September 2010 News

Liturgical Notes

On September 11(Aug 29 OS) the church remembers the beheading of St. John the Baptist. This event is significant in that St. John was the last of the Old Testament Prophets and is call the Forerunner of the Lord. St. John prophesied to his disciples that the Lord Jesus Christ must increase and that he, St John, should decrease. His beheading signified the end and fulfillment of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament. Right after this event our Lord Jesus began His earthly ministry. On September 14(sept 1 OS) we remember that the new year used to begin in September and not January. This is called the Church new year and the beginning of the new liturgical year.

The calendar month of September has two of the twelve major festal days of the liturgical year as well as several other important secondary feast days. On September 21(Sept 8 OS) the Church celebrates the Nativity of the Theotokos. The Virgin Mary, the Theotokos, is the top of the Old Testament mountain in that she, the pure vessel through which God the Logos could become man,was the final person in the Old Testament lineage. Her birth then was the beginning of God's plan for the salvation of mankind whom He loves. This is one of the three birthdays that the church remembers.

On September 27(Sept14 OS) the church celebrates the finding of the Precious Cross of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ by Queen Helen. Queen Helen went to Jerusalem to search for the Precious Cross and there found an old man who knew where the Cross had been discarded. The place had been used as a trash heap and later a pagan temple had been built over the spot. Queen Helen had the temple demolished and the refuse removed. The search revealed three crosses but no one could distinguish which of the three was the Precious Cross. The patriarch of Jerusalem was present at the finding and observed a funeral procession coming out of the city. He had the procession stopped and each of the crosses was laid upon the dead man's body one at a time. As the third cross was laid upon the body the man came back to life proving that that Cross was the Life-giving Precious Cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. At this miracle the Precious Cross was raised aloft for all to see and all present said, “Lord have Mercy!” This event was memorialized as the Exaltation of the Precious Cross. The name plate that was placed above Christ at his crucifixion was also found along with the nails that were used. Note that this Monday is a fasting day with wine and oil allowed.

Parish Notes

The parish will be hosting a monastic retreat on September 28 through October 4. Mother Cornelia, who visited the parish last year, will be the moderator for the retreat. The retreat is to investigate forming and English-speaking convent in the Diocese of Chicago and Mid-America. The parish will be providing logistical support with some food preparation required by parish members for the first two days of the retreat. If anyone can help with this preparation please contact Matushka Parasceva for information. This retreat may well be the beginning of a continuing Orthodox presence here and to care for the church facilities in the future. As plans become more formalized for the retreat annonucements will be made in the parish

Lubov Harrison, the Church Warden, is trying to get the cemetery enclosed. The materials cost for enclosing the cemetery with chain link fencing is $1500.00. The parish currently has approximately $500.00 toward the cost in the building fund. Luba is seeking anyone in the parish who would like to contribute to the cause so that this project can proceed.

The parish is need of prosphora makers to help Matushka. Anyone interested in helping or to learn the art of prosphora making should contact Matushka Parasceva.

Several of the parish members have special days this month.

Andrew Couch Sept 1 Birthday

Iryna Hendrix Sept 7 Birthday

Dennis Stone Sept 8 Birthday

Kirill Silva Sept 19 Birthday

Anna Bennett Sept 22 Namesday

Svetlana Weber Sept 27 Birthday

Lubov Harrison Sept 30 Namesday

God grant them many, many years! 

From the Fathers

“If someone should say that true faith is the correct holding and confession of correct dogmas, he would be telling the truth, for a believer absolutely needs the Orthodox holding and confession of dogmas. But this knowledge and confession by itself does not make a man a faithful and true Christian. The keeping and confession of Orthodox dogmas is always to be found in true faith in Christ, but the true faith of Christ is not always to be found in the confession of Orthodoxy... the knowledge of correct dogmas is in the mind, and it is often fruitless, arrogant, and proud... the true faith in Christ is in the heart, and it is fruitful, humble, patient, loving, merciful, compassionate, hungering and thirsting for righteousness; it withdraws from worldly lusts and clings to God alone, strives and seeks always for what is heavenly and eternal, struggles against every sin, and constantly seeks and gets help from God for this.” St Tikhon of Zadonsk

“Christians have their own world, their own way of life, their own understanding and word and activity; far different from theirs are the way of life and u;understanding and word and activity of the people of this world. Christians are one thing, and lovers of the world quite another. Inasmuch as the mind and understanding of Christians is constantly occupied with reflection on the heavenly, they behold eternal good things by communion and participation in the Holy Spirit....Christians have a different world...a different way of thinking from all other men.” St Macarius the Great(4^th century)

August 2010 Newsletter

Liturgical Notes

On August 14(Aug1 OS) the Church celebrates the Procession of the Holy Cross. This feast day commemorates simultaneous victories of the Russians and the Greeks over their enemies in separate battle areas. These victories were achieved by both armies carrying crosses before them into battles. These crosses emitted a heavenly light as they were carried into battle.

August 19(Aug 6 OS) is the commemoration of the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord took Peter, James, and John with Him to the top of Mount Tabor. “And He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light” (Matt 17:2). The transfiguration is a Theophany-a manifestation of God, especially of the divinity of Christ, through a display of His uncreated, divine energy. Not only was His divinity revealed but also His Sonship in the Father for God the Father spoke, “This is My beloved Son” (Matt 17:5). Moses and the prophet Elijah appeared at this event representing the Law of the Old Testament and the Old Testament prophets who foretold of the Messiah's coming.

On August 28 (Aug 15 OS) the Church celebrates the repose of the Mother of God. This day was foretold to the Virgin Mary by the Archangel Gabriel and she requested that she might be able to see the Apostles before her death. The Lord answered her request by miraculously bringing the Apostles to her bedside from around the world. Many miraculous events surrounded this blessed event and are recorded in the tradition of the church. These last two feast days, the Transfiguration and the Dormition of the Mother of God, are two of the twelve major feast days of the liturgical year.

On August 14 (Aug1 OS) the church also begins the two week fasting period before the feast of the Dormition. The fasting rules of this fast are the same as Great Lent and these fasting periods are sometimes called “small Lent”.

Parish Notes

The tabernacle which holds the presanctified Mysteries has arrived and has been installed on the altar. The new archangel icons for the deacon doors have been ordered. There may be a six month wait for completion of these icons. The next major project is the installation of some type of fencing to enclose the cemetery grounds. The cemetery committee is working on this project.

The summer youth camp in July was again a great success. A special thanks to Janet Gawrieh, Carmen Montero, and Athanasia Vasakis for their planning, support, and management for the camp. The sacrifice of their time and talents made the camp successful.

William Brendel, his wife, Maria, and her mother, Lubov, will be moving to Pennsylvania this month. Dennis and Tatiana Stone will, with God's blessing, complete their move to Florida soon. It is always sad to see part of our parish family leave but we pray that God will bless the establishment of their new homes and that they may prosper spiritually and physically in the future.

Several of our members and family and friends have special days this month:

Elias Gawrieh Aug 2 Namesday

YeliseyYemchenko Aug 2 Namesday

Fran Presley Aug 4 Namesday

Anna Bennett Aug 7 Namesday

Marina deFligue Aug 15 Birthday

George Gawrieh Aug 21 Birthday

Tatiana Stone Aug 25 Birthday

God grant them many years!

From the fathers

“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ (I Peter 1:7)

Brethren, our faith is tried more often than a reed is rocked by the winds. Trials are like the winds: they will uproot a weak faith, but a strong faith will be strengthened even more. Trials are also like the flame in which straw is burned and gold is purified.

Man's theorizings and suppositions also try our faith. These are often very strong and bitter winds, but we can overcome them—if we are willing to cling to the words of God, and if, in opposition to these theorizings, we are able to properly emphasize the teachings of the Faith of Christ.

Our faith is further tried by fear and shame: fear of men who persecute the Faith, and shame toward men who arrogantly despise the Faith, These also are strong winds, which we must resist if we wish to remain alive. How will we resist them? By the fear of God, which should always be greater in our soul than the fear of men, and by shame before the apostles, saints and martyrs, who were not ashamed of their faith before the emperors, princes and sages of this world.

Our faith is further tried by suffering and misery. This is the fire in which our faith is either burned like straw or tempered like pure gold. Our faith will survive these trials if we remember Christ crucified on the Cross for us , and the many thousands of martyrs for the Faith, who by endurance conquered all, emerging from the flames like gold, and continuing to shine down through the centuries among the angels and among men.

Our faith is also tried by death—the death of our relatives and friends, and the death of men in general This is the bitter fire in which the faith of many has been burned. Is death the end of everything? It is not—believe me! It is the beginning of everything, of a new and just life. Believe in the Resurrection of Christ, believe in the life beyond the grave, and believe in the General Resurrection and the Dread Judgment.

O good Lord, strengthen the faith in us and have mercy on us. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen. From the Prologue of Ohrid, homily for July 2.

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