Volume No April VOLUME NO contents APRIL COVER Ernest

Volume 50 No. 4 April 2006 VOLUME 50 NO. 4 contents APRIL 2006 COVER Ernest Saykaly 3 4 8 EDITORIAL by Very Rev. John Abdalah EULOGY OF ERNEST J. SAYKALY by Metropolitan PHILIP THE THOUGHTS OF METROPOLITAN PHILIP ON THEOLOGY edited by Very Rev. Joseph Allen, Th.D. AN INVITATION TO RETURN by Very Rev. Joseph Allen, ThD ORATORICAL FESTIVAL FELLOWSHIP FOOTNOTES FROM THE DIOCESE OF TOLEDO AND THE MIDWEST by Joe Zogaib ARCHDIOCESAN OFFICE CHRISTIAN EDUCATION DEPARTMENT FOOD FOR HUNGRY PEOPLE DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITIES IN ACTION THE ORTHODOX WORLD 10 The Most Reverend Metropolitan PHILIP D.H.L., D.D. , Primate The Right Reverend Bishop ANTOUN The Right Reverend Bishop JOSEPH The Right Reverend Bishop BASIL The Right Reverend Bishop THOMAS The Right Reverend Bishop MARK The Right Reverend Bishop ALEXANDER Founded in Arabic as Al Kalimat in 1905 by Saint Raphael (Hawaweeny) Founded in English as The WORD in 1957 by Metropolitan ANTONY (Bashir) Editor in Chief The Very Rev. John P Abdalah, D.Min. . Assistant Editor Joanne M. Abdalah, MSW 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 Ronald Nicola Najib E. Saliba, Ph.D. The Very Rev. Paul Schneirla, M.Div. Design Director Donna Griffin Albert Member The Associated Church Press Conciliar Press Ecumenical News International Orthodox Press Service Editorial Office: The WORD 635 Miranda Drive Pittsburgh, PA 15241 e-mail: WORDMAG@AOL.COM FAX: 1-412-831-5554 Subscription Office: 358 Mountain Road PO Box 5238 Englewood, NJ 07631-5238 2 The Word 12 15 16 17 21 30 32 34 Letters to the editor are welcome and should include the author’s full name and parish. Submissions for “Communities in Action” must be approved by the local pastor. Both may be edited for purposes of clarity and space. All submissions, in hard copy, on disk or e-mailed, should be double-spaced for editing purposes. ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION: U.S.A. and Canada, $20.00 Foreign Countries, $26.00 Single Copies, $3.00 THE WORD (USPS626-260), published monthly except July and August, by the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America at 358 Mountain Road, PO Box 5238, periodicals postage paid at Englewood, New Jersey 07631-5238 and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster send address changes to: THE WORD, 358 Mountain Road, PO Box 5238, Englewood, NJ 07631-5238 ISSN 0043-7964 www.antiochian.org. editor’s letter Theology is doing, not talking I was recently blessed to lead a retreat for local Church leaders of a variety of Christian faith backgrounds. During one of the discussions, there was an exchange concerning the fine distinction between faith and action. In my mind’s ear, I heard our Metropolitan’s voice expressing that theology and faith are not reducible to rhetoric, but for action. Theology is not the study of what we say about God; it is about what God does for us and how in response we incarnate His word and express it in action. Our theology is about feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for the orphaned, encouraging the imprisoned and connecting to the alienated. This is not to say that we need not study the Word of God, the Church fathers and the teachings of our faith. It is to say that we can not reduce our faith to an intellectual exercise; rather, we study hard, then do what our Lord calls us to do. Imagine where we would be had the Triune God just talked about us instead of calling us into being. Our God is a God who acts. If we are to be like Him, we too must act. Like February and March, this month, The WORD once again highlights Metropolitan PHILIP’s first forty years of leadership, this time in his role as theologian, by printing his thoughts on Theology. Metropolitan PHILIP’s theology has of course typified the Antiochian school of theology. Sayidna teaches first that man has the potential for perfection. This perfection is rooted in Christ’s taking on of flesh (incarnation) and joining His life to our own. Man is not created for ideologies or political systems, rather man is created to be Christlike and share in Christ’s own life and ministry through prayer and service. Our theology is about doing the will of God through Christ by the Spirit. The Church, through Her liturgy, allows this action to take form and gives it meaning. Through the Church we can do the ministry commanded by God, and offer all these efforts to God from whom our potential first comes. As we complete our Lenten journey to Pascha, again we must encourage each other to be steadfast in our efforts. These efforts are right when they reflect the vision and life that comes to us from our Savior. These efforts are true when they fulfill His command to call all the world home to Him. These efforts are blessable when they are accomplished as true worship, by servants freed from the trappings and pride of the fallen world. Also in this issue, The WORD presents to you some thoughts by Fr. Joseph Allen on Lent. Metropolitan PHILIP has worked tirelessly for the poor and disenfranchised in America and throughout the world because Jesus Christ calls us to do this. Doing what is right has typified the ministry of Metropolitan PHILIP for the past forty years. His theology is expressed in what he has done. As we celebrate Metropolitan PHILIP’s fortieth anniversary as our chief shepherd, let us commit ourselves to living theology “Metropolitan PHILIP” style. America will be a better place if we do this kind of theology. When we come to the final judgment, we very well could be asked what theology we lived. Hopefully we can respond, as Sayidna PHILIP taught us from Matthew 25: we clothed the naked, fed the hungry and visited the imprisoned. by Fr. John Abdalah The Word 3 Eulogy written by Metropolitan PHILIP and delivered on his behalf by Bishop ALEXANDER at the funeral of Ernest J. Saykaly February 28, 2006 Metropolitan PHILIP and Ernie Saykaly My dear Vivian, Mark and Louise, Nancy and John, Janet and David, Grandchildren, Members of the Saykaly family and faithful of our Montreal community, Very difficult circumstances prevented me from being with you during this sad time. I have asked my Brother-in-Christ, His Grace Bishop ALEXANDER, to represent me at the funeral of my beloved friend, Ernest Saykaly. Death in human experience has never been easy; whether it comes suddenly or after a long illness, whether it comes in youth or in old age, it always leaves in its wake sorrow, tears, longing and loneliness. May the cooling hand of God touch your hearts to accept this great loss in the Light of the Cross and the Glorious Resurrection. “Christ is Risen! Truly, He is Risen.” The last time I saw Ernie was Thursday, February 16. I found him fighting and in a state of semi-consciousness. I was overwhelmed with sadness. I said a tearful prayer for him with Vivian and Nancy at his bedside. “Thy will be done.” 4 The Word As I looked at my friend Ernie in disbelief, I prayed silently. “Dear Lord, if your will is for Ernie to remain in this broken world, please grant him health so that he may spend the remaining years of his life with dignity and comfort, and if you want to take him to your heavenly abode, please take him and do not let him suffer.” “Thy will be done.” On Wednesday, February 22, Father Elia called me and said, “I have just anointed Ernie with holy oil. A few moments ago, Ernie fell sleep in the Lord.” I said, “Christ is Risen! My beloved friend Ernie is now at peace. May God’s name be glorified forever and ever.” I came to know Ernie at the historic Archdiocese Convention in 1974, which was hosted by our two great parishes, St. Nicholas and St. George. After observing the work of Ernie as Co-chairman of that successful convention, I decided that this distinguished gentleman should serve on the Board of Trustees. On Friday, before the end of the General Assembly, Ernie was nominated to the Board and was elected by a huge majority. In a very short time, Ernie earned the respect and admiration of his colleagues on the board; and in 1979, he was unanimously elected as Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees, which made him the highest ranking layman in the Antiochian Archdiocese of North America. In 1978, we purchased the Antiochian Village in Western Pennsylvania. In the early 80’s we decided to build the Heritage and Learning Center and asked Ernie to chair a North American financial drive for the erection of the center. Ernie became an active participant in all my dreams for the future of Orthodoxy on this continent. When the Village Council was organized, I asked Ernie to be its first Chairman. He gladly accepted this challenge and remained as such until he retired from the Board of Trustees in 1999. Ernie never accepted any half solutions to any problem. His idealism and sense of perfection were recognized by the members of the Board, who nicknamed him, “Mr. Perfection.” When we embarked on building the first and second phases of the Heritage and Learning Center, Ernie supervised the In First Corinthians, 3:8, St. Paul said: “Every man receives his own reward according to his own labors.” work; I still picture him on the roof of the building supervising the work. Today, his photograph adorns the walls of our auditorium at the Antiochian Village as a gesture of gratitude. If the Village could speak, it would tell a wonderful story of love between Ernie and the Village, i.e. the churches, the camp, the children’s cabins, the Village staff, the beautiful dining hall, and even the trees. I have had the pleasure of traveling with Ernie to Europe and the Middle East at least three times. I want all of you to know this: when you traveled with Ernie Saykaly, you always traveled first class and when Ernie entertained, it was always first class. He was a school of good taste, perfection and generosity. He knew the art of giving and when Ernie gave, he did not want people to ring bells for him. He gave himself cheerfully and joyfully. Walt Whitman said: “When you give, you give yourself.” Every time we built a new church for a small growing parish, Ernie would donate the iconostasis, from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Ernie’s success in business illustrates what we call the “American Dream.” What is the American Dream? It is to be honest, decent, to struggle, to persevere, to have visions and to realize your dreams. An Arabic poet said: “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead, where there is no path and leave a trail.” Ernie began his journey in the business world in his teen years. He was fifteen when he assumed leadership in his business. The rest is nothing but success. I will not elaborate on his tremendous success in business because all of you know that. Success, however, to Ernie and Vivian was not in the accumulation of wealth at the expense of the poor. Ernie and Vivian shared God’s blessings with the less fortunate people of this world. Every time I wanted to start a project in the Archdiocese, Ernie would be the first generous contributor. We did not have a decent hard-cover English Gospel Book. I mentioned that to Ernie. He said, “Go ahead, Saidna, I will take care of the expenses.” That was an expensive project. Today, on every church altar within our Archdiocese in North America, you will find a hard-cover copy of this Gospel Book, thanks to The Word 5 Metropolitan PHILIP Ernie Saykaly and the Department of Finance , Ernie. The first copy of this Gospel Book was presented to Vivian and Ernie as a blessing to them and their family from the Almighty God. This is but one example of Ernie’s generosity. Different people have different concerns in life. What concerned Ernie most was his family, his parish and the Archdiocese. He was a family man par excellence. Whenever we got together for lunch in Florida, Vivian, the children and grandchildren were first in our conversation. To say he was a good husband, a loving father and grandfather would be an understatement. He was proud of his family. There are so many qualities about Ernie which we could talk about, but unfortunately, times does not permit. On a personal note, I will miss Ernie very, very much. I have lost one of my dearest friends. I am going to read to you excerpts from two letters which Ernie and I exchanged between February 4 and April 8, 1999, the year he retired from the Board as Vice-Chairman. Ernie wrote: “Circumstances during the past year entailed several additional trips to the Village as well as numerous hours of discussions on a daily basis, primarily with the Village staff. Unfortunately, I found these sessions both physically and mentally exhausting and although I, willingly, accepted the challenge of resolving the problems at hand, I must admit that it did take its toll on me to the extent that Vivian and my family were concerned for my health. Given the circumstances, following many hours of reflection, I have come to the conclusion that it is time for me to retire as Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees and to resign as Chairman of the Village Council. I will, therefore, not seek re-election at the upcoming convention in July, and would ask that my name not be submitted to the nominating committee. Throughout the years I have enjoyed thoroughly my work for the benefit of the Archdiocese and I consider it a privilege to have participated in some small way in the realization of so many goals and achievements. Over the years, you have served as my spiritual father, mentor and friend and I will cherish the moments and time we spent at many productive meetings, conventions, social events and, in particular, at our private luncheons in Florida, 6 The Word which I hope we will continue to enjoy for years to come.” I was deeply touched and saddened by Ernie’s letter and, contrary to my daily customs, I did not answer his letter until Holy Thursday, April 8, 1999, when I said in my letter: “I have not answered your letter of February 4 in which you informed me of your decision to retire from the Board of Trustees and the Vice-Chairmanship of the Archdiocese Board. Thus, I find myself writing to you with a very sad and heavy heart. You have been such an essential part of my ministry since your election to the Board twenty-five years ago. You have represented our Archdiocese with much dignity, integrity and efficiency, which are synonymous with your personality. My mind is flooded with so many beautiful memories from the past — our trips to the Middle East and Geneva, Switzerland and our trips to so many conventions and events during the past happy and fruitful years. Your achievements are too many to enumerate; however, one stands out uniquely and that is the Antiochian Village Heritage and Learning Center. Since the inception of the Village Council, you have chaired this Council and accomplished so many goals for the glory of God and the future of Orthodoxy on this continent. Henry Ward Beecher once said: ‘In this world, it is not what we take up, but what we give up that makes us rich.’ Surely, throughout the years, you have given much of your time and means to make this Archdiocese what it is today, and for this I am thankful. It is heart-warming to say, during your tenure as Vice Chairman, we never had one single misunderstanding. Finally, my very dear friend and companion, I look forward to many luncheons with you in sunny Florida in the years to come. May God bless you, Vivian and the entire family and may the Eternal Light of the empty tomb always shine in your heart. Christ is Risen!” In First Corinthians, 3:8, St. Paul said: “Every man receives his own reward according to his own labors.” Farewell, my dear friend. You will live in the conscience of this Archdiocese forever and ever and your memory will be eternal. You have lived a first-class life. You have walked with God in a first-class manner. In everything you did, you did it first-class. I am sure God has prepared for you a first-class place in His kingdom. On behalf of myself, the hierarchs of our Archdiocese, the Board of Trustees, the Order of St. Ignatius, of which Ernie was one of the charter members, the Antiochian Women, the Fellowship of St. John the Divine, the Youth of our Archdiocese, the clergy and laity throughout North America, we convey to you, Vivian, Mark and Louise, Nancy and John, Janet and David and all grand-children and relatives our deepest sympathy. May the soul of our friend Ernie rest in peace. +Metropolitan PHILIP Ernie Saykaly’s Eulogy WORD MAGAZINE Construction at Antiochian Village The Word 7 The Thoughts of Metropolitan PHILIP on Theology —edited by Father Joseph Allen, Th.D. I see three main issues which define our Orthodox Christian theology. First, the doctrine of man in our theology is based on the biblical view which was fully defined by our Church Fathers. Man has all the potentialities for perfection, simply because he was created in the image of God. St. Maximus the Confessor states: Those who followed Christ in action and contemplation will be changed into an even better condition, and there is no time to tell of all the ascents and revelations of the saints who are being changed from glory to glory, until each one in order receives deification. Man was not created to be a slave, neither to society nor to history, neither to science nor to technology, neither to communism nor to capitalism. Even though nature has limitations, these limitations can be overcome by the sacramental life of the Church. Each and every one of us can become Christlike through prayer, contemplation, and action. St. Maximus further says: While remaining in his soul and body entirely man by nature, he becomes in his soul and body entirely God by grace. Deification involves the whole human being. 8 The Word All the ancient Greek dichotomy between body and soul disappears in St. Maximus. When God created man, He created him as a whole being, and when man collapsed, he collapsed not partially but as a whole being. Likewise, when man was redeemed, he was redeemed totally, body and soul. Through the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, God enters into union with the whole man. The second issue is the theology of hope. While other Christians have focused their eyes on Calvary, we have focused ours on the empty tomb. Do we not experience this reality every year on Easter morning when we shout, “Christ is risen from the dead”? In I Corinthians 15:14, 22, St. Paul said: If Christ has not been raised then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. On Great Friday, there were tears, pain, agony and death, but on the third day, the darkness of Great Friday was dissipated by the bright light of the empty tomb. The new Pascha inaugurated the new age, the new being, and the new man. The Orthodox Church celebrates this joyful event every Sunday. The following are some of the hymns which we chant on the morning of the Holy Resurrection, which reveal to us this joy and this new being: Let us cleanse our senses that we may behold Christ shining like lightning with the unapproachable light of Resurrection, that we may hear Him say openly “rejoice,” while we sing to Him the hymn of triumph and victory. Verily this day which is called Holy is the first day among Sabbaths, it is their king and lord, it is the feast of feasts, and the season of seasons. Where are those like Sartre or Camus who say there is “no exit”? Let them gaze at the empty tomb. Our hope then is genuine because it is rooted in the reality of the Resurrection. It is not an empty utopian hope which ends in false security. It is the hope of the realization of God’s kingdom first within us, and ultimately, beyond the veils of temporal existence. The third issue of our Orthodox theology is the relevancy of our liturgical life. During the dark ages of Orthodox theology, our Church survived because of the richness of her liturgical life. If one understands our various liturgical services, one will understand the whole theology of the Orthodox Church. While others talk about liturgical poverty and liturgical renewal, as Orthodox, we must concentrate our efforts on liturgical understanding. Any Liturgy which does not permeate the faithful with a strong feeling of the holy is a meaningless service. If one has a living priest, a living choir and a living congregation, then one will find oneself involved in a wonderful mystical experience. We cannot acquire a mystical experience in the Church if the Liturgy is nothing but a business meeting or another lecture. A few years ago I talked to a group of non-Orthodox students about the nature of our worship. One of them asked: “Why don’t you preach in the Orthodox Church?” I said, “We do preach in the Orthodox Church, but we do more than that. We do not tell the faithful only what Christ said, but what He in reality did through the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.” In the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, the priest prays during the Anaphora the following: Thou it was who didst bring us from nonexistence into being, and when we had fallen away didst raise us up again, and didst not cease to do all things until Thou hast brought us back to heaven. In the Orthodox Liturgy, one can see God, man and nature in their proper perspective. Our Eucharist answers the central questions: Who are we? Where are we going? What is the meaning of life? Who is God? The emphasis in the Orthodox Liturgy is first on being, then on doing. If our personality is disintegrated and if the image of God in us is distorted, then our actions will undoubtedly reflect this disintegration and that distortion. The Word 9 An Invitation to Return There He goes again — God. He does this all the time! God is inviting us again. He always invites us to return. He does that in various ways throughout the year. And we, like the Prodigal Son, can respond — or not! That’s our free choice. One thing is clear: when we were created in the image of God, we were given with it “free will.” And free will means that we have a choice. We can say “yes;” we can say “no.” But as the Gospel teaches us, like that Prodigal, we are really invited to say a “yes,” to “turn around” and return to our Father. That’s the heart of the Mystery of Repentance — to “turn around.” He wants that, and if we are the slightest bit sane, we should want that also! Yes, God is indeed inviting us again, except that during Great Lent, we are sent this very “intense” invitation, one which focuses on the three critical practices in the Christian life: prayer, almsgiving, and fasting. Through these three the invitation is sent out that we might enter into what the Fathers called enosis, union with God. We also call this union “common union,” Communion. If we do aim for this common union with God we do need all three, and if any one is inadequate, our struggle in general will also be inadequate. Many of us are surprised to hear that these three are so inextricably linked. Some think all we have to do is be “good” people who help others. That is good, of course. Others think 10 The Word it doesn’t matter if I hate my neighbor, just so I go to Church. And going to Church is good. Still others think, I don’t have to go to Church; all I have to do is fast, and fasting is good. But the Fathers never isolated these three; they belong together and make up The Way (a very early term of referring to the Christian life — The Way!) toward union with God: prayer, almsgiving and fasting. That means we really have to understand them, each of them. In today’s language and context, when the Church speaks of “prayer,” She means prayer in the Eucharistic Liturgy — in Church, and prayer in our personal life, “in our closet.” When the Church speaks of “almsgiving,” She means charity to both the person next to us and to the various philanthropic causes She has taken up. When the Church speaks of “fasting,” She usually means “abstaining” from both foods and wrong actions (fasting relative to food, in the pure sense, means no food at all!). But we Orthodox are good at “reduction,” that is, we like to reduce things to the barest point, and this is one of the reasons that we lose the sense of the integrated and global scope of these three practices. For example, look at how we think of fasting. We wrongly reduce it to food alone. Yet, St. John Chrysostom (345-407 AD) exhorts us that, “The fast should be kept not by the mouth alone, but also by the eye, the ear, the feet, the hands and all the members of the body” (The Lenten Triodion, p. 17). He then goes on to explain this meaning: “The eye must abstain from impure sights, the ear from malicious gossip, the hands from acts of injustice” (Ibid, p. 17). St. Clement of Alexandria, (150-215 AD) in his Selection From The Prophets adds, “Fasting is abstention from foods according to the meaning of the word, but the food does not make us either more just or unjust.” Isodore (c 360 AD), a great teacher of the Church, in his Epistle 403, is even more exacting: Fasting in respect to food is no benefit at all for those who fail to fast with all their senses. For whosoever is successfully waging his battle must be temperate in all the other things. These Fathers — and there are many others — are not telling us that our abstaining (fasting) from food is unimportant; fasting in our food intake is most important. What they are saying, however, is that food is not the only fasting aspect, and indeed, that fasting itself is not the only practice of our Christian struggle toward God. Knowing the organic relationship between the human mind (and they do not mean only the brain, thus the use of the word “nous”) and the body (what they call the “soma”), the spirit and the flesh, they encourage us to practice at both these levels, i.e., the physical and spiritual. Thus all three are important: prayer, almsgiving, fasting. They are so because, in the practice of all three, the physical and spiritual are at once enacted. What, then, can speak of these three practices together? Is there a central source of both the physical and spiritual struggle? I would propose it to be the tongue, and the power of the tongue. But this is not my idea: St. Basil the Great said, in fact, “The most common and multifaceted sins is the one enacted by the tongue!” Sounds like he was on to something there. The tongue is physical, the tongue is spiritual. The tongue, relative to our three aforementioned practices, participates in the fast of food, in prayer and in charity towards others. Or it doesn’t; it can be evil. (Remember what we said about free will?) No wonder that Psalm 141 says: “Set a watch, O Lord, about my mouth and a door about my lips.” No wonder St. Ephraim’s prayer, prayed often during the Great Fast, begs God “to free His servant from the sin of idle talk.” It’s not really difficult to understand. Just think of the ways we can describe the sins of the tongue: divisive tongue, gossiping tongue, judgmental tongue, lying tongue, meddling tongue, sarcastic tongue, murmuring tongue, etc. It is no wonder that the tongue has been labeled the “most dangerous source of the human body.” Both the Old Testament and New Testament agree that “the tongue holds within its power life and death.” And so, since God is inviting us once again toward a deeper relationship, a deeper common union with Him during this Lenten season, should we indeed agree to say “yes,” our Orthodox Faith reminds us of the true nature of those three practices: prayer, almsgiving and fasting. And the true nature is not in dividing them into separate categories, but in seeing their organic relationship, both to each other and to our physical and spiritual life. The tongue, if we are serious, will remind us of these deeper levels of the Orthodox Christian struggle to which we are invited. Considering all this, don’t be surprised to hear me say: “There He goes again — God. He does this all the time! Inviting us to return, always inviting us to return!” by Father Joseph Allen, ThD Father Joseph is the Director of the Antiochian House of Studies and Pastor of Saint Anthony Orthodox Church, Bergenfield, NJ. Icon written by Nicholas Pappas The Word 11 St. John the Divine WORD MAGAZINE Oratorical Festival Judges’ Choice— Joey Wihbey Diocese of Ottawa, Eastern Canada and Upstate New York What would Jesus do? as we stare into a mirror, at a person who has been created in the eyes of Jesus Christ. What would Jesus do? as we ask ourselves, if we should partake in drugs and alcohol. What would Jesus do? as we ponder the possibility of pre-marital sex. What WOULD Jesus do? Would he stand aside and watch teenage boys take advantage of an underage teenage girl? Would he drink bottles of alcohol to ease the stress and agony of this demanding life? Would he allow his best friend to move on into a life of homosexuality? And would he have almost fallen into the depths of hell, to be accepted by those around him? No!, Christ would not have bent, nor would He have broken. I myself, came to a point in my life where nothing seemed right. Four times a week, my friends were partying. Four times a week, they were drinking and doing drugs. In some cases, seven times a week, a friend would engage in pre-marital sex. What kind of world are we living in, when a teenager commits the same sin seven times a week? This is what I, as an Orthodox teenager, have seen in this life, in this time. Aside from seeing all these things, I had experienced a problem, which almost all Orthodox teenagers unwillingly experience. I had fallen into a hole, and that hole was filled with alcohol. But I thought to myself what most Orthodox teenagers think about these days. Drinking alcohol is not a sin. That may be true, but when you are drinking excessive amounts, you are hurting more than just your liver. “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (Corinthians 6:19-20). This passage helped me in understanding that being Orthodox carries far outside the church. I had gotten to a point in my life, where I woke up one morning, groggy and dazed from a long night of drinking. I made my way to my bathroom, and as I looked up into the mirror, I saw something that scared me … Nothing! I had become a shell of the boy I used to be. The little altar boy, whose parents looked at him so proudly. And there I was on a Sunday morning missing church, staring into a mirror, at nothing. Was it going to be easy to say goodbye to the drink that made me loved by all my friends? No. But it sure was easy remembering the one passage that helps us defeat all temptations. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). And I knew I had to give up abusing alcohol. Why? Because when we mistreat our bodies, we mistreat our family. When we mistreat our souls, we mistreat Christ. When we mistreat our minds, we mistreat life. Life is this world we face as we go to school, work, and social events. Whether we are teens or adults, we face a world of which we are unsure. Many Orthodox teenagers and adults are faced with drugs, alcohol and pre-marital sex every day. And once we begin to abuse these problems, we can become addicted. Drinking, smoking, even sex can become addictive. Day after day, not knowing that you are hurting those around you. Who are you hurting more than your family and your friends: God. 12 The Word The one who gave you a chance to live free and pure, in exchange for an eternity in heaven. I am an Orthodox teenager, but now I speak to the parents. There are many parents who say, “Not my children.” Many teenagers who hear these words from their parents avoid preparing or contemplating the thought of the problems that they may face. But I can assure you one thing. These problems across North America will confront most teenagers, even Orthodox Christians. How do I know? I once heard my mother say, “Not my son.” But here I speak to you, admitting the problems I faced. Now I have the knowledge and understanding of how to avoid being confronted by these temptations. Archpriest Joseph Purpura did a survey amongst Orthodox teenagers. They were questioned on their relationships with their parents and how open they are about the current social issues in North America. Fr. Joseph says, “The study suggests that teens are more likely to live a healthier life if they have a good relationship with their parents and if their parents speak to them on the issues.” Fr. Purpura’s study also showed that approximately 60% of Orthodox teens in high school had consumed alcohol with their friends in the past year. More shocking than this is that approximately 30% of middle school Orthodox children had consumed alcohol with their friends in the past year. I ask you parents to speak with your children about all issues, even when your children are young. Don’t take my word for it. Take Fr. Purpura’s. “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). There are some teens that will always have a curfew. There are some teens that are only allowed to watch an hour of television a day. The reasoning for this is what’s best for the teenager. The parents are the ones who must make their best effort to guide their children toward the right path. When that child grows up, he will keep on the proper path. If he falls off, it is the responsibility of his family, and his brothers and sisters in Christ to help him. So, if you believe that this day and age is much different than Christ’s, I tell you it’s not. The Bible speaks of all the problems we face every day as Orthodox teenagers. The Bible has taught me that if you love those around you, they can only love you back. If you choose not to drink, smoke, or have premarital sex, your friends will not depart, but embrace the life you live. Occasionally, we may face embarrassment, and ridicule. But I tell you, the best thing to do is laugh along with your friends. They can then only love and accept the person we are all striving to emulate. “So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name” (Acts 5:41). We should feel proud that we can stand by our beliefs, when told otherwise. We should be proud Orthodox Christians, no matter what obstacles we may face. This year’s oratorical conference theme is, “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). For if we train our minds as Orthodox Christians, we may see and hear evil, but through our understanding of faith, we can make the right decisions. Even when we are humble as Orthodox Christians, temptation will find us. Learn, repent and move on, or God will forgive those who follow him. I spoke with Bishop Alexander and he told me, “In life you may choose to live one way or another. There is no inbetween. You may live with Christ or without him.” So I decided to create a little example of what he had taught me. Take a journey with me. We arrive at an airport called “Life.” When we enter, we learn that there are only two flights available. The first flight is with Satan’s Sky Service. Destination: Hell. $350, all you can smoke. Pre-marital sex throughout the entire flight. They offer an unlimited amount of alcoholic beverages and drugs, both oral and intravenous. The seats are made of steel. The only drawback is, there are no bathrooms on board. Approximate flight time is twenty to fifty years. The second flight is on Jesus Jet Airways. Destination: Heaven. The flight is free of charge but you need to present your driver’s license, passport, and soul. They offer an assortment of food and drinks, as well as free long distance calls to God, and anywhere in North America, excluding Hawaii, Alaska, and Quebec. Approximate flight time: Eternity. I myself have chosen Jesus Jet Airways. But you must choose quickly. Only one flight takes off for eternity. There are only two ways of life. We may choose to follow Christ. We are human, and we will make mistakes along the way. We must learn, understand, and help others from making the same mistakes. This is how we live life among a world of temptation, as we dedicate our souls to an eternity in heaven. “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Luke 7:13-14). We will not let this world determine who we are, and how we should live. Christ has already told us. We gather each Sunday as a community to remind us of who we are, and why The Word 13 we have life, even though six days a week, Orthodox teenagers are living a life in which they are determined to chase dreams and make money. Being an Orthodox teenager doesn’t prevent us from living how we want; it prevents us from becoming someone we don’t want to become. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, because if we love our enemies, visible and invisible, we can understand them. When we understand, we can then make the right decisions. Those decisions are the ones which lead us closer to God. All we must do is live by the greatest teaching of Christ, “Love one another.” I myself have learned to love all things, visible and invisible. And now when I look in the mirror on a Sunday morning before church, I see one pure and everlasting image smiling back at me: Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In front of our friends, in front of temptation, in front of any and all evil, we must live the Orthodox faith. Each and every single second we are here on earth, we must commit ourselves to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We must give the same love Christ has given us, because we will not conform to a world of sin and temptation. We will stand tall beside our beliefs, defending the true faith. We will say, “This is the faith of the Apostles, this is the faith of the fathers, this is the faith of the Orthodox, this is the faith which has established the Universe.” We must hold onto the faith we love so much. Teach the faith which has been taught to us. Live the faith God has delivered to us. We will conform, only to Orthodoxy as we defend the faith until our bodies have been beaten to blood, right until our very own Crucifixion, because that’s exactly what Jesus would do. Joey Wihbey, 19, is a member of St. George Church, Toronto, ONT. St. John the Divine WORD MAGAZINE daily devotions M AY, 2 0 0 6 1. ACTS 3:19-26; JOHN 2:1-11 2. ACTS 4:1-10; JOHN 3:16-21 3. ACTS 4:13-22; JOHN 5:17-24 4. ACTS 4:23-31; JOHN 5:24-30 5. ACTS 5:1-11; JOHN 5:30-6:2 6. ACTS 5:21-33; JOHN 6:14-27 7. ACTS 6:1-7; MARK 15:43-16:8 8. 1 JOHN 1:1-7; JOHN 19:25-27, 21:24-25 9. ACTS 8:5-17; JOHN 6:27-33 10. ACTS 8:18-25; JOHN 6:35-39 11. HEBREWS 7:26-8:2; MATTHEW 5:14-19 12. ACTS 8:40-9:19; JOHN 6:48-54 13. ACTS 9:20-31; JOHN 15:17-16:2 14. ACTS 9:32-42; JOHN 5:1-15 15. ACTS 10:1-16; JOHN 6:56-69 16. ACTS 10:21-33; JOHN 7:1-13 17. ACTS 14:6-18; JOHN 7:14-30 18. ACTS 10:34-43; JOHN 8:12-20 19. ACTS 10:44-11:10; JOHN 8:21-30 20. ACTS 12:1-11; JOHN 8:31-42 21. ACTS 26:1-5, 12-20 JOHN 4:5-42 22. ACTS 12:12-17; JOHN 8:42-51 23. ACTS 12:25-13:12; JOHN 8:51-59 24. ACTS 13:13-24; JOHN 6:5-14 25. ACTS 14:20-27; JOHN 9:39-10:9 26. ACTS 15:5-34; JOHN 10:17-28 27. ACTS 15:35-41; JOHN 10:27-38 28. ACTS 16:16-34; JOHN 9:1-38 29. ACTS 17:1-15; JOHN 11:47-57 30. ACTS 17:19-28; JOHN 12:19-36 31. ACTS 18:22-28; JOHN 12:36-47 Very Rev. George Alberts 14 The Word Fellowship footnotes from the Midwest—FSJD the DioceseOF TOLEDO and Joe Zogaib—President What can Fellowship do for you? This is the question I keep asking parishioners around the Midwest. Yes, it is a clear rip-off of the recent UPS slogan, “What can Brown do for you?” But to me it embodies the spirit of the Fellowship of St. John the Divine and its mission — to realize the needs of local churches in the Midwest, and to develop programs to meet those needs. But doesn’t the age gap cause problems with the group dynamic? In the Midwest, we are blessed to have members of all ages as part of our Fellowship. Which means that in our meetings, a recent college graduate can get free life advice from an 80-year-old Sitoo with thirteen grandkids. Not to mention a killer recipe for baked kibbee! All kidding aside, the Midwest Fellowship sees this age diversity and universal membership as a blessing, not a hindrance. Many people have experience with the former Senior SOYO, which we can use to learn from past successes and setbacks — while moving forward with the Fellowship agenda. Carrying out the example of Christ is the common goal, regardless of age. As officers, we asked ourselves: What are the needs of our parishes in the Midwest? What can the Fellowship do for the Midwest in 2006? Here is what we came up with: 1. Become a Fellowship of congregations The goal here is 100% active representation in Diocesan meetings from each and every parish. The Midwest Fellowship plans to communicate not only with Fellowship contacts, but with local parish Priests, and Parish Council Presidents as well. This will ensure that the key contacts of local parishes are informed of events, important dates, and financial business. 2. Strengthen communication between diocesan and local Fellowships by having one contact person per parish. Support and sustain these local Fellowships. We plan to contact each parish this year, and connect with one person who will act as a liaison between the Diocesan and local Fellowship. We plan to develop each Fellowship by staying in contact with them and giving them the support they need to grow within their parish. Everyone knows that “not all Fellowships are created equal.” So working with one person from each parish will help us address the unique needs of that parish’s Fellowship. 3. Work toward supporting missions, both locally and through the Mission Endowment Fund Every church started out as a mission. Many people, including myself, are too young to know what a tough process it must have been to build a church from the ground up. Christ promised in the Book of Matthew: “I will build My church.” Shortly thereafter, the early Christians cared for one another as they organized and worshiped, using their resources to house the newly baptized. This spirit of using resources to build up Christ’s Church is being carried out in the Midwest through our work with missions — who are NOW attempting to build their church from the ground up. The Midwest Fellowship will continue its commitment to the Mission Endowment Fund, by striving for an endowment goal of $750,000. We also plan to hold mission trips throughout the Diocese, where members of the Fellowship travel to a mission to connect them to the Diocese and offer support through donations, prayers, and workshops. 4. Improve website content and usefulness The Midwest Fellowship plans on launching a website that will contain relevant information, including a recent success — as “Ministry Spotlight,” where local churches share their successful ministry programs with others. Click on http://www.antiochian.org/fellowship. Then click on “Diocese” and “Midwest.” It is currently under construction, but will be up and running soon. Also in the making is an online newsletter, which will be emailed monthly. 5. Bridge relationships with local college students by connecting the Fellowship with local Orthodox Christian Fellowships It’s no secret that college is where we lose most of our parishioners. The Midwest Fellowship hopes to reverse that trend by identifying contact students from the local Orthodox Christian Fellowship (the official Orthodox college ministry program at colleges and universities), and connecting them with the local Fellowship of St. John the Divine contact. The hope is that the local parish will become a “home away from home” for students living away from their home town. The Word 15 Fellowship footnotes W O R D MAGAZINE In addition, the Fellowship will offer support for emerging or existing OCF chapters — where students may not necessarily be living away from home. The Midwest Fellowship continually supports great programs such as the Catechism Bowl, Creative Festivals, the Oratorical Festival, Senior Presentation and the Midwest Scholarship. It looks to be a busy year, with our work definitely cut out for us. With a common vision set forth by His Grace Bishop MARK and spiritual advisor, Fr. Joseph Abud, I am excited to be a part of making the Midwest Fellowship a group that is truly a means of spiritual growth. A big thank you goes to the Leadership Council and the Executive Officers for all their hard work. If you have any ideas, or would like to let us know what Fellowship can do for you and your parish, contact any of our officers, or contact me directly at zogaibj@yahoo.com. In Christ, Joe Zogaib Archdiocesan Office ORDAINED EARLY, Deacon James to the holy priesthood by Bishop BASIL on Sunday, February 12, 2006, at St. George Cathedral in Wichita, KS. He is assigned as assistant priest at St. Joseph Church in Houston, TX. MORRIS, Deacon Christopher of All Saints Church in Salina, KS, to the holy priesthood by Bishop BASIL on February 18, 2006, at St. Tikhon’s Monastery in South Canaan, PA. Father Christopher is a senior at St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. LLOYD, Donald David to the holy diaconate on February 23, 2006 and to the holy priesthood by Bishop BASIL on February 24, 2006 at St. George Cathedral in Wichita, KS. He is attached to St. Mark Church in Denver, CO. DAVIS, Subdeacon Jeremy of St. George Cathedral, Wichita, KS to the holy diaconate on January 1, 2006, by Bishop BASIL. Dn. Jeremy is assigned to the Cathedral. Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America PARISH LIFE CONFERENCE Host Parish: St. George Orthodox Church, El Paso, TX Presiding Hierarch: Bishop BASIL SHAWAREB, Subdeacon George of St. Elijah Church in Oklahoma City, OK, to the holy diaconate by Bishop BASIL on February 18, 2006, at St. Tikhon’s Monastery in South Canaan, PA. Deacon George is a middler at St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. ELEVATED HODGE, Priest Paul of St. George Church in Kearney, NE to the dignity of Archpriest by Bishop BASIL at St. George Cathedral in Wichita, KS on Friday, February 10, 2006. LYNCH, Priest David, retired from St. Augustine Church in Denver, CO, to the dignity of Archpriest by Bishop BASIL at St. George Cathedral in Wichita, KS on Friday, February 10, 2006. June 15-18, 2006 El Paso Airport Marriott Phone: 800.228.9290 Ask for “Parish Life Conference for the Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America” Parish web-site: www.st.george-elpaso.org Phone: 915.584.9100 16 The Word NEWS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION & TITHING Sharing the Faith “Educating Ourselves and Our Children in Godliness 1 The teacher training program, “Educating Ourselves and Our Children in Godliness I” was presented in two parishes recently, St. George of Houston, Texas, and St. John the Baptist of Post Falls, Idaho. If you are interested in hosting this valuable and enjoyable training, please contact your Diocesan Christian Education Coordinator. Additional photos can be viewed at www.antiochian.org/christianeducation, “photo gallery.” Michelle Fellegy’s article is abridged here. The complete article can be found on our website under “Teacher Trainings.” St. George Church, Houston Texas Having recently completed a Christian Education wing, St. George Church in Houston, Texas hosted the training, “Educating Ourselves and Our Children in Godliness,” January 21, 2006. The 25 participants were from OCA, Greek Orthodox, and our own parishes. Mrs. Vasiliki Oldziey, Diocesan Christian Education Coordinator, and Mrs. Carole Buleza, Archdiocesan Director of Christian Education, presented the workshops. At the conclusion of the event, Kh. Gigi Shadid, whose home parish is St. George’s, presented her new CD of Orthodox children’s songs. We congratulate the Houston parish for providing the new addition of classrooms; the education wing is very beautiful, and a wonderful statement of the generosity of this vibrant community. Fr. John Salem is the pastor, Fr. Joseph Huneycutt is the associate pastor, and Mrs. Susie Sobchak is the Church School Director. St. John the Baptist Church, Post Falls, Idaho “This, then, is our task: to educate ourselves and our children in Godliness.” -St. John Chrysostom, Homily on Ephesians When I discovered the availability of hosting a Teacher Training Workshop, I was immediately filled with the yearning to have this workshop at our parish. We hosted the workshop, February 24-25, 2006. The workshop consisted of three units, Overview of Orthodoxy, Introduction to Teaching and Orientation to Curriculum. This was a Pan-Orthodox event and all area churches were invited. Some participants traveled long distances and stayed in hotel rooms. It was similar to a mini-retreat. Presbytera Linda taught us to impart the life-giving beauty of Orthodoxy to our students. As a group, our understanding of God, life, death and salvation was deepened because of this unit. We learned that we are to impart knowledge, and to encourage spiritual growth in our students. The new strategies and classroom management techniques will breathe new life into our church school. I would recommend this workshop for all parishes to experience. I am thankful that Khouriye Linda was able to travel here to Post Falls, Idaho and enlighten the staff at St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church. I’m reminded of the quote I Mrs Vasiliki Oldziey presenting, “Introduction to Teaching.” Participants working together The Word 17 WORD MAGAZINE NEWS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION & TITHING December, February and April issues of The WORD. Their complete biographies and articles are available on our website. In addition to the Diocesan Coordinators, we have three associates on board with specific areas of interest. Kh. Leslee Abud for the Creative Festivals, Ms. Catherine Sullivan for Small Church Schools, and Kh. Gail Meena for Multiple Intelligence Strategies and Special Needs children. We are so blessed to have these dedicated volunteers! Our next Orthodox Institute will feature courses that will assist us personally, and as teachers, in the sharing of Orthodox Christianity. It is the mandate of Christ that we “make disciples of all nations . . . teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you . . .” (Matthew 28:19-20). While we may not be comfortable going door-to-door, it is the goal of the next Institute that we be comfortable with our faith so that we can share with a friend or co-worker, when asked a question. The courses of the Orthodoxy track will offer a comparison of Orthodox Christianity with the beliefs and practices of Protestants and Catholics. We are privilged to have His Grace Bishop Mark as the keynote speaker. Continuing Education. We have made progress with our important goal of bringing continuing education to each diocese, every year. This school year we christened the Orthodox Institutes of the Midwest, MidAmerica, and Northern California. Be in touch with your Diocesan Coordinator for information about next year’s events. More Institutes will be forthcoming as soon as the Coordinators are ready. Endowment. You may know that Ruth Ann Skaff is now the Director of Development for the Archdiocese, but did you know that the Department of Christian Education has an endowment fund with the goal of $1 million? When the goal is reached, the interest will be added to our yearly budget so that we can build, or renew programs, such as a revised Girl’s Tea, a page on the website for priests and the needs of adult education, a page for church school directors, on-going ideas for teachers, and more. In my report to the National Convention last year, I offered a five-year retrospective, as well as plans for the future. You may read, “Director’s FiveYear Report,” on the website. The report details 21 initiatives, either completed, “in progress,” or desired for the future. We are at the point where an additional staff person is needed in order to move forward. The endowment could turn this need into a reality. If you, or anyone you know, has a commitment to Orthodox Christian Education, please mention the endowment to them. Ruth Ann Skaff can be contacted at development@antiochian.org. Your servant in Christ, Carole Buleza christian education Participants working together The new Christian Education wing recently read, “Beloved Christians, you and your children shall appear at that Judgment of Christ, and you shall give account for them to the just Judge. He will not ask you whether you have taught your children the arts or whether you have taught them to speak French, or German, or Italian, but whether you have taught them to live as Christians.” – Tikhon of Zadonsk Fr. Gregory Horton is the pastor. The article is by Michelle Fellegy, Church School Director. From the Director’s Desk Beloved Fellow Servants of Christ, I hope you have enjoyed “meeting” our Diocesan Christian Education Coordinators in the September, The Department of Christian Education newsletter is published in the months of September, December, February, and April. The office is staffed from 9:00-3:00 Monday through Wednesday. Phone (717) 747-5221. FAX (717) 747-5832. E-mail: DCE@antiochian.org. Web page: www.antiochian.org/christianeducation The Department gratefully acknowledges the on-going support of the Order of St. Ignatius which helps fund, in part, the programs we offer. 18 The Word NEWS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION & TITHING Resource Review www.familyaschurch.org Phyllis Onest, whom many of you know from her courses, involvement with the Orthodox Family Life, and her extensive resource display that she has shared with us at our Orthodox Institute (at the Village), informed me that she is now an associate with the Center for Family Care (GOA) website, noted above. I visited the website and was pleased to find resources that can be downloaded, such as “My Prayer Book,” a four page resource with morning and evening prayers, and particularly with “A Table Prayer Guide,” that has a variety of prayers. I recommend both and look forward to using them with my family. The latter includes a bibliography on the subject of the Orthodox family. Check out this site! Presenting Ms. Jacquelyn Fadel Coordinator for the Diocese of Ottawa and Upstate New York Jackie has served in this capacity since the early 1990’s. Prior to her retirement in June 2004, she taught in the Elementary Division of the Niagara Falls School District for thirty-three years, the last twenty in a specialized program for the Gifted and Talented. She has also served as Recording Secretary for NAC SOYO, Oratorical Festival Coordinator and worked for a number of years as Stewardship Coordinator for the Diocese. She enjoys volunteering at the Antiochian Village Summer Camp where she once served as Volunteer Coordinator. for this amazing story. What a daunting task to write about a man whom she said always challenged her as well as his employees, to “push themselves to stretch, to try new things, to meet the next challenge.” It got me thinking. Who in my life had had that kind of an effect on me and if I were asked to write a Foreword for a book on that person’s life, what would I say? First off, I guess the person I would select would have been my grandfather, Farris. He left his homeland of Lebanon to come to America to make a better life for himself and subsequently for the family he would raise in this new land of opportunity along with his wife, Rachel. This directed me to begin thinking about his influence on me and all those in my family. His faith was the wind that helped him sail across the ocean to this unknown land. He believed that God had directed him to this new place despite the long and arduous journey. He knew no more about America than what he had heard and yet he persevered (continued on at www.antiochian.org/christianeducation). Department of Christian Education Diocesan Coordinators Please contact the Diocesan Coordinators for updates on trainings and other events in your region. Oakland, PA and the East; New York and Washington, DC: V. Rev. George Alberts Toledo and the Midwest: Robert Snyder Los Angeles and the West: Joseph Tershay Eagle River and Northwest: Linda Funk Ottawa and Upstate New York: Jacquelyn Fadel Wichita and MidAmerica: Vasiliki Oldziey Worcester and New England: Anna Hughes Miami and the Southeast: Betty Randolph (203)798-1771 frgeocar@sbcglobal.net (330)493-4029 bobsny1107@aol.com (831)335-8350 josephtershay@yahoo.com (306)934-1695 lfunk@shaw.ca (716)282-8243 imretired604@yahoo.com (512)459-6264 vas@austin.rr.com (978)686-3274 matannah@aol.com All Things Are Possible, Through Christ by Jacquelyn Fadel At the same time I was pondering what I would like to share with you in this issue of The WORD magazine, I was reading a book written by a man who had made a successful business selling baskets which his grandfather was responsible for creating for his family’s own personal use. The man, believing in the quality of his grandfather’s work, wondered if others could grow to appreciate the craftmanship of his product. He certainly felt that the baskets showed value and quality. From the first twelve or so baskets that he took to market to sell, he developed his beliefs into a multimillion dollar business. Some years later he penned a book on how he had managed to do it. Sadly his book was published after his death and it was his daughter who was asked to write the Foreword (864)639-2204 bettyrandolph@bellsouth.net The Word 19 NEWS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION & TITHING Different Languages . . . Same Classroom by Anna Timko Hughes Christian Education Coordinator, Diocese of Worcester and New England A number of years ago, I received an interesting call from used by ESL teachers could also be used effectively by church a concerned parishioner. The previous week’s bulletin had school teachers. Listed below are some practical methods that run an announcement that Church School registration would may be used in the church school classroom. Wait time: Because the non-native speaker has a longer begin soon, and that parents or grandparents of all children ages four and up should register their children. Our parish- processing time, the instructor should employ a teaching tool ioner was calling me to ask me specifically about what the known as “wait time.” When a question is asked, allow time to children in the pre-school class would be learning this year. pass before allowing any student to answer the question. The She was especially concerned if the children would be learn- instructor can say, “ Now, I don’t want you all to raise your ing their “ABC’s.” I explained to her that although I knew the hand immediately. Let’s think about the question and the instructor often used the foundations of our alphabet in class, answer . . . (and after silently counting to ten say … ) OK, now does anyone know the answer?” This allows “A is for altar, B is for blessing,” and so forth, the student with a longer processing time to the primary focus of the class would be for the At home, the get a chance to answer the question. children to learn their prayers and other family only Comfort Questions: Prior to asking quesbasics of our faith. After more conversation, I spoke Arabic and tions to the class as a whole, privately ask the discovered that she had hoped our pre-school non-native speaker which question he or she Church School class would be an introduction the children had would feel comfortable answering. When the into English, as well as an introduction to the no exposure to time for asking the question comes, the stufaith. At home, the family only spoke Arabic English . . . dent will feel comfortable answering the quesand the children had no exposure to English tion because she will have had time to process except for what they occasionally heard spoken by parishioners at our Church. With new parishioners the answer. Visual Cues: Especially with younger children, use visual appearing every year from countries as far different as Lebanon, Russia, Serbia, and Romania, I soon realized that aids as much as possible. A student may not know what the this was probably not a unique case in our parish. It proved to word “chalice” means; however, when he sees a picture of one, he will remember that this chalice was something he saw in be a very interesting Church School year. The student for whom the language spoken in the class- liturgy. Aide in the Classroom: A second teacher, aide, or parent room is not his native tongue brings some unique problems to the Church School teacher. Communication will be a major helper who speaks the language of the student, is also a helphurdle to overcome. The child’s inability to read or write in the ful, practical tool for a classroom The aide can translate language of the class may lead to frustration for the student directions or work out any problems that might occur. Be careas well for the instructor. Even if the student can hold a basic ful not to have a class within a class (continued on at conversation and read aloud, he or she may not understand www.antiochian.org/christianeducation). the material at the level of the other students in the class. The teacher must be patient when asking a non-native speaker a Presenting Anna Timko Hughes question — the student must first translate what the teacher Anna has been involved in church school has said into his native language, think about the answer, education for thirty years. Holding a B.A. translate it back into English, and then be confident enough in Sociology and an M.Ed. in Secondary Education and History, she currently to answer the question. How can we make a student with these teaches World and American History at problems comfortable in a church school classroom? Methuen High School. She is author of In the high school where I teach, the English as a Second Divine Liturgy: An Interactive Guide and has taught various Language (ESL) program provides services to non-English classes at her parish of St. George Church in Lawrence, speaking learners, transitioning them into the regular classMassachusetts. She has also worked or volunteered at Antiochian Village since 1980. room environment within one to three years. The strategies The above article, as well as the articles of all eight of the Diocesan Coordinators, are offered in their entirety on the Department’s website. More extensive profiles of Ms. Fadel and Kh. Anna Hughes can also be found there. 20 The Word Food for Hungry People 2003 thru 2005 and World Food Day Pounds Collected FFHP 2003 OTTAWA, EASTERN CANADA AND UPSTATE NEW YORK NOVA SCOTIA St. Anthony-Halifax UPSTATE NEW YORK St. George-Albany St. Michael-Geneva St. George-Niagara Falls Archangel Gabriel-S. Glens Falls St. George-S. Glens Falls St. Elias-Syracuse St. George-Utica ONTARIO Holy Transfiguration-London St. Elias Cathedral-Ottawa St. George-Richmond Hill St. Mary-Mississauga St. Ignatius-Windsor St. Elias-Windsor QUEBEC Virgin Mary-Montreal St. George-Montreal St. Nicholas-Montreal PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND Ss. Peter & Paul-Charlottetown TOTAL OTTAWA, EASTERN CANADA AND UPSTATE NEW YORK NEW YORK AND WASHINGTON, DC CONNECTICUT St. Nicholas-Bridgeport $1,322.00 St. George-Danbury $100.00 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA St. Gregory the Great-Washington, DC $550.00 St. George-Washington, DC $1,000.00 MARYLAND Ss. Peter & Paul-Potomac $397.02 NEW JERSEY St. Anthony-Bergenfield $1,450.00 St. George-Little Falls $1,567.00 St. Stephen-S. Plainfield $500.00 NEW YORK St. Mary-Brooklyn $4,647.50 St. Nicholas Cathedral-Brooklyn $70.00 St. John The Baptist-Uniondale $165.45 Church of Virgin Mary-Yonkers St. James Mission-Poughkeepsie St. Anthony-Melville VIRGINIA St. Gregory- Falls Church TOTAL NEW YORK & WASHINGTON, DC $11,768.97 OAKLAND, PA AND THE EAST DELAWARE St. Athanasius-Claymont $450.00 $100.00 $100.00 $20.00 1,000 83 1,400 758 410 160 572 $113.20 $530.00 $919.82 $1,450.00 $1,250.00 $500.00 $1,842.50 $1,470.00 $190.50 $457.00 450 250 420 85 1,400 $1,305.00 $713.06 $424.62 $1,167.14 $388.20 $1,725.00 $959.85 $500.00 $2,752.82 $500.00 $255.00 $550.00 450 100 1,200 $842.00 117 $575.00 $50.00 $275.00 $336.00 $1,658.50 $3,081.50 $1,150.00 $100.00 100 75 $100.00 $1,125.00 $373.00 $300.00 $1,364.25 950 $492.51 $3,060.30 $950.00 $110.00 $175.00 $3,500.00 $3,797.17 $900.00 1,242 $16,247.23 7,425 1,800 $1,500.00 $4,070.00 $4,021.15 $176.85 $17,386.47 17,500 975 150 4,500 $100.00 $246.15 $171.00 $20.00 $125.00 $1,028.00 $1,471.40 $615.30 $3,072.62 $769.00 WFD 03-lbs FFHP 2004 WFD 04-lbs FFHP 2005 WFD 05-lbs 8,000 1,500 8,000 $3,560.00 $2,518.39 $650.00 $14,796.39 450 3,383 $8,743.02 3,605 $11,240.69 2,200 The Word 21 Food for Hungry People MARYLAND St. Mary-Hunt Valley Holy Cross-Linthicum PENNSYLVANIA St. George-Allentown St. George-Altoona St. Mary-Chambersburg St. John Evangelist-Beaver Falls St. George-Bridgeville St. Ellien-Brownsville St. Anthony-Butler St. Paul-Emmaus St. Michael-Greensburg St. Mary-Johnstown St. John Chrysostom-York St. Michael-Monessen St. Elias-New Castle St. George-New Kensington St. George Cathedral-Pittsburgh St. Philip-Souderton St. George-Upper Darby St. Mary-Wilkes-Barre Holy Ascension Mission-Frazer VIRGINIA St. Basil the Great-Yorktown WEST VIRGINIA St. Nicholas-Beckley St. George-Charleston Church of Holy Spirit-Huntington TOTAL OAKLAND, PA AND THE EAST TOLEDO AND THE MIDWEST IOWA St. George-Cedar Rapids St. Raphael of Brooklyn-Iowa City ILLINOIS St. Nicholas-Urbana St. George-Cicero All Saints-Chicago St. Elias-Peoria St. George-Spring Valley Holy Transfiguration-Warrenville Virgin Mary-Alsip INDIANA All Saints-Bloomington St. John Chrysostom-Fort Wayne Holy Resurrection-Hobart St. George-Indianapolis St. George-Terre Haute St. Mary-Topeka KENTUCKY St. Andrew-Lexington St. Michael-Louisville MICHIGAN St. Mary-Berkley St. George-Troy St. George-Flint St. George-Grand Rapids St. Nicholas-Grand Rapids St. Mary-Iron Mountain St. Simon-Ironwood St. Mary-Livonia St. James-Williamston St. Catherine Mission-Ann Arbor MINNESOTA St. George-Woodbury $550.00 $1,200.00 $632.88 $1,460.41 $579.20 $1,591.00 $1,026.88 $496.85 $211.69 $1,939.22 $400.00 $300.00 $500.00 $435.00 $1,000.00 $680.00 $647.68 $500.00 $1,614.00 $308.01 $520.00 $210.00 $100.00 $425.52 400 556 806 900 6,000 $410.00 $109.00 $1,200.00 $530.00 $2,327.30 $533.96 $1,200.00 $1,717.28 $264.82 $38.85 $1,863.51 $682.33 $405.89 $450.00 $2,580.00 $1,000.00 $950.00 $707.00 $700.00 $500.00 $192.11 $550.00 $200.00 $100.00 $750.78 1,250 All Year All Year $200.00 $158.95 $1,700.00 $750.00 $2,296.20 $479.30 $912.00 $226.48 $1,421.85 $712.93 $2,060.54 $485.00 $230.08 $700.00 $2,975.00 $1,030.00 $995.00 $560.00 $1,114.05 $67.00 $300.00 $358.63 $733.64 1,000 All Year All Year 200 550 $748.00 $180.00 $1,110.00 $572.20 $1,470.00 $3,200.00 $1,976.00 $100.00 $745.00 $72.00 $1,578.79 $2,100.00 $1,006.32 $417.00 $3,156.60 $661.00 $2,502.15 $2,746.00 $1,699.98 $109.95 $687.50 $3,440.00 $553.00 $31,281.49 500 363 6,791 100 500 $498.00 $638.88 $1,861.00 $398.50 $1,030.00 $3,256.33 $1,837.00 $130.00 $912.50 $145.00 $1,128.48 $2,100.00 $640.91 $410.00 $3,360.30 $872.74 $2,306.47 $3,646.03 $500.00 $1,836.09 $530.94 $338.60 $700.50 $5,540.00 $525.00 $35,243.27 4,358 480 342 9,216 345 330 $440.00 $504.34 $674.00 $606.50 $1,151.92 $3,006.39 $1,765.00 $100.00 $245.35 $60.00 $1,508.06 $2,150.00 $1,094.14 $321.75 $2,381.37 $1,026.36 $2,115.76 $3,277.12 $1,828.00 $916.78 $150.00 $550.00 $3,115.00 $525.00 $29,612.84 2,500 2,000 8,000 30,710 500 All year All Year 10,000 1,500 700 1,401 427 2,000 All year 500 1,000 1,000 849 All Year All Year 512 1,000 All Year 510 5,000 1,123 534 500 675 291 2,250 300 142 1,000 150 740 86 143 22 The Word Food for Hungry People MISSOURI All Saints-Maryland Heights NORTH DAKOTA All Saints Mission-Fargo OHIO St. George-Akron Holy Cross-Canton St. George-Canton St. Luke-Solon St. George-Cleveland St. James-Loveland St. Matthew-N. Royalton St. Elias-Sylvania St. George Cathedral-Toledo St. Mark-Youngstown St. Barnabas-Delaware Internat’l Orthodox Council-Parma WISCONSIN St. Elias-La Crosse St. Nicholas-Cedarburg St. Ignatius-Madison TOTAL TOLEDO AND THE MIDWEST WORCESTER AND NEW ENGLAND MASSACHUSETTS St. Michael-Cotuit $602.00 All Saints-Hingham St. Mary-Cambridge $1,747.85 St. John of Damascus-Dedham $6,948.00 St. George-Methuen $1,025.00 St. George-Lowell $1,170.15 St. George-Norwood $1,090.00 St. George-W. Roxbury $3,984.03 St. George Cathedral-Worcester $4,000.00 St. Elias-Fall River RHODE ISLAND St. Mary-Pawtucket $825.00 TOTAL WORCESTER AND NEW ENGLAND $21,392.03 MIAMI AND THE SOUTHEAST ALABAMA Annunciation Mission-Birmingham St. Michael Mission-Dothan ARKANSAS St. Nicholas-Springdale Holy Trinity-Little Rock FLORIDA St. George Cathedral-Coral Gables St. Philip-Davie St. Andrew-Eustis St. George-Jacksonville Our Lady of Regla-Miami St. Anthony the Great-Palm Bay St. Peter-N. Miami St. George-Orlando St. Basil-Silver Springs St. Nicholas-St. Petersburg St. Mary-W. Palm Beach Holy Cross-Holly Hill St. Paul-Naples GEORGIA St. Elias-Atlanta St. Stephen-Hiram Orthodox Mission of Cumming 150 176 177 $281.15 $808.50 $3,045.39 $555.00 $1,130.00 $1,060.00 $2,486.08 $5,971.58 $1,869.00 $17,206.70 340 200 188 $552.87 $2,042.15 $2,160.00 $1,671.00 $1,978.00 $1,300.00 $2,160.00 $4,565.00 $1,471.76 $17,900.78 $143.00 308 $50.00 $250.00 $255.00 $150.00 $845.00 $100.00 $391.20 $1,025.00 $120.00 $1,800.00 $390.50 $100.00 $74.68 $400.00 $1,000.00 $24,279.72 $1,100.00 1,000 $540.00 $210.79 $895.00 $545.30 $1,021.00 $981.73 $1,832.00 $351.00 $100.00 $73.72 $427.11 $1,000.00 $29,183.48 18,000 $550.00 $540.00 $1,600.00 4,000 5,000 4,442 1,000 4,100 5,000 2,090 2,501 $576.00 $1,003.00 $715.18 $2,061.00 $243.00 $100.00 $79.49 $543.35 $1,250.00 $27,431.47 All Year 100 485 29,528 34,444 3,650 6,120 5,000 1,000 12,623 442 4,500 5,000 900 11,570 3,439 5,000 5,000 1,000 14,439 $100.00 693.95 $1,117.16 $325.00 $460.00 $10.00 $50.00 $387.00 $177.17 $1,208.15 $50.00 $355.00 $1,186.52 $500.00 1,500 2,000 $1,388.40 $520.00 2,850 310 1,000 2,550 $65.00 $474.71 $750.00 $178.00 $218.00 $137.15 $1,282.78 $52.00 $441.00 1620 800 $208.35 $1,227.55 $100.00 $351.66 $971.55 $525.00 $331.50 $1,070.50 $120.00 150 All Year 1,000 $301.16 $627.80 $1,050.00 $883.10 $140.00 $1,832.00 $500.00 2,550 The Word 23 Food for Hungry People LOUISIANA Archangel Gabriel-Lafayette St. Basil-Metairie MISSISSIPPI St. George-Vicksburg St. Peter-Madison NORTH CAROLINA Ss. Peter & Paul-Boone All Saints-Raleigh St. Raphael-Asheville SOUTH CAROLINA St. Catherine-Aiken St. John-N Charleston St. Barnabas-Lexington St. Nicholas-Surfside Beach Christ the Savior-Anderson TENNESSEE Holy Resurrection-Johnson City St. Ignatius-Franklin St. John-Memphis TOTAL MIAMI AND THE SOUTHEAST WICHITA AND MID-AMERICA COLORADO St. Luke-Lafayette St. Augustine-Denver St. Elias-Arvada St. Mark-Denver St. Columba-Boulder St. James-Fort Collins St. Thomas-Sioux City KANSAS St. Michael Mission-Wichita Ss. Peter & Paul-Topeka St. George Cathedral-Wichita St. Mary-Wichita All Saints-Salina St. Mary Magdalene-Manhattan Holy Transfiguration - Hillsboro St. Basil-Overland Park LOUISIANA St. John the Divine-Lake Charles St. Nicholas-Shreveport NEW MEXICO Holy Trinity-Santa Fe Ss. Peter & Paul-Albuquerque NEBRASKA St. George-Kearney St. Mary-Omaha St. Vincent of Lerins-Omaha OKLAHOMA Church of the Ascension-Norman St. Elijah-Oklahoma City St. Antony-Tulsa Holy Apostles-Tulsa SOUTH DAKOTA St. John the Theologian-Rapid City TEXAS Holy Apostles Chapel-Lindel St. Elias-Austin St. John the Forerunner-Cedar Park St. Michael-Beaumont Holy Trinity-Corpus Christi Ss. Constantine & Helen-Dallas St. George-El Paso $479.09 $433.72 $236.86 $521.50 $804.13 $363.05 $2,108.10 $2,127.51 $223.07 310 300 400 $738.02 $42.60 $2,411.15 $450.00 $280.00 $593.75 $1,025.64 $614.18 $3,055.00 $2,550.42 $375.00 $149.89 $372.00 $140.00 $328.93 $491.75 $65.51 $181.45 $187.60 $147.00 $4,095.00 $70.00 $319.00 135 $50.00 $151.43 $800.00 $122.00 $726.30 $1,035.00 All Year $56.81 $15.00 $320.00 $626.47 $1,540.36 $163.00 $446.00 $1,120.00 210 All Year 380 500 1,800 $506.00 $50.00 $173.94 $314.50 $180.00 $93.18 $100.00 $125.00 $197.06 $632.00 $796.04 $800.00 $803.00 $1,143.64 All Year $1,801.26 700 650 515 320 4,500 16,000 All Year 369 $346.43 $286.47 $175.42 $660.00 $1,231.39 $55.60 $358.47 $3,240.00 $1,353.97 $249.89 800 700 700 5,000 20,000 All Year $250.00 $995.86 $200.00 $32.24 $1,034.85 $50.00 $114.05 $25.00 $337.59 $1,569.70 $250.00 $11,479.24 $29.43 $298.44 $200.00 $1,866.00 $350.00 $14,013.80 375 880 3,000 14,218 27 1,214 433 $248.00 $2,176.49 $310.00 $550.00 $1,042.50 50 1,871 251 1,000 211 $344.00 $1,505.84 $464.50 $50.00 $25.00 $800.00 $103.75 $50.00 $104.50 $25.00 $320.25 $2,013.40 $480.00 $15,090.51 50 4,000 12,724 2,750 15,000 All year 75 $100.00 $35.00 $510.00 $110.00 $182.35 $242.00 $2,116.92 $842.75 9,750 1,615 150 24 The Word Food for Hungry People St. Peter-Fort Worth St. Joseph-Houston St. George-Houston St. Luke-Abilene St. Anthony the Great-Spring St. Sophia Mission-Austin Our Lady of Walsingham-Mesquite St. Benedict-Wichita Falls Forty Holy Martyrs of Sebaste-Sugar Land Holy Resurrection-Gillette TOTAL WICHITA AND MID-AMERICA EAGLE RIVER AND THE NORTHWEST ALBERTA St. Philip-Edmonton $1,166.00 Church of the Annunciation-Calgary $348.00 ALASKA St. Herman-Wasilla All Saints Mission-Homer $275.00 St. John Cathedral-Eagle River $473.50 BRITISH COLUMBIA St. Joseph the Damascene-New Westminster Antiochian Orthodox Mission of Langley-Langley IDAHO St. John the Baptist Church-Post Falls $119.03 St. Ignatius-Twin Falls $474.69 Holy Transfiguration Mission-Boise $164.45 OREGON St. George-Portland SASKATCHEWAN St. Vincent of Lerins-Saskatoon $245.00 WASHINGTON St. Andrew-Arlington $774.28 St. Paul-Lynnwood $207.04 Holy Cross-Yakima $1,527.31 St. Nicholas-Spokane $225.00 St. Innocent-Everson St. Thomas Mission- Snohomish ChriSt. The Savior Mission- Spokane Valley TOTAL EAGLE RIVER AND THE NORTHWEST $5,999.30 LOS ANGELES AND THE WEST ARIZONA Holy Resurrection-Tucson St. Ignatius Mission-Mesa St. George-Phoenix CALIFORNIA Ss. Peter & Paul-Ben Lomond St. Raphael of Brooklyn Mission-Palm Springs St. Michael-Whittier St. Luke-Garden Grove All Saints Mission-Rohnert Park St. Athanasius-Goleta St. Barnabas-Costa Mesa St. Mark-Irvine Holy Cross-Palmdale St. Timothy-Lompoc St. James-Anaheim Orthodox Church of the Redeemer-Los Altos Hills St. Nicholas Cathedral-Los Angeles St. John the Evangelist-Orinda St. Andrew-Riverside St. Anthony-San Diego St. Athanasius-Sacramento $628.00 $491.71 $100.00 $618.02 $653.53 $2,835.78 $333.00 $1,185.00 $250.00 $395.25 $8,357.00 $297.00 $1,502.00 $1,775.00 350 All Year $972.98 $325.00 $1,756.75 $1,037.00 $935.92 $1,050.00 $685.50 $1,200.00 $122.50 17,500 $6,541.00 $864.00 $1,293.50 $2,466.39 18,750 All Year $998.56 $50.00 $620.00 $423.77 $1,190.39 $618.48 $3,170.00 $423.50 $721.00 $1,160.00 $262.00 $6,288.00 $600.00 $2,105.17 $2,093.83 400 20,000 All Year All Year 150 500 $300.00 $326.22 $100.00 $162.00 $1,078.00 $500.00 $500.68 1,000 $88.00 $450.00 $750.95 $1,113.69 $500.00 $3,811.80 $800.00 1,650 $10,481.34 350 $276.76 $305.73 $201.50 $100.00 $615.18 $295.00 $25.00 $667.37 $529.62 $747.62 $5,365.28 140 $100.00 $200.00 $200.00 $1,101.50 $805.38 $218.00 $661.00 $778.93 $964.09 $310.00 $223.20 $275.00 $18,556.38 264 33,569 220 2,500 3000 $541.74 $275.80 $1,097.50 $639.41 $1,097.03 $245.00 $195.00 $157.73 $75.00 $27,295.74 100 $876.85 $405.89 $996.00 $500.00 $160.00 $237.79 412 26,456 $241.42 $19,091.21 600 28,150 200 350 140 All Year 1,110 All Year All Year 1,850 All Year 873 567 502 The Word 25 Food for Hungry People St. George-San Diego St. Peter-San Dimas St. Nicholas-San Francisco St. Stephen-Campbell St. Matthew-Torrance St. Michael-Van Nuys Virgin Mary-W Sacramento St. Timothy-Fairfield St. John-San Juan Capistrano St. George-Upland St. James Mission-Modesto NEVADA St. Michael-Las Vegas UTAH Ss. Peter & Paul-Salt Lake City TOTAL LOS ANGELES AND THE WEST INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTIONS Recorded through February 28, 2006 TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS: $250.00 $725.00 $1,176.22 $593.00 $962.06 $472.50 $170.00 $210.00 75 $20.00 $1,000.00 $24,980.07 $9,495.19 $174,028.78 122,768 260 21,258 $150.00 $27,581.06 $6,475.00 $192,470.64 128,451 21,167 $300.00 $300.00 $28,783.36 $8,852.14 $180,754.75 120,441 20,902 $1,000.00 $2,260.00 $740.00 $830.12 $474.50 $2,000.00 $15.00 $412.90 $228.00 $200.00 $1,050.00 $2,650.00 $100.00 $996.84 $587.50 $1,340.50 $508.32 $225.50 1,090 Join us for the 68th Annual Parish Life Conference Diocese of Worcester and New England Hosted by St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church of Boston, June 22-25, 2006 His Grace Bishop ALEXANDER Presiding Very Rev. Fr. Timothy Ferguson, Host Pastor, Very Rev. Fr. Jean Ojaimi, Host Assistant Pastor Conference held at The Margate on Winnipesaukee, Laconia, NH Call 1-800-627-4283 by May 23, 2006 To reserve your room, Use the code “St. George” Hotel rates available two days before and after the conference. Includes daily Continental Breakfast With open arms and hearts we wait to welcome you to our Lakeside Conference. 26 The Word A reason to visit ALASKA this summer … 2 12th 0 0 6 Ann ual Dioceses of the East Eagle River Institute of Orthodox Christian Studies Parish Life Conference August 1-5, 2006 Lessons and Legacies From the Russian Church Rev. Dr. Michael Plekon Living Icons: Persons of Faith from the Orthodox Church in the 20th Century 1) Modern Martyrs: St. Mother Maria Skobtsova and Fr. Alexander Men 2) Theologians in the World: Paul Evdokimov and Fr. John Meyendorff 3) Theologians in the Church: Fr. Sergius Bulgakov and Fr. Nicolas Afanasiev 4) The Monk in the City and the Theologian of Signs: Fr. Lev Gillet and Elisabeth Behr Sigel July 5-9, 2006 Hosted by St. George Cathedral, Oakland, PA Rt. Rev. Bishop THOMAS Very Rev. John Abdalah, Dean The Pittsburgh Airport Marriott is holding a block of guest rooms at a special rate of $84.00 plus tax for single/double occupancy. Call 1.800.328.9297 by June 25, 2006 to reserve your room and reference “Eastern Region Parish Life Conference 2006 rate.” The special rate is available for two days before and after the conference. More information will be available from your parish or from St. George Cathedral at 412.681.2988. Rev. Alexander Rentel “We did not know if we were in Heaven or on Earth …:” Themes in Russian Orthodox Church History 1) The Beginning: the Orthodox Church in the Byzantine Empire and the Birth of Russian Orthodoxy 2) Celebrating the Liturgy in the Russian Orthodox Church: a Glimpse into its Heart 3) The Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries: Facing the World 4) The Trials of the Modern World: Communism, Peristroika, and the Global Economy Sponsored by: Saint John Orthodox Cathedral P.O. Box 1108, Eagle River, Alaska 99577 (907) 696-2002 e-mail: StJohnERI@aol.com The Word 27 Second Annual Diocese of Miami and the Southeast Saint George San Diego Proudly hosts the Parish Life Conference His Grace Bishop ANTOUN Presiding 51st Annual Parish Life Conference Diocese of Los Angeles and the West May 24-28, 2006 Memorial Day Weekend Celebrating with us will be His Grace Bishop JOSEPH. In addition, we are pleased to announce the Very Reverend Father Thomas Hopko as our Keynote Speaker. Come and listen to their word as they discuss the 2006 theme. June 14-18, 2006 Westin Atlanta North Atlanta, GA $89 a night + tax + free parking Call 1-888-733-7666 Ask for the “Southeast Diocese PLC” room rate. The Host Priests, V. Rev. Fr. Hanna Sakkab & Assistant, V. Rev. Fr. George Morelli, invite you to join us in beautiful San Diego for a weekend of spiritual events and a revival of old friendships! The Sheraton Harbor Island & Marina is holding a block of guest rooms at the special rate of $125 per night. Call (877) 734-2726 by May 1, 2006 to reserve your room and reference “PLC” for this special rate. For more information, please visit our website, www.stgeorgesd.org, or email plc@stgeorgesd.org, or call the church office at 619-282-2417. Reservation deadline is May 15, 2005 Conference Highlights: Bible Bowl (Acts), Teen Activities, Women’s Luncheon, Order of St. Ignatius Dinner, Men’s Brunch, Oratorical Contest, Workshops, Creative Arts, Golf Tournament, Dance, Hierarchical Divine Liturgy. Come join in the FUN & FELLOWSHIP Hosted by St. Stephen Church, Hiram, GA Phone/Fax 770-489-0010 BONUS — Reserve your room at the Sheraton and purchase your ticket book prior to May 1, 2006 and be entered into a raffle to receive your hotel stay for FREE!!! All of us at St. George look forward to seeing you at the conference! 28 The Word Food for Hungry People Program “A Gift from the Heart” Celebrate by Giving Here is an additional and special way to give to the poor and hungry and your friends at the same time throughout the year. You can give your gifts to the hungry in honor of a loved one on any occasion such as a birthday, baptism, anniversary, thank you, retirement or any other special event. “A Gift from the Heart” is also a thoughtful memorial. Please include this coupon along with your donation. We will send a personalized icon card to the person you designate to inform them of the gift you gave in their honor. Send coupon and check to: “Food For Hungry People” c/o Robin Lynn Nicholas 4237 Dundee Drive Los Angeles, CA 90027 Given by __________________________________________ In Honor Of _______________________________________ Send card to _______________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Gift Amount $__________________ (Please check one:) s s s s Baptism Christmas Retirement Birthday s s s s Anniversary Thank you Memorial Other __________________ “A Gift from the Heart” is a gift to God, a gift to the recipient, and a gift to the giver. 2006 Orthodox Institute Antiochian Village November 2-5 Keynote Speaker: His Grace Bishop MARK Diocese of Toledo and the Midwest Theme: “Sharing Your Faith” Courses will assist teachers when asked questions such as: • Why do we have to go to church? • Why do we fast? • Why are there other Christian denominations? • What is so special about our faith? • How do I explain why my friend can’t come to Communion? The Word 29 Department of development Different people, different gifts, one community “The only thing we can do by ourselves is go to hell.” This stern saying underscores an important truth of our faith – we find our salvation and the meaning of our lives in community with others. The Church is the Body of Christ, and each of us brings to this mystical Body our own gifts and talents. We are living icons of God. “God is love,” we read in 1 John 4:8. God is love because God Himself is community, is relationship. Bishop Kallistos Ware said, “God is not a unit, but a union. God is love in the sense of shared love, the mutual love of three Persons in one.” Bishop Kallistos teaches that, because humans are created in God’s image, it is also true that “the human person is created for relationship.” In my encounters with Orthodox Christians throughout America, I’m continually impressed by the myriad ways that this truth is lived out in individual parishes, communities where the Holy Spirit empowers life and growth by bringing together people and all the gifts they possess. Holy Cross Antiochian Orthodox Church in Holly Hills, Florida (metro Daytona), led by Fr. Michael Byars, exemplifies this transformation. Fr. Michael and his wife Denise have led Holy Cross since 1995. The church began in 1993 when three faithful Orthodox Christians came together and reached out for assistance to the Antiochian Archdiocese Missions and Evangelism Department, Fr. Peter Gillquist, and Fr. Michael Keiser, Missions Director for the Southeast United States. On March 21, 1993, the Feast of the Adoration of the Holy Cross, they celebrated their first Liturgy, in a parishioner’s home. A few months later, Fr. David Randolph was appointed priest of the provisional mission. Holy Cross thrives today because different people have offered their different gifts to the community. Like every Holy Cross Orthodox Church today, which the parish fills to overflowing Holy Cross’s new five acre property with an existing structure. Purchase made possible by God’s grace, the sacrificial giving of many, including Mike Atamanec’s bequest. The parish hopes to begin worshiping here in September. parish, the community has overcome adversity, including damage from fire and hurricane. The spiritual leadership of Fr. Michael, Khouriye Denise and the founder priests and laity of the church is essential. The wise guidance of the Missions and Evangelism Department was also indispensable. The current growth of this community was also made possible by almsgiving from all. Let me tell you about the financial support of Mike and Mary Atamanec, a devout couple of blessed memory. Mike and Mary were raised in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Both were in their 80’s when they joined Holy Cross in 1997, and participated faithfully in the services and social functions of the parish. Early in 2000 Mary died. Mike, who had been a medic stationed in Borneo during World War II, was left alone. He developed serious health issues. Holy Cross and Fr. Michael soon became Mike’s primary source of support and fellowship. Fr. Michael helped him get into an Assisted Living Facility, and visited frequently. Parishioners 30 The Word helped him get to church, the grocery, the pharmacy and doctor’s appointments. In appreciation, Mike decided to make Holy Cross a beneficiary of his will, although he did not disclose the amount. Mike and Mary did not live like a wealthy couple. Mike and Mary Atamanec. Memory They were very frugal. Mike eternal! His legacy gift helps feed the spiritual determination of the was a retired meat-cutter Holy Cross community. who worked most of his life for A&P Grocers. But when Mike died in 2003, Holy Cross discovered that they would receive $52,000 from his estate. Mike’s legacy gift was exceedingly timely. The community has grown steadily, thanks be to God. They bought a small church in 1997, but by 2002 were bulging at the seams. Mike’s legacy gift, along with other sacrificial gifts and talents from the parish, made it possible to get over this hump. In 2005, Holy Cross purchased five acres of land with an existing structure. God willing, in September the Holy Cross family will worship in their new temple. Each of us brings something different to our communal walk with Christ. Some of us are able to bring our time, some our skills as carpenters, artists, or organizers. All of us can offer alms in our lifetime with loving humility. Also, like the widower Mike Atamanec, may his memory be eternal, we should include the church in our wills, thereby leaving an enduring legacy for Orthodoxy long into the future. His legacy gift feeds the spiritual determination of the Holy Cross community. Let’s examine our own lives, and our own gifts. And if we are blessed with the ability to offer to the Church the financial fruits of our labors, we can rest assured that in doing so we are fulfilling God’s will and laying up for ourselves treasure in heaven. For a confidential discussion of how you can contribute or make a legacy gift, contact: Ruth Ann Skaff, Director of Development Toll free: 866-765-7001 Phone: 301-765-7001 Fax: 301-765-6267 Email: development@antiochian.org by Ruth Ann Skaff Ruth Ann Skaff is Director of Development of the Self-ruled Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America. Join us for the 59th Annual Midwest Parish Life Conference Hosted by St. Matthew the Evangelist Orthodox Church North Royalton, Ohio www.stmattroyalton.org JUNE 28-JULY 2, 2006 Holiday Inn South For reservations call 216-524-8050 Metropolitan PHILIP will be with us to celebrate His 40th Year in the Episcopacy Also celebrating with us will be His Grace, Bishop MARK, our Diocesan Bishop Conference features: Organizational Meetings Bible Bowl Creative Awards Presentations Basketball for Missions Children’s Workshop Oratorical Presentations Senior Presentations Community Service Project The Word 31 communities in action St. Michael Church Initiates Building & Education Projects 2 Million Dollar Grant Makes Retirement Center Possible “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Pr. 29:18). If we can paraphrase King Solomon’s words, St. Michael the Archangel Orthodox Church in Louisville, KY is certainly proof that where there is a vision, a parish prospers. Vision and action go hand in hand Fr. Alexander Atty is pastor of St. Michael Orthodox Church, a parish of over 850 members made up of as many as fifteen different ethnic groups, and he has learned that vision often comes from a response to hard questions. “We started asking ourselves, after years of fundraising and heritage festivals, how can we help our people deepen their prayer lives? What more should we be doing to educate them about the riches of the Holy Orthodox Faith?” Retirement center underway In early January, 2006, Fr. Alexander was notified that St. Michael’s has been awarded 2 million dollars to build a retirement center on the church grounds. The vision for the project developed over several years as Fr. Alexander observed how faithfully his parishioners come to services – not just Divine Liturgy on Sundays and feast days, but Matins and Vespers, Monday through Saturday. “It isn’t easy for many of our older members to make the trip across town in heavy traffic,” he says, “but they want to be here to pray for their families and for the salvation of the world.” The possibility of providing a home close to the church for some of them began to take shape when Fr. Alexander asked architect and parishioner, Thomas Smith, to draw up plans for a St. George Chapel, summer 16-unit retirement facility. With plans in grimages to Mt. Athos. Shortly after hand, Fr. Alexander applied for and graduating from St. Vladimir Orthodox received a substantial HUD grant for the Theological Seminary in 1979, he made project. ”We still have a lot to put in his first journey to Mt. Athos to reflect place before we break ground, but this on the vocation of the priesthood before parish has proven, over and over again, taking Holy Orders. Over the nearly thirthat things get done when God opens ty years of his priesthood, Fr. Alexander our hearts to accomplish something has returned there many times. “With important.” every trip to the Holy Mountain,” he recounts, “my heart burned more and more with the desire to bring something of that experience back to my people.” That something was actualized in a very concrete way with the building of St. George Chapel in 1999. From sketches the monks of St. Anne Skete gave Fr. Alexander during one of his pilgrimages, Thomas Smith designed a replica of St. George Church on Mt. Athos, where the Brotherhood of Kartsone, one of the many monastic houses associated with St. Anne Skete, worship. Almost as soon as it was built, St. George Chapel in Interior of St. George Chapel Louisville became the spiritual pulse of worship for St. Michael’s community, as members began to gather there daily to St. George Chapel, the spiritual glorify the Holy Trinity. pulse of worship “We have a large main church of St. The proposed retirement center, as Michael the Archangel, and we fill it well as dozens of charitable works that every Sunday,” states Fr. Alexander. St. Michael’s supports, are an out- “But this beautiful little jewel of St. growth of the daily rule of prayer estab- George is a place where the daily cycle lished in the small Byzantine-style of Matins and Vespers is lived out, much chapel of St. George, situated on the like it is in the monasteries on Mt Athos. grounds of St. Michael’s. The inspira- Our parishioners even have keys to the tion for building the chapel, in turn, chapel so they can go there to pray any arose from Fr. Alexander’s many pil- time, night or day.” Appropriately, the 32 The Word new retirement center will be built within a few feet of St. George Chapel. Education workshop on iconography offered Building is not the only vision St. Michael’s pursues. “Education is a major part of what we do here to help our people fully experience the Orthodox faith,” Fr. Alexander explains. “Because the holy icons hold a special place in our theology which is often misunderstood, St. Michael’s is holding an important educational program on iconography the week of July 23-29, 2006, which includes both public lec- Hand and artistry of Master Iconographer tures and practical instruction in the Xenia Pokrovsky art of icon writing.” Master Iconthe workshop is available at: ographer Xenia Pokrovsky, formerly of stmichaelorthodoxchurch.com or hexaMoscow, will teach a six-day course in emeron.org. icon writing from the perspective of the iconographic canon and the rubrics of St. Michael Institute for Orthodox traditional Orthodox Church teaching. Studies continues “Pokrovsky has been painting icons Another important educational profor nearly four decades and she has had gram the parish sponsors is the annual a worldwide influence on the revival of St. Michael Institute for Orthodox this ancient tradition. We are honored Studies. The first Institute, held in to have her here,” says Fr. Alexander. 2004, was a small beginning that con“This is a unique opportunity for us to centrated mainly on theology and bibliexamine the meaning of icons in cal studies, but it drew an enthusiastic crowd from Orthodox parishes in the region. Encouraged by its success, the 2005 Institute was expanded to offer sessions on parish council responsibility, church architecture and liturgical music. Fr. Michael Dahulich, Dean of St. Tikhon Theological Seminary, was a featured speaker. Dr. David Drillock, Professor Emeritus of Liturgical Music at St. Vladimir Orthodox Theological Seminary, held a workshop for choir members in the diocese. The Third Annual St. Michael Institute for Orthodox Studies is scheduled for the weekend of September 22 and 23, 2006. “We have tapped a real need,” Fr. Alexander affirms, “and, with God’s help, Master Iconographer Xenia Pokrovsky Orthodox worship, and it is also a way for us to share that understanding with the broader community – participants from as far away as Wyoming are coming.” Information on how to register for we will keep refining and redefining our delivery to meet that need. We’re putting together an exciting agenda for 2006 that will help both clergy and laity overcome the challenges of living a Christ-centered life in a society that is increasingly hostile to our Christian faith.” The Institute is offered without charge to anyone interested in deepening their understanding of the Orthodox Church. Contact: Fr. Alexander Atty, pastor of St. Michael Orthodox Christian Church at 502-454-3378; fratty@bellsouth.net Dr. David Drillock conducts choir workshop at 2005 St. Michael Institute for Orthodox Studies. Fr. Alexander Atty and architect Thomas S. Smith Fr. Alexander Atty, pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Orthodox Church The Word 33 The Orthodox World IOCC Initiatives In Middle East Equip Vulnerable Communities Jerusalem/Amman (IOCC) — The inauguration of the At-Tayba Community Center in the Ramallah district of the West Bank on August 10 constitutes a significant step in providing the most at-risk segments of this village — women and children — access to education and knowledge. The Community Center, with its new library and Internet technology center, was made available to the local community by International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) with support from the Government of Greece. The Center is a natural outgrowth of the successful “Women’s Emergency Employment Program” funded by IOCC in 2004 that trained village women in bee-keeping. The group eventually organized themselves, and was recognized as the “Tayba Cooperative for Rural Development,” and is pursuing other ways to enhance their growing community. The ribbon-cutting for the Internet technology center and library was conducted by the Deputy Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem, Ms. Sophia Tamatali, and others. During the ceremony, attended by various dignitaries from the Palestinian Authority, the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches, the village, and the IOCCJerusalem office, Ms. Tamatali reiterated the Greek Government’s continuing support for IOCC’s important work on these types of community projects. “Coming from a village myself, I can understand the value of such a project,” observed Ms. Tamatali. “This is the second phase of the program which has had a positive impact in the Palestinian society.” Ten days previously, in the neighboring country of Jordan, IOCC partnered with the Jordan River Foundation to support the Al Karma Center, which was opened in 2002 in order to serve the local community with income-generation and employment projects. The Center includes five projects: a nursery, commercial kitchen, computer training institute, the Wadi Al Rayan Handicrafts Project, and the Jordan River Designs Project. IOCC’s grant to the Center will concentrate in the area of handicrafts, providing sewing machines, tools, and embroidery equipment. The Center provides employment to more than 200 vulnerable and disadvantaged women who will undergo extensive training before receiving the materials. These women, who are the primary — if not only — job-holders in the home, will be empowered through this work to improve living conditions for themselves and their families IOCC’s partner in this project is the Jordan River Foundation, a non-governmental organization established in 1995 and chaired by Her Majesty Queen Rania. IOCC began its operations in Jordan in January of this year. IOCC has been active in the Middle East since 1997, when it began humanitarian programs in Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Founded in 1992, IOCC is an official humanitarian agency of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA). To learn more about IOCC’s relief and development programs in the Middle East and around the world, please visit www.iocc.org. “Oldest Church” in Holy Land Found at Israeli Prison By Michele Green Jerusalem, 7 November (ENI) — Israeli archaeologists have uncovered near a prison what they believe could be the oldest church ever found in the Holy Land — a discovery that experts say may shed new light on early Christianity. The structure was discovered in Megiddo, lower Galilee, near a site traditionally believed to be the Armageddon described in the New Testament’s Book of Revelation, where the final battle between good and evil is prophesied to occur. Dating back to around the third century, the church was discovered during an archaeological dig in the grounds of the Megiddo Prison where Israel jails hundreds of Palestinian security prisoners along with ordinary convicts. Inmates detailed to work on an excavation discovered it. The small, rectangular building lacks the characteristics of later churches. But it contains mosaics said to be breathtaking, including one of a fish design. It also contains a Greek inscription that mentions a woman called Ekeptos who “donated this table to the God Jesus Christ in commemoration.” “It’s a historic discovery that serves 34 The Word PRAYING FOR THE VICTIMS — Ecumenical Patriarch BARTHOLOMEW I, the Orthodox Christian leader, surveyed damage in New Orleans recently. as confirmation to Christians all over the world,” Archbishop Pietro Sambi, Vatican envoy to the Holy Land, told Israeli television. It appears that a table rather than an altar stood at the center of the church at which a sacred meal was held to commemorate the Last Supper of Jesus. Researchers said the apparent use of a table sheds new light on early Christian rituals. “This is a unique and important structure that expands our understanding of the early period of Christianity as a recognized and official religion,” said Jotham Tefer, who supervised the excavation. The building is believed to be one of the oldest Christian holy sites in the region. Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of the crucifixion, dates to about AD 330 but it contains only scant remains of the original structure. “Christian religious structures from this period are a rare archaeological find in Israel,” Tefer said. The mosaics were so rare archaeologists said they would have to compare them with discoveries in Antioch or Rome rather than Christian mosaics found locally which are from slightly later periods. Christian scholars say the building could provide a wealth of information on early Christianity practiced in the Holy Land in the first two centuries after the crucifixion. The Word 35 THE WORD 358 Mountain Road PO Box 5238 Englewood, NJ 07631-5238 Periodical postage paid at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania If only this fairy-tale were true. Make some dreams come true, and we promise a happily ever after. Learn more about the good works of The Order of St. Ignatius of Antioch. 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