APRIL 2001
VOLUME 45 NO. 4
Come, take
light
from the
light
that is
never
overtaken
CONTENTS
3
EDITORIAL
by Very Rev. John Abdalah
◆
5
The Most Reverend
Metropolitan PHILIP, D.H.L., D.D.
Primate
The Right Reverend
Bishop Antoun, Auxiliary
The Right Reverend
Bishop Joseph, Auxiliary
LEARNING TO RELAX,
L E A R N I N G T O P R AY
by George Aquaro
7
O R AT O R I C A L F E S T I VA L
9
ARCHDIOCESAN OFFICE
10 REPORT FROM BELGRADE
AND NOVI SAD
The Right Reverend
Bishop Basil, Auxiliary
by Anne Glynn Mackoul
The Right Reverend
Bishop Demetri, Auxiliary
1 2 T H E D I S P U T E B E T W E E N S T. PA U L
A N D S T. B A R N A B A S
Founded in Arabic as
Al Kalimat in 1905
by Saint Raphael Hawaweeny
Founded in English as
The Word in 1957
by Metropolitan Antony Bashir
by Stephen Holley
16 A WORD FOR THE MONTH
by Very Rev. Stephen Rogers
Editor in Chief
The Very Rev. John P. Abdalah, M.Div.
Assistant Editor
Joanne M. Abdalah, MSW
1 7 T H E D E PA R T M E N T O F
C H R I S T I A N E D U C AT I O N
21 THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE OF ANTIOCH
by Nicholas Louh
Editorial Board
The Very Rev. Joseph J. Allen, Th.D.
Anthony Bashir, Ph.D.
The Very Rev. Antony Gabriel, Th.M.
The Very Rev. Peter Gillquist
Linda Hopkins
Anne Glynn Mackoul, J.D.
Ronald Nicola
Najib E. Saliba, Ph.D.
The Very Rev. Paul Schneirla, M.Div.
Design Director
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Editorial Office:
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23 COMMUNITIES IN ACTION
31 THE PEOPLE SPEAK …
32 ORTHODOX WORLD
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VOLUME 45 NO. 4
2
The Word
APRIL 2001
T H E W O R D (USPS626-260), published monthly except July
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EDITORIAL
“Thirty-Something”
AN YOU BELIEVE IT HAS BEEN TEN
and in our journey to Pascha.
years since ABC television aired the final
What did you do when you first beheld the
episode of the popular television show
child Mary, betrothed to Joseph, encountering the
“Thirty-something,” which consisted of eighty-five
angel who announced that the favor of God was
episodes spanning four seasons? What made this
upon us, that she would bear the Word of God?
show popular enough to go into syndication, still
What was it like for you, when we stood in the
being watched seven years after its final episode,
temple with Simeon, the righteous old man, and
was its honest expression of life’s conflicts in a
Anna, the prophetess, while Mary and Joseph
complex time. Life has probably been somewhat
entered and we beheld God as an infant in their
complex in all times, confusing whether one is
arms? What was it like to see people healed before
thirty-something, forty-something, eighty-someyour eyes? What about the day that we entered
thing, perhaps even one hundred-something,
into Jerusalem in a parade, or beheld our Lord,
although part of each of us is probably always thirmocked, spat upon, beaten and hanging on the
ty-something. The characters of “Thirty-somecross? What was it like for you when we heard the
thing” let us in on their internal conflicts as they
news that Christ’s tomb was empty, and that our
faced life challenges such as wanting to
relatives from the tombs had regained
have children but keep their double
their bodies and were preaching that
◆
incomes, maintaining freedom while
Christ is Risen? What did it feel like to
EDITORIAL
settling down, and avoiding responsibilbehold the resurrection of Christ?
BY
Very Rev. John
ity but making a good living. When
We don’t just remember these
Abdalah
watching this show, I joined with the
events as if they are history. We partic◆
characters as they faced the moral and
ipate in the event of God with us. Hear
ethical dilemmas that paralleled my life
the exuberance of the Psalmist as he
at that time and at every time. With every
cries, “Understand all you nations, that God is
episode, I was there with them; when I watch a
with us.” God really is with us. Really. And we
rerun today, I relate to the challenges once again.
need to respond to His presence. We need to
Some of these challenges keep coming back, year
respond to His message. We need to respond to
after year.
His call to us.
Now in my forties, thirty-something seems
This year, as we journey with Christ through
young. Yet the Word of God who became human
His passion, don’t listen with a curious ear for hisand grew in maturity was thirty-something when
tory; rather join Him, and let Him guide you. Let
he embarked on a short ministry which fulfilled
Him speak to your concerns, and put into perspechistory and opened to us the way of salvation.
tive your challenges, doubts, struggles, as well as
With every account of His life and ministry, we
your accomplishments. Once we understand that
join with Him and are challenged to stretch and
at every moment we are at the cross and at the
grow. The Church has given us a calendar of feasts
empty tomb, we can appreciate ourselves and
and Gospel readings to celebrate the events of the
each other in reality. We can know that God is
Lord’s life in which we participate. Joining with
with us, and our time is in God. We can then
Him in these feasts, we join God in His journey,
respond to Christ in our midst in an appropriate
C
April 2001 3
EDITORIAL
way. He has come to us, and He does live with us.
Responding to God calls us to struggle against
sin, to listen to God who renewed us in baptism
and enfolded us into His ministry and life. Now
that we are adults, it is time for us to put away the
excuses for our sins, and respond to the passion
and Pascha that is accomplished and set before us.
“O Christian,” as St. Tikhon of Zadonsk teaches in
Journey to Heaven, no more can we say that I was
tempted, or my parents didn’t teach me well, or
the Devil made me do it, or the fallen world is too
tough, or we have bad habits or addictions. The
time has come to struggle against sin, and to join
with Christ who joined His passion with ours, for
us to carry His cross and to walk with Him. God
has accomplished His part. The time has come for
us to dedicate ourselves and each other to Christ,
4
The Word
to fight the good fight, to put sin away. Know that
the struggle is difficult, but the victory is Christ’s
and it is sweet. Listen and heed the work of God.
Know that God is present in every place, and He is
with us wherever we may be. Remember that we
stand before the resurrection of Christ. Avoid the
occasions that lead us to sin and keep in mind
that our own salvation is at stake. Consider that
Christ the Son of God suffered and died for our
sins. And heed what you are doing, without worrying about the other. With God’s help your effort
will be fruitful because the Lord Jesus is victorious
over death.
Everyone of us is thirty-something in Jesus
Christ. The time to grow up and celebrate the
Lord’s resurrection is now.
Christ is Risen!
LEARNING TO RELAX,
LEARNING TO PRAY
BY GEORGE AQUARO
’M SURE EVERYONE READING
this has heard it said a million
times, “You must pray daily.”
Some people will tell you that you
are not Orthodox unless you use
their prayer book, while others will
insist that you can’t be saved without a prayer rope tied around your
wrist. Two hours, four hours, six
hours: we are lectured at about how
long each day to spend in prayer. If
you are like me, then maybe you
can relate; I can’t seem to put five
minutes together of uninterrupted
prayer. Thoughts come in, the
phone rings or I just can’t sit still.
Prayer is just another burden to
carry when I’m already overworked.
It is embarrassing to say that I don’t
like to pray because it feels so
I
uncomfortable.
My problem is that I don’t know
how to relax. I want to do my job,
read three books at the same time,
build a shelving unit, write an e-mail
to a friend, all at the same time.
Very often I am anxious about my
future and my present at once.
Memories of past events swirl
through my head and I begin to
panic, wondering if I am making the
same mistakes all over again. If this
is my day, I can’t possibly drop all
this and expect to enter peaceful
prayer. I must relax first.
Our fathers and mothers (maybe
grandfathers and grandmothers for
some) didn’t have the easy life we
lead now. They worked hard, often
physically. The tension over worries
they experienced were often burned
off in heavy labor. These days, we
tend to lead lives of physical ease,
with no healthy vents for our frustration and stress. This built-up energy
must come out, and it leaks out by
frustrating our ability to concentrate
and be still. So, if I want to pray and
be at peace, I first have to get rid of
stress in my body and my mind. This
is a long process, and I am still only
in the early stages of dealing with my
stress in a healthy way. But, I am
already experiencing breakthroughs
which I hope to share with you. Here
are the steps I consider to enjoy
more peace in my life:
1) Realize that stress is hurting
me. Maybe I’ve already had a heart
attack or I suffer from high blood
April 2001 5
L E A R N I N G T O R E L A X , L E A R N I N G T O P R AY
pressure. That is my body’s response
to the stress I am placing myself
under. Stress eats away the body
when it cannot motivate me to take
the right actions. When left with an
unsolvable problem, the brain targets parts of the body and focuses
the stress on a single organ. Whamo!
A heart attack or an ulcer develops.
2) Take time to find the sources of
my stress. Even though it might feel
like everything is a source of irritation and threat, spending a little
time thinking about what I am really
worried about will yield very helpful
information. I may discover that
only one or two things that I can’t
control are gnawing at me, but they
are serious enough to change my
personality and behavior completely.
3) Remember that God can help
if I learn to trust Him. God wants us
to have peace. He also wants what is
best for us. Do I think He is torturing me for fun? Of course not. Then,
there must be something to learn
from our stressful situations. Maybe
it is only to trust Him. I try to think
about how things would be better if I
really trusted God to take care of
my problems. Wouldn’t life be easier
if I believed God is taking care of all
my worries? The truth is that He is.
Now, I can see that most of my troubles come from not trusting God. If I
desire to change this, God will give
me strength to change.
Now that I have come to the stage
where I know that I need to trust
God and that my life is filled with
stress I need to get rid of, what do I
do? In some cases, due to past trauma, I may need to work with my
priest or a counselor to help deal
with my stress. Advice is always
good when it comes from someone
reliable that I can trust.
But, I must also learn to relax on a
daily basis. I have to take time out
once or twice a day to relax and step
back from all the stress and worry to
which I subject my body. It will take
a whole life of practice to totally
trust God and not experience stress,
so I can expect that stress will naturally be in my life. What I can do is
reduce the quantity of stress, and
6 The Word
learn to stop stress once a straining
situation is over with.
1) Pick a time (or times) during
the day to get rid of stress and relax.
If I am going to limit the effects of
stress in my life, I’m going to have to
set regular times to relax and
remind myself of
God’s efforts to
protect
me.
Maybe in the
morning before
I go to work and
in the evening
before I go to bed (so I can sleep
without a pill).
Experts agree that
I should do this
before a meal,
since digestion
often makes concentrating difficult.
Also, I can’t drink a lot of coffee or
caffeinated soda before trying to
relax!
2) Shut out the world. This
means no TV and no phone. I must
pick a room to be by myself. If there
is too much noise in the room from
outside, I can turn on a noisy fan or
something which will make “gray
noise” to block out the world. The
object is to get rid of distractions.
3) Practice breathing. I take deep
breaths using the stomach and not
the shoulders. Breathe in, counting
to three, hold it for one count, then
out with three and hold for one. I
regulate my breathing, and my body
will begin to relax. Focus on the
breathing and I will find fewer stray
thoughts. When thoughts come, I let
them pass and keep focused on
breathing.
4) Pull the knots out. I should be
sitting in a comfortable chair (lying
down might put me to sleep once
the tension is gone, so I have to be
careful) and, starting with my feet,
tense my muscles and then relax
them. This will help remove tension
in the muscles. I tense them as I
inhale and release them when exhaling. I have to work each muscle as
long as it takes to relax. I can’t forget the face muscles! They carry as
much stress as the neck and shoul-
ders often do. I have to keep focused
on regulating my breathing and the
muscles I am relaxing.
5) Concentrate on one thing. Now
that I have removed all the stress
from my muscles and regulated my
breathing, I can concentrate much
better. At this point I can then concentrate on something which builds
my faith in God and brings me peace.
Maybe an icon of the Theotokos, or
the name of Jesus. The Jesus Prayer
is my own preference. I can do this
for as long as I want. If I find it too
difficult to keep focused, I return to
counting my breathing. I try to stay
in this state for 10-15 minutes, or
longer if I can. With time, I find it
easier to remain relaxed and focused
for longer periods.
6) Gradually come out of it. I
don’t try to end this session too
quickly. I should give myself time to
come out of it slowly; gradually
moving muscles and slowly opening
my eyes before getting up is best.
Then I enjoy the peace! You may
not believe it, but I’ve just prayed!
Prayer is not a burden after all, but a
wonderful chance to enjoy the peace
and love of God in the midst of a
busy schedule. Prayer is not one
more thing for us to do. In fact, it is
a “break,” almost a mini-vacation.
Once I have learned to relax, the
spiritual life that everyone talks about
is now mine. Not only that, but my
attitude changes. The world seems
easier to deal with. I may stress out,
but I get over it much more easily
now. I urge you to try this if you are
having the same difficulties with
prayer that I have. It really works! If
you are interested in learning more
about stress, the book I use is A
Clinical Guide to the Treatment of
the Human Stress Response by
George S. Everly, Jr. Don’t let stress
separate you from God!
O R AT O R I C A L F E S T I VA L
WESTERN REGION
JUDGES’ CHOICE:
Tanya Dughman
T’S WONDERFUL TO LOOK
out into this crowd and see a
room full of smiling, joyful
faces. Are we all joyful today?
Because it’s very important to be
happy, and to feel good. Happiness
is something we all want and crave.
But, what is the definition of happiness? Happiness is enjoying, and is
characterized by pleasure. From
this, we gather that happiness is a
temporary form of being elated.
Now, let us define joyfulness.
Joyfulness is a strong feeling of
happiness and gladness; a state of
contentment and satisfaction. It is
an extended, more fulfilling form of
happiness. But how do we go about
achieving joy, and from whom or
what can this lasting state of contentment come?
There’s only one true answer to
this question, and that answer lies
with our Savior, Jesus Christ, the
only one who can bestow joy to us.
It is not happiness we search for,
because anyone can feel happy. In
life, we are tempted to do many
things that may bring us brief happiness physically or even mentally,
but often these things are of an
unholy nature. For example, our
society has become so accustomed
to promiscuity that it has become
accepted as part of our society. Such
perceptions lead us to think that
because something is pleasurable, it
is justified and thought of as normal.
These ideas are instilled in our
minds by the devil to tempt us and
lead us away from God’s path.
So, in order to remain in or
achieve the state of God-given joy,
we must avoid these forms of happiness, which are simply attempts to
confuse us and alter our understanding of our faith. We must daily
avoid these cheap forms of happiness through keeping the command-
I
ments, and being in communion
with Our Lord God and Savior so
that we may live in eternal life and
joy with Him in His Kingdom.
We may ask ourselves why do we
need Jesus to obtain joyfulness? Let
us go back in time … Before the
incarnation, the world and humanity had become corrupt and consumed by the Law of Death, which
undoubtedly brought every man to
non-existence, the state from which
Tanya Dughman
he was born. Because of this fear of
inevitable non-existence, humanity
was self-destructing and deviating
from the godly image in which it was
created. So God, in all his mercy
and compassion for mankind, was
unable to endure the corruption and
death that were becoming mankind’s masters and thus took to
Himself the body of a human, like
our own. He did this through the
pure, stainless body of a woman, the
Virgin Mary, and she became the
temple for Him by the Holy Spirit.
Think about what this means to
us. What does it mean that He, God,
took the body of a mortal human
and became one of us? Now, being
the Father’s son, of course, Jesus the
Word was immortal, but the human
body that Jesus took was not. The
objective here was that Jesus would
die on Earth to put an end to all the
corruption through the grace of his
resurrection. It was St. Athanasius
who stated “This He did that He
might turn again to incorruption
men who had turned back to corruption, and make them alike
through death by the appropriation
of His body and by the grace of His
resurrection.”
In addition to this, it was necessary for Jesus to suffer for us prior
to the resurrection. The Son of God
was required to suffer so that we
could feel a connection with Him.
So you see, God humbled his only
Son because of His divine love for us
and His desire for our incorruption
by clothing Him in the body of a
human. Jesus was made like us so
that He would suffer, endure, die,
and triumph through His earthly
life. He suffered through His death
— like we suffer throughout parts of
life — to demonstrate His devotion
to God and to us.
Now think of how many of us have
suffered and will suffer throughout
life. We will all inevitably endure
trying times, but we must do so with
faith in order to overcome them.
Several years ago my grandmother
was diagnosed with breast cancer
and was told she had to have a mastectomy.
We all know how painful cancer is
and how condemning cancer sounds.
But my grandmother is a very strong
woman. I use the word is because
she is still with us today. She suffered through the pain of the cancer,
April 2001 7
O R AT O R I C A L F E S T I VA L
the treatment, and the surgery, but
kept her faith in God. She knew that
He would stand by her regardless of
the outcome. Her strength in Him
aided her through her suffering, and
this is the message that Jesus conveys through His suffering and death.
Good things come with faith no matter what happens in life because we
are with God always.
Jesus was sent to us so that we
would see and understand this
truth. “And the Word became flesh
and dwelt among us, full of grace
and truth” (John 1:14). We now see
that He took the flesh unto Himself
to connect with us, but it was His
dwelling among us, full of grace and
truth, that is the basis on which we
live our lives.
Grace, according to the World
Biblical Commentary, “describes
the covenant mercy of God and
appears to indicate that fresh grace
replaces grace received, and will do
so perpetually; the salvation brought
by the Word thus is defined in terms
of inexhaustible grace.” God knew
that although we were made through
the grace of His image, we would, in
fact, at times neglect His grace. To
help us consistently return to our
faith, He sends to us prophets in
order for us to gain knowledge of our
maker from those closer to Him.
Our lives are so full of temptations
and moments of pleasure, especially
those that stem from evil, that at
times we cannot see the Truth.
Jesus’ ultimate goal was to make us
see the Truth, and he accomplished
this through His resurrection.
Through His triumph over death, our
world’s salvation was delivered. St.
Athanasius stated, “He made all creation witness to the presence of its
Maker. Then, having once let it be
seen that it was truly dead, He did
not allow that temple of His body to
linger long but forthwith on the third
day raised it up, impassible and
incorruptible, the pledge and token
of his victory.” This rising of our
Savior made death no longer a feared
or terrible thing. Rather, it has
enlightened us to understand and to
demonstrate an unwavering faith in
Christ which shall not cause us to
perish in death, but rather live, and
make us incorruptible through resurrection. Death, the core of the
world’s corruption prior to the incarnation, has become trivial; it is nothing, because now we are joyful and
secure in our faith and our destinies.
My grandmother was the victor
over her disease. Through her faith
in God and the holy Virgin Mary,
she was given the strength to fight
and triumph over one of the most
frightening diseases that the world
faces. After this triumph, she was
made stronger and even more faithful to Christ. She did not turn away
from Him and blame Him for her
misfortune, but rather grasped the
opportunity to show her faith in
God and, to this day, routinely lights
a candle in her home in honor of
Christ and the Virgin Mary.
Father Anthony Coniaris says,
“Christ lives; therefore, I too shall
live. Christ lives; therefore, I too
have passed from death to life.
Christ lives; therefore, I too have at
my disposal that same power that
raised Him from the dead. Christ
lives; therefore, I too have the victory.” From the time of Christ to our
postmodern society, we continue to
struggle with obstacles and trials
that we must triumph over. If we
continue to remind ourselves of the
power of Jesus Christ’s trampling on
death and corruption, then we are,
at least, victorious and joyful.
Tanya Marie Dughman, 17, is a
member of Church of the Redeemer
in Los Altos, CA. She was the
Judges’ Choice in the Western
Region Oratorical Festival.
D A I LY D E V O T I O N S
MAY, 2001
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
ACTS 8:5-17; JOHN 6:27-33
ACTS 8:18-25; JOHN 6:35-39
ACTS 8:26-39; JOHN 6:40-44
ACTS 8:40-9:19; JOHN 6:48-54
ACTS 9:20-31; JOHN 15:17-16:2
ACTS 9:32-42; JOHN 5:1-15
ACTS 10:1-16; JOHN 6:56-69
1 JOHN 1:1-7; JOHN 19:25-27, 21:24-25
ACTS 14:6-18; JOHN 7:14-30
ACTS 10:34-43; JOHN 8:12-20
HEBREWS 7:26-8:2; MATTHEW 5:14-19
ACTS 12:1-11; JOHN 8:31-42
ACTS 11:19-26, 29-30; JOHN 4:5-42
ACTS 12:12-17; JOHN 8:42-51
ACTS 12:25-13:12; JOHN 8:51-59
ACTS 13:13-24; JOHN 6:5-14
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
ACTS 14:20-27; JOHN 9:39-10:9
ACTS 15:5-34; JOHN 10:17-28
ACTS 15:35-41; JOHN 10:27-38
ACTS 16:16-34; JOHN 9:1-38
ACTS 26:1-5, 12-20; JOHN 10:1-9
ACTS 17:19-28; JOHN 12:19-36
ACTS 18:22-28; JOHN 12:36-47
ACTS 1:1-12; LUKE 24:36-53
ASCENSION OF OUR LORD
ACTS 19:1-8; JOHN 14:1-11 (FAST)
ACTS 20:7-12; JOHN 14:10-21
ACTS 20:16-18, 28-36; JOHN 17:1-13
ACTS 21:8-14; JOHN 14:27-15:7
ACTS 21:26-32; JOHN 16:2-13
ACTS 23:1-11; JOHN 16:15-23 (FAST)
ACTS 25:13-19; JOHN 16:23-33
By Very Rev. George Alberts
8 The Word
ARCHDIOCESAN OFFICE
ARCHDIOCESE HOSTS
SEMINARIANS FOR
ANNUAL DINNER
n Tuesday, November 26,
O
2000, the Archdiocese headquarters in Englewood welcomed its
Antiochian seminarians from St.
Vladimir’s and Holy Cross for an
annual dinner. Sixteen students
from St. Vladimir’s in Crestwood,
NY, and four from Holy Cross in
Brookline, MA, along with their
spouses, congregated at 6:00 in the
evening to celebrate vespers with
Metropolitan Philip.
Afterward, everyone was treated
to a royal feast, keeping with the
Advent fast. While dinner was winding down, and coffee and sweets
were being served, Metropolitan
Philip took the opportunity to
address the students and guests.
This year, he spoke concerning the
volatile political situation in
Palestine. In spite of the grim statistics in the news, the Metropolitan’s
approach was positive and upbeat.
His Eminence stressed that it is our
duty as Orthodox Christians to offer
not only our prayers, but also whatever material relief possible to our
brothers and sisters overseas,
regardless of their religious affiliation. He mentioned that the Archdiocese had collected $60,000 so far
to this end.
During the evening, His Grace
Bishop Antoun offered words of encouragement to the seminarians in
every aspect of their academic and
spiritual lives. The invited guests listened to informative short addresses
by Fr. Nabil Hanna on the Church’s
response to computer technology and
its role in the age of information, and
by Fr. Joseph Purpura on the Archdiocese’s Youth Ministry Program.
Also present were Archimandrite
Michael Evans from the Archdiocese,
and Fr. Michael Ellias from St. George
in West Roxbury, MA.
Fr. Elias Bitar, the newly-appointed
Vicar General of the Antiochian
Orthodox Christian Archdiocese, led
the seminarians in a spirited round
of Byzantine chant. Fr. Bitar expressed thanks on behalf of everyone
to His Eminence Metropolitan Philip
for his generosity and hospitality.
These annual gatherings are usually an opportunity for His
Eminence to meet with the senior
seminarians individually to discuss
their hopes and plans for the future,
and this year was no exception.
While some guests had a private
audience with the Metropolitan in
his study, others were free to peruse
the shelves of the bookstore in the
basement.
The Antiochian seminarians wish
to express their deep appreciation to
Metropolitan Philip for his support
over the years, and especially for
this once-a-year chance to enjoy fellowship with clergy and other students. It was indeed an honor to be
the guests at such a royal reception.
CORRECTION
Donations to Antiochian Village
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Abodeely —
$5000 for Camp scholarships
(The amount of the donation was
incorrectly listed in an earlier
issue.)
W O R D D O N AT I O N S
Edward J. Kassab
Boca Raton, FL
Laurence Matalani
St. Laurent, PQ
Paul S. Joseph
Nashua, NH
Veronica B. Wayshak
Rancho Cordova, CA
For Charles Wayshak
Lila Hamaty
Los Angeles, CA
Mary Maloof
Brooklyn, NY
In memory of
Gabriel Maloof
$50.00
10.00
25.00
50.00
25.00
50.00
Anonymous
Omaha, NE
25.00
Kabalan & Angela Sleiman
Irvine, CA
25.00
Lorena Ammar
Charleston, WV
In memory of
Mary Elizabeth Ammar
50.00
Michel Aboushanab
Sacramento, CA
50.00
Gloria Farha Armistead
El Paso, TX
50.00
Leslie Atterbury
Whittier, CA
25.00
Richard Tony
Bethel Park, PA
25.00
Mary L. Pruitt
Manhattan Beach, CA
50.00
Theodora M. Tortolano
Canoga Park, CA
20.00
Elena Niculescu
Houston, TX
25.00
Ralph Abercia
Houston, TX
150.00
Farid Zaccak
Don Mills, ON
25.00
Norman Kouri
Montreal, PQ
100.00
Mary Lou & Frank Isaac
Rocky River, OH
25.00
A. Randell McKechnie
Baltimore, MD
50.00
Lotfy & Lucy Hanna
Corona, CA
25.00
Lucille Skaff
Charleston, WV
20.00
Walter Parhamovich
Las Vegas, NV
In memory of
Edward Kassab
500.00
Kathy & Robert Simon & family
Little Falls, NJ
In memory of the
V. Rev. Michael G. Simon &
Khouriye
Sara Hyder Simon
50.00
Doreen E. Keck
Gardnerville, NV
25.00
Freda Lewis
Farmington Hills, MI
10.00
Richard Shadyac
Falls Church, VA
80.00
April 2001 9
REPORT FROM
BELGRADE AN
W
E TOLD THEM THAT they
hadn’t been forgotten, but
they must have wondered if
we were truthful. How else could it
be explained that they had been living like this for almost two years, so
long that for some of the children,
this was the length of their memories, for most of the children this
had become home. Their short
memories might be a blessing in a
way, and knowing that the children’s
memories had faded might be a
blessing for their mothers, whose
gaunt appearance betrayed the wear
of these long days in a refugee center in the center of Belgrade and the
weight of their own memories with
images too devastating to forget.
The center, a swim stadium given
over to refugees from Kosovo,
housed several hundred people in
sections, over one hundred people
just inside the vestibule, another
hundred or more refugees in a separate section downstairs. Blankets
form the walls of a warren of tiny
makeshift rooms, each housing a
whole family together with everything they might have carried with
them as they fled. A shared bathroom and one water spigot serves
all. Once expecting to return to
their homes, they have been convinced by news of continuing violence near their homes that now
return might be decades away.
We wondered how they could
endure, with no privacy, no daylight,
no possibility of employment, cut off
from family, friends, familiar places
and their own things, with no way to
plan or even envision a future. And
these are not the worst of the
refugees, housed in this drafty
crowded place. Some of the camps
are far away from any population
center, some are enclosed in tents,
mired in mud or rodent- and insect-
1 0 The Word
infested. For some, two years already
have stretched to eight. And we told
them they were not forgotten.
Just as spring seemed ready to
arrive in Serbia, a small combined
delegation from the World Council
of Churches (“WCC”) and the
Council of European Churches
(“CEC”) traveled to the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia to visit with
representatives of churches in
Belgrade and Novi Sad, the first visit
since the political changes there.
Headed by the general secretary of
the WCC, Rev. Dr. Konrad Raiser,
and the general secretary of CEC,
Rev. Dr. Keith Clements, the delegation of seven persons included representatives of Orthodox and other
member churches of each organization. The delegation met with representatives of the Serbian Orthodox
Church, including His Holiness
Patriarch Pavle of the Serbian
Orthodox Church, Protestant
church leaders, and representatives
of the new government in Yugoslavia, including President Vojislav
Kostunica. The visit included meetings with representatives of both
International Orthodox Christian
Charities (IOCC) and Philanthropy,
the leading humanitarian aid agencies in the area, as well as with
members of the Theological Faculty
of the Serbian Orthodox Church,
and leaders of peace and justice
non-governmental organizations.
The visit was intended to close a
chapter of strain between the
Serbian Orthodox Church and other
churches in the ecumenical movement, reiterate the solidarity of the
WCC and CEC with the churches in
the area, and offer assistance in the
process of rebuilding relationships
among the churches in order to foster reconciliation and peace in the
area. At each stop of the journey,
the visitors saw examples of the
reawakening of the religious soul of
this ancient cradle of eastern
Christianity and the deep wounds to
this society not yet healed.
Repercussions of NATO bombing
and sanctions in the lives of individual citizens and refugees are widely
evident, still radically affecting the
fabric of this country, despite the
change in government.
There were lessons to be learned
during this visit to Belgrade and
Novi Sad, a place where the centuries have seen borders formed and
reformed and changed over and
again: memories are long, the
appearance of normalcy can disintegrate overnight, little is as it seems,
and nothing is black and white.
However, the overriding lessons
were those witnessed in the churches and monasteries of this country
with deep Christian roots at the
crossroads of Europe, at the divide
between east and west. After years
of atheistic rule, young people are
turning again to faith, to a deep
renaissance of the fullness of the
Orthodox faith and tradition.
Churches are full, monasteries are
thriving in the midst of towns and
villages where they are welcomed as
a resource of spiritual strength for
the village, and most of the citizens
of this country are committed to living together with their neighbors in
peace.
Some the visitors encountered
were quite openly bitter about the
NATO action, in which the rationale
seemed to be as much about target
practice as about routing the previous regime. Bridges resting on the
silt of the Danube block river traffic;
the few temporary bridges have
restored only limited movement
along major routes. Blackened shells
of buildings still cast shadows over
D
NOVI SAD
B y A N N E G LY N N M A C K O U L
the city. The shattered side of the
former offices of the television station remains as mute testimonial
alongside the shrine erected in
memory of the fourteen lives lost
late one night when NATO missiles
careened through the city. A
Serbian-Canadian professor recounted huddling in the basement of
his apartment building with his family, while bombers from Canada
joined in the campaign. A teenager
from Alberta Canada recalled arriving as a fifteen-year-old boarding
student at a Serbian theological
school just weeks before the bombing started, enduring homesickness,
the assault and then weeks without
water as the pipes across the river
fell with the bridges. In the brisk
clear air of these late winter days, it
was hard to imagine how civilized
nations at the close of the twentieth
century chose this course of action.
It would seem that senseless
destruction has become the fare of
the extremist few now yet again on
the “other” side, as the Serbian population flees in fear for their lives at
the border with Kosovo and almost
50,000 KFOR troops seem unable to
protect the ancient holy sites left in
their care. The flood of refugees and
internally displaced people continues, with the names of the villages
and persecutors exchanged. There
would seem to be no possibility of
correcting the wrongs accumulated
over decades and centuries of
changing borders and allegiances.
No “side” is without stain. Perhaps,
like Lot’s wife, to look backwards is
to remain paralyzed, unable to
emerge from the cycle of violence.
His Holiness Patriarch Pavle
recounted a conversation he had
with a reporter from the west. The
reporter had asked: “Your Holiness,
in your opinion do the Serbs have
reason to repent and ask for forgiveness?” His Holiness Patriarch Pavle
had replied, “Yes, the Serbs have
reason to repent and ask for forgiveness, but so also the Albanians have
reason to repent and ask for forgiveness and so also does NATO have
reason to repent and ask for forgiveness.” When the conversation was
published, the reporter had taken
only the first part of the reply of His
Holiness, that the Serbs had reason
to repent and ask forgiveness, omitting the balance of what he had said
and distorting his meaning.
However, this statement in its fullness also represents the understanding of the Serbian Orthodox Church
and its relationship with its neighbors. All need to repent and all need
to ask forgiveness. This is the only
course of action for there to be any
prospect for reconciliation and
peace.
The visit to Serbia was the first
formal church visit of the general
secretary of the WCC following the
official launch of the Decade to
Overcome Violence, Churches
Seeking Reconciliation and Peace.
These themes characterized each
public and private conversation of
Rev. Dr. Raiser and Rev. Dr.
Clements, as they made their way
from encounter to encounter looking forward, looking towards peace
and reconciliation. Building upon
the ecumenical solidarity with the
Serbian churches exhibited by the
WCC and CEC during the period of
difficulty, the focus of the international ecumenical bodies will be
towards facilitating the revival and
strengthening of local ecumenical
relationships.
Strong local ecumenical bodies
are key to the success of one part of
this process, the WCC South-East
Europe Ecumenical Partnership.
The aim of the Partnership is to
strengthen coordination and cooperation among churches and related
ecumenical partners in the SouthEast Europe area as a contribution
to lasting peace and stability in the
region, and making possible an integrated response to relief, development and reconciliation rooted in
the local community. International
Orthodox Christian Charities and
Philanthropy, the philanthropic
agency of the Serbian Orthodox
Church, carry lead responsibility for
one of the three main components
of the Partnership, that is, the
return of refugees and internally displaced people. The focus of the
WCC Partnership on strengthening
ecumenical cooperation was welcomed by each of the church and
civic leaders as the small delegation
made its way.
Emergency relief agencies heroically have met the basic needs of
the thousands of refugees for basic
food, clothing and shelter. Churches
are left with the enormous task of
modeling forgiveness and mercy, of
repairing the spiritual foundations of
communities, and of restoring hope.
The process of return, resettlement
and integration in this area will
require the particular involvement
of churches and church organizations as a source for transformation,
renewal, reconciliation and peace.
Anne Glynn Mackoul is a member
of the Board of Trustees of the
Antiochian Orthodox Christian
Archdiocese of North America. She
is a member of the central committee of the World Council of
Churches and of the board of the
International Orthodox Christian
Charities.
April 2001 1 1
The Disp
ST. PAUL AND ST. BARN
John Ma
By
N ACTS 15:36FF,
we read that St.
Paul and his former
mentor,
Barnabas,
decided to return to the
mission field from
which they had just
come. They had gone
previously on what has
come to be known as
“the first missionary
journey of St. Paul,”
wherein they visited
Gentile cities and
preached the Gospel of
Jesus Christ. They
began in the city of
Antioch of Syria where
the Holy Spirit called
for the separation of St.
Paul and Barnabas for
this special work of
reaching the Gentiles.
From there they journeyed by ship to
Salamis and Paphos on
the island of Cyprus.
Finishing there, they
went again by ship to
the mainland of Asia
Minor, landing at the
city of Perga. From
there they traveled on
foot to Pisidian Antioch,
Iconium, Lystra and
Derbe. From Derbe
they retraced their
steps through the same
cities, ordaining elders
in all the churches they
had
established.
Reaching Attalia, another port city just two or
three miles southwest of
I
1 2 The Word
Perga, they sailed home to Antioch
of Syria.
During this first missionary
endeavor, the two men suffered
many hardships together. St. Paul
was stoned and left for dead at
Lystra; they were withstood by a
sorcerer named Elymas at Paphos
and they were deserted by Barnabas’
cousin, John Mark at Pamphylia. At
the same time, however, they also
experienced many miracles wrought
by the hand of the Holy Spirit during this premier work which caught
the attention of many and caused a
majority of that many to believe the
Gospel.
Now they were ready to go back
and strengthen the brethren to
whom they had preached and to see
how they were doing amidst so hostile an atmosphere. None of the
hardships and dangers which they
suffered was able to keep them from
going back and confirming their previous work, except for one incident
which happened to them, the
departing of John Mark from the
party. In Acts 15:36ff, we read:
And after some days, Paul said
to Barnabas, “Let us, I pray,
surely return to the brethren
according to every city in which
we have preached the Word of
the Lord to see how they are
doing.” And Barnabas desired
also John who is called Mark to
accompany them. But Paul
reckoned that the one who
departed from them from
Pamphylia and who did not go
with them unto the work, this
one should not accompany
them. And a paroxysm came to
ute Between
ABAS OVER THE YOUNG MAN
rk: Acts 15:36-40
STEPHEN HOLLEY
pass between them so that they
separated themselves from one
another, Barnabas, on the one
hand, taking Mark and sailing to
Cyprus while, on the other
hand, Paul, choosing Silas, left,
being commended to the grace
of the Lord by the brethren.
As
mentioned
previously,
Barnabas had been St. Paul’s mentor
and sponsor for Christmation into
the Church. When all the other
believers were skeptical concerning
St. Paul’s conversion on the
Damascus road, Barnabas alone was
willing to vouch for the sincerity of
the conversion, risking his own
credibility within the community of
faith for St. Paul’s sake. In the chapters of Acts previous to this it had
always been “Barnabas and Saul”
when they were mentioned together,
but when St. Paul was “come of age”
spiritually, the order changed to
“Paul and Barnabas.” Barnabas
exhibited the same humble spirit as
St. John the Baptist when he had
said concerning the Lord Jesus’
training ministry, “He must
increase, but I decrease” (Jn. 3:30).
Why was it that this humble man,
whose name means “Son of Consolation,” let this issue separate him
from the one for whom and with
whom he had risked his life? What
was it that John Mark did to cause
so great a rift between two such
good friends? The rest of the Book
of Acts and the New Testament are
filled with the events of St. Paul’s life
and his writings, but we never hear
the name of Barnabas again after
Acts 15:39. We do hear again, however, of John Mark, and this may
provide the key to this minor mystery. Let us look at some of the pertinent Scripture passages concerning these events for a plausible
explanation of the separation of
these two good Christian friends
who meant so much to each other.
First, in Acts 13:5 we are introduced to John Mark’s presence on
this initial missionary endeavor:
“And they, being in Salamis, began
to preach the Word of God in the
Synagogues of the Jews. And also
they had John as an attendant.”
When examining the Greek word
from which ”attendant” is derived, it
appears that John Mark was the “gofer” of the missionary party.
At this point in the journey it was
still “Barnabas and Saul” (see vs. 7)
so that Barnabas was the leader of
the group. John Mark was Barnabas’
cousin, probably the reason he was
asked to come along in the first
place, to gain some experience in
the propagation of the Gospel
among the Gentiles. As is common
in the world of apprenticeship, the
beginner is asked to do all the small
tasks that must be done to complete
the work properly. It is reminiscent
of the Apostles earlier in the Book of
Acts calling for gifted men who were
“full of the Holy Spirit” to settle the
disputes among the Greek and
Hebrew widows over the fairness of
the ministry to them: the Apostles
thought it not fit that they leave the
ministry of the Word of God to do
the waiting on the tables.
One can imagine the many daily
tasks that needed to be done —
thankless tasks, repetitive “busy
work,” that kept John Mark out of
the sight of those to whom St. Paul
and Barnabas were ministering.
There were no accolades or recognition for him; he was out of sight and
out of mind. One of his duties was
taking notes of daily activities and of
the sermons being preached, which
were to be preserved by the Holy
Spirit for future generations of the
Church. At the end of the long day
the scribe then had to transcribe his
notes into a continuing journal, connecting each day with a proper
segue and making sure the journal
made sense to anyone reading it.
John Mark was still working while
the others rested and prepared for
the next day’s activities.
It appears that a transition takes
place in vs. 9, where we read, “And
Saul (this one is also called Paul),
being filled with the Holy Spirit,
stared straight into him.” The transition is from “Barnabas and Saul”
to “Paul and Barnabas” for, in vs. 13
we read, “And when those who were
around Paul set sail from Paphos,
they went unto Perga in Pamphylia,
and John departing from them
returned unto Jerusalem.”
The change in leadership may
have been a major factor in John
Mark’s decision to leave the expedition. If his job had been tedious,
boring and unrewarding under his
cousin’s leadership, what would it be
now that Paul had taken over as
leader? Whatever the cause, it was
serious enough for John Mark to
desert his post while in the middle
of the work!
The Holy Fathers see this parting
of the ways of St. Paul and Barnabas
not as a bad thing but as a positive
action of Divine Providence. Concerning their disagreement over
John Mark in Acts 15:35ff, St. John
Chrysostom writes:
Observe again their humility,
how they let others also take
part in the preaching. “And
some days after Paul said unto
Barnabas, ‘Let us go again and
visit our brethren in every city
where we have preached the
word of the Lord, and see how
they do.’ And Barnabas determined to take with them John,
whose surname was Mark. But
April 2001 1 3
Paul thought it not good to take
him with them, who departed
from them from Pamphylia, and
went not with them to the work.
And the contention (or exasperation) was so sharp between
them, that they departed asunder one from the other” (v. 3639). And there seems indeed to
be exasperation (“paroxusmo”),
but in fact the whole matter is a
plan of the Divine Providence,
that each should receive his
proper place: and it behooved
that they should not be upon a
par, but the one should lead,
and the other be led … If the
exasperation were in seeking his
own, and contending for his own
honor, this might well be
reproved: but if wishing, both
the one and the other, to
instruct and teach, the one took
this way and the other that,
what is there to find fault with?
… And observe how Paul
impeaches Mark, and gives the
reason. For of his exceeding
humility
he
reverenced
Barnabas, as having been partner with him in so great works,
and being with him: but still he
did not so reverence him, as to
overlook what was necessary.
Now which of them advised
best, it is not for us to pronounce: but thus far we may
affirm, that it was a great
arrangement of Providence, if
these were to be vouchsafed a
second visitation, but those
were not to be visited even once
(Homily XXXIV on Acts
15:35ff).
Even in his seeing this parting asunder in so positive a manner, St. John
Chrysostom still acknowledges the
fact that there was reproof rightly
directed at John Mark for his having
abandoned ship in Cyprus. However,
from a less positive standpoint, the
anonymous writer of The Journeyings and Martyrdom of St.
Barnabas, the Apostle describes the
parting of the ways from John
Mark’s point of view, saying:
Great contention, therefore,
arose between them. And
Barnabas urged me also to
1 4 The Word
accompany them, on account of
my being their servant from the
beginning … But Paul cried out
against Barnabas, saying: “It is
impossible for him to go with us
… If thou wilt take John who
also is surnamed Mark with
thee, go another road; for he
shall not come with us.” And
Barnabas coming to himself,
said: “The grace of God does not
desert him who has once served
the Gospel and journeyed with
us. If, therefore, this be agreeable to thee, Father Paul, I take
him and go.” And he said: “Go
thou in the grace of Christ, and
we in the power of the Spirit.”
This is still the point of the inquiry:
What made St. Paul think John
Mark not worthy of accompanying
him on the return voyage? St. Paul
may have felt that John Mark was
not mature enough to handle the
duties he would be required to perform, were he to go with them a second time. Perhaps he had not
learned the lesson taught by our
Lord in the Upper Room on the eve
of His Crucifixion: “If I, then, your
Lord and Master, have washed your
feet, yet also ought to wash one
another’s feet … The servant is not
greater than his lord; neither he that
is sent greater than he that sent
him” (John 13:14-17).
John Mark also had not learned
the lesson that St. Paul had to teach
the Church at Corinth concerning
the gifts of the Spirit. There, it
seems, many in that congregation
desired to have the more spectacular gifts, most notably, speaking in
tongues, and no one wanted to possess or exercise the more humble
gifts. Thus, St. Paul addressed that
issue in a most pointed manner:
For the body is not one member,
but many … Those members of
the body which seem to be more
feeble, are necessary: And those
members of the body, which we
think to be less honorable, upon
these we bestow more abundant
honor; and our uncomely parts
have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have
no need: but God hath tempered
the body together, having given
more abundant honor to that
part which lacked: That there
should be no schism in the
body; but that the members
should have the same care one
for another. And whether one
member suffer, all the members
suffer with it; or one member be
honored, all the members
rejoice with it. Now ye are the
body of Christ, and members in
particular (1 Cor. 12:14-27).
Notice the common theme that
runs through these two lessons of
the Christian life: greater honor is
accorded the one who takes the lesser position. This is in total opposition to the world’s standard of the
greater being of higher importance
and honor. In the parable of the
wedding guest (Luke 14:7ff), Christ
teaches us that humility in this life
is the only key to riches and honor
in the Kingdom of Heaven! This is
the lesson that John Mark had not
learned, although it was a crucial
lesson to be mastered when part of a
missionary team trying to preach
and witness to the Gospel of our
Lord Jesus Christ!
The story, happily, does not end
here for John Mark as it does for
Barnabas. We noted earlier that
Barnabas is not mentioned again in
the New Testament following Acts
15:39, but such is not the case for
John Mark. We might be left to
believe that St. Paul and Barnabas
parted in an unfriendly manner and
that Barnabas’ not being mentioned
again in the New Testament was to
his discredit; this is not the case at
all. Our Father in the faith, St. John
Chrysostom, continuing in his exposition of the Book of Acts, writes
concerning this parting of the ways:
What then? Did they withdraw in enmity? God forbid! In
fact you see after this Barnabas
receiving many encomiums
from Paul in the Epistles. There
was “sharp contention,” it says,
not enmity nor quarreling. The
contention availed so far as to
part them … yielding each to
the other: for Barnabas wished
Paul’s plan to stand, therefore
withdrew; on the other hand,
Paul wished the other’s plan to
stand, therefore he withdrew …
To Mark this contest was
exceedingly beneficial. For the
awe inspired by Paul converted
him, while the kindness of
Barnabas caused that he was
not left behind: so that they
contend indeed, but … the disciple was corrected by the contention of the teachers: so far
was he from being offended
thereby. For if indeed they did
this with a view
to their own
honor, he might
well be offended:
but if for his salvation, and they
contend for one
and the same
object, to show
that he who
honored him
had well determined, what is
there amiss in it
(Homily XXXIV
on
Acts
15:35ff)?
Note that St. John
Chrysostom says
that all of this
worked out to
John Mark’s correction and to his
salvation. We certainly know this by the fact that St.
Paul says very explicitly to his son
in the faith, Timothy, “Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me: For
Demas hath forsaken me, having
loved this present world, and is
departed unto Thessalonica;
Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto
Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me.
Take Mark, and bring him with thee:
for he is profitable to me for the
ministry.” It is of great importance
here to notice that St. Paul is near
the end of his life when he writes
this epistle to Timothy and that
some of his fellow-workers have
deserted him while he has sent others to their ministries. In this context of abandonment, St. Paul calls
for John Mark, of whom he says, “he
is profitable to me for the ministry.”
This is quite a turn-around for one
who was considered unprofitable
only a few years before. How did
this turn-around occur so that St.
Paul could have such a different and
much higher opinion of Mark? It
occurred because John Mark realized the truth of the lessons outlined
above. How did he learn them? He
humbled himself under the mighty
Hand of God that he might be exalted in due time (1 Pet. 5:6). It was at
the feet of St. Peter that he learned
his lessons and humbled himself.
In 1 Pet. 5:13 we read, “The
church that is at Babylon, elected
together with you, greeteth you; and
so doth Mark, my son.”
Going to Babylon meant being on
another “missionary journey” for
John Mark. As such, accompanying
one of the original twelve apostles,
he would be thrust once again into
the role of “attendant” or “go-fer.”
Since St. Peter refers to John Mark
as “my son,” it is well to assume that
John Mark was a good and profitable
servant on this undertaking. He
would, of course, dutifully take notes
of the preaching of St. Peter every
day and faithfully transcribe those
notes each night. In humbling himself to this tedious and repetitive
task, he was to be rewarded in more
ways than one. First of all, we know
that St. Peter never wrote a “Gospel
according to St. Peter,” but there is a
“Gospel according to St. Mark,” the
second book of the New Testament
Canon. This Gospel of St. Mark is
popularly thought to be, in truth, a
Gospel according to St. Peter
because it is composed largely of the
preaching of St. Peter, which St.
Mark set to writing for us. The
ancient witnesses do attest that St.
Mark’s Gospel is really the preaching
of St. Peter. This is reward enough in
itself, to have been chosen to author
one of the Four
Blessed Gospels of
the Life of our
Lord Jesus Christ
and to have one’s
name eternally
attached to it!
The
second
reward of John
Mark’s humbling of
himself was, of
course, his being
asked for by St.
Paul and being
described by St.
Paul as being
“profitable for the
ministry.” This
meant that he had
fully and completely re-crossed
that bridge that
may so easily have
been burned and
been made uncrossable!
We can learn many lessons from
the initial failure and subsequent
successes of John Mark, not the least
of which is humility as the key to
success in the Christian life. As John
Mark felt it “beneath his dignity” to
be a “go-fer” for St. Paul initially, but
retraced his steps and crossed old
bridges successfully, so we can have
the opportunity to face old challenges anew. Even though the standards are so much higher in the
Christian ministry than in the world,
the world does not know Grace and
Mercy as does our Blessed Lord
Jesus Who is the Light unto our
paths, leading us back to those
places where we had once failed!
Reader Stephen Holley is a member of St. Michael Antiochian
Orthodox Church, Whittier, CA.
April 2001 1 5
A WORD FOR THE MONTH
JESUS WEPT
B Y V E R Y R E V. S T E P H E N R O G E R S
S WE DRAW CLOSE TO
Holy Week, on the Saturday
preceding Palm Sunday the
Church celebrates Christ’s raising of
Lazarus from the dead.
The story of Lazarus is a familiar
one. The brother of Martha and
Mary, Lazarus became ill in the days
prior to our Lord’s Passion.
Desiring that the Lord would
come and heal their brother,
the sisters made an appeal to
Jesus that He might come. But
Jesus tarried for two days
before departing for Bethany,
the home of Lazarus and his
sisters. Upon His arrival,
Lazarus’ death was four days
past. In their grief, both
Martha and Mary challenged
Jesus: “Lord, if you had been
here, my brother would not
have died.”
Overcome with grief at the
finality of their brother’s
death, powerless in the grip of
death and corruption, the sisters are inconsolable at the
loss of Lazarus. Upon seeing
their grief and the enslavement of man to death, the
gospel account relates the
reaction of Jesus in two simple
words — two words that
should change our lives forever. Upon seeing the anguish of
Martha and Mary, upon seeing their
brother and His friend subject to
death and corruption, we are told in
John 11:35 that “Jesus wept.”
“Jesus wept.” Do you hear what
the gospel is telling us? In weeping
for Lazarus, Christ, God Incarnate,
is weeping for all mankind. God, in
perfect love and compassion, weeps
for His creation which is enslaved to
death and corruption because of sin.
Even as Jesus weeps for Lazarus, He
weeps for you and for me. Even as
A
1 6 The Word
he befriends Lazarus, He befriends
you and me.
“For God so loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son, that
whosoever believes in Him should
not perish, but have everlasting life”
(John 3:16). In all of our sophistication and learning, in all the theology
and practice of the Church, we
sometimes lose sight of the fundamental message of God to man: “I
love you.” God loves us with an
intensity and power that cannot
allow us to remain as slaves to
death. Even as Jesus cries with a
loud voice to Lazarus, “Lazarus,
come forth,” so, too, does He bid us
all to come that His love can free us
and restore us to life. “Come to Me,
all you who labor and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest”
(Matthew 11:28). God’s love, if we
only accept it, frees us from the ultimate heavy burden, the burden of
death. Even as the tomb could not
contain Lazarus because of Christ’s
love for him, so, too, the tomb shall
not contain us. “For I am persuaded
that neither death nor life, nor
angels nor principalities nor
powers, nor things present
nor things to come, nor height
nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to
separate us from the love of
God which is in Christ Jesus
our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
“Jesus wept.” What a powerful message those words
convey! They speak of God’s
love for us, a love that can
transform us forever. How
should we respond to this
great love? The Evangelist
John gives us the answer:
Beloved, let us love one
another, for love is of God;
and everyone who loves is
born of God and knows
God. He who does not love
does not know God, for God
is love. In this the love of
God was manifest toward
us, that God has sent His
only son into the world, that
we might live through Him.
In this is love, not that we
loved God, but that He loved us
and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if
God so loved us, we also ought
to love one another (I John 4:711).
As we consider the tears of Jesus
for Lazarus, let us ask ourselves,
when is the last time we have shed a
tear for our brother? If we truly
understand God’s love for us, it is
impossible for us not to love as well,
for such is the nature of God’s love.
T H E D E PA R T M E N T O F C H R I S T I A N E D U C AT I O N
Sharing the Faith
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION NEWS FROM AROUND THE ARCHDIOCESE
Jacksonville, Florida
Seventh CSD Seminar Held
The seventh and final Church School Director
Seminar was held at the parish of St. George in
Jacksonville, Florida on January 27. The seminar was
held in conjunction with the Delegates meeting. A
thank you to all host parishes for their hospitality to
the Department and to the participants of this very successful seminar.
CROSS AND QUILL UPDATE
www.antiochian.org/christianeducation/cq
CQ has been well-received: 2900 downloads (and
17 countries) have been registered on the
counter.
Cleveland, Ohio
Vacation Church School
Children who participated in the Vacation Church
School Program at St. George’s parish enjoyed a week
of learning about their faith and taking field trips. The
highlight of the week was making prosphora. Fr. Andre
Issa is the pastor Mrs. Linda Simon is the Church
School Director.
York, Pennsylvania
What’s Happening
in Your Parish?
Send submissions for “Sharing the Faith” and
“Lift Up Your Hearts” to the Department.
Deadlines are the 10th of July, October, December
and February.
The Earth is the Lord’s
At the invitation of Marie Stoltz, of St. John
Chrysostom Church, the parish children planted basil
in her yard last summer. Shown above are some of the
children planting in the cross-shaped enclosure. The
children were invited back in September to harvest the
basil and prepare for the Elevation of the Holy Cross.
April 2001 1 7
T H E D E PA R T M E N T O F C H R I S T I A N E D U C AT I O N
For your
information . . .
From the
Director’s Desk
on Christian Education in your region:
Beloved in Christ,
Eastern: Rev. George Alberts
(724) 684-5472
Midwest: Robert Snyder
(330) 493-4029
Western: Joseph Tershay
(831) 335-8350
Can-Am: Jacquelyn Fadel
(716) 282-8243
Southwest: Maggie Hock
(402) 493-4433
New England: Anna Timko-Hughes
(978) 686-3274
Southeast: Betty Randolph
(864) 639-2204
I am heartened to know from your notes and emails that this newsletter is appreciated. Wouldn’t it be
great to see your own parish in “Sharing the Faith?”
Why not keep a disposable camera at church ready for
that special event? Snap a few pictures and write a
brief story, or have a class write about the event, and
send it in.
At the recent Mid-Winter Meetings at Antiochian
Village, I met with my staff. What a tremendous meeting it was! We accomplished two major tasks. First, we
discussed all aspects of the Creative Arts Festival and
listed recommendations for improvement and ideas for
implementation. Second, we planned for the annual
October program at the Village. I am very excited about
this program. We will have courses for church school
directors, teachers, and for those who wish to continue
their education in Orthodoxy. It has been re-christened
as well, as an Institute. I am very pleased that His
Grace Bishop Demetri has graciously agreed to officiate
and deliver the keynote address. Finally, it is the first
program to be held in conjunction with the Department
of Youth Ministry. I’ll be sending out brochures in early
May with all the details.
At each Parish Life Conference, and at the
ArchdioceseConvention this summer the Christian
Education workshop will be: “Raising Children
Orthodox.” When I began in this position, I made a
promise to attend to the needs of church school staff,
the curriculum, and parents. With this offering I launch
into the third, and most important, area of my endeavor. Come to the presentation. You will leave inspired
and with many very practical suggestions for passing on
the faith to your children.
In my last message I promised to keep you informed
as to the progress of the curriculum revision. I am
pleased to say that work has just begun on the new
eighth grade text which will be a review of the fundamentals of our faith and thus the flagship of the revised
series. Plans for a fund-raising campaign are in the
works.
It is a good time to be involved in Orthodox
Christian Education. I hope to meet many more of you
at the regional conferences and Archdiocese
Convention.
The Department of Christian Education
pages are published in the September,
December, February, and April issues.
Department of Christian Education
163 Kirch Road
York, PA 17402-4804
The office is staffed from 9:00-3:00 Monday
through Wednesday.
Phone (717) 747-5221
FAX (717) 747-5832
E-mail: [email protected] and [email protected]
Web page: www.antiochian.org/
christianeducation
Lift up your hearts!
One Saturday afternoon before a shopping trip, I
gave my six-year-old son his fifty cents allowance.
“Oh, thank you, Mom,” he replied. “I will place it in
the collection basket tomorrow.”
“Honey,” said the mother, “you don’t have to do
that. I will give you more money for the collection.”
“Thank you, Mom,” he replied happily. “I want
God to have lots of money so He can buy whatever
He wants at Heaven Mall.”
Submitted by Nina Ibrahim
18
The Word
May you have a blessed Pascha!
Carole A. Buleza
T H E D E PA R T M E N T O F C H R I S T I A N E D U C AT I O N
Catalog listings for Vacation Church School Programs
As we did not receive responses to our request for reviews of vacation church school programs, we offer only
catalog listings of Orthodox materials. If you have developed your own program and would like to share it, please
send your outline to the Department of Christian Education.
GOA
The following programs may be ordered from the
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese. Orders may be placed
by phone at (800) 566-1088 or fax at (617) 850-1489.
LIVING IN AN ORTHODOX WORLD
Michael Shanbour
A unique and enjoyable Orthodox Vacation Church
School Program, using six songs from the popular singalong music for Orthodox children known as “Living in an
Orthodox World.” This comprehensive program educates
on the importance of centering
one’s life around the liturgical
and personal prayer of the
Church. Includes 5 to 6 halfdays of curriculum with daily
schedules, opening/closing
assembly talks/exercises, creative daily lessons, sing-along
and liturgical music time, liturgical practicums, crafts and indoor/outdoor activities.
Includes “Living in an Orthodox World” Cassette, sheet
music with words, name tag forms, and Graduation
Certificate — can be reproduced for your needs!
(Designed for pre-K to Sixth Grade.) Order item: V12
$49.95
WE ARE THE CHURCH — KIT
All-inclusive kit provides a 5-day 9am-1pm, summer
program for children from preschool through junior
high. Lessons teach students what it means to be an
Orthodox Christian, and their role in the Orthodox
Church. A closing day celebration is included. Included
are director’s manual, worship service, 5-day lesson
plans for each grade level, supplemental materials for
students, and more. Reproducible. Order item: V01
$28.95
OCPC
The following programs may be ordered from the
Orthodox Christian Publications Center. Orders may
be mailed or placed by telephone or fax. Phone: (973)
694-5782. Fax: (973) 305-1478.
HIDDEN TREASURES: DISCOVERING GOD’S GIFTS
Orthodox Church in America
(Note: This will be part of the 2001 Interim Middle and
High School Curriculum)
This five-part study unit offers students an opportunity to consider their talents and how they can serve
God. (Ages 11-14) $5.00
OCEC
The following programs may be ordered from the
Orthodox Christian Education Commision. Orders
may be mailed or placed by telephone or fax between 2
and 7 p.m. (eastern time).
VISA or Mastercard are
required for phone orders.
Phone: (800) 464-2744 or
(315) 428-1566. Fax: (315)
422-1893
THE EARTH IS THE LORD’S:
CARING FOR GOD’S
CREATION
Orthodox Church in America
The five-session program
centers on the stewardship of God’s creation and raises
religious issues. A reproducible packet for ages 4-17.
$5.00
GOD IS CALLING YOU! EXPLORING GOD’S
PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE
Orthodox Church in America
(Note: This will be part of the 2001 Interim Middle and
High School Curriculum)
A seven-part study which helps students understand
the idea of “vocation,” their personal calling in life. It
encourages participants to explore and pursue their
personal vocation with the Church and community.
(Suitable for students ages 7-18.) $5.00
TEACH ALL NATIONS! THE CHURCH GROWS
AROUND THE WORLD
Orthodox Church in America
(Note: This is part of the 2000 Interim Middle and
High School Curriculum)
This study unit on mission in the Church tells how
the Good News told by Jesus has been proclaimed from
Jerusalem of the first century to the local parish today.
Students create their own “passports” and “visit”
Orthodox countries around the world. This reproducible packet includes crafts and a play project. (Ages
4-13) $5.00
April 2001 1 9
T H E D E PA R T M E N T O F C H R I S T I A N E D U C AT I O N
Coming Attractions
from the Department of Christian Education
Will your grandchildren be baptized in the faith?
Come to the Department of Christian Education Workshop at your
Parish Life Conference or at the Archdiocese Convention.
“Raising
Children
Orthodox”
— An interactive workshop with practical suggestions
to help you fulfill your privilege as parents
— Resource Display
Mark your calendars for the new and improved October Teacher Education Program!
• Sharing & Fellowship
• Resource Display
• Course offerings in:
Church School
Administration
Teaching Methods
and Enhancements
Orthodoxy
Youth Ministry
October Institute for
Church School and
Youth Workers
His Grace Bishop Demetri, Keynote Speaker
Antiochian Village October 18-21, 2001
The Institute is a joint production of the Departments of Christian Education and Youth Ministry.
Details and registration forms will be available in May.
20
The Word
THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE
OF ANTIOCH
By NICHOLAS LOUH
RECENT BOOK
on youth ministry
entitled
When Kumbaya is Not
Enough revealed some
startling statistics that are
worth noting. For example,
close to 25% of the world’s
population (in second and
third World countries close
to 50%) are under the age of
18. Another surprising statistic is that for every 100,000
young people, 11 will commit
suicide. Later the book states
that the rate of births from
unmarried teenagers between
1960 and 1991 rose 200%. In fact,
approximately one million teenage
girls become pregnant every year.
About 40 percent of these pregnancies end with abortions.
In addition, a recent study from
Pennsylvania State University found
that U.S. teenagers listen to between
two and five hours of music per day.
How many parents and guardians
take the time to really listen to our
children’s music? The author’s
intent is not to paint a picture that
all of today’s music is negative and
spiritually unhealthy. However,
some of the subliminal messages
found in pop music, rap, and R and
B degrade women, parents, and the
law. If young people think and act as
the musical lyrics state, they can
have the most beautiful woman,
money, power and popularity. These
messages portray a lifestyle that promotes themes like, “You only live
once, so do it.” These lyrics give our
children permission to experiment
and, in their own words, “live on the
edge.” If our children are not prop-
A
erly
guided when
listening to this
music, they can and will fall
into the temptation of believing that
this is the norm or the standard by
which they should be living.
Unfortunately, youth in general are
not properly guided. They soak up
these ideas and values without being
fully aware that they are doing so.
Few realize, for instance, how sexist
and degrading to women the words
of much classic rock, heavy metal or
rap may be. Marilyn Manson, a popular heavy-metal singer, said once,
“I find it most entertaining that people miss my irony, and they’ve
played into the joke that I have laid
out and made fools of themselves.
They don’t actually realize that
they’re playing their own game and
they’re only hurting themselves.”
So what are the statistics from
this book telling us? They are
telling us that our children are
living in dangerous times. They
are telling us that our children
are being bombarded with
social pressures. They are
telling us that the majority of
teens are living contrary to
our Orthodox beliefs. Our
youth are at war and they
may not know it. Many of
our youth might be fighting an internal battle
between what they have
been taught by their parents and their family
culture and what society, their friends and
television and radio
are telling them. One
needs only to look at the magazine rack at the local supermarket
to see a popular culture which contradicts our Orthodox faith. Our
youth are being forced to grow up
without allowing the natural time to
define their own personal identity
and values and without the proper
guidance to know the Truth. What
was taboo a generation ago has
become the norm today. Because of
our social climate, young people are
being forced to learn by imitation
and, unfortunately, that imitation
often does not come only from their
parents, priest or youth director. It
comes from what they see, hear and
experience everyday.
Now some might say that these
April 2001 2 1
THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE OF ANTIOCH
issues do not pertain to OUR youth.
Some might even think that the
youth of the Antiochian Orthodox
Archdiocese are, in a sense, immune
from the social diseases plaguing
this American society. I have spent
the last five years working with
youth at the Antiochian Village
Camp and holding retreats all over
this country;
the reality
is that our
youth are
falling into
the same
struggles as
y o u t h
e v e r y where.
The first
words of
the Divine
Liturgy are
when the
Deacon
silently tells
the priest,
“It is time
to serve the
Lord.” Perhaps the
best
response to
the crisis
now facing
our youth is
for us to
reexamine
our commitment to
serve the
Lord. The youth are crying out.
However, they are not crying out to
be sports heroes. They are not crying out for M.T.V. They are not crying out to be the most popular people in school. What they are crying
out for is Christian witnesses,
Christian role models and Christian
ministers. We, as a Church and as a
Christian community, must make a
commitment to provide our youth
with every possible means to defend
themselves against these struggles
and to draw ever closer to Christ.
They need to know that there is no
one in this world they need to
22
The Word
impress but our God, Jesus Christ.
As a community, we must become a
Youth Ministry Team aiming at one
objective, one goal: teaching and witnessing Christ to our children. It
must be done in a way that is both
practical and fun. Young people need
to be able to incorporate their faith,
not just on a Sunday morning, but at
school, at work and at
home.
O u r
vision should
be to incorporate Christ into
every activity,
every
event,
every program, in
which our youth
participate.
Although this article mainly
addresses parents, the closing
remarks are directed towards our
beloved children. It is often said that
our youth are the future leaders.
You, the youth are the leaders of the
Church today, because if we do not
minister to your needs today, there
will not be a Church tomorrow.
Through God’s love and grace, we
want to provide you with the spiritual armor to be Christian witnesses
and TRUE soldiers of Christ, so that
the statistics mentioned above do
not label us. What defines us must
be our Orthodox Christianity. Never
forget that the doors to the Church
are always open, because the builder
of our Church, Jesus Christ, loves
us. It is only with Christ at the center of all of our actions that we can
truly say with a loud voice
that we are soldiers of Christ,
that we are
Orthodox
Christians,
that we are
the “Beautiful
People
of
Antioch.”
Anyone
wishing to
contact the
author is
welcome
to do so at
[email protected].
Seminarian Nicholas Louh is currently serving as Youth Director at
St. George Antiochian Orthodox
Church, Jacksonville, FL and pursuing a Doctor of Ministry degree in
Family Therapy and Youth
Ministry.
COMMUNITIES IN ACTION
COMMUNITIES IN ACTION
A GIFT
OF LOVE
ur Great God has
truly blessed St.
Elijah Church with many
gifts, and we are always
thankful to him. On
Christmas, 2000, Mr. and
Mrs. Nick Sr. and Cherry
Harroz donated something
very special to our community: a 10-acre lot
behind the church building worth $525,000. Truly,
this has been a genuine
“Gift of Love” for our
church. The Harrozes
donated this gift in loving
memory of Nick Sr.’s parents, Nicholas and Rachia,
and son Gary. May their
memories be eternal. In
addition, may our Great
God also bless the Harroz
family and all those “who
love the beauty of His
house” for “God loves a
cheerful giver” (II Corinthians 9:7).
O
HOTEL VETERAN
RICHARD JABARA
APPOINTED
PRESIDENT OF THE
WORLDWIDE
OWNERS
A S S O C I AT I O N O F
BASS HOTELS &
RESORTS®
Appointment Marks New
Mission and Strategic
Direction for one of the
World’s Largest
Association of Hotel
Owners
TLANTA
—
Richard Jabara,
president and CEO of
Meyer Jabara Hotels
which owns and operates
25 hotels in the USA, has
been appointed president
of the worldwide owners
association of Bass Hotels
& Resorts (IAHI). The
IAHI represents the franchise owners of some
3,000 hotels under the
Holiday Inn ® , Crowne
Plaza ®, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites®
by Holiday Inn brands.
The appointment was
announced at the association’s annual owners conference in Las Vegas
attended by 3,000 hotel
owners from around the
world. Jabara’s appointment sets the stage for a
new, revitalized association with an aggressive and
A
From left to right — Jim Farha (Parish Council Chairman), Fr. Constantine Nasr holding the deed,
Cherry and Nick Harroz Sr.
Richard Jabara
proactive agenda that will
identify new ways for the
group to bring more value
to its members and pursue
opportunities that will add
value to the Bass brands.
A 30-year veteran of the
hospitality
industry,
Jabara’s Meyer Jabara
Hotels is a 24-hotel strong
corporation. He has extensive expertise in new hotel
development, acquisitions
and renovations and plays
an active role in the daily
management of his hotels
including teaching, training, staffing and strategic
planning. Under his leadership, Meyer Jabara
Hotels have won awards
for excellence from five
different franchisers.
Jabara has also been
able to lend his extensive
business experience to
various other organizations. He is currently the
president of the parish
council at St. George
Orthodox Church, Danbury, CT, and is a member
of the board of Danbury
Hospital. He is also one of
the founders and supporters of Dream Come True, a
April 2001 2 3
COMMUNITIES IN ACTION
regional charity that
directs its efforts at helping terminally ill children
and their families.
Richard Jabara and his
wife Andrea are both
members of the Order of
St. Ignatius of Antioch, as
are his parents, Ted and
Elaine Jabara. We are very
proud of Richard Jabara
and his achievements in
both the spiritual and secular world.
SOUTHWEST REGION
ANTIOCHIAN WOMEN
outhwest Region
Antiochian Women
are changing the world of
tomorrow by touching the
hearts of women today …
When the love for our own
children overflows and
becomes the love for all of
His children …
You’ve seen them everywhere. Where do they
come from? How did they
get here? At every convention, in every Southwestern Region Parish, not a
corner can escape. What
else could we possibly be
talking about? It’s those
T-shirts, sweatshirts and
tote bags! For several
years the Antiochian
Women of the Southwest
Region have been selling
the “Christian Orthodoxy, Our Roots Run
Deep” shirts, totes and
aprons. For years the
funds for these sales have
gone to cover the cost of
production and re-orders
and the remainder to our
local Southwest Region
Philanthropies. But we just
can’t do it any more.
Why? Because our
Metropolitan has touched
our hearts by again allowing the Antiochian Women
S
2 4 The Word
to serve the children in
Orthodox orphanages
around the world. The
women of our region have
been put into a very special situation. We feel that
we have been very blessed
with the response that we
have had to this moneymaking project. During our
Fall Meeting, as we looked
over all of the local and
regional needs, Metropolitan Philip’s call to
serve orphans softened our
hearts; there was no other
answer but to send every
penny that we make from
sales this year to the
Antiochian Orthodox
Christian Women of North
America’s Orphanage
Project. As Daughters,
Sisters, Aunts, Mothers,
Godmothers, and Grandmothers, we could not
contain our longing to help
the children of God. We
believe that we must act to
help protect and nurture
these little ones who call
out His name even before
they can speak, these
innocents who rely on our
hands to do the work of
Christ, these beloved who
deserve the caresses and
love of the Theotokos
made manifest.
While we have the
means to create the profit,
we are looking to you.
Won’t you consider placing
an order? It would greatly
help in our efforts to give
the greatest gift ever sent
in by the Antiochian
Women of the Southwest
Region. The shirts are
extremely colorful, come
in all sizes, and are great
for: teen outings, parish
retreats; as “uniforms” for
fundraisers or softball
teams; and gifts. We also
have available holy bread
cloths, suitable for covering the holy bread and car-
rying it to Church.
We would like to thank
everyone who made a purchase over the years; you
have each made it possible
for us to reach this point
in our fundraising. Now
every penny can go directly into our contribution for
the NAB Antiochian
Women’s
Orphanage
Project. To order, please
contact Sherry Abraham,
4738
Cobblestone,
Wichita, KS 67204, 316838-6554. Or log on to our
SW Region Antiochian
Women Webpage at
www.antiochian.org. to
order electronically.
WILL YOU BE A
LIFESAVER?
id you know that at
any one time there
are at least 3,000 patients
in search of a bone marrow transplant? Only 2530% of patients will find a
donor in their family; the
rest turn to the National
Marrow Donor Program for
help.
Countless Orthodox
Christians, both children
and adults, have been
stricken with life-threatening illnesses requiring
bone marrow transplants.
The unfortunate reality is
most of these individuals
cannot find a match; they
do not survive and their
families are changed forever.
With the blessing of
Metropolitan Philip, during
the Archdiocese Convention this coming July 2001
in Los Angeles, CA, there
will be an opportunity for
you to help these individuals directly. If you are
between the ages of 18-60
you will be able to have
D
your bone marrow typed,
which is an extremely simple procedure. The Red
Cross will be available to
take a small test tube
amount of blood from your
arm and your bone marrow will be typed and
recorded in a National
Marrow Donor Program
database. Anyone in need
of assistance can contact
the NMDP.
Another way to assist in
this cause is to donate
financially. The fee is $21
to test just one person.
Please inquire if your company offers matching funds
or has funds set aside for
charities. In addition, individuals can also make contributions towards saving
lives. If you or your company can donate to this
worthy cause, a check can
be made to: The National
Marrow Donor Program.
Checks can be sent to:
Tanya Rishwain Milkie,
4800 Zelzah Avenue,
Encino, CA 91316.
If you need a letter or
any written material for
your company, contact me
by
email
([email protected]) and I
will supply this information to you.
May God bless your
efforts and bless those who
are suffering with illnesses.
We look forward to seeing
you in July in Los Angeles.
Please see our website at
Antiochian 2001.com.
COMMUNITIES IN ACTION
TESTIMONIAL
BANQUET HONORS
FATHER GREGORY AND
KHOURIYE MARY JANE
OFIESH FOR THEIR
YEARS OF DEDICATED
SERVICE
i s h o p
Antoun
and
Bishop
Joseph joined
approximately
450 people at a
dignified testimonial banquet
on Saturday,
December 2, to
celebrate V. Rev.
Father Gregory
and Khouriye
Mary
Jane’s
many years of
devoted service
to San Francisco’s
St.
Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church.
San Francisco
Mayor Willie
Brown, along
with former San
Francisco Mayor
Art Agnos and
clergy
from
other parts of
the Antiochian
Orthodox Archdiocese, were
present to honor
Father and Mary
Jane with a prestigious award, a proclamation, a letter from President Bill Clinton, and
warm wishes.
In a most fitting tribute,
Bishop Antoun presented
Father Gregory with the
distinguished Antonian
Medal, one of the highest
honors bestowed by the
Antiochian
Orthodox
Archdiocese. His Eminence Metropolitan Philip
sent kind words and blessings to Father and Mary
Jane through Bishop
Antoun as his representative, encouraging both to
enjoy the first part of their
new journey with a welldeserved vacation. In his
remarks, Bishop Joseph
extolled Father’s many
Day. He joked that one of
the benefits of this honor
is that Father’s car would
never be towed on his day.
Former Mayor Agnos presented a congratulatory
letter from President
Clinton.
Many family and friends
traveled from other parts
of the country to be with
Father and Mary Jane on
B
Bishop Antoun honors Fr. Gregory Ofiesh at testimonial banquet.
attributes and thanked
him and Mary Jane for
their 42 years of priestly
service, 37 of them in San
Francisco.
Mayor Brown presented
Father Gregory with a
proclamation issued by the
City of San Francisco,
declaring December 2 as
Father Gregory Ofiesh
their special evening,
including their daughter
Nicole, and their granddaughter Mary Jane. In an
eloquent speech, Nicole
described the “essence of
her father.” To many,
Nicole’s speech was the
“essence of the evening.”
Parish Council Chairman Riad Kattuah present-
ed a plaque and gift to
Father and Mary Jane on
behalf of the church. Inam
Shami and Ida Batshon
presented a gift to Mary
Jane on behalf of the
church’s women’s groups.
Mike E. Habeeb, on behalf
of co-chairperson Marilyn
Baida Habeeb and the
entire banquet committee,
shared warm wishes and
thanked everyone for expressing their appreciation to Father
and Mary Jane
by attending the
event.
After a formal
introduction,
Father Gregory
thanked
the
assembly for so
honoring him
and his beloved
Khouriye Mary
Jane.
He
thanked
the
Chairs and the
committee, the
assisting clergy,
Father Nicholas
Habib
and
Deacon Issa Dib,
the office staff,
Sunday School,
Choir, Chanters
and “all who
make our service complete. It
is like having a
body and soul.”
F a t h e r
Gregory
expressed
his
deepest gratitude to his beloved
Khouriye, Mary Jane, and
their children, Nicholas
and René, Raymond,
Michael, Nicole and Ralph
and beloved granddaughter, Mary Jane. Father
thanked his friend of over
40 years, Bishop Antoun,
and asked all to remember
Saidna Philip in their
April 2001 2 5
COMMUNITIES IN ACTION
prayers. He expressed
deep appreciation for the
presence of His Grace
Bishop Joseph. He thanked
the Parish Council and its
past members over the
past 37 years and the
faithful collectively and
individually. He acknowledged those who came
from near and far.
Father then
spoke of his
vision of the
O r t h o d o x
Church in the
new millennium:
“the need of a
spiritual social
revolution
embedded in the
O r t h o d o x
Church — feeding the hungry,
clothing
the
naked, housing
the homeless,
especially
women and children.” Father
Gregory emphasized the growth
of
Orthodox
convents and
monasteries,
Orthodox seminaries
and
O r t h o d o x
schools, the rise
of gifted and
inspired Orthodox Bishops and
priests. “The
O r t h o d o x
Christian family
will be a strong
unit and nucleus of
a greater American nation
in the next millennium.
Orthodoxy will play a vital
role in the formation and
development of ethical
foundations for a greater
fabric in building the character of a new America,”
he stated.
The Master of Ceremonies, Ron Nicola, mas-
2 6 The Word
terfully guided the event’s
guests through the many
speeches and presentations of the banquet program. Among many highlights in the program were
two videotapes of Father
Gregory’s ministry. The
evening was a collaborative effort of many dedicated people. Each attendee
side the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese who honored Father and Mary Jane
with their presence.
As part of the testimonial weekend celebration,
Church School Superintendent Michele Jacklin
and teachers Eve and Ed
Duran presented a decorative quilt and a collection
Very Rev. Gregory and Khouriye Mary Jane Ofiesh
received a program souvenir book, an icon of St.
Gregory Palamas and St.
Nicholas and a commemorative pen. The benediction was given by Father
Dusan Bunjevic, a Serbian
Orthodox priest and longtime friend of Father
Gregory. He was among
the many clergy from out-
of memorable photos to
Father Gregory, who was
surrounded by Church
School teachers and students at Sunday’s Hierarchical Liturgy. The
church school students
designed the many sections that made up the
quilt.
PENNIES FROM
HEAVEN
he children of St.
Elias Antiochian
Orthodox Church in New
Castle, PA, as part of their
SOYO fund raising activities, went on a
year-long drive
collecting pennies.
The children
collected pennies from their
homes, their
parents, their
aunts, uncles,
cousins and relatives. Each week
they brought
their pennies to
the church and
placed them in a
large container
which was kept
in the parish
learning center.
As the container
filled to the top,
the
pennies
were removed
and counted and
the drive started
again. During
the year-long
drive, no penny
was left unturned. Finally,
at Christmas,
the last container was filled and
the
pennies
were counted. To
no one’s surprise the children had collected in
excess of $1,000.00 in
pennies alone.
The children then decided what they were going to
do with their money. It
was important to them
that the money be used for
a charitable purpose to
help other children less
T
COMMUNITIES IN ACTION
fortunate than they. The
group decided that half of
the money would be sent
to Children’s Hospital in
Pittsburgh, PA, while the
other half of the
money would be
sent to St. Jude’s
Children’s Hospital
in Nashville, TN.
Our teen SOYO
took great pride in
collecting these
pennies. They felt
even more pride
when they were
able to use their
collection to provide help to other
children
from
around our region
and country.
Congratulations
to the Teen SOYO
from St. Elias, New
Castle, PA.
ST. NICHOLAS,
GRAND RAPIDS
THE DREAM BECOMES
A REALITY
he parish of St.
Nicholas welcomed
Metropolitan Philip to
Grand Rapids, MI for the
consecration of its new
church during the weekend of October 12-15,
2000. “Sanctify those who
love the beauty of thy
house” was the theme for
the weekend.
Thursday evening several parishioners welcomed
Metropolitan Philip and
Deacon Hans at the Gerald
R. Ford Airport, including
our pastor, Rev. Nicholas
Borzghol and Nick Nicola,
chairman of the parish
council. What a thrill for
all to have Metropolitan
Philip visit, since it has
T
been several years since
his last visit to St.
Nicholas!
On Friday, Oct. 13, the
Archbishop, along with the
blessing, which began in
the chapel and proceeded
to each of the classrooms.
An entertaining “quiz
bowl” by the Church
clergy and several members of the Archdiocese
Board of Trustees, traveled
to Spring Lake to the
home of Dr. and Mrs.
Yousif Hamati for a luncheon in his honor. Friday
evening formally opened
the weekend’s celebration
with “Heritage Night”
chaired by Beth Rinvelt,
Joe David and Margaret
Salhaney. This was an
evening to honor our most
senior parishioners and
smile, laugh and reminisce
while viewing photos and
memorabilia of the history
of St. Nicholas dating back
to 1921. Twenty-three
parishioners over 80 years
of age were presented with
an icon of St. Nicholas by
Metropolitan Philip and Fr.
Nicholas and honored by
the parish.
On Saturday morning,
Metropolitan Philip dedicated the classroom wing
with a prayer service and
School students and a
question and answer session with Sayedna and the
younger children highlighted the morning. On
behalf of the church
school, Sue Salhaney,
superintendent, presented
Sayedna with a thumbprint plate with a drawing
of our new church on the
center of the plate,
sketched by Mimi Amash.
It was a joy to see the children of our parish network
with Metropolitan Philip.
Jenny Khorey chaired this
unique and memorable
program.
Following the hierarchical vespers on a beautiful
fall Saturday evening, the
parish hosted a Grand
Banquet in the Cultural
Center. Approximately 400
people attended this magnificent banquet chaired
by Carol Assaly. David
Khorey, chairman of the
consecration weekend, did
a masterful job as Master
of Ceremonies. He honored all those that labored
in the building of our new
church. Guests of honor
i n c l u d e d
Metropolitan Philip
as our keynote
speaker, our Pastor
and his wife, the
Rev. Nicholas and
Claudia Borzghol,
and the mayor of
Kentwood, the city
in
which
our
church is located,
the
Honorable
William Hardiman.
The St. Nicholas
Children’s Choir
opened the banquet
singing
“Prepare Ye The
Way of The Lord”
and “Higher” followed by the St.
Nicholas Choir
singing
several
songs, including “The
Impossible Dream,” a
favorite of Metropolitan
Philip’s and appropriate for
this occasion. Both choirs
were directed by JoAnn
Abraham. During the banquet, each guest was presented with a copy of the
Commemorative Program
Journal, chaired by Kaye
Powell. A PowerPoint presentation of the history of
St. Nicholas, utilizing technology, photos, and music,
brought tears and laughter
to all the guests. The
evening concluded with
the unveiling of the church
cornerstone. This was an
evening many will remember for a lifetime.
Over 500 people attended Sunday’s consecration
service and Hierarchical
Divine Liturgy, including
members of the Archdiocese Board and numerous out-of-town guests.
Metropolitan Philip was
April 2001 2 7
COMMUNITIES IN ACTION
The church school children with Metropolitan Philip and Father Nicholas Borzghol
joined by the Very Rev.
John Estephan of our sister parish, St. George
Church in Grand Rapids;
Very Rev. George Alberts,
a former pastor; Rev.
Thomas Zain, a son of St.
Nicholas; and our own pastor Rev. Nicholas Borzghol.
At the conclusion of the
Hierarchical
Divine
Liturgy, Sayedna Philip
inducted twenty new
members into the Order of
St. Ignatius of Antioch,
including four lifetime
members.
A farewell luncheon was
served with delicious foods
prepared by our Ladies
Guild and chaired by Kim
Nicola, Mark Ansara, and
Judy Welch.
To conclude the consecration celebration, Mr.
and Mrs. Abe Abraham
and Mr. and Mrs. Alan
Abraham hosted a dinner
in honor of Metropolitan
Philip on Sunday evening.
Members of the St.
Nicholas parish council,
building steering committee, visiting clergy and
2 8 The Word
guests enjoyed a relaxing
dinner.
The new St. Nicholas is
designed in the traditional
Byzantine style. The sanctuary is cross-shaped and
is topped by a large dome.
An educational wing features 12 classrooms, a conference room and three
offices. The cultural center
seats up to 500 people.
The church also includes a
chapel and bookstore,
ample parking, and is completely barrier free. It is
truly a “modern” church,
in an ancient tradition.
There is a great deal of
planning, organizing and
coordination with the construction and consecration
of a new church. The
parish extends its sincere
appreciation to Nick
Nicola, chairman of the
building committee, and
Dave Khorey, chairman of
the consecration weekend,
and all their committees in
helping make the dream a
reality.
St. Nicholas Orthodox
Church extends a warm
welcome to all our friends
of the Archdiocese to visit
us if ever in the Grand
Rapids area.
And now … the dust settles, our guests travel
home, we bid a fond
farewell to Metropolitan
Metropolitan Philip, Father Thomas Zain and Father Nicholas Borzghol anointing the new altar linens
COMMUNITIES IN ACTION
Philip and Deacon Hans,
and the parish of St.
Nicholas enjoy their new
house of worship … a long
awaited project is now
complete.
ST. GEORGE,
PORTLAND
CHOIR RELEASES CD
n November 2000,
the
choir
and
chanters of St. George
Antiochian Orthodox
Christian Church in
Portland, OR, released a
CD of hymns to the
Theotokos. The title of
the CD is It Is Truly Meet,
and it contains 21 hymns
to the Mother of God,
sung in English and
Arabic.
This CD is one of the
many fundraising projects
undertaken by the parishioners of St. George to
raise money for the building of a new temple.
Construction began on
that new temple in 1998
after
a
successful
fundraising banquet featuring Metropolitan Philip
as guest of honor, and the
building is nearing completion. God willing, the
parish will be worshiping
in the new temple by Holy
Week of this year.
The choir’s objective on
this CD was to present a
representative sample of
the music of the parish.
Since services at St.
George are sung mostly in
English with some Arabic
as well, 16 hymns in
English and 5 in Arabic
were included. Most of the
eight Byzantine tones are
included, as are different
tempos of hymns. The CD
begins with the megalynar-
I
Exterior of the new St. Nicholas Church, Grand Rapids, MI
ion, “It Is Truly Meet,” and
then follows the feasts of
the year, beginning with
the Nativity of the
Theotokos and ending with
the feast of the Dormition.
Village, and at St.
Vladimir’s Seminary Bookstore, as well as through
local Orthodox bookstores
in Portland. It is also available on-line through
take you directly to the CD
on MP3.com.
The parishioners of St.
George hope that many
people not previously
exposed to Byzantine
Some selections were
recorded by the entire
choir, some include a trio
of chanters, while others
feature a single chanter
with ison.
The CD is being sold
through the Archdiocese
bookstore (beginning in
June), at Antiochian
MP3.com, where a sample
of songs can be listened to
before buying. The easiest
way to find it on the
Internet is to go our parish
web site (www.stgeorgeportland.org) and then
click on “Byzantine
Chant” and then on the
CD picture, which will
music will find the CD on
MP3.com and will hear for
the first time the rich
beauty of Byzantine music.
April 2001 2 9
COMMUNITIES IN ACTION
ELEVATION OF
FR. ANDREW MOORE
ST. STEPHEN,
HIRAM, GA
n the name of the
Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
the servant of God,
Andrew, is elevated to the
dignity of Archpriest by
the hand of Bishop Antoun
of
the
Antiochian
Christian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America.
On Sunday, October 29,
2000, Fr. Andrew Moore
was elevated to the office
of archpriest at St.
Stephen Orthodox Church
in Hiram, Georgia by
Bishop Antoun and with
the blessing of Metropolitan Philip. Anyone who
has had contact with Fr.
Andrew knows this was
well-deserved. We are so
thankful for our Bishop
Antoun who came and
bestowed a blessing upon
Fr. Andrew, his family, and
the entire parish. Fr.
Gordon Walker and Fr.
Michael Byars were also
here to celebrate and
stand as sponsors for this
occasion. It was a complete surprise to Fr.
Andrew and unknown to
him until that Sunday
morning.
Members of the parish,
family, and friends both
near and far planned
months for this weekend.
The Bishop approved, and
it was decided to combine
this event with a tribute, a
reunion, to honor Fr.
Andrew and Khouriye
Dannie’s 31 years in the
ministry. A banquet was
given at the Marriott in
Marietta that Sunday after-
I
3 0 The Word
noon. Almost 300 people
were there to honor the
couple who have served
God and His church 31
years thus far and to celebrate Fr. Andrew’s elevation. The dinner and
evening was indeed a time
to remember the journey
they have travelled and
the goodness of God in
bringing them home to the
Orthodox faith.
The banquet was a complete surprise to Fr.
Andrew. He was greeted by
many whom he had not
seen in years. It was an
overwhelming experience
with much love and honor
in one place. The following
priests attended: Fr.
Gordon
Walker,
Fr.
Michael Byars, Fr. David
Anderson, and Fr. Joseph
Samaan, as well as several
priests from area Orthodox
churches. There were
parishioners, friends, family, young, old, many children, even two dear
friends battling terminal
illnesses. All six children
and ten grandchildren of
Fr. Andrew and Kh. Dannie
were present to share in
the moment. A dinner was
served and several people
were asked to speak. A
video compiled by David
Moore, Fr. Andrew’s oldest
son, was shown depicting
their years in the ministry
with glimpses of each
phase. A few words from
Bishop Antoun were given
at the end and then a few
more by our dear Very
Reverend Fr. Andrew.
Many people contributed
to this event with time,
planning, items needed,
money, prayer and support. We were again
reminded that impossible
tasks can be accomplished
when we all work together
for God’s glory!
St. Stephen enjoys the
visits from our Bishops. We
had many other activities
that weekend prior to the
elevation: a parish council
dinner, a cookout on
Saturday with everyone in
the parish, and a time for
Bishop Antoun with the
children. On Saturday
evening following Vespers,
our AOCWNA chapter
hosted a delightful dinner
for the Bishop and visiting
priests. The weekend was
full and exciting; how
appropriate to finalize it
with the elevation of our
beloved priest, Fr. Andrew.
AXIOS! The memories will
forever be engrained in our
hearts. Thank you, Bishop
Antoun! You were truly as
God in our midst.
Fr. Andrew Moore is elevated by Bishop Antoun, sponsored by Fr. Gordon Walker and Fr. Michael
Byars.
THE PEOPLE SPEAK …
THE PEOPLE SPEAK …
Sir,
Valerie Protopapa’s article in The WORD, January
2001, is an apt reminder
of the United States : …
“[P] resent cultural miasma of moral decay glossed
over by material abundance.”
And, Roe vs. Wade (U.S.
Supreme Court, 1973) is at
the heart of it.
Respectfully yours,
Deeb Hattem
Kentwood, MI
)
Although I enjoy reading
The WORD as soon as it
arrives at my home, I was
especially blessed to read
the article by Deacon
Michael Alan Shanbour,
“Academic
Theology:
Swimming with Your
Clothes On,” in the
February 2001 issue. As I
have studied theology in
an academic setting in a
Protestant seminary before
my Chrismation, this article communicated many of
the thoughts I have had in
my struggle to develop an
Orthodox mind-set. I have
recommended this article
to many in our church,
and I have received similar
comments from them.
Thank you for this article!
The teaching of St. John
Climacus, the objectives of
Orthodox theological education, and the Church as
“hospital” were especially
meaningful.
Deacon
Michael’s words emphasize
again the priority of humility and love in the
Christian life — how
appropriate that you published this article as we
enter Great Lent! We plan
to refer to this article again
and again in our catechism
and Christian education.
May God grant you many
years!
William Anderson
Holy Transfiguration
Orthodox Church
Warrenville, Illinois
Dear Ms. [Susu] Morrow,
Thank you so much for
the Christmas gift that the
Antiochian Women sent to
the seminarians. I can’t tell
you how much this helped
my wife and me especially
during the holidays. For us
it was an answer to our
prayers. I must congratulate you on a job well
done. The Antiochian
Women of our Archdiocese
have certainly been dedicated to supporting and
working for the Church.
We are both impressed
with the way the women
so quickly raised funds for
the orphanage project.
Please express our thanks
to all your Board members
and keep us in your
prayers.
With sincere gratitude,
Sub-deacon Basil
& Annmarie Koory
The Most Reverend Metropolitan Philip
The Right Reverend Bishop Joseph
St. Matthew Antiochian Orthodox Church
Cordially invite you to attend a Retirement Banquet
In honor of
The Right Reverend
Paul Doyle, Protosyngellos
Sunday, July 22, 2001 at 12:30 P.M.
Torrance Marriott Hotel
3635 Fashion Way, Torrance, California
Reservations required
Banquet preceded by Great Matins, 9:00 A.M.
Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, 10:00 A.M.
St. Matthew Antiochian Orthodox Church
2368 Sonoma Street, Torrance, CA 90501
For information contact
Fr. Simeon Corona (310) 782-9468
Or Kathy Zraick (301) 541-8852
E L E VAT E D
FR. RICHARD PETERS, pastor of Saint James Church,
Williamstown, MI, to the rank of Archpriest on Sunday,
February 25, 2001.
April 2001 3 1
THE ORTHODOX WORLD
THE ORTHODOX WORLD
IOCC RESPONDS TO
INDIA EARTHQUAKE
ALTIMORE (IOCC) —
B
With support by International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) and
its member jurisdictions,
the international alliance
of churches and relief
agencies, “Action by
Churches
Together”
(ACT), is rushing relief
teams and supplies to the
Indian State of Gujarat
that was the epicenter of a
magnitude 7.9 quake
which flattened two towns
and claimed as many as
20,000 lives.
Six ACT teams are already working in different
parts of the state, including the major population
centres of Ahmedabad and
Bhuj. In the coming days
teams will reach out to
remote communities not
yet reached by the relief
operation.
Initial relief efforts are
focused on providing food,
shelter materials and clean
drinking water to the survivors. IOCC partners
working in India are distributing kits with essential aid containing men’s
and women’s clothing,
blankets, kitchen utensils,
a lantern, a tarpaulin, rice,
flour, lentils, vegetable oil,
match boxes and candles.
IOCC is appealing for
$100,000 to provide 4,000
relief kits as part of a $3
million response by the
ACT alliance.
Nearly half a million
people have been left
3 2 The Word
homeless by the earthquake. Damaged buildings
and aftershocks as strong
as 4.5 on the Richter Scale
have forced many more to
live outdoors or flee to
cities in search of relief.
IOCC, the relief and
development organization
of Orthodox Christians
worldwide, also works in
Calcutta, India in cooperation with the Philanthropic
Society of the Orthodox
Church. With the blessing
of
His
Eminence
Metropolitan Nikitas of
Hong Kong and Southeast
Asia, IOCC is providing
food and training in basic
health care and computers
at two orphanages — one
owned by the Metropolitanate and another it operates outside of Calcutta.
To help earthquake survivors in India, IOCC is
accepting donations by
mail, telephone and
through the IOCC website:
IOCC, P.O. Box 630225,
Baltimore, MD 212630225; Toll-free: (877) 803IOCC
(4622);
www.iocc.org
Contact: Mark Hodde,
International Orthodox
Christian Charities, 110
West Road, Suite 360,
Baltimore,
Maryland
21204;
Tel.:
(410)
243-9820; Fax (410)
243-9824; E-mail: [email protected]
SCOBA REINSTITUTES
INTER-ORTHODOX
C A M P U S M I N I S T RY
EFFORT
EW YORK, NY —
N
The
Standing
Conference of Canonical
Orthodox Bishops in the
Americas (SCOBA), at its
meeting on December 14,
2000,
reestablished
Orthodox
Christian
Fellowship (OCF) as the
official campus ministry
effort under its auspices. A
proposal was submitted to
the hierarchs by the
Department of Campus
Ministry of the Antiochian
Orthodox
Christian
Archdiocese,
the
Departments of Youth and
Young Adult Ministries of
the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and the Orthodox
Church in America, and
was unanimously and enthusiastically approved.
The first visible result of
this decision will be the
establishment of a North
American office for OCF,
offering support, resources
and coordination for the
150 campus-based OCF’s
currently in existence. The
office will be initially
located at the Patriarch
Athenagoras Orthodox
Institute (PAOI), located at
the University of California
in Berkeley, and will begin
operations in early February. The Institute has
received a three-year grant
from the Leadership 100
Foundation of the Greek
Orthodox Archdiocese of
America to create and
develop inter-Orthodox
resources for national
campus ministry.
The major responsibilities of the OCF office will
include the following:
• Coordinating and supporting the established
OCF chapters
• Helping to establish
new OCF chapters where
local interest, support and
resources are present
• Facilitating inter-campus interaction as well as
philanthropic and social
activities, through regional
and North American conferences and retreats
• Maintaining the OCF
mailing list, publishing an
OCF newsletter and maintaining an up-to-date website
• Developing long-term
funding through foundations, private donations
and the support of OCF
alumni
SCOBA will oversee OCF
through the reestablishment of the Campus Commission, a SCOBA committee comprised of representatives from each
SCOBA jurisdiction. The
Campus Commission last
met in the early 1970’s.
“It’s been years since
we’ve seen this degree of
cooperation between all
canonical jurisdictions in
the area of youth ministry,” said the Reverend
Mark Leondis, Director of
the Department of Youth of
the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. “This
could have a huge impact
on our young people who
are struggling to keep their
THE ORTHODOX WORLD
faith in the spiritually
challenging environment
of the modern day college
campus. It’s an incredibly
exciting time and we’re
thrilled with the level of
support we’ve received
from our hierarchs.”
For more information,
contact: Rev. Michael
Nasser, RR 1 Box 307,
Bolivar,
PA
15923,
7 2 4 - 2 3 8 - 9 5 6 5 ,
[email protected]
ORTHODOX
CHRISTIAN LAITY
EXPRESSES
CONCERN IN
SELECTION OF
N E W PAT R I A R C H
OF JERUSALEM
rthodox Christian
O
Laity (OCL) has
called upon the members
of the Holy Synod of the
Patriarchate of Jerusalem
to elect as the new
Patriarch of Jerusalem that
candidate who meets the
highest standards of spiritual humility and personal
integrity.
In a letter to the synod,
the independently organized movement of American Orthodox laity and
clergy expressed its sympathy at the recent passing
of Patriarch Diodoros, noting that election of his successor offers a singular
opportunity to commence
long overdue reform and
renewal at the Patriarchate, including lay involvement.
“In order for this most
Holy and Venerable seat of
the Christian Church to
assume once again its historical and rightful place as
a vibrant center of Orthodox spirituality and philanthropy, the Holy Synod
must seek in a new
Patriarch those qualities of
genuine faith, personal
honesty and a love that
encompasses ALL of its
flock in Jerusalem,” OCL
stated.
Alluding to a visit by an
OCL delegation to the
Holy Land in 1994, Alice
O. Kopan, OCL President,
remarked the group was
dismayed by both the
neglect and indifference to
the physical conditions of
Christian holy sites and
the lack of support for the
welfare of native Arab
Orthodox Christians under
the Patriarchate’s jurisdiction, noting that it had expressed this concern in the
strongest terms.
The OCL communication pointed out that since
Jerusalem is venerated by
all Christians, the Holy
Synod and its Patriarch
are not only responsible
for the Patriarchate’s
administration but owe a
sacred obligation to
Orthodox
Christians
throughout the world that
these duties are faithfully
fulfilled in a spirit reflecting the love and sacrifice
of Jesus Christ.
Midwest Region
Parish Life Conference
Wednesday, June 27th- Sunday, July 1st, 2001
Hosted by
Holy Spirit Orthodox Church
Huntington, West Virginia
www.holyspirit.8m.com
Radisson Hotel Huntington
1001 3rd Ave., Huntington, WV
304-525-1001
Room Rate: $70 Single/Double
Specify code:
Antiochian Orthodox Midwest
Parish Life Conference
Can-Am Region Parish Life Conference
June 21-24, 2001
Hosted by
St. George Orthodox Church
Montreal, Quebec
Crowne Plaza Resorts
Sherbrooke St. East
1-800-561-4644
Room Rate: $145 Canadian
(deluxe double)
Visit us on the web at:
http://www.montreal-net.com/SGOAC/
April 2001 3 3
Saint George Cathedral
in Wichita, Kansas
invites you to come “home” to your cathedral for the
2001 Southwest Region
Parish Life Conference
Thursday, June 7 through Sunday, June 10, 2001
Accommodations at the new downtown
Hyatt Regency 1-800-233-1234
Room Rates at $75 a night
Make sure to mention the Southwest Region Parish Life Conference
Saint George Cathedral
7515 E. 13th, Wichita, KS 67206
316-636-4676
http://saintgeorge.cnchost.com
“Behold, I Make All Things New” Rev. 21:5
Seminars, Workshops,
Daily Teen & Children’s
Activities & Organizational
Meetings.
Keynote Speaker
H. Tristram Englehardt,
Ph.D., M.D.
St. Mark
RESTWOOD, NY — St. Vladimir’s Seminary will
C
hold its third annual Youth Institute for high
school juniors this summer. As usual, it will be held
concurrently with the Liturgical Institute of Music and
Pastoral Practice, June 24-29, 2001. The Youth
Institute offers an opportunity for interested and talented students to enrich their love for Christ and His
Church in a seminary setting. Activities include presentations by noted Orthodox scholars, small group discussion, several field trips, worship, and fellowship.
A limited number of students will be selected to
receive full scholarship aid for tuition, room and board,
but will be asked to cover their own travel expenses.
Applicants will be selected on the basis of participation
in Church and school activities, academic transcripts,
and a recommendation from their parish priest.
Those who are currently in their junior year and are
interested in learning more about the institute can
retrieve information and an application from the seminary web page (www.svots.edu), by request to the seminary
mailing
address,
or
by
e-mail
([email protected]). Applicants need to send a hard
copy of their transcripts and recommendations to the
seminary address: St. Vladimir’s Seminary, Youth
Summer Institute, 575 Scarsdale Road, Crestwood, NY
10707. The deadline for applying is April 27, 2001.
Please contact Fr. Steven Belonick at 914-961-8313,
ext. 328 or by e-mail ([email protected]) if you have
any questions.
UOB ANNOUNCES ACADEMIC AND
C U LT U R A L S U M M E R P R O G R A M F O R
YOUTH CONNECT 2001
St. Barnabas
WESTERN REGION
2001
PARISH & FAMILYHosted
LbyIFE CONFERENCE
St. Mark Antiochian Orthodox Church, Irvine, CA & St. Barnabas Antiochian Orthodox Church, Costa Mesa, CA
MAY 24-27, 2001
Irvine Marriott Hotel Irvine, CA
For Hotel Registration call
1-800-228-9290 or 1-714-445-3620
Ask for the Antiochian Orthodox Conference room rate of $89 per night!
For information
about the
conference call
1-949-206-5464
MARK YOUR
CALENDARS
NOW!
Rev. 21:5
Please look us up on the Internet at:
http:\\www.antiochian.org/conventionconferenceplanning/
3 4 The Word
A N N U A L Y O U T H I N S T I T U T E T O B E H E L D AT
S T. V L A D I M I R ’ S S E M I N A R Y
ONNECT 2001 is an academic and cultural proC
gram at the University of Balamand for youth aged
17-25, from July 1 to 29, 2001. It is designed in content
and method to enrich the mind, body and soul.
CONNECT 2001 is based at the main campus of the
University of Balamand in northern Lebanon. Learning
excursions will take participants to beautiful historical
sites in Lebanon and Syria. For four weeks, members of
the Connect program will engage in academic workshops and tutorials, participate in cultural & sports
activities and work in community-based projects.
Participants in CONNECT 2001 will also receive
three undergraduate credit hours as a result of the academic exposure offered in this month-long learning
experience.
CONNECT 2001 will prove to be a memorable experience establishing links for the participants with their
roots and with the Middle East, teaching them about
Lebanon, Syria, and the Middle East and taking them to
beautiful historical sites like the Cedars, Baalback,
Beirut, Byblos, Palmyra and Kark, to name just a few.
EASTERN REGION
PARISH LIFE CONFERENCE
CELEBRATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY!
JULY 4TH-JULY 8TH, 2001
HOSTED BY ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, YORK, PA
MORAL ISSUES
AND THE CHRISTIAN FAMILY
August 1-5, 2001
Eagle
River
Institute
of Orthodox Christian
Studies
EARLY REGISTRATION DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE
&
GREAT ACCOMMODATIONS!
Room Rate: $78.00/night plus tax
Check out our Website:
www.antiochian.org/conventionconferenceplanning
REGISTRATION FORMS
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
SOUVENIR JOURNAL INFORMATION
HOTEL INFORMATION & DIRECTIONS
SPECIAL HERSHEY PARK EXCURSION
LOCAL ATTRACTIONS
RADISSON PENN HARRIS HOTEL & CONVENTION CENTER
Camp Hill PA; 717-763-7117
(Reference: Family Life Conference — St. John’s)
Host Parish:
St. John Chrysostom Antiochian Orthodox Church
2397 N. Sherman St., York, PA 17402
email us at: [email protected]
Participants will learn a lot, earn three college credits
and have loads of fun!
Applications are being accepted. Limited Space. For
more information, visit our website http://www.balamand.edu.lb/Connect/index.html. Or e-mail: [email protected] or [email protected] or call
the US Office of the University of Balamand at 201-9451131.
The University of Balamand is a private non-profit
higher education institution founded in 1988. The
University consists of eight faculties offering undergraduate and graduate programs within an academic
framework similar to that of universities in North
America. The University campus stretches over 300
acres located on a hill by the Mediterranean Sea.
Fr. John Breck
Stages of the Christian Moral Life
1) Christian Theology of Marriage and Sexuality
2) Assisted Procreation
3) Genetic Manipulation
4) Care for the Dying Person
Lyn Breck
Challenges to Orthodox Christian Families
1) Intergenerational Family Legacies
2) Honoring Our Children
3) Addictions and Demonic Oppression
4) The Healing Process: Freedom in Christ
Fr. John and Lyn Breck have many years of
academic, pastoral, and counseling experience
from which to speak on this critical subject of
“Moral Issues and the Christian Family.” Fr. John
was a professor at St. Vladimir’s Seminary in New
York until 1996. Together they currently direct the
St. Silouan Retreat near Charleston, South
Carolina, a pastoral ministry to clergy and clergy
wives.
Sponsored by Saint John Orthodox Cathedral
P.O. Box 1108, Eagle River, Alaska, 99577
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese
(907) 696-2002 (e-mail: [email protected])
Founded by the Patriarch of Antioch and all the East,
His Beatitude Ignatius IV, and presided over by H.E.
Dr. Elie A. Salem, the University takes pride in its
Antiochian heritage and scholarly academic environment where students from all faiths, cultures and
social classes interact in pursuit of knowledge, excellence and well-being.
April 2001 3 5
THE WORD
358 Mountain Road
Englewood, NJ 07631
Periodical postage paid at
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
HIS CROSS
H A T E
death by suffocation
D E C E I T
S A C R I F I C E
a
d a
r e
hu
n g e r
m n a t i o n
p u l s i v e
miliation
l a u g h i n g - s t o c k
w
e
a
k
D E P R E S S I N G
ultimate physical pain
i m p r i s o n m e n t
C R U C I F Y
H I M ! ”
J O H N
1 9 : 6
Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews, John 19:19
The one thing we all have in common is that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
died on a wooden cross for us all. The death of Christ can be seen in two ways, in
all of its ugliness or in all of its glory. We must never lose our faith in Him
because he conquered all of the ugliness in order for us to see His glory.
Jesus of Nazareth, the King of us all
“ G l o r i f y H i m ! ”
f r e e d o m
ultimate spiritual bliss
J
O
Y
F
U
L
s
t
r
o
n
g
most respected
e x a l t a t i o n
E X Q U I S I T E
s a l v a t i o n
p
e
a
c
e
SELF-SACRIFICE
T
R
U
T
H
life by suffocation
L
O
V
E
by Rachelle El-Achhab, age 20, St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, Toronto, ONT