by injustice and harshness of
tional love toward neighbors, demon- society, believe in anything? We all want
strated by Jesus Christ himself, is a crucial quick remedies, and we want some assurance that our gesture of philanthropy
factor in a just society.
“When you see an impoverished and love has reached the others. But
Christian, believe that you are seeing an al- sometimes it requires a lot of patience,”
tar. When you see a beggar, reverence him Fr. Sitaras said. “They will test us, feel the
as if he was Christ himself,” said Metropoli- security, and eventually grow to accept
tan Methodios of Boston. “Philanthropy is God and love him.”
Dr. Maria Kakavas, adjunct profesthe flesh and the bone of Christianity. We
build a just society by loving our neighbor. sor in the Classical Studies Department,
We need to live in spiritual harmony, re- said that she tries to spread Christianity
specting others regardless their affiliation through her teaching profession. “I find it
very pleasurable to teach, because I know
with church, ethnicity, or gender.”
Barbara Spyridon Pope, former U.S. that the students will go into society and
assistant secretary of defense and board teach others,” Dr. Kakavas said.
Metropolitan Methodios added, “But
member to the Hellenic Next Generation
Initiative, agreed and said that justice with- most importantly, we need to be able to
out love and understanding is not justice. recognize the hunger and pain of our
“Love, so often stressed by Christ, helps us neighbors.
“Many of us are blessed with abununderstand the differences and also make
the differences.” Ms. Pope added, “Justice dance of food, and we fail to see those
means suspending all judgment. Your who are less fortunate. Kindness has a
ripple effect. Let’s start by taking small
faith and love should reach everyone.”
She said that her Christian faith has steps. They may have larger impact than
played a big role in her career. “I have you think.”
always tried to follow my faith in God and
Joseph Al-Shanniek, a junior at BC
the teachings of the church as my guidance. I know that I received a lot of gifts and former St. Basil Academy student,
from God, and I tried to share them with organized and moderated the panel discussion.
others,” she said.
Deadlines for news, advertising
Fr. Andrew Georganas of St. Demetrios Church in Elmhurst, Ill., marches alongside parishioners on Halsted Street in the heart of Chicago’s Greektown in celebration of the annual
Greek Independence Day parade on March 30.
Deadline for submitting items for consideration
for the June issue is Thursday, May 29.
Send ads to (e-mail) [email protected],
or [email protected]. To submit news items,
photos, feature items or letters to the editor
by e-mail (preferred) send to: [email protected] ,
or by regular mail, to: Editor, Orthodox Observer,
8 E. 79th St., New York, NY 10075.
29
MAY 2008
Leadership 100 Grant
Helps Church to Rise
Metropolitans Methodios of Boston, Gerasimos of San Francisco and Evangelos of New Jersey are joined by Bishops Philotheos of Meloa and
Andonios of Phasiane and other clergy for the memorial service.
Three-Year Memorial Service Held for Archbishop Iakovos
BOSTON –Following a hierarchical
Divine Liturgy at Annunciation Cathedral
on April 13, Metropolitan Methodios presided at a three-year memorial service for
Archbishop Iakovos, who passed away on
April 10, 2005.
Metropolitan Methodios served as
archdeacon to Archbishop Iakovos for
many years.
Co-celebrating with Metropolitan
Methodios were the following metropolitans and bishops, all of whom also served
as archdeacons to Archbishop Iakovos: Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco, the
longest serving; Metropolitan Evangelos of
New Jersey, Bishop Philotheos of Meloa,
the first archdeacon; and Bishop Andonios
of Phasiane, the current Archdiocese director of Philanthropy. Also taking part was
Bishop Anthimos of Olympos who served
as dean of the Holy Trinity Archdiocesan
Cathedral in New York.
Others taking part were Annunciation
Cathedral dean Fr. George Daskalakis, Assistant priest Fr. Philippe Mousis, Fr. Peter
Orfanakos, pastor of St. Barbara parish in
Orange, Conn., who also served as Archbishop Iakovos’ archdeacon, Frs. Kirillos
Thererakis and Alexios Marakis from Crete,
students at Holy Cross School of Theology,
and Deacons Michael Diamond and Jason
Roll. Following the service, the Cathedral
Philoptochos hosted a reception for the
large congregation, including Gerald
Daoussis, Archbishop Iakovos’ nephew
and other family members, Paulette Poulos,
Archbishop Iakovos’ administrative assistant for many years; Nikie Calles, director
of the Archives at the Archdiocese and Dina
Theodosakis, both of whom worked closely
with Archbishop Iakovos.
Consul General of Greece Constantine
Orfanides and many New England Archons
also attended.
Archbishop Iakovos served as the
spiritual leader of Greek Orthodox Christians in the Western Hemisphere from
1959-1996.
Metropolitan
Gerasimos of
S a n Fra n c i s co
with Goyans from
Arizona attending the Survivor:
Escape the iLAND
Lenten retreat on
April 4-5 at Camp
Wamatochick in
Prescott, Ar iz.
Forty-eight teenagers attended
from various parishes of the Arizona region.
Youth Retreats Held In Arizona, California
by Kristen Bruskas
The Metropolis of San Francisco Youth
and Family Ministries Office held two regional Lenten retreats for those in middle
school and high school. The theme for
both retreats was “Survivor: Escape the
iLAND.”
The first was held for the Arizona
region in Prescott, Ariz., from April 4-6, at
Camp Wamatochick.
The second was for the Southern
California region in Castaic, from April
11-13. Held from Friday through Sunday,
the retreats were designed to help the
youth escape the dangers of individualism
and self-centeredness (the iLAND) which
has as its fruit the negative consequences
of isolation from God and from others,
inauthentic and unhealthy relationships,
and loneliness.
Participants were encouraged to use
the tools of the Church, specifically those
offered during the Lenten period, to traverse the challenging waters of teenage life
and to get aboard “the ship” of the Church.
Participants were given the wisdom our Orthodox tradition to deal with issues such as
relationships, friendships, school and peer
pressure. Each retreat center offered activities that were meant to enhance the theme,
such as ropes course challenges, a zip line,
a climbing wall, archery and hiking.
Metropolitan Gerasimos was present
and addressed the participants of the Arizona Lenten retreat.
Fr. Andrew Barakos of the Assumption
Church in Scottsdale, Ariz., and Pete Sotiras, Youth and Family Ministries director
of the Metropolis of San Francisco, coordinated the event.
Mr. Sotiras led the two discussions
based on the theme. Forty eight teenagers attended, representing the following
parishes from Arizona: St. Demetrios of
Tucson, St. Katherine of Chandler, Holy
Trinity Cathedral of Phoenix, the Greek
Orthodox Mission of Northern Arizona in
Flagstaff, and St. Haralambos of Peoria.
One participant came from Nevada,
representing the parish of St. John the
Baptist in Las Vegas.
The Southern California Lenten Retreat had 28 participants, representing
the following parishes: St. Nicholas of
Northridge, St. Prophet Elias of San Bernardino, St. Spyridon of San Diego, St.
Demetrios of Camarillo, St. Katherine
of Redondo Beach and the Assumption
Church of Long Beach.
The retreat and the discussions were
coordinated and led by Fr. Haralambos
(Bob) Fox, assistant priest at St. Nicholas
Church in Northridge and Mr. Sotiras.
Greg Floor, assistant to the director of
admissions at Hellenic College/Holy Cross
School of Theology in Brookline, Mass.,
attended both retreats.
Mr. Floor offered a presentation of
both schools to participants and encouraged them to consider the schools when
the time came to choose the location for
their higher education. Mr. Floor also
helped with leading discussions in both
retreats.
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – At the start
of 2002, the small Greek Orthodox Mission of St. Andrew the Apostle in San Luis
Obispo had no church building and no full
time priest, but tremendous faith.
A Leadership 100 grant together with
the sacrifices of parishioners allowed them
to move into a chapel converted from a
small house and secure a full-time priest.
Almost six years later, on the feast of their
patron saint, St. Andrew the Apostle, Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco observed the rise of Orthodoxy on the Central
Coast of California by saying a “miracle had
occurred in our midst!”
2002 marked a turning point as the
mission parish received its first Leadership
100 grant which, together with the deep
faith and hard-work of the parishioners,
provided the community a consistent home
and a dedicated shepherd.
The continued support of Leadership
100 allowed them to grow little by little:
A local Orthodox Christian Fellowship was started to serve the numerous
Greek college students at California State
Polytechnic University a few blocks away
and today nearly one-quarter of the parish
consists of students.
By the end of 2005, the community
and its small chapel were bursting nearly
every Sunday and there were still no facilities for fellowship or religious education.
With great faith, the community purchased a Unitarian church a block away.
It was the fulfillment of a dream as now
there was an Orthodox education center
with Sunday school rooms, a nursery, fellowship hall, an office for the priest, and
space to grow.
After acquiring the building, the parish council contacted the internationally
known architect of Orthodox ecclesiastical
buildings, Steven Papadatos, to design a
new Orthodox landmark on California’s
Central Coast.
The interactions of the community
with Mr. Papadatos have been inspiring.
He has not just designed a building but
created a living icon of the encounter between heaven and earth that underlies our
Orthodox liturgical life.
On the east end of a building, a new
apse will house the altar. Above the sanctuary will be a blue dome that links us to the
heavens and will spill light into the room.
Outside will be a wall with seven blue
squares filled with crosses, representing the
seven sacraments of our church.
The most notable feature will be a new
narthex, topped by a bell tower and lighted
cross. Inside, the narthex will have four
niches, one for each of our evangelists.
Outside facing the street, there will
be a plaza upon which each year we as
a community will pronounce the Risen
Christ each Pascha night. Behind will be
a stain glass image of the church’s patron
St. Andrew.
Metropolitan Gerasimos visited the
community this year not only to celebrate
the community’s growth but also to support the ambitious building project and
corresponding $2 million capital campaign
inspired by the words said by Jesus to their
patron saint, “Come, follow me.”
The community has raised more than
$750,000 toward that goal. The church
anticipates support coming from all of the
country as people hear about the inspiring story of this small community and the
unique opportunity to create such a lasting
landmark to Orthodoxy.
30
MAY 2008
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candle light. As our group files in, we fix
our lit candles in their sand stands, kiss
the icons, and seat ourselves. The altar is
flanked by the icon of Christ on one side
and the icon of the Theotokos on the other.
It feels remarkably like home.
A half-day’s journey by van takes us
to our home base of Bukoba and our first
liturgy in Africa, along with an ordination.
The Church of the Twelve Apostles is located in Bukoba’s city center, level with
Lake Victoria.
While resembling other Tanzanian
churches in size and style, this downtown
church holds the distinction of being the
Cathedral of Bukoba, as the Bishop’s official seat.
On more than one occasion, Fr. Steve
is invited to give the sermon, which he does
through an interpreter, and today cites St.
Paul, saying, “In Christ, there is no Greek
nor Jew, no slave nor free, no man nor
woman,” and adds “we may also say that in
Christ, there is no American and no Tanzanian.” His message of unity is well received
wherever we go – and we are well received
both inside and outside the church. Even
the skilled laborers at the worksite, who
speak no English, address us visitors as “my
brother” and “my sister.”
Not only is the liturgy in Swahili more
beautiful than any I have ever heard, but the
passion with which the Tanzanian people
participate in their worship is astounding.
The walls literally shake with the sounds of
their voices. Many of the parishioners walk
miles to be here, and still every last person
sings every last response. The spirituality
alive in these small, simply-constructed African churches without question outweighs
all the grandeur of European cathedrals.
And children abound in the pews of
Tanzanian churches, particularly in the
front where many sit together, and are
allowed the privilege of Communion first,
even though no Sunday school class awaits
them.
I kept a journal during our stay, and
reading it over later, I was particularly
struck by the fact that much more of our
time was spent constructing a bond between our two communities rather than
constructing a building. We dedicated a
total of three days to the worksite: mixing cement, hoisting bowls of it onto the
structure, and disbursing piles of bricks.
The Bishop is the first one to roll up his
sleeves, and our team worked side-by-side
with his personal staff as well as the skilled
laborers.
Our attempt at bricklaying slows the
workmen down, however, and it becomes
clear that this building project is an exercise in community, and our moral support
proves much more valuable to them than
our muscle. We work together in the hot
sun for hours, taking breaks on site to enjoy snacks of dried fruit and ice water, and
anyone who needs to use the facilities must
wander carefully into the bushes, being
mindful of the goats.
The Bishop had mentioned that we
would be attending baptisms and weddings
during our stay, but I doubt that any one
of us could have anticipated the vast scale
of what was about to take place.
I was still picturing being a guest at
a few isolated ceremonies when a dump
truck filled with people pulled up to the
river where our own caravan had stopped.
It is the same dump truck that transported
bricks to our worksite and was a gift from
the Orthodox Church in Cyprus.
The Bishop, several priests, our drivers, over 80 soon-to-be-Orthodox and
ourselves hike nearly a mile through tall
grass and cow droppings to the bed of
the Ngono River in the village of Imugaza.
The scene emerges like something out of
Biblical days.
The Bishop begins the blessing of the
river waters amid the swaying papyrus
reeds while the people change among the
bushes into their white baptismal gowns.
A makeshift altar is created from a covered
suitcase laid on its side and the censor
hangs from a tree.
Several priests pray over the catechumens so that once the water is blessed,
the mass-baptism can begin. Eighty-four
people ranging from infants to grey-haired
ladies will become Orthodox today, and the
Bishop has asked our group not only to witness the sacrament, but also to participate
in it by anointing the babies with oil before
their baptism.
Seventeen couples of those present
will also have their marriages blessed in
the church and the group “Dance of Isaiah”
takes place on a grassy, open plane. As
awed as we all are at the depth of faith we
have witnessed today, the Bishop informs
us that this type of mass-conversion is not
unusual. The largest group that he has
baptized or chrismated at once is, in fact,
500 people.
During our stay, we have witnessed the
Bishop’s charisma, his sense of humor and
his drive, but on our last night together, he
is soft-spoken and sentimental. He knows
each of us by name now and looks around
the room earnestly as he reiterates Jesus’
words at the end of Matthew, “know I am
with you always.” He explains that Tanzania
and America are only distant in miles, but
not in the Spirit. He reminds us that we
will be with them always in spirit, just as
Jesus remained with His disciples in spirit
long after he was physically removed from
them. With our sniffles growing louder by
the second, he goes on to say that if love
is made visible in good works, he can certainly see the love in each of us. And love
changes the world.
Our usual custom is to end each meal
with thanksgiving, and we alternate between English prayers and Swahili hymns.
Our last celebration ends in a particularly
moving Swahili hymn of praise, in which
the Bishop calls out and the people respond. It is called “Jina la Bwana” – “the
Name of the Lord” – and it is so branded
in our memories of Tanzania that one of
our members requested the words, then
hand-copied them for the rest of us.
The Bishop calls out, singing a verse
and the people respond. This hymn captures the essence of the Orthodox Church
in Tanzania. More and more people
keep responding. Many of our goodbyes
throughout the entire trip are accompanied
by requests to “remember Bukoba diocese.” The Bishop himself often concludes
his remarks with the phrase “pray for us.”
We haven’t stopped praying and we haven’t
stopped demonstrating our love through
our works.
In erecting the walls of St. Paul’s
Kobunshwi, we have expanded the walls
of St. Paul’s–Irvine and, most notably, we
have broadened the boundaries of our own
minds. I had vastly underestimated my own
capabilities as well as those of my parish.
Our Ladies’ Philoptochos now sponsors
the new priest’s salary ($1,000 annually)
while our choir has raised funds for liturgical music and icons. A booth at our Greek
Festival this year was designated for Project
Tanzania, selling bottled water to purchase
clean water and medicine for a clinic near
our new church. Even our children’s group
was inspired to contribute and held a bake
sale with the goal of purchasing 50 Swahili
Bibles. They succeed in purchasing 200.
And nearly a year later, the completed
church stands as the life-force of the village
it occupies, providing for both the spiritual
and the physical needs of its people, as
well as attracting numerous converts to
the faith.
Nadine Iskander is a high-school English teacher and a member of St. Paul’s
Church in Irvine, Calif.
MAY 2008
Challenge
What’s Up Being Illuminated?
YOUTH MINISTRY
e-mail: youthoffi[email protected]
and “giving up” of things I like. When I
learn to understand what and why we do
the things we do as Orthodox Christians,
I start to see the Light of Christ and it’s
amazing!
The greatest gift has already been
given to us; the blessed Resurrection of
Jesus Christ. So here is the challenge:
Give God a chance to show you personally
that He is real and is willing to light up
your life. Remember, a candle is so much
more than wax and string, and Christians
are so much more than flesh and bones.
But neither can ever become what they
were created and meant to be without
The LIGHT!
WITH
by George Hazlaris
“Let your light so shine before men,
that they may see your good works and
glorify your Father in heaven.”
(Matthew 5:16)
One Sunday, I walked into Church
and I picked up a candle to light it. I was
going to say a prayer, as I always do in
my normal Sunday routine. A young girl
stopped me and asked me, “What’s that?”
“A candle,” I responded. She said, “It looks
like just wax with a string to me.” I told
her it is just wax and string. But when we
put it together and light it, the wax and
string becomes a candle! “Wow that’s
cool,” she said with a smile as I showed
her my lit candle.
This short conversation I had with the
young girl made me think. What does it
means for us to receive the light of Christ
in our lives? I often think about how God
created us and how we were made to be
one with Him.
We read, in the Book of Genesis,
about the special care and “breath of life”
that God gave each of us. He created us
in His image (Genesis 1:26-28) to serve a
purpose. Just as the “wax and string” need
to be lit to serve its purpose as a candle, we
need His light of Christ to really become
what He created us to be.
But if we never unite ourselves to the
“light,” we can never reach that purpose.
Apart from Christ, we are simply “flesh and
bones.” The whole point of our Christian
journey, especially during Great Lent
and Pascha, is to learn and grow in the
knowledge and “light” of Christ. We are
called to focus more on our relationship
with Christ and less on ourselves during
this time of year. Jesus said that we are
“children of light” and to turn away from
darkness (Ephesians 5:8-9).
Sometimes we face difficulties with
friends, family, school, relationships, and
life in general. This makes it hard to figure
out the answers to our problems. But
Great Lent and Pascha are these perfect
times, set aside by the Church, for us to
learn and really dedicate time to building a
relationship with Christ. We have hurdles
and obstacles in life that sometimes place
challenges before us that seem too difficult
to overcome. Too often we try to find the
solution to a problem we are facing on
our own, and do not ask for God’s help.
In most cases, we fall short of really solving
our problem.
These are the times when the light
of God can, and will, light the way for us.
We can see the right path if we are willing
to ask for His guidance. So how do we
really learn about and accept the light of
Challenge is the Youth & Young
Adult Ministries supplement to
the Orthodox Observer.
Articles reflect the opinion of the writers.
Write to: Youth & Young Adult Ministries,
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America,
83 St. Basil Rd., Garrison, New York 10524
or email: youthoffi[email protected]
31
George Hazlaris served as the director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries
for the Direct Archdiocesan District
from 1998-2004. He currently serves as
the pastoral assistant at the Church of
Our Savior in Rye, NY.
Christ in our lives? One major way we can
be illumined by Jesus Christ is through
prayer. Just like any other relationship, it
is important for Orthodox Christians to
build communication with God.
Another source of “light” for our
spiritual lives would be studying the Scriptures. For example, we should use the
Book of Proverbs in the Bible. It holds so
much insight and wisdom for us to learn
from. We can also spend time attending
Bible studies and other discussions at our
churches.
The bottom line is that, when we put
Christ in the equation, it always adds up!
Those who understand this and live by
keeping God “in the mix,” seem to be “special” and almost always happy. This type of
person is the one who “shines,” even when
hard times are in front of them.
Look at the lives of the Saints. All of
the saints came to really know and experience Christ! These saints were able to
deal with hardship, temptation, persecution, and even death. I have learned that
I, too, can be this type of person when I
make our Orthodox faith “real” in my life.
Through fasting, praying, asking questions
and learning about our faith, I can make
this a reality. I start to really feel a change
in who I am as a person.
For me, Great Lent, Holy Week, and
Pascha are times of growth and truly a
positive time that I can use to help me get
closer to Christ. It is a time of illumination,
rather than a negative time of hardship
For Parents
and Youth Workers
• Check out www.goarch.org/en/
ourfaith, which provides many wonderful articles to help teach youth and
illumine their spiritual journey.
• Visit the Orthodox Christian
Fellowship website, www.OCF.net,
to keep your graduating high school
student connected. The website
contains great information, including
articles and events.
• Attention Young Adults: Make
summer plans to be in Washington,
D.C. for the 2008 National YAL conference. For news and details, visit
www.yal2008.org! Be there!
God Beyond Graduation...
The months of May and June are filled
with high school and college graduations.
It is an exciting time for any graduating
teen or young adult. The future is bright
and hopeful. But amidst the excitement,
teens and college students are preparing
to leave the comfort and familiarity of their
“home” church for the unknown. The
growing reality is, after high school, our
teens and college students are drifting away
from the Church. It’s a reality that leaves us
wondering, what happens to God and faith
BEYOND graduation?
According to a Barna Research Group
study from 2006, a growing number of
18-34 year olds are disengaging from the
Church as adults. About 60 percent of
those involved in church as teens became
spiritually disengaged in young adulthood.
There are many different reasons for this
disconnect.
Clearly, graduation from high school
or college marks a major transitional period
in a person’s life. However, this transitional
period proves problematic in staying connected to the Church. Spiritual life after
high school can be difficult because of other
different religions, philosophies, and ideas
that challenge our basic beliefs. According
to the aforementioned study, many church
“dropouts” fall away because of life changes
(97 percent), being dissatisfied with their
church or pastor (58 percent), and a
change in religious, political, or ethical
beliefs (52 percent). So how do we even
begin make sure that faith goes BEYOND
graduation?
Parents and youth workers can take
a more proactive role in preparing their
teens and college students for “life beyond
GOYA.” Parents can visit the Orthodox
Christian Fellowship (OCF) website, www.
ocf.net, to look for colleges with an OCF
group.
Parishes can work to build the Young
Adult Ministry (YAL) groups within their
community. This way, young adults working or studying in a different city have a
peer group to join. For details about building and maintaining a parish Young Adult
G
in
Culture
Ministry, visit www.yal.org or contact your
parish priest.
Everyone is going to attend a graduation party, or two, this year. So don’t forget
to buy graduates some “Orthodox essentials.” Buy them a Bible, icon, prayer book,
and other Orthodox Christian gifts to take
to their dorm or apartment. For ideas, visit
places like Orthodox Marketplace (www.
orthodoxmarketplace.org), Holy Cross
Bookstore (http://store.holycrossbookstore.com), or Light and Life Publishing
(www.light-n-life.com).
Priests and Youth Workers can collect
the contact information of college students
and young adults. Sending out emails or
church bulletins helps keep teens and
young adults “in-the-know” about their
home parish. Thus, the sense of connectivity is maintained. These individuals can stay
connected to their home parish… even if
they are far away. Along with checking out
www.ocf.net, teens and young adults can
take an active role by seeking out local Orthodox churches in the area of their work
or school. Ask your parish priest for information about other parishes. You can also
visit www.goarch.org and search through
the parish directory to see what cities have
a Greek Orthodox Church.
32
MAY 2008

Christos Anesti! - Iglesia Ortodoxa

Transcription

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