DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF ST. JOHN, ARCHBISHOP OF SHANGHAI AND SAN
FRANCISCO
ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN WITNESS (USPS 412-260)
is published monthly by St. Nectarios American Orthodox Cathedral,
10300 Ashworth Avenue North, Seattle, Washington 98133-9410.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to
OCW, 10300 Ashworth Ave. N., Seattle, WA. 98133-9410
Fr. Neketas S. Palassis, Editor Email: frneketas@stnectariospress.com
Telephone (206) 522-4471; (800) 643-4233 U.S. & Canada;
Fax: 206-523-0550
NOVEMBER, 2006, Vol. XL, No. 11 (1566)
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. HOCNA GAZETTE
2."HE THAT ENDURETH UNTO THE END SHALL BE SAVED"
3. GETTING DOWN TO THE REAL ISSUE
4. FROM THE WRITINGS OF ST. EPHRAIM THE SYRIAN
5. REPORT FROM LOS ANGELES
6. IKONTOUR
7. NEW ITEMS FROM THE BOOK CENTER
In the outer world, the husbandman tills the ground; but in spite of
his tilling, he needs rain and showers from above. If no moisture comes
from above, the husbandman has no profit from his tilling of the
ground. So is it with the spiritual world. There are two factors to be
taken into consideration. The man must cultivate with a will the ground
of his heart, and labour upon it-for God requires the man's labour and
toil and travail. But unless clouds of heaven make their appearance
from above, and showers of grace, the husbandman does not profit by his
toil.
Saint Macarius the Great
1. HOCNA GAZETTE
(A Report from the 2006 Clergy-Laity Synaxis in Boston)
October meeting focused on laity helping Church
The Holy Orthodox Church in North America gathers to worship in
surroundings that range from borrowed living rooms to spacious
1,000-family churches.
Yet its people have much in common, including the desire to see the
Church continue. Parents want the Church to be there for our children,
and their children.
Churches do not build themselves. The only way to make sure the Church
persists is to say our prayers, and then build it with our own hands.
To support its clergy and its organizations so they may in turn support
us as we do our life's work, of pursuing salvation for ourselves and
our families.
In recent years, interested lay people have been meeting with members
of the clergy, once a year or every other year, to talk about the state
of HOCNA. Called the "Clergy-Laity Synaxis," it's designed as a kind of
summit meeting.
On Friday, Oct. 6, about 35 parishoners and members of the clergy from
across North America met in Boston for the 2006 Clergy-Laity Synaxis.
Four hierarchs attended all of the two-day session (the fifth, Bishop
Sergius, arrived Saturday from St. Gregory of Sinai Monastery in
California). People from 16 parishes and missions in the United States
and Canada took part in the meeting, which was held in the nave of St.
Anna's Church in Boston.
At the meeting, attendees were told that we were going to try to do
more than past Synaxes. This time, we would focus on what lay people
can do ourselves - with clergy guidance, but without making the clergy
members, who already do so much, shoulder the added burden. After all,
non-ordained folks are the vast majority of the people in the Holy
Orthodox Church in North America. Together, we have a tremendous amount
of skill, energy and resourcefulness.
At the meeting, as in past years, people asked for help in teaching the
Orthodox faith to children and others; educational and social
opportunities for children; ideas and support for parish fundraising;
and numerous other issues. There were also concerns that HOCNA could
use a more effective communication system so our far-flung communities
can share opportunities, struggles, and news.
By the end of the meeting, the group agreed to several modest steps
toward these goals. Not solutions, but foundations that will hopefully
allow people to start working on these problems together.
Answering 'What's out there?'
On the subject of teaching the faith to young people and others, Helen
Vlachos of St. Mark's Cathedral in Roslindale reported that a Sunday
school curriculum outline, covering preschool through high school
years, has been completed. It could be provided to people who requested
it fairly easily, in digital form.
However, it is not a complete lesson plan, only a framework. Other
materials would be needed to teach lessons.
What's out there to help teach children? What lives of the saints and
Bible lessons are available for various age groups? These questions and
others like them often come up, but there's no one place to go for help
with the answers.
Vlachos said that she would start work on a tool to help answer those
questions. It would be a detailed index of Orthodox materials, for
church school, education and simple reading.
Vlachos will be gathering descriptions of books, pamphlets and other
materials, along with brief evaluations of what ages they might be
right for, and where to find them. It would be sort of like a combined
catalog from all known sources, with notes on appropriate materials.
The catalog will be available on a Web site. If the materials are out
of print, it would be relatively simple to create an electronic copy
that could be emailed to requesters.
Vlachos will be asking for help and suggestions for the Orthodox
curriculum catalog in coming months.
Connecting the community with email
A new tool that will help her reach people is called the "HOCNA
Gazette." It's an email discussion group, designed to connect the
people of our Church. It works by broadcasting email messages from a
central address to everyone on the subscription list.
The email discussion group can allow any subscribed HOCNA member to
read the conversations that are taking place across our synod's
parishes, and participate, from any place with Internet access.
It can become a two-way discussion when subscribers who want to respond
to an item or add something of their own send their own note, for
broadcasting to the group.
The email discussion group will eventually be hosted on Yahoo Groups or
a similar free service, and it will be moderated to ensure it isn't
misused. (For now, the moderator will be Andrew Galarneau, of Holy
Protection Church in Buffalo, the other co-moderator of the Synaxis.)
Clergy are among the group's subscribers, but it is intended for lay
people and parish and community concerns. It is not for doctrinal
discussions or news of the outside world. (Anyone in a HOCNA community
can send their email address to azgalarneau@yahoo.com or
hvlachos@verizon.net to subscribe.)
Hopefully the HOCNA Gazette can be used to make discussions across
HOCNA possible, as well as alert people to needs and opportunities in
other parishes. By sending a note to the Gazette, parish members can
ask questions of everyone else on the subscription list, wherever they
are.
A surplus church item clearinghouse?
The HOCNA Gazette can also be useful for initiatives like the church
items clearinghouse proposed by Anna Winburne of St. Seraphim's Church
in Richmond, Va.
Winburne suggested that parishes could take stock of surplus
items, such as extra icon-stand coverings, candlesticks or service
books. Then the lists could be published, allowing parishes or missions
that could use the items to request them and help clear others'
closets. (It's probably going to take place this winter, so parishoners
might want to start digging through storage boxes to see what they
might be able to offer.)
That's some of the progress that took place at the meeting. The biggest
issues concerning the faithful were not solved, but a foundation was
laid for further actions.
The meeting itself went like this:
Friday was for taking stock in where we are as a Church. Attendees
heard reports from the hierarchs, about HOCNA operations in Africa,
Russia, Greece and elsewhere overseas. Then we heard brief reports on
each parish and mission in the United States and Canada, including how
they function and how big they are, and plans they have in the works.
Saturday was dedicated to issues and concerns raised by the laity. In
addition to the importance of teaching the faith to children and
communication amongst ourselves, we talked about the scarceness of
priests, especially out West; how to involve young people in the
Church; and the reasons for putting effort and resources into mission
work outside North America.
On the need for priests
One of the most pressing questions laity had for the hierarchs was
about the priest shortage. Met. Makarios addressed the subject.
His Eminence said that the hierarchs are acutely aware that there are
presently not enough priests to have one in each parish and
mission. Furthermore, many of the priests that are currently
serving are reaching retirement age after decades of service.
The bishops are actively looking for suitable candidates for training
and ordination, and take the situation very seriously, Met. Makarios
said.
Remember, though, that the situation would not be eased by making a
hasty or unwise decision, Met. Makarios said.
Remember also, he said, that our Savior guaranteed us that his Church
would last until the end of the world. "The gates of hell will not
prevail against it."
By Andrew Galarneau
NEXT ISSUE OF THE HOCNA GAZETTE: Details from the African and Russian
mission reports, profiles of some of our North American parishes from
the Synaxis surveys.
_______________________________________________________________________
2. "HE THAT ENDURETH TO THE END SHALL BE SAVED"(Mt. 10:22)
Here is an edifying account by Vladyka Nektary (Kontsevich,
+1983), Bishop of Seattle:
Vladyka Nektary assisted Archbishop John in San Francisco, where he
also resided. But three or four times a year - on the Great Feasts - he
would travel to Seattle to visit his flock and there for several weeks.
Vladyka Nektary would usually make the journey by car with a
driver.
Once, while traveling through the countryside of Oregon, they stopped
to buy gasoline in a small town. Vladyka Nektary was quite tall and
imposing, so, of course, the townsfolk couldn't help but notice the
oddly dressed visitor. Some of them approached Vladyka and inquired
whether or not he might be Russian. When Vladyka answered in the
affirmative, the townsfoldk informed him that they had an old blind
Russian man living there in town, and they proposed that Vladyka visit
him. The man had come to their town many years ago with his brothers;
the brothers had since all died, and now he was all alone. Vladyka
readily consented to visit the old man, and the party set out for his
quarters.
When Vladyka Nektary introduced himself in Russian to the blind man, he
asked Vladyka to come closer. As Vladyka Nektary drew nearer to him,
the blind man reached out to find and touch first Vladyka's klobuk,
then his long hair, then his beard, and finally his Panagia and rassa
sleeves. Only after the old man had verified that before him stood
genuine, traditional Orthodox bishop did he cup his hands and say:
"Blagoslovite"!
They spoke for a while, and then Vladyka Nektary informed the blind man
that he had on his person the reserved Holy Gifts, and Vladyka asked
him whether or not he would like to go to Confession and receive
Holy Coimmunion. What an awesome proposal for an isolated Orthodox
Christina to hear! Of course the blind man joyously agreed, confessed
his sins and received Holy Communion from Vladyka's hands. Then, after
saying their good-byes, Vladyka Nektary and his driver continued on
their way to Seattle.
On the return trip from Seattle to San Francisco, Vladyka Nektary and
his driver stopped by the small town to call upon the blind Russian man
again. But the townsfolk informed Vladyka that soon after their first
visit, the old man had died and had been buried by them. All those
years the blind man had kept the Faith, then God sent him Holy
Communion and took him to Himself.
Vladyka Nektary used to say that this incident has several lessons to
teach us:
1) That we must never despair; but always keep the Faith and do our
part, and God will provide for our salvation in ways known unto Him.
2) That the externals of our Father "do" matter, and they are
expressions that Faith, despite what the modernists may try to tell us.
3) And Vladyka would counsel clergymen to carry the reserved Gifts with
them when traveling, in order to be prepared for any sort of unforeseen
circumstances: wars, revolutions, providential encounters, etc. Vladyka
Nektary was enlightened to do this by the well-known episode when his
own mother was arrested by the Bolsheviks while visiting Optina and was
given Holy Communion by clergymen, her fellow prisoners, who happened
to have the reserved Gifts with them.
(See the "Life of the Elder Nektary of Optina", published by the St.
Herman of Alaska Press, in order to learn how the Kontsevich family
came to know the Elder and draw close to Optina. The book is available
from St. Nectarios Press.)
________________________________________________________________________
3. GETTING DOWN TO THE REAL ISSUE
by Joseph Bragg
In all the controversy between the "Old Calendarists" and "World
Orthodoxy" today it is very easy to get lost in all the arguments,
canons, quotes, proofs and counter-proofs coming from both sides.
We can easily get caught up in the controversy and loose sight of what
the real issue is that lies behind it all.
In the final analysis the controversy is not about who has the
most canons or the most quotes from the Fathers or how this Father or
that Bishop or this Saint responded to this or that controversy at some
particular time.
If we peel back the layers of controversial years and endless
arguments, at the very heart of the matter we will see a battle for a
true concept and understanding of God and our Salvation. Hasn't
this been the essence of all heresy debates and controversies in the
Church? It is always a battle for the truth about God and our
Salvation.
All the changes that have come about in World Orthodoxy have come
gradually, in small increments, over many years. This makes it
hard to see where you once were and where you now are. It keeps
people from seeing the giant leap and profound changes that all of
these incremental changes can have on our very concept of who God is
and what it means to be a Christian.
We have seen similar developments in the world. Think, for
example, how society thirty years ago viewed people living together
before marriage, having children out of wedlock or being
homosexual. These things were taboo and people who did these
things were actually embarrassed and tried to keep them hidden.
But now, today, there is no shame and in fact, these things may even
have a certain badge of honor associated with them. The
consequence is that society today has a very different understanding
and perception of marriage, child bearing and sexuality than it did
thirty years ago. The sacredness, holiness, beauty and
God-ordained meaning and purpose of life, sexuality and procreation
have been all but lost. These have become foreign concepts in the
mind of modern society when it thinks of these subjects. Try to
talk about this with many today and they will look as you as though you
are speaking a foreign language.
But how did this happen? One small increment at a time over many
years. While it was happening everyone just thought that a few
changes were taking place here and there that didn't amount to
much. What they did not understand was that the very concepts of
marriage, life, procreation, and sexuality were being redefined and the
very concepts of Divine purpose and meaning and the Sacred were all
being lost.
My dad was born in 1891. He lived from the horse and buggy days
to the landing on the moon. He died in 1978. He used to
tell that when he was a young man all the women wore below the ankle
length dresses and if a woman's ankle somehow got exposed she was
embarrassed and ashamed. Now, he was seeing women in shorts,
pants and bathing suits. How did this happen? One small
increment at a time over many years. First the dress was
shortened to calf length. Then when society became used to that,
it was shortened to the knee. Then it was no longer a full dress
but a tight skirt. Then when society adapted to that, well you
know the rest of the story. Complete nudity is fully acceptable
today and the knowledge of God and the Sacred in regard to life and
living is lost.
Here is another illustration of how external changes result in the loss
of internal knowledge and basic concepts and beliefs.
I work with a group of people who are very religious. Most of
them are from the mega church/non-denominational preference with a
couple of Roman Catholics, some Church of Christ and a Baptist or
two. The other day one of them mentioned the Rockettes were in
town for the annual Christmas show. I mentioned that the
Rockettes, dancing and strutting on stage in mini skirts, seemed to me
to be totally incongruous with the celebration of the holy and sacred
birth of the holy Lamb of God who came to make us holy. There
were two immediate reactions. One was a look of "what in
the world are you talking about?" and the other was an immediate
defense of the show contending they saw nothing incongruous about it at
all since it was all just a joyous celebration of Christmas.
Dancing girls, strutting in mini-skirts seemed a perfectly fine way to
celebrate the birth of Christ for some.
How can this be? Many changes over many years in the
protestant world have resulted in very different understandings and
perceptions of God and Salvation. As I listened to the responses
it suddenly dawned on me that there was no way we would be able to
discuss this issue in any meaningful way because we were coming from
two very different concepts of God and Salvation. They had little
or no concept of the holiness of God and no concept of the meaning of
Salvation as theosis (a transformation which dies to the sinful
passions and strives to attain the likeness of Christ through union
with Christ).
Much of Protestantism, through many years of changes, fads and remaking
has now a God who is secularized, modernized, materialized and
consumerized. The sad thing is that my co-workers do not know
that the concept and perception they have of God and Salvation bears
only a faint resemblance to the God and Salvation of the historic
Christian faith. Consequently, they can see nothing incongruent
with dancing girls in miniskirts celebrating the birth of Christ.
More conversation with my co-workers revealed almost a total disconnect
between faith in Christ (as they understand it) and how they think,
spend their time, and live their lives. Life for them is
essentially a pursuit of happiness, pleasure, self-indulgence and
entertainment, and because of their views about God and Salvation, they
see no disconnect. For most of them, even their Church services
and activities are expressions of pride, vanity and
entertainment. Again, they see no incongruity with this and the
worship of the All-Holy Trinity (actually, there very concept of the
All-Holy Trinity no longer exists in their religion).
Consequently, they all love watching all the latest TV shows that are
dedicated to promiscuity and immorality and discussing them at work
each day. For them there is no concept of self-denial or
consecration for the sake of fleeing the sinful passions and being
united to the Saviour. When I try to talk about any of these
issues with them it is like I am speaking a foreign language to
them. Their concept of God and Salvation is a world apart from
mine.
What is the point? Back to the Old Calendarists vs World
Orthodoxy. It is my contention that what has happened in
Protestantism over many years of changes and has resulted in a loss of
the knowledge of God and Salvation is also happening in World
Orthodoxy.
It is not just about a change of calendar, the loss of priestly beards
and rassos, Hafli's on Saturday nights with Holy Communion a few hours
later, worldly and secular bishops who were never monastics and the
loss of Confession and Fasting, Nor is it merely about joint
prayers with non-Orthodox, Masonic memberships or membership in the WCC
and NCC. In the final analysis it is about retaining or losing
the knowledge of God and our Salvation.
Little by little over the years, World Orthodoxy has been gradually
losing a conscious sensitivity to and awareness of the holiness of God,
the Sacred and Salvation as theosis, much the same as has happened in
Roman Catholicism, Episcopalianism and Protestantism. The
average, typical World Orthodox parish is secularized, socialized and
consumerized. To be sure, some of the externals of Orthodoxy
remain, but the heart and soul of the Orthodox faith is lost, hardly
known and barely desired. The awareness and knowledge of the
holiness of God and the Sacred and the pursuit of Salvation as theosis
exists only in small pockets here and there where a priest or some of
the laity have maintained contact with the Old Calendarists through
their publications or their monasteries. Where this does
not exist in World Orthodoxy, the true knowledge of God and of
Salvation is being replaced by a new, convenient and user-friendly God
and Salvation. While the externals may appear to be Orthodox, the
basic knowledge and concepts are not the same. Each passing year
and each successive change enlarges the gap between the faith of the
Old Calendarists and World Orthodoxy. Eventually, a
generation will grow up in World Orthodoxy thinking they hold the
Orthodox Faith when in fact the heart and soul was lost long ago.
Or has it already happened?
It is my contention that only in the Old Calendarist churches (not just
those who follow the Julian calendar but those who hold the True Faith)
is it possible for the true knowledge of God and of Salvation to be
preserved. Only there will future generations be able to
experience the true knowledge of God and Salvation as theosis in a
living and real way beyond mere words. This is what is really at
stake.
It seems to me that once we are able to see this as the real issue,
there remains little to argue about.
________________________________________________________________________
4. FROM THE WRITINGS OF ST. EPHRAIM THE SYRIAN
... If someone ends up showing a little indifference, he is easily
besieged and imprisoned by the miracles of the wicked and sly dragon.
Such a person will appear unforgivable in the judgment. Because with
his own eyes he believed willfully the tyrant..."
"... Be careful, brethren, of the haughtiness of the beast and the
wicked crafts, because he begins with the belly. So that when someone
ends up in difficulty deprived of food, he will be forced to accept the
mark of him. In order that a person not have difficulty in accepting
the mark, the wretched one does not carve it on all parts of the body;
but on the right hand of man, so that a person will not have the power
to form the symbol of Christ (i.e., make the sign of the Cross).
Similarly on the forehead he carves the impious mark (Rev 13:26). If
someone does not accept the mark of him, he is not imprisoned by the
fantastic wonders. Nor also does the Lord depart from such a person,
but He illumines his heart and draws him near Him. If we keep with
sincerity the firm faith of Christ, we will easily scatter the power of
the Enemy, we will obtain an unshakable and pious thought; and the weak
Enemy will depart from us, because he will not have the power to do
anything."
"... Dreadful, my brethren, is the struggle in all Christ-loving people
so that till the time of death none cower, nor be negligent, when the
dragon (the Antichrist) will be carving his seal instead of the Cross
of the Savior. Because he will use every manner so that the name of our
Lord and Savior is not mentioned in his time."
"... His coming will become manifest to those who have their mind
attached to things above. To those, however, who have their mind in
earthly cares and long for earthly things, they will not become
manifest."
________________________________________________________________________
5. REPORT FROM LOS ANGELES
The 2006 Mini-Conference at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in
Los Angeles and tour of the Sinai Exhibit at the Getty Museum was a
wonderful experience.
The welcoming parish with it's beautiful sanctuary and hall was truly
and "oasis" in Los Angeles. The talks and question session were
interesting and lively and, as usual, Fr. Simon, iconographer from St.
Gregory of Sinai Monastery gave a fascinating slide presentation.
Sunday's Divine Liturgy with three hierarchs, Metropolitan Moses,
Bishops Sergios and Demetrius, was very moving. Then we all took the
harrowing drive to the top of a high hill in the city for "lunch with a
view" and a wonderful slide show of Fr. Nicholas' life and the 25 years
of the parish, enjoyed by one and all. It is so encouraging to see some
of the original children now baptizing their own young ones.
Tuesday's tour of the Icons from Sinai at the Getty Museum was beyond
words. Although outside of their normal "context" in St. Catherine's
Monastery, nevertheless the presence of so many holy icons in one space
certainly made itself felt. It was the first time most of icons have
left the monastery, so it is well worth a trip to see them up close.
The exhibit will be at the Getty until March 4, 2007.
________________________________________________________________________
6. IKONTOUR
Fr. Simon, iconographer of St. Gregory of Sinai Monastery and Mary
Lytle of the Mission Parish of Ss. Peter and Paul in Tucson, have
arranged a tour of the Byzantine Treasures of Greece from April 10 to
23, 2007. Fr. Simon will lead the tour and his immense knowledge and
fascinating explanations should make for a wonderful experience. Tour
includes: Athens museums, churches and monuments, Oinoussis
Monastery of the Annunciation, Chios Monastery of Nea Moni,
Thessaloniki museums, churches and monuments, , Kalambaka Cathedral of
the Dormition of the Theotokos, Meteora Monasteries, Monastery of Osios
Loukos.
Limited to 20 people. For information contact Mary Lytle at
1-520-881-5545 or Sts. Peter and Paul Orthodox Mission, PO Box 42816,
Tucson, AZ 85733-2816. E-mail information at info@sspp-tucson.org.
________________________________________________________________________
7. NEW ITEMS FROM THE BOOK CENTER
(LGS) LIVES OF THE GEORGIAN SAINTS by archpriest Zakaria
Machitadze. The first full collection of lives of saints from the land
of Georgia (Iberia), evangelized by St. Nina and proclaimed a Christian
kingdom in 326 A.D. This beautiful full-color volume, with the lives
arranged by date of celebration, is filled with icons and photographs
of monasteries and churches and contains a short history of the Church
of Georgia. 503pp. Cloth d$29.00
(TM87) CHRIST IN THE CITY OF BETHLEHEM by the Romeiko
Ensemble. The 2-CD set of music of the Forefeast of the Nativity of
Christ chanted in Greek. Accompanying hard cover book printed in full
color in Greek and English contains the text of the hymns with some
commentaries and examples of the Byzantine text. Book is 47pp
e$25.00
(BYP) THE BIBLE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE by Zoe Kanavas, illus. by
Christos Goutsides, trans. from the Greek by Rev. S. Kezios. A
beautiful volume of Bible stores from the Old and New Testament, with
full color iconographic-type illustrations. The sturdy, washable hard
cover will withstand hard use by little hands. Suitable for all
ages. 162pp. f$17.00
(BWG) A BRUSH WITH GOD: An Icon Workbook by Peter
Pearson. A guide to the process of icon painting, using
traditional techniques and contemporary materials - for professionals
or novices. A Concise and practical guide. 8 Color plates and
numerous black and white illustrations. 82pp. Paper
d$25.00