Orthodox ChurchThe

Keeping the light of faith alivefrom Pascha to

Pentecost

VOL 44/NO 2 VOL 44/NO 2 VOL 44/NO 2 VOL 44/NO 2 VOL 44/NO 2 PASCHA/PENTECOST 2008 PASCHA/PENTECOST 2008 PASCHA/PENTECOST 2008 PASCHA/PENTECOST 2008 PASCHA/PENTECOST 2008 THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IN AMERICA THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IN AMERICA THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IN AMERICA THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IN AMERICA THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IN AMERICA www.oca.org www.oca.org www.oca.org www.oca.org www.oca.org

OfficialNo. 486 JANUARY 2008

ORDINATIONSFRIESEN, G. Daniel was ordained to the HolyDiaconate on December 23, 2007 by Archbishop Sera-phim of Ottawa and Canada at St. Herman of AlaskaSobor, Edmonton, AB, Canada. He is under theomophorion of Archbishop Seraphim and attached to theArchdiocese of Canada.GULIN, Nikolai was ordained to the Holy Diaconateon January 19, 2008 by Metropolitan Herman at HolyTrinity Church, Brooklyn, NY. He is under the omophor-ion of Metropolitan Herman and attached to the Dio-cese of Washington and New York.STOICA, Deacon Narcis was ordained to the HolyPriesthood on December 30, 2007 by Bishop Varsanufieof the Romanian Orthodox Church on behalf of Arch-bishop Nathaniel of Detroit and the Romanian Episco-pate at Radu Voda Monastery, Romania. He is underthe omophorion of Archbishop Nathaniel and attached tothe Romanian Episcopate.WASIELEWSKI, Deacon Terenti was ordained to theHoly Priesthood on January 27, 2008 by MetropolitanHerman at St. Nicholas Church, Cohoes, NY. He isunder the omophorion of Metropolitan Herman and at-tached to the Diocese of Washington and New York.

ASSIGNMENTSBINGHAM, The Rev. John is released from duties atSt. Nicholas Church, Langley, BC, Canada and at-tached to St. Herman of Alaska Church, Langley, BC,Canada. His duties in the Yukon Territory remain thesame/ January 3, 2008.BRUNER, Deacon Gregory is released from duties atSt. John the Forerunner Church, Indianapolis, IN andattached to Holy Ascension Church, Albion, MI/ Janu-ary 28, 2008.FRIESEN, Deacon G. Daniel is attached to St. Hermanof Alaska Sobor, Edmonton, AB, Canada/ December23, 2007.GULIN, Deacon Nikolai is attached to Holy TrinityChurch, Brooklyn, NY/ January 19, 2008.KALUZHNYI, The Rev. Alexei is released from dutiesat Holy Resurrection Church, Claremont, NH, and fromhis on-loan status to the Diocese of New England andreturned to the omophorion of Archbishop Seraphim ofOttawa. He remains attached to the Bishop’s Chapel ofSt. Silouan the Athonite, Johnstown, ON, Canada/ Janu-ary 8, 2008.KLUCHKO, The V. Rev. John is released from dutiesat Holy Resurrection Church, Belle Vernon, PA andgranted retirement/ January 7, 2008.SMOLCIC, The V. Rev. Samuel is released fromduties at Holy Resurrection Church, West Brownsville,PA and appointed rector of Holy Resurrection Church,Belle Vernon, PA/ January 20, 2008.STOICA, The Rev. Narcis awaits assignment/ De-cember 30, 2007.WASIELEWSKI, The Rev. Terenti is appointed actingrector of St. Nicholas Church, Cohoes, NY/ January27, 2008.

RETIREDKLUCHKO, The V. Rev. John is granted retirement.He is attached to St. Basil Chapel, Cranberry Town-

2 VOLUME 44 2

ship, PA/ January 7, 2008. DEATHS

[EYKALOVICH], Hegumen Gennady died in retire-ment on January 10, 2008. May his memory be eter-nal!SZYRYNSKI, The V. Rev. Gregory, rector of HolyMyrrhbearing Women Church, West Sacramento, CA,died on January 15, 2008. May his memory be eternal!

from these assignments and granted a leave of absencefor six months. He is attached to St. Seraphim of SarovCathedral, Dallas, TX/ February 21, 2008.

RELEASEDKUCHTA, The V. Rev. Waldemar is released fromduties at the Bishop’s Chapel of St. Silouan the Athonite,Johnstown, ON, Canada and from the omophorion ofArchbishop Seraphim of Ottawa; transferred to the omo-phorion of Metropolitan Herman; and granted a canoni-cal release to the omophorion of Metropolitan Joseph ofthe Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA,Canada, and Australia/ February 27, 2008.TEFFT, Deacon Alexander is released from duties atthe Bishop’s Chapel of St. Silouan the Athonite,Johnstown, ON, Canada and from the omophorion ofArchbishop Seraphim of Ottawa. He is transferred tothe omophorion of Metropolitan Herman/ February 27,2008. He is granted a canonical release to the Patri-archate of Antioch/ February 29, 2008.

RETIREDRESIGA, The V. Rev. Michael is granted retirement,effective January 1, 2008. He awaits assignment.

SUSPENDEDDIEHL, The Rev. Andrew, who was priest-in-chargeof Holy Resurrection Mission, Aiken, SC and attachedto Holy Apostles Church, Columbia, SC, is suspendedfrom all priestly functions, effective February 21, 2008.

DEATHSDIMITROFF, The V. Rev. Venseslav, attached in re-tirement to St. George Cathedral, Rossford, OH, diedon February 27, 2008. May his memory be eternal!KULIK, The Rev. Miroslaw, who was awaiting as-signment, died on February 28, 2008. May his memorybe eternal!RADU, The V. Rev. Romulus, attached in retirementto Holy Trinity Church, Miramar, FL, died on February11, 2008. May his memory be eternal!

PARISHESDIOCESE OF THE WEST/ New Name. The Ortho-dox Mission, Helena, MT is renamed St. Moses theStrong Mission/ January 31, 2008.

No. 487 FEBRUARY 2008

ORDINATIONSBUCK, Theophan was ordained to the Holy Diaconateon February 3, 2008 by Metropolitan Herman at St.Tikhon of Zadonsk Monastery Church, South Canaan,PA. He is under the omophorion of Metropolitan Herman.

ASSIGNMENTSBUCK, Deacon Theophan is attached to St. Tikhon ofZadonsk Monastery Church, South Canaan, PA. Feb-ruary 3, 2008.FILIPOVICH, The Rev. John is released from dutiesat St. Michael the Archangel Mission, Houston, TX andattached to St. Seraphim of Sarov Cathedral, Dallas,TX/ February 18, 2008.GOETTING, Deacon Timothy is released from dutiesat St. Anthony the Great Church, San Antonio, and fromthe omophorion of Archbishop Dmitri of Dallas and theDiocese of the South. He is transferred to the omophorionof Archbishop Job and attached to the Diocese of theMidwest/ February 8, 2008. He is attached to Christthe Savior Church, Chicago, IL/ February 15, 2008.KARBO, The V. Rev. Anthony is released from hisduties as chaplain at the Protection of the Holy VirginMonastery, Lake George, CO. He remains Rector ofSS. Constantine and Helen Church, Colorado Springs,CO/ February 17, 2008.KATSILAS, The Rev. Constantine, who was actingrector, is appointed rector of St. John the Divine Church,Windsor, ON, Canada/ February 11, 2008.KRETA, Deacon Joseph, who was awaiting assign-ment, is attached to Holy Apostles Church, Columbia,SC/ February 20, 2008.MILLER, Deacon Kevin, who was attached, is as-signed to All Saints of Alaska [St. Arseny of Konevits]Church, Victoria, BC, Canada/ January 23, 2008.POGREBNIAK, The V. Rev. Vadim, who was await-ing attachment in retirement, is appointed pastor emeri-tus of St. Spiridon Cathedral, Seattle, WA/ February 11,2008.POWELL, The Rev. Barnabas, in addition to duties atSt. Michael Church, Pueblo, CO, is appointed chaplainat the Protection of the Holy Virgin Monastery, LakeGeorge, CO/ February 17, 2008.RESIGA, The V. Rev. Michael is released from dutiesat St. Andrew the Apostle Mission, Brooksville, FL andgranted retirement/ January 1, 2008.STOICA, The Rev. Narcis, who was awaiting as-signment, is appointed pastor of Nativity of theEver-Virgin Mary Mission, Cambridge, MA/ March 2,2008.

LEAVES OF ABSENCEDIEHL, The Rev. Andrew, who was priest-in-chargeof Holy Resurrection Mission, Aiken, SC and attachedto Holy Apostles Church, Columbia, SC, is released

No. 488 MARCH 2008

ORDINATIONSKONTOS, Deacon Philip was ordained to the HolyPriesthood on March 25, 2008 by Metropolitan Hermanat St. Tikhon of Zadonsk Monastery Church, St. Tikhon’sSeminary, South Canaan, PA. He is under theomophorion of Metropolitan Herman.KSYNYUK, Igor was ordained to the Holy Diaconateon March 8, 2008 by Metropolitan Herman at St. Tikhonof Zadonsk Monastery Church, St. Tikhon’s Seminary,South Canaan, PA. He is under the omophorion ofMetropolitan Herman.URBANOWICZ, Deacon Maximus R. was ordainedto the Holy Priesthood on March 16, 2008 by Metro-politan Herman at St. Nicholas Cathedral, Washington,DC. He is under the omophorion of Metropolitan Her-man.

ASSIGNMENTSGRIGGS, The Rev. James, who is on loan to the

Official to 16

The Pittsburgh Hilton,15th All-American Council site.

TOPICS

22 Evangelization23 Christian Ed24 Youth & Young Adults25 Chaplaincies

FEATURES

2 Official4 Editorial5 Wisdom18 In Memoriam30 Resources31 Communities

InThisIssueVOLUME 44VOLUME 44VOLUME 44VOLUME 44VOLUME 44 22222 PASCHA/PENTECOST 2008PASCHA/PENTECOST 2008PASCHA/PENTECOST 2008PASCHA/PENTECOST 2008PASCHA/PENTECOST 2008

PASCHA/PENTECOST 2008 3

4 “Believe and we will see Him!”Metropolitan Herman’s Paschal message

5 When the light goes outRecapturing the joy of the resurrection

6 Contemporary Christian ClassicsArchbishop Gregory [Afonsky]: Christ and the Church

7 The Cross and PentecostSimply inseparable!

8 Time to tighten the beltMaking the best of the recession

9 A return to TraditionWe’ve got a lot to think about

10 Notes from the chancellor’s deskThe Orthodox Pastor isn’t just for pastors!

11 OCA News, Notes, Notices• Holy Synod addresses crisis in Alaskan Diocese• Metropolitan Council tackles numerous issues• Hierarchs celebrate Orthodoxy Sunday• Metropolitan Herman greets Pope Benedict XVI• Preparations for 15th All-American Council underway• Other decisions of the Holy Synod

of Bishops• Archbishop Gregory of Alaska

falls asleep in the Lord• Scholarship fund established• Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana

attends celebration of centennialof Albanian Orthodoxy in US

• Bishops Nikon, Ilia issue jointcentennial encyclical

20 Pages from our past• 2008 marks anniversaries for OCA seminaries

27 North America• Metropolitan Laurus, ROCOR First Hierarch, falls asleep in the Lord• Museum boasts largest US collection of Russian Icons• Orthodox schools conference to be held August 1-2

29 World Briefs• Greek Church elects new Primate• Bishop tells WCC: “Liberal Christianity will not survive”

FROMPASCHA TOPENTECOSTKeeping theflame offaith alive!

Photo/ NathanShackelford,Aurora, IL

Orthodox ChurchThe Orthodox Church [ISSN 0048-2269] ispublished bimonthly by the Orthodox Church inAmerica, PO Box 675, Syosset, NY 11791-0675.

Periodical postage paid at Brentwood, NY andadditional mailing offices.POSTMASTER: Send address changes to PO Box675, Syosset, NY 11791-0675.

His Beatitude, the Most Blessed HERMANArchbishop of Washington and New YorkMetropolitan of All America and Canada

Primate of the Orthodox Church in America

Archpriest John MatusiakManaging Editor

Archpriest Leonid KishkovskyEditor

EDITORIAL OFFICESend articles and photos by e-mail to

info@oca.org or by mail to the following address.One Wheaton Center #912, Wheaton, IL 60187

630.668.3071 • tocmed@hotmail.com

SUBSCRIPTION/CIRCULATIONOFFICE

Subscriptions: $30.00/year US, $40.00/yearelsewhere. To place a subscription, add or change anaddress, or unsubscribe, send an e-mail togsulich@oca.org, call 516.922.0550, send a fax to516.922.0954, or write to the following address.

TOC Circulation OfficePO Box 675, Syosset, NY 11791-0675

The Orthodox Church clearly identifies official state-ments and positions of the Orthodox Church in America.All other materials represent the viewpoint of theirauthors and should not be interpreted as expressingthe policy of the Orthodox Church in America or TheOrthodox Church.

Printed by TSO General Corporation, Brentwood,NY 11717.

The

Our Cover

Father Leonid Kishkovsky

4 VOLUME 44 2

Editorial

uring his recent visit to the United States in April 2008,Pope Benedict XVI met with leaders and representatives ofD US Christian churches, communities, and organizations.

The setting was an ecumenical prayer service at Saint Joseph’s, aparish church in Manhattan founded in the 19th century for Ger-man Catholic immigrants. The simple yet dignified ceremonyincluded an address by the Pope.

A central theme in the address was the current challengeto Christian faith in secularism and relativism. The passages be-low offer examples of the main thoughts conveyed by the Pope.

“...Of grave concern is the spread of secularist ideology thatundermines or even rejects transcendent truth. The very possibil-ity of divine revelation, and therefore of Christian faith, is oftenplaced into question by cultural trends widely present in academia,the mass media and public debate. For these reasons, a faithfulwitness to the Gospel is as urgent as ever. Christians are chal-lenged to give a clear account of the hope that they hold [cf. 1Peter 3:15].

“Too often those who are not Christians, as they observe thesplintering of Christian communities, are understandably con-fused about the Gospel message itself.... We must first recall thatthe unity of the Church flows from the perfect oneness of thetriune God. In Saint John’s Gospel, we are told that Jesus prayedto His Father that His disciples might be one, ‘just as You are in eand I am in You’ [John 17:21]. This passage reflects the unwaver-ing conviction of the early Christian community that its unity

was both caused by, and is reflective of, the unity of the Father,Son, and Holy Spirit. Only by ‘holding fast’ to sound teaching [2Thessalonians 2:15; cf. Revelation 2:12-29] will we be able torespond to the challenges that confront us in an evolving world.Only in this way will we give unambiguous testimony to the truthof the Gospel and its moral teaching.”

At the beginning of his address, Pope Benedict acknowledgedthe ecumenical work of the National Council of Churches, Chris-tian Churches Together, the Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat for Ecu-menical and Interreligious Affairs, and many others.

After the conclusion of the ecumenical prayer service, theleader of one of the major Protestant churches in the US noted ina conversation with me that, notwithstanding significant differ-ences between the Catholic Church and other Christian churchesand communities, only the Pope can convene the broad spectrumof Christians to an ecumenical prayer service. In attendance wereOrthodox (Eastern and Oriental) hierarchs; “main line” Anglican,Protestant, Pentecostal, and conservative Evangelical leaders; rep-resentatives of the great diversity of Protestant organizations andcommunities; and representatives of ecumenical organizations.

For the Orthodox Churches, the message of Pope Benedictwas welcome. The Pope’s assessment of the present challenges toChristians in mission and in the quest for Christian unity is deeplyshared by the Orthodox. And the Pope’s articulation of the waysin which these challenges must be met is in harmony with theOrthodox understanding and vision.

Pope addresses challenges to Christian faith

he Gospel of Saint John tells of Saint Mary Magdalene’s en-counter with the Risen Christ at the empty tomb. Mary weeps,T believing that someone had taken away the Lord’s body. Christ

approaches her and asks, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom doyou seek?” Not recognizing the Lord at first, she asks Him if He knowswhere the body of her Master had been taken. Jesus replies, “Mary!”and immediately she recognizes Him.

In this passage, we witness a profound encounter between the Lordand His servant. Simply by saying her name, Christ transformed herlamentation into joy. What a difference even one word, spoken at acritical moment, can make in one’s life.

Writing on this passage, Saint Ambrose of Milan offers an impor-tant insight into the nature of faith. He states that by asking Mary,“Whom do you seek?” the Lord was in effect saying, “You are the causeof your own weeping; you are the author of your own lamentation,because you are disbelieving of Christ. Believe and you will see Him.”

Looking at the world from the perspective of belief makes a pro-found difference in what we see. The homeless person that we pass onthe street, through the eyes of faith, is recognized as a living icon of theLiving God. The crying child in our arms, through eyes of faith, isembraced as a sacred trust that God has given us to raise according to HisWay. The struggles and toils of daily life, through eyes of faith, areknown to be the Cross which we are called to take up as disciples of theLord.

For most in our society, “Easter” is long gone this year. For faithful

Orthodox Christians, we have only just arrived at the celebration ofPascha. Our fasting, our prayer, our lenten journey is only now fulfilled.

“Believe and you will see Him.” The reality of the resurrection,witnessed through eyes of faith, changes everything. No longer do weneed to be subject to sorrow or fear. Christ is risen, and nothing can takeHis victorious gift of everlasting life away from us. The holy confessorsand martyrs were well aware of this. This awareness gave them thecourage to stay the course of their faith, under the greatest of hardships.Even facing the threat of death, through eyes of faith, they were acutelyaware of the Victor over death strengthening and comforting them. It isonly through our belief that we behold the full splendor and beauty ofPascha. With eyes of faith, on Pascha we become witnesses to thecomplete and ultimate victory of life over death, of freedom over captiv-ity, of God over the evil one. “Trampling down death by death,” ourRisen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ grants new life to all who believe inHim as King and as God.

I greet all of you on this radiant feast. May we celebrate the mostholy day of Pascha “with faith and with love.” May the triumphantbrilliance of Christ’s resurrection fill our lives with joy and peace. “Be-lieve and we will see Him.”

With love in the Risen Lord,

+ HERMANArchbishop of Washington and New York

Pascha 2008 Metropolitan of All America and Canada

Metropolitan Herman: “Believe and we will see Him!”

That’stheSpirit Father Vladimir Berzonsky

A little while longer the light is with you. Walk whileyou have the light, lest darkness overtake you.

John 12:35

When the light goes out

St. Cyril of JerusalemThe root of all good works is thehope of the Resurrection; for theexpectation of the recompenseprompts the soul to good works.For every laborer is ready to endurethe toils, if they see their reward inprospect; but when men wearythemselves for nought, their heartssoon sink, as well as their bodys.

St. Romanos the MelodistThe women, with mingled joy andfear, joy and sorrow, turned awayfrom the tomb, as Scripture teaches,to meet the apostles;and they said, “Whyare you disheartened?Why do you hide yourfaces? Lift up yourhearts! Christ is risen!Form choruses andsay along with us, ̀ TheLord is risen!’ He hasshone forth, He Whowas created before thedawn. Do not bedowncast, but takecourage! Spring hasappeared; come tobloom, ye branches,producing fruit and notmisery. He offers res-urrection to the fallen.”

St. Philaret of MoscowThe Apostles call themselves“witnesses of the resurrection” ofChrist, though their ministry was tobear witness not of His resurrectionalone, but also of His whole doctrine,so important do they deem the truthof the resurrection to be. Andindeed, as soon as this truth isconfirmed, so soon is also confirmedthereby the truth of all that which OurLord did and taught. But inasmuchas the truth of Christ’s resurrectionis important to faith, the truth of ourresurrection is important to our life.When this truth is confirmed, allthe rules of a holy and godly lifebecome firmly established in us.

PASCHA/PENTECOST 2008 5

esus is calling His listeners to action. “Walk,” in the passage above, is best trans-lated as “keep on walking.” Those who were on the way with Him must keep on go-J ing wherever He was moving, because He is the Light of the world. To walk away is

to stray into darkness. If it was confusing to follow Him, it was worse to forsake Him. Hewas addressing His own people, who couldn’t decide Who or What He was; however,

time was running out. It wouldn’t be long before otherswould make up their minds that He was a threat to their styleof life, and they had to be rid of Him. For us today, it means that the light of faith can be ex-tinguished when we no longer walk with Christ. That real-ity comes to me especially on Holy Saturday and Pascha.Those who have made the lenten journey approach the “fin-ish line” with radiant faces, filled with inner joy, glorious inthe presence of the risen and living Lord. They listen withrapt attention to the ultimate sermon, that from Saint JohnChrysostom, inviting all to the Feast of Feasts. So you startedat the dawn of Great Lent and stumbled along the way. It’sOK. Come anyway. Or maybe you were away until CrossSunday, but picked up from there. Perhaps something camebarging into your routine and thwarted your intentions topray, meditate, and fast, and you couldn’t do so until PalmSunday. Never mind. If your intentions were pure, thenyour heart followed suit. Don’t be shy; you are welcome. In melancholy contrast are those who appear with theirbaskets to be blessed, but have no interest in the services.

Orthodoxy is only nostalgia – for them it’s a time to recall their childhood and thePaschal traditions of their parents. They remember the past, but what they recall is ajumble of long prayers, mostly in a strange language, scents of incense and sounds ofunfamiliar chanting to which they were required to bow and make some motion beforetheir faces with their right hands. I sprinkle their baskets with Holy Water and search intheir eyes for some flicker of light, but I find either sadness or nothing at all. I look downat their children and grandchildren, wondering and hoping that maybe they will be ledby the Living Light to examine their spiritual heritage one day.

The irony of our times is that many in search of a life in Christ have found their wayto the Orthodox Church. Those who have embraced the true faith exhibit a gusto thatinvigorates us born into the faith with their enthusiasm, and the light that shines fromtheir passion glows and radiates throughout the Church. One need but notice the manyconverts who are in our clergy, even to the rank of episcopacy. Those who enteredOrthodoxy as adults in America almost exclusively populate our monasteries here. Itseems that we have more success in gaining members from the non-Orthodox than we doin rekindling the faith in those who had been baptized in infancy. Christ the Light of theworld is also the sword Who divides family members between the believers and theformer believers. Holidays are the worst of times, when those who share the blessed foodfrom the Paschal baskets are not all the same ones who have partaken of the true Bread ofLife in the Holy Eucharist.

W I S D O Mfrom the Fathers

Archbishop Gregory [Afonsky]

Christ andthe Church“This is none other but the house of God,and this is the gate of heaven” [Genesis28:17].

ince the foundation of the Church,S theological minds have tried to de-fine her essence and essential qualities.The aim has not been to discern the inner-most mystery of the Church, but to exam-ine the divine origin and nature of theBody of Christ as revealed through HolyScripture and Church Tradition. As Or-thodox Christians, we believe that theHoly Scriptures are inspired by God Him-self and that they reveal to us the way tosalvation.

We also believe that the truth aboutGod as the Orthodox Church teaches it andthe truth about God as revealed in theScriptures are one and the same; for theSource of truth, both in the Scriptures andin the Church, is the one Holy Spirit. Ourknowledge of that truth, then, is providedboth by the Scriptures and by the Church.

An individual who interprets the HolyScriptures in light of his own subjectiveunderstanding can err, be deceived, or sim-

ply exercise wrong judgment. The one,holy, catholic, apostolic OrthodoxChurch, however, can never err, be de-ceived, or be wrong in her judgment, sincethe Church is infallible and forever thesame in her nature as founded by God.

The first and most significant dogmaof the Orthodox Church concerns the HolyTrinity. Two unique qualities distinguishthis dogma – its absolute necessity for theexistence of the Church and the absoluteincomprehensibility of its essence.

The quality of “absolute necessity” liesin the fact that the dogma of the Holy Trin-ity contains within itself the whole essenceof Christian faith, as well as the founda-tion for all teaching of and about JesusChrist. As such the whole of Christianfaith, as well as particular doctrinal teach-ings, depends upon and derives from thedogma of the Holy Trinity. This fact hasspecial significance for Orthodox ecclesio-logy.

The quality of “absolute incomprehen-sibility” lies in the fact that the dogma ofthe Holy Trinity insists that the essence ofthe Holy Trinity – God’s self-knowledge– is revealed to us neither in the Old northe New Testament. We know that Godexists and that He is the Creator [Genesis1:31]; but what God is in His essence isnot, and indeed, cannot be explained. Wealso know the Holy Trinity to be the di-vine life of one divine being [Matthew28:19], but the full mystery of the Trinityis inexplicable. Nevertheless, the humanintellect tries constantly to fathom thisdogma, in order to understand and even-tually explain these mysteries as far as thehuman mind is capable.

Thus, just as we cannot speak of theessence of the Holy Trinity, which is thefoundation of the Church, so we cannotspeak of our knowledge of the essence ofthe Church – its deepest inner meaning.Although we can never know the true es-sence of the Church, we can perceive muchabout its nature through the revealed quali-ties of the Church itself made known to usthrough the Holy Scriptures, Holy Tradi-tion, and in the teachings of the ChurchFathers.

The doctrine of the Church is not thesame as the “self-consciousness” or “self-expression” of the Church. Rather, it ex-plains and describes the origin, nature, andlife of the Church – her goal, purpose, andthe means by which her purpose is ful-filled. The dogma also reveals how theChurch differs from all that is not theChurch, since the Church is not of natural,earthly origin. According to the clearteaching of our Savior Jesus Christ, thedeep and mysterious life of the Church ispermanently and unalterably animated bythe divine life of Christ Himself and of theHoly Spirit. This divine, mysterious lifeof the Church cannot be logically defined.To understand the reality of the Churchand her life, one must actually participatein that life as a member of the living or-ganism, which is the Body of Christ.

In the Church’s early history, variousheresies, such as Gnosticism, Montanism,Novatianism, and Donatism, tried to per-vert and distort a true understanding ofthe inner reality of the Church. Similarly,in our own day, schismatic or hereticalgroups are trying to present false under-standings of the Church. Secularism, rela-tivism, and neo-Donatism bring confusionand falsehoods to the minds even of Or-thodox Christians. Neo-Donatists go sofar as to speak of the Church as deprivedof grace or as being “impure.” The Churchis being replaced by notions of a “Chris-tian society” or “Christianity-in-general,”which subvert the image of the Church asthe source of the written Word of God. Itis as though the gates of hell were risingup against the Church, seeking to sepa-rate her from Jesus Christ and impedingher task of promoting salvation, a taskentrusted to her by her Founder.

Alexander Khomiakov wrote, “theChurch cannot teach against her owndogma; she cannot teach against her own

Classics to 26

VOLUME 44 2

rchbishop Gregory [Afonsky] fellA asleep in the Lord on April 15, 2008.From 1973 until his retirement in 1995, heserved as ruling hierarch of the OrthodoxChurch in America’s “Mother Diocese” ofSitka and Alaska. He also engaged in avariety of scholarly pursuits and was theauthor of several books and numerousarticles on theology and American Churchhistory.

This article is adapted from his book,Christ and the Church in Orthodox Teachingand Tradition, published in 2001 by SaintVladimir’s Seminary Press.

ContemporaryChristianClassics

It is only through this relationship that we can understand themany antinomies and even paradoxes of the spiritual life. Thismeans that when God sends us a cross in our lives, it is to prepareus to receive the Holy Spirit; and likewise, when He sends us thegrace and power of the Holy Spirit, it will be accompanied by across. This is so because God wishes us to be inspired, but notexalted [2 Corinthians 12:7].

The inseparable connection between the Cross and Pentecostin Orthodoxy is based on both the eternal relationship of the Sonand the Spirit, and their inseparability in the economy – that is, inthe incarnation, ministry, death, and resurrection of the Son ofGod. For all eternity, as we say in the Creed, the Son is “begottenof the Father,” and the Holy Spirit “proceeds from the Father.”The Holy Fathers further clarified that the Spirit proceeds fromthe Father to the Son, and rests in the Son, and is manifested fromthe Son to the Father. The Son and the Spirit dwell in one anotherfrom all eternity, and are always found together.

This eternal inseparability of the Son and the Spirit is mani-fested in the entire earthly life of the Son of God: the Spirit

InSitesPASCHA/PENTECOST 2008 7

he Cross and Pentecost are inseparable in Orthodox Christianity. The connection be-tween these two events forms the foundation – the entire paradigm – of our spirituality,T liturgical life and theological reflection, and most especially, our theology of deification.

is present at Jesus’ incarnation, overshadowing the Virgin Mary[Luke 1:35]; leads the child Jesus to the temple [Luke 2:40]; isupon Him as He reads in the synagogue [Luke 4:18]; descendsand rests on Him at His Baptism [Luke 3:22]; leads Him to thewilderness to be tempted [Luke 4:1]; casts out devils [Matthew12:28]; is present at His death on the Cross, at which Jesus“breathed forth the Spirit” [John 19:30]; and brings about Hisresurrection from the dead [Romans 8:11]. Conversely, the Spiritis sent into the world by the Son; Jesus prays that the Comforterwill come to continue His work and bring His words into remem-brance, teaching the disciples directly [John 14:16,17,26; 15:26].The Spirit in turn is given by the risen Christ: “When He had saidthis, He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the HolySpirit’” [John 20:22]. The Son and the Spirit work together at alltimes; they are, says Saint Irenaeus, the “two hands” of the Father.

Thus it is that in Orthodoxy, we stress not only the insepara-bility of the Cross and the Resurrection, but of the Cross andPentecost. True, the Cross – as well as all of Jesus’ unique claims

Pentecost to 8

&The Cross Pentecost

Priestmonk Calinic [Berger]

Tom Ehrich

Time to tighten the beltMaking the best of the recession

elt-tightening comes hard to churches. For most congrega-tions, the belt is already tight, with spending so low as toB be self-defeating. How much more can be trimmed from

budgets that are barely maintenance-level now?The burden of tightening usually falls unfairly on clergy and

lay staff. What’s the easiest way to compensate for lagging stew-ardship by members? Cut staff, cut hours, but never, of course, cutexpectations of performance and availability.

Charting a fresh financial course usually brings our junk tothe surface: festering wounds, unresolved arguments, distrust ofclergy, conflicting visions of purpose, and control battles. Whowill have the heart to consider the plunging American economy –not even the experts can avoid the word “recession” now – andmake a responsible, faithful response? Churches can deal withwars, racial unrest, changing cultural mores, new constituencies,hurricanes and death. But they flail and sputter when talk turns tomoney. They become paralyzed when the need to reconsideroperational basics becomes inescapable.

Recession exposes our fundamental dysfunction. Speakingbroadly, we don’t get along. Put another way, we don’t “play welltogether.” Clergy and laity are at odds. Lay leadership tends tobe weaker than we require. Most members see church as a volun-tary society that meets their needs, or else they walk. We tendto please people, rather than guide them across wilderness. Wecling to old ways. Except in a few traditions, we tend to acceptmarginal giving, rather than lead people, as Jesus did, to self-sacrifice and gratitude. And now a recession looms – a recessionthat probably will cut deeper and last longer precisely becausepoliticians have worked so hard to deny it and corporate leader-ship has been scrambling to hoard cash and lavish one last wad onitself.

What should congregations do?First, let’s

say the word:“recession.”That meansworseningunemploy-ment, sag-ging con-sumer con-fidence, cut-backs incapital spending, paralysis in debt markets, unsold houses, de-clining economic activity, corporate and personal bankruptcies,and tough decisions at home.

Second, let’s accept that recession is a spiritual and pastoralRecession to 28

InSites8 VOLUME 44 2

Pentecost from 7

about Himself and His teaching – can only be understood in lightof the resurrection, which confirmed Who Jesus was and all theclaims He made about Himself. If there was no resurrection fromthe dead, Jesus’ teaching and His death on the Cross would havebeen shrouded in ambiguity. But the resurrection did not answereverything: even though Jesus appeared to His disciples for 40days after His resurrection, the disciples still could not preachabout it. Only after the descent of the Spirit on Pentecost did they

have thepower topreach theresurrectionand baptize.Only afterthey had theHoly Spiritpoured outon them didthey continueChrist’s work.Without theHoly Spirit,there is noGospel.

In Ortho-dox Chris-tianity, we

expect all the blessings and good things and gifts of God – giftswhich come through obedience and love. But we do not expectthem without qualification. The one, all-encompassing Gift ofGod is His Son in the Spirit – and this gift cannot come withoutthe Cross. Hence, the glory of Orthodoxy can never be a “get richGospel,” nor that of any other worldly qualification; rather, theglory of Orthodoxy is a mature and grounded glory, a glory whichtranscends but does not avoid the misfortunes, disappointments,trials, and tribulations of this life, but transforms them. It acceptsthe Cross; it does not flee from it. Neither did Christ avoid it. Thisis a spiritual truth: only in accepting the Cross are we filled withGod’s power, and the result is resurrection unto life.

The light of the resurrection, the glory and gifts of God, restoreto humanity its authentic beauty. For this we prepare throughasceticism and fasting for 40 days, a period of self-denial, purifi-cation, and the death of the old man. But this is not done withoutthe power of the Spirit and the light of the resurrection. Thus wehear the Church sing, “Let us keep the fast with joy.” Asceticism,joy, and beauty are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary, theynecessitate each other. This is the unique balance of our Tradi-tion: the Cross, the Resurrection, and Pentecost, inseparable, asGod’s great gift for the renewal of man. Thus, on the gloriousFeast of Pascha, Saint Gregory the Theologian exclaimed, “MayHe Who rose again from the dead recreate me by the Spirit.”

May we also be so recreated.

Priestmonk Calinic is pastor of Holy Cross Church,Hermitage, PA.

he Spirit is present at Jesus’T incarnation, overshadow-ing the Virgin; leads the childJesus to the temple; is upon Himas He reads in the synagogue;descends upon Him at His bap-tism; leads Him to the wilder-ness to be tempted; is presentat His death on the Cross, atwhich Jesus “breathed forththe Spirit;” and brings about Hisresurrection from the dead.

a distant authority, but godly acceptance of the local pastoralleadership. Saint Ignatius always speaks of priests – presbyters,to give their earliest and most accurate title – in the plural, sincethey formed a united council in the local church. They shared therule with the bishop, advising him and handling the day-to-dayadministration.

What is particularly interesting in the letters of Saint Ignatiusis the relationship of the presbyters with their bishop. That is, thepresbyters, with the deacons, formed a single harmonious whole.In his letter to the Philadelphians, Saint Ignatius tells the faithful,“Give heed to the bishop, and the presbytery [note that they forma single council], and the deacons.” To the Trallians, he writesthe same thing: “Let all men respect the deacons as Jesus Christ,even as they respect the bishop as a type of the Father, and thepresbyters as the council of God and as the college of the apostles.”

This unity of the “college of presbyters” with their bishop isseen even more clearly in Saint Ignatius’ letter to the Ephesians,to whom he writes, “It becomes you to run in harmony with themind of the bishop. For your honorable presbytery is attuned tothe bishop, even as its strings are attuned to a lyre.” The presby-ters are joined to their bishop, he says, just as strings are joined tothe lyre – that is, the presbyters, along with the bishop, form asingle instrument, a single united whole.

This continued to be the practice throughout the entire pre-Nicene period. In his book, Jurisdiction in the Early Church,Gregory Dix makes some illuminating points about the nature ofthe early episcopate and its relationship to the presbyterate, ex-amining their respective functions as found in the prayers of ordi-nation. In the prayers of ordination to the episcopacy, as found inHippolytus’ Apostolic Tradition, the bishop is still the local pas-tor of his community. His function is to “liturgize” (i.e., to pre-side at the Liturgy), to “bind and loose” (i.e., to excommunicateand reconcile penitents to the Church), to “give lots” (i.e., toordain), to “loose every bond” (i.e. to exorcise). In all this we seethat the bishop’s function is that of the local pastor.

The ordination prayer for presbyters omits all this. This prayerasks God to “fill [the candidate] with the Spirit of grace and coun-sel, that he may share in the presbyterate and govern [God’s]people with a pure heart.” The emphasis here is on governing,ruling, and administrating – functions crucial in the day-to-daylife of the Church. By “counsel,” the prayer meant “effectivedecision-making,” actually ruling in the Church. The presbyters,functioning as a college, gave or withheld their consensus for allthat went on. This is seen clearly, Dix says, in such works as theApostolic Church Order. The presbyterium was responsible to“give praise and blame for whatever needs it,” to “have the care ofthe Church,” to “punish wrongdoers.” They did not functionsimply as a rubber-stamp for the bishop; it was they who made thedecisions. To be sure, the bishop, as the local pastor, possessedgreat moral authority among his flock, and it was this moral au-thority, derived from his function as pastor and “president of theEucharistic assembly,” that allowed him to exercise effective lead-ership. But in all this, he needed the assent of his council ofpresbyters; he did not function in isolation from them, but inunity with them.

Tradition to 30

9

Father Lawrence Farley

A return to TraditionWe’ve got a lot to think about

s I was laid up in bed recently following eye surgery,I found myself listening to tapes of Father AlexanderA Schmemann’s classroom lectures I had recorded in 1983.

While his words about the ordination and functions of bishopsand presbyters helped bring together much of what I had beenreading in the past, they also seemed to contain a prescriptionthat could help our beloved Orthodox Church in America today.

One of the earliest functions of a bishop was that ofsumpresbyteros, or co-presbyter. The title, used by Saint Peter inis first epistle 5:1, reflects the consistent and early apostolic tradi-tion that bishops do not rule their churches as pastors in isolationfrom the presbyters – much less as rulers over them – but along-side them. The presbyters, in fact, formed a single group – thepresbyterium of the bishop, his council, apart from whose wisdomand guidance he would do nothing.

We see this reality reflected in the letters of Saint Ignatius ofAntioch, who was martyred about 107 AD. In his day, the bishopwas the local pastor of the community. All the Christians in agiven city or locality met together on Sunday, ideally in the sameplace, sharing the one Eucharist, with the bishop as celebrant andpreacher. As the local pastor, it was the bishop who baptized allthe Christians of that city, or who authorized their baptisms. Itwas the bishop who excommunicated grievous offenders whenthey sinned, and who reconciled them, when repentant, to thecommunion and fellowship of the Church. Each person in thelocal community knew his bishop well – not surprisingly, since itwas the local faithful who chose and elected one of their own tobe their bishop. The letters of Saint Ignatius presuppose thiswarm and close relationship shared by the bishop, as the localpastor, and his flock. When Saint Ignatius counsels the faithful tosubmit to their bishop, he is not counselling blind submission to

14

NOTES

Father Alexander Garklavs

Not for pastorsonly

he recent republication of TheT Orthodox Pastor by ArchbishopJohn [Shahovskoy] is a notable event. Thebook – one of the very first publicationsfrom Saint Vladimir’s Seminary Press over30 years ago – has long been out ofprint. It is still one of the very few worksin the English language in the special-izes field known as pastoralia, that is,works devoted to issues that face parishpriests.

Originally, The Orthodox Pastor waspublished in the Russian language in Eu-rope during the 1930s. It was written bya young priestmonk who realized that hisclerical colleagues, deprived of access tobooks about pastoral theology, were indesperate need of such resources to helpthem in their ministries. The book is a“quiet classic,” not a world-renownedbest-seller, but a sincerely thought outand compelling text that cannot fail toinspire a sincere reader. Despite its beingwritten with a particular place and timein mind, the book is really amazing be-cause, as Father Alexander Schmemannnotes in the book’s introduction, pasto-ral work, “dependent as it is on ever-changing ‘situations’ and ‘cultures,’ re-mains essentially the same in all of them,for its only real object is the human souland its eternal destiny.”

The book stands by itself as an excep-tional achievement, but the author is aperson of note who has been neither rec-ognized nor appreciated as he should be.Archbishop John [Shahovskoy] belongsto that small but outstanding group ofEuropean-born bishops who came to theUS after World War II and became influ-ential ecclesiastical leaders in what thenwas called “the Metropolia” and wouldbecome the Orthodox Church in America.Archbishop John’s background is quiteextraordinary. He was born into Russian

nobility as Prince Dmitri Shahovskoy inSaint Petersburg in 1902. The RussianRevolution forced his family to flee west-ward, while young Dmitri served in theWhite Army during the Russian Civil War.Eventually settling in France, he studiedat Louvain University in Belgium and wasa budding writer of poems and articles. In1926, he went to Mount Athos and wastonsured to monastic rank with the nameJohn. For a while he studied theology atSaint Sergius Institute in Paris. He wasordained to the priesthood by Metropoli-tan Evlogy and sent to serve in BelayaTserkov, Yugoslavia. After several years,he was assigned to Berlin and, in 1937,was raised to the rank of archimandrite.

During the war years, Father John as-sisted many needy Orthodox refugees whocame through Berlin, providing whateverhelp his resources permitted. He arrivedin the US shortly after the war. After abrief assignment in Los Angeles, he waselected Bishop of Brooklyn in 1947. Forthree years he served as dean of SaintVladimir’s Seminary. In 1950, he waselected to the See of San Francisco, wherehe remained for almost 30 years. In 1963,he was elevated to the rank of archbishop.Retiring in 1979, he passed away ten yearslater.

Archbishop John was the Church’srepresentative at ecumenical gatherings

for a significant period of time. Whileparticipating in the work of the CentralCommittee of the World Council ofChurch, he established contacts withrepresentatives of the Russian OrthodoxChurch and was instrumental in initiat-ing the dialogue between the Metropoliaand Moscow Patriarchate that led to thereestablishment of canonical relationswith the Russian Church. This resultedin the granting of autocephaly and theestablishment of the Orthodox Church inAmerica in 1970. His legacy is preservedtoday in his extensive writings. In this

he stands out among the OCA’s past hier-archs, although Metropolitan Leonty alsodistinguished himself as a writer.

Archbishop John’s writing was varied– literary, theological, critical, and auto-biographical. He himself would probablywant to be remembered as a poet, as hehad written several volumes of poetry un-der the Russian pseudonym “Strannik,”which means pilgrim. After the fall ofcommunism, his writings were repub-lished and enjoyed popularity in Russia.Regrettably, very few of his works havebeen translated into English. One notableexception is The Orthodox Pastor.

Although the book is meant to be awork of pastoral theology, it is in manyways not for pastors only. In fact, it isrecommended reading for everyone whotakes seriously their life in the Churchbecause it outlines the features of what a“normal” Orthodox Christian parish com-munity should be like. The features thatdelineate a normal parish are the prod-ucts of cooperative efforts by both priestand parishioners. “Holy is the beauty ofthe Orthodox Church, of the icons, thearchitecture, the singing,” he wrote. “Butit is not so much by this beauty as by theprayerfulness of the celebrants and by thepious reverence of the worshippers that aman is attracted to the Church and madefaithful to it.” Holiness is only present

within the context of community. The“pastor, the church warden, the parishcouncil should be like a closely knit fam-ily, completely trusting one another andunited by the same purpose – to bringholiness into people’s lives.”

In addition to the quality of holiness,Archbishop John noted that a vibrant par-ish will always manifest the “apostoliczeal to attract new souls.” With propheticinsight for American Orthodoxy, he en-visioned that parish councils must “givea part of their time to discussing the most

Chancellor to 26

from theChancellor’s desk

ccording to Archbishop John,A “the pastor, the church warden, the parishcouncil should be like a closely knit family,completely trusting one another and unitedby the same purpose – to bring holiness intopeople’s lives.”

PASCHA/PENTECOST 2008 11

OCANewsNotesNotices

s this issue of The Orthodox Churchwent to press, members of the HolyA Synod of Bishops are making final

preparations to attend their regular springsession the OCA Chancery, Syosset, NY,on May 13-15, 2008.

Topping the spring sessions’ agendawill be a final resolution to the crisis in theDiocese of Alaska, the OCA’s oldest, thatled His Grace, Bishop Nikolai of Sitka,Anchorage, and Alaska to accept a volun-tary leave of absence at the end of April.

A brief statement, issued by the HolySynod after its April 17 special session,acknowledged the report of His Eminence,Archbishop Nathaniel and His Grace,Bishop Tikhon detailing their week-longvisit to Alaska, during which they inter-viewed numerous clergy and lay persons.The report revealed that Bishop Nikolaihad “agreed to take a voluntary leave ofabsence, to be reviewed at the May 2008session of the Holy Synod of Bishops, [andthat] His Beatitude, Metropolitan Hermantakes the responsibility of administratorof the Diocese of Alaska, effective April17, 2008. His Grace, Bishop Benjamin isnamed to assist Metropolitan Herman inthe administration of the Diocese ofAlaska.”

Earlier, on March 4, the Lesser Synodmet to address the mounting complaintsand concerns filed by Alaskan clergy andlay persons. The other members of theHoly Synod took part in the meeting bytelephone. Subsequently, His Eminence,Archbishop Seraphim, secretary of the HolySynod, addressed a letter to Bishop Niko-lai, informing him that “[the members ofthe Holy Synod] received many letters ofserious complaint from deaneries, clergy,and faithful of the Diocese of Alaska.... Notrelying on hearsay, yet acknowledgingthe seriousness of these letters, at yoursuggestion, all your brother bishops werecontacted, and they unanimously agreedthat the best course of action for you isthat you be placed on a temporary leave of

absence....”The letter went on to inform Bishop

Nikolai that, while on leave, he “will, ac-cording to the direction of MetropolitanHerman, absent [himself] from the territoryof the Diocese of Alaska;” that the diocese’sdaily affairs would be conducted by anadministrator appointed by MetropolitanHerman; and that a committee would beappointed to investigate complaints andaccusations filed against Bishop Nikolai.

The following day, Bishop Nikolai ad-dressed a letter to Metropolitan Herman,formally requesting that “if charges arebeing brought against me, then canonicalstandards be followed,” while stating thatfor canonical reasons he had no intentionof taking a leave of absence or permittingan examination by committee.

On March 7, Metropolitan Herman re-sponded by assuring Bishop Nikolai thatthe members of the Holy Synod “are not[your] adversaries; we are brothers, and itis with that spirit that you have asked forour help and we have given our guidance.

“I think you know very well that thecomplaints about your conduct within thediocese are not about your leadership style,bad press, or anything that may be pub-lished on the internet,” MetropolitanHerman continued. “The letters of com-plaint have been brought by reputablepriests and laity alike.”

Metropolitan Herman concluded bynoting that “there are no formal chargesand our preliminary investigation into thecharacter of the complains should not beviewed as taking the place of any statutory

Synod to 14

Holy Synod addresses crisisin Alaskan Diocese

READ the full text of BishopSeraphim’s March 4 letter toBishop Nikolai at www.oca.org/PDF/NEWS/2008/2008-0307-alaska/archbishop-seraphim-letter-to-bishop%20nikolai.pdf.READ the full text of BishopNikolai’s March 5 response toMetropolitan Herman at www.oca.org/PDF/NEWS/2008/2008-0307-alaska/bishop-nikolai-letter-to-metropolitan-herman.pdf.READ the full text of Metropoli-tan Herman’s March 7 re-sponse to Bishop Nikolai atwww.oca.org/PDF/NEWS/2008/2008-0307-alaska/metropolitan-herman-letter-to-bishop-nikolai.pdf.READ the full text of Metropoli-tan Herman’s March 7 letter tothe clergy and faithful of theDiocese of Alaska at www.oca.org/PDF/NEWS/2008/2008-0307-alaska/metropolitan-herman-letter-to-alaska.pdf.READ about the appointmentof Fr. Alexander Garklavs asadministrator of the Diocese ofAlaska at www.oca.org/PDF/NEWS/2008/2008-0308-alaska/metropolitan-herman-letter-re-fr-garklavs.pdf.READ the March 11 letter of Fr.Garklavs to the clergy andfaithful of the Diocese ofAlaska at www.oca.org/news.asp?ID=1493&SID=19.READ the April 17 statementof the Holy Synod at www.oca.org/news.asp?ID=1528&SID=19.READ the letter of Metropoli-tan Herman to the clergy andfaithful of the Diocese ofAlaska at www.oca.org/news.asp?ID=1529&SID=19.

I N D E P T H

A report on the May 2008Holy Synod spring sessionappears on the OCA website at www.oca.org. Italso will be published in

the summer 2008 issue ofThe Orthodox Church.

w w w . o c a . o r g

OCANewsNotesNotices12 VOLUME 44 2

Father Andrew Jarmus

embers of the Orthodox Church inAmerica’s Metropolitan CouncilM tackled a number of critical issues

at their spring session at the Chancery,Syosset, NY, March 31-April 2, 2008.

In his opening address, His Beatitude,Metropolitan Herman noted that “the eyesof many look to the leadership of the Or-thodox Church in America at this time.Some look expecting to see failure, fault,and ‘business as usual.’ Others look hope-fully, giving us the opportunity to demon-strate the sincerity of our desire to turn acorner in our Church’s life. It is our ac-tions that will show the sincerity and au-thenticity of our efforts.”

Concern for Alaska. In lengthyplenary and executive sessions, Metropoli-tan Council members discussed the crisesthe OCA continues to face. While muchattention was given to the Diocese ofAlaska, council members affirmed that theAlaskan situation was only one part of alarger struggle the Church is facing. Al-though there were divergent and opposingviews on other aspects of the OCA’s crises,council members were of one mind in theirconcerns related to the Diocese of Alaska.

In response, council members passed amotion supporting the Very Rev. Alex-ander Garklavs, OCA chancellor, “for theobvious sensitivity and rapport he exhib-ited in dealing with the people of theChurch in Alaska, and his heartfelt letterto the clergy in Alaska following the deci-sion last week of the Holy Synod to releaseBishop Nikolai from his leave of absence.”Father Alexander recently had returnedfrom a week-long visit to Alaska, duringwhich he met with the majority of thediocese’s clergy and many laypersons.

In a statement on the crisis in Alaskaaddressed to the Holy Synod, councilmembers expressed disappointment in themanner in which the hierarchs handled thecrisis. The text reads as follows.

“After long and heartfelt discussionduring our meeting March 31 to April 2,2008, the Metropolitan Council recognizes

that the current crisis in Alaska is a sourceof paralyzing dysfunction in our wholeChurch. This problem requires careful in-vestigation and consideration of fact, andwe fully understand that the competencyto take such action rests with the HolySynod, to bring it to a decisive outcomewithout delay.

“Taking account of the anxieties, fears,and pain of the Orthodox faithful of Alaska,

Metropolitan Council tacklesnumerous issues

and the deep concern expressed by all thefaithful of the Orthodox Church in America,the Metropolitan Council is profoundlydisappointed by the Holy Synod’s deci-sion to lift the leave of absence of HisGrace, Bishop Nikolai before a proper so-lution has been determined, and respect-fully asks our hierarchs – in faith, hope,and love – to immediately reverse this de-cision.”

Council members also passed a motionto provide financial assistance to Alaskanclergy wishing to meet with His Eminence,Archbishop Nathaniel of Detroit and theRomanian Episcopate and His Grace,Bishop Tikhon of Philadelphia and East-ern Pennsylvania during their on-site in-vestigation on behalf of the Holy Synod.

Finances. The Rev. Michael Tas-sos, OCA treasurer, reported that revenuesin 2007 exceeded budget by $133,787.00,while expenses fell below the $149,214.00budgeted for the year. Despite an antici-pated loss of $68,050.00 for 2007, theOCA actually ended the year with a sur-plus of $612,648.00, which included$384,496.00 realized from the sale ofChurch-owned former chancellor’s home.The 2007 surplus was used primarily to re-duce the debt owed to the Honesdale Na-tional Bank and to settle outstanding bills.

Father Michael reported that expensesfor the first two months of 2008 were underbudget by over $32,000.00. In explainingprocedural changes designed to increaseaccuracy and efficiency, he recommendedthat the certified public accounting firm ofWeiser LLP be engaged to audit the OCA’sbooks and records for the year ending De-cember 31, 2007. His recommendation wasendorsed by the Metropolitan Council.

In related financial matters, councilmembers approved the disbursement of anumber of restricted funds for their statedpurposes. They also decided to begin mak-ing payments to the 9/11 Emergency Fundby approving a payment of $25,000.00 for2008 of the outstanding $176,000.00 yetto be unaccounted for.

The Very Rev. Michael Westerberg,pension board group leader, reported thatthe OCA pension plan has been submittedfor an IRS Determination of its complianceto tax laws. He noted that, while manda-tory, determinations are periodically doneon a voluntary basis as part of IRS regula-

LOG ON to www.oca.org/PDF/NEWS/2008/2008-mc-spring-meeting-minutes.pdf toread the minutes of the March31-April 2, 2008 MetropolitanCouncil minutes.LOG ON to www.oca.org/PDF/NEWS/2008/2008-mc-spring-meeting-attached-documents.pdf to read docu-ments distributed at the Met-ropolitan Council meeting, in-cluding Metropolitan Herman’sopening address, the Amend-ment to the OCA pension plan,the treasurer’s report for Janu-ary and Feburary 2008, thecommunications protocol re:the Metropolitan Council andChancery personnel, and otherdocuments.READ the treasurer’s prelimi-nary financial statements for2007 at www.oca.org/news.asp?ID=1496&SID=19.READ the 2006-2007 financialreport and related financiallinks at www.oca.org/PDFNEWS/2008/2008-0313-financialstatements/OCA-FinancialReportfor2007.pdf.READ the Metropolitan Coun-cil’s endorsement of the V.Rev. Eric Tosi as OCA secretaryat www.oca.org/news.asp?ID=1516&SID=19.

I N D E P T H

w w w . o c a . o r g

15

tions. A letter from the IRS was sent topension plan members informing them ofthis process.

Ministries and communica-tions. In updating council members ofon the activities of the OCA’s departments,the Very Rev. Andrew Jarmus, director ofministries and communications, stated thatthe departments, whose ministries had beenfrozen during the second half of 2007, wereonce again functioning. A revised proto-col aimed at improving communicationsbetween Chancery personnel and Metro-politan Council members was approved.

Legal issues, ethics commit-tee. Attorney John Ward, who representsthe OCA in the lawsuit filed by Mrs. Eliza-beth Kondratick, updated council memberson the status of the suit. In January 2008,an ad hoc legal committee was formed towork on the Kondratick lawsuit with thecentral administration. The MetropolitanCouncil formed a standing legal commit-tee to work with the OCA’s administrationin such matters.

Council members also heard a reportfrom Mr. Gregory Nescott on the search forgeneral legal counsel for the OCA. He re-ported that the search committee unani-mously had recommended Thaddeus Woj-cik of the law firm Eaton & Van WinkleLLP. A member of the OCA, he has exten-sive experience in not-for-profit law, cor-porate governance and compliance withbest practices guidelines. Members of theMetropolitan Council endorsed the recom-mendation to engage Mr. Wojcik as gen-eral legal counsel, pending approval by theHoly Synod of Bishops.

Council members approved draft pro-cedures for the work of the OCA’s ethicscommittee, which was presented by theRev. Mark Sherman, committee chair. Fa-ther Mark also presented a report on theissue of the appointment and release of Mr.Paul Bodnar as OCA secretary. Councilmembers expressed their gratitude to ethiccommittee members for their work.

In other matters, Mrs. Carol Wet-more reported that the organizational taskforce continues to function primarily in aconsultative role. A draft of a human re-sources policy manual was circulatedamong council members. The draft is be-ing reviewed by a labor attorney.

Council to 19

Preparations for 15th All-American Council underwayt the Metropolitan Council’s March31-April 1, 2008 meeting, the Very Rev. Al-A exander Garklavs reported that plans for the 15th All-American Council, slated

to convene in Pittsburgh, PA November 10-13, 2008, were progressing positivelyunder the direction of the Preconciliar Commission.

Projected preliminary council expenses total $195,038.00 – well below previouscouncils. Parishes continue to submit their special AAC assessments.

Metropolitan Council members reviewed the proposed AAC agenda and offeredrecommendations for amendments that will be referred to the Preconciliar Commis-sion. They also recommendedthat follow-up reports on thethree initiatives highlightedat the 14th AAC in 2005 –Orthodox unity, missions, andChristian education – be in-cluded in the AAC agenda.

In order to engage theChurch’s membership in pre-senting concerns and sugges-tions to the Preconciliar Com-mission, the MetropolitanCouncil recommended holding“town hall” meetings in sev-eral geographic regions priorto the opening of the AAC.The recommendation was ac-cepted by the Holy Synod ofBishops.

According to the VeryRev. Andrew Jarmus, OCAdirector of ministries and communications, “commission members will implementinput from these meetings into the agenda of the 15th All American Council.”

Nine meeting sites, including Washington, DC; New England; Eastern Pennsyl-vania/New York/New Jersey; Ohio; Dallas; Orlando, FL; West coast location;Edmonton, AB, Canada; and Ottawa, ON, Canada, have been suggested.

On April 7, a consultation was held at the OCA Chancery, at which invited partici-pants “were able to express their concerns, which were at times in opposition to thoseof others, in a charitable and gracious manner,” Father Andrew said. Attending theinitial meeting were the Very Rev. Michael Dahulich, dean of Saint Tikhon’s Semi-nary; the Very Rev. Leonid Kishkovsky, director of external affairs and inter-Churchrelations; Protodeacon Eric Wheeler, former OCA treasurer; Deacon John Zarras, Met-ropolitan Council member; Dr. Paul Meyendorff, Saint Vladimir’s Seminary faculty;and Mark Stokoe, editor of OCANews.org. A detailed report on this initial gatheringmay be found on the OCA web site at www.oca.org/news.asp?ID=1517&SID=19.

At a meeting at the Pittsburgh Hilton, 15thAll-American Council site, Fr. Myron Manzuk,AAC manager; Matushka Myra Oleynik, layco-chair; Fr. Alexander Garklavs, chancellor; andFr. William Evansky, clergy co-chair, finalizedarrangements with Hilton rep Dana Collins [left].

Other decisions of the Holy Synod of Bishopst their special session of April 17, 2008, the members of the Holy Synod of BishopsA made a number of other important decisions.The hierarchs blessed the recommendation of the Metropolitan Council to appoint

the Very Rev. Eric Tosi as secretary of the Orthodox Church in America. Father Eric,longtime rector of Saint Paul the Apostle Church, Las Vegas, NV, is expected to beginhis duties in the summer.

Attorney Thaddeus Wojcik, a member of the OCA with vast legal experience, wasnamed general legal counsel of the Orthodox Church in America.

The Holy Synod also blessed the formation of a standing Metropolitan Councillegal committee, consisting of Gregory Nescott, Sergei Givotovsky and Angela Parks.

A report on these decisions may be found on the OCA web site at www.oca.org/News.asp?ID=1528$SID=19.

PASCHA/PENTECOST 2008

OCANewsNotesNotices14 VOLUME 44 2

Synod from11

Alaskan dioceseor canonical procedures, should they evenbe required.” He added that the investi-gating committee will be composed of themembers of the Holy Synod and empha-sized that Bishop Nikolai’s leave of ab-sence “is mandatory,” and that failure tocomply could have serious consequences.

Concurrently, Metropolitan Hermanaddressed a letter to the clergy and faithfulof the Diocese of Alaska, stating that “ef-fective March 4, 2008, His Grace, BishopNikolai was placed on a mandatory leaveof absence and is required to leave the dio-cese, during which time there will be a pre-liminary investigation into the complaintsthat were made.” He also announced thatthe Very Rev. Eugene Vansuch had been

appointed to administer the diocese andthat he would be directly responsible tothe Primate and the Holy Synod. Subse-quently, Father Eugene declined the ap-pointment, at which time the Very Rev.Alexander Garklavs, OCA chancellor, wasnamed diocesan administrator.

In a March 11 letter to the Alaskanclergy and faithful, Father Alexander notedthat Bishop Nikolai had refused to acceptthe Holy Synod’s decision and had no in-tention of leaving the diocese, adding that“a committee is in the process of beingformed, from the members of the HolySynod, which will thoroughly investigatethe situation in Alaska.” He said that “thismethod is entirely scriptural and canoni-cal.” Subsequently, Father Alexandervisited Alaska and interviewed dozens ofconcerned clergy and faithful in mid-March.

Subsequently, at a special session of theHoly Synod on March 27, the hierarchs is-sued a statement that reads as follows.

“The Holy Synod of Bishops is awareof the concerns of clergy and faithful ofthe Diocese of Alaska. It recognizes theexpressed desire of their diocesan hierarchto address these concerns, and to take what-ever action is necessary to restore peace.Therefore, the Holy Synod has designatedHis Eminence, Archbishop Nathaniel, andHis Grace, Bishop Tikhon to enquire intothese concerns in the week of March 31,2008, and to report to the next regular meet-ing of the Holy Synod in May 2008. TheHoly Synod of Bishops, accepting the as-surances of His Grace, Bishop Nikolai offull cooperation with the bishops beingsent, withdraws the leave of absence previ-ously imposed.”

Bishop Nikolai’s subsequent behaviorand negative reaction to the withdrawal ofhis leave of absence, leading to mountingunrest in the Alaskan Diocese, coupledwith the reported findings of ArchbishopNathaniel and Bishop Tikhon after theirinvestigative visit, led to the April 17 spe-cial Holy Synod session, at which BishopNikolai agreed to a voluntary leave of ab-sence. At the time this issue of TOC wentto press, Bishop Benjamin and FatherAlexander Garklavs were en route toAlaska, while Bishop Nikolai had issuedstatements indicating that he would beleaving Alaska in mid-May.

Hierarchs celebrate Orthodoxy Sundayembers of the Orthodox Church in America’s Holy Synod of Bishops joinedM hierarchs of other Orthodox jurisdictions at numerous celebrations of the Sun-

day of Orthodoxy Sunday across the US and Canada.An historic Divine Liturgy marked the feast at Saint Seraphim Cathedral, Dallas,

TX, where His Eminence, Arch-bishop Dmitri of Dallas and theSouth hosted His Eminence, Met-ropolitan Isaiah of the Greek Or-thodox Metropolis of Denver andHis Grace, Bishop Basil of theAntiochian Orthodox Diocese ofWichita and Mid-America forthe concelebration of the DivineLiturgy. Later that evening, thehierarchs joined clergy and hun-dreds of faithful from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex for thecelebration of Orthodoxy SundayVespers at Holy Trinity Greek Or-thodox Church.

“This is a crowning memory forme to have my dear brothers inChrist and friends celebrate theDivine Liturgy together,” saidArchbishop Dmitri.

Archbishop Dmitri [center], Metropoli-tan Isaiah, and Bishop Basil enter St.Seraphim Cathedral, Dallas, TX, for thecelebration of the Orthodoxy Liturgy.

Metropolitan Herman greets Pope Benedict XVIis Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman, joined other Orthodox Christian hierarchs atH an ecumenical gathering honoring Pope Benedict XVI during his first US visit at

Saint Joseph Roman Catholic Church, an historic German parish in New York, NY, onFriday, April 18, 2008.

Accompanying Metropolitan Herman were the Very Rev. Alexander Garklavs, OCAchancellor; the Very Rev. Leonid Kishkovsky, moderator of Christian Churches To-gether in the USA and the OCA’s director of external affairs and inter-Church relations;the Rev. John Behr, dean of Saint Vladimir’s Seminary, Crestwood, NY; the Very Rev.Chad Hatfield, chancellor of Saint Vladimir’s Seminary; and the Very Rev. John H.Erickson and Dr. Paul Meyendorff, members of the North American Orthodox-CatholicTheological Consultation.

Pope Benedict, who arrived in the US on April 15, also visited Washington, DCbefore his return to Rome on April 20.

15

uneral services for His Eminence,Archbishop Gregory [Afonsky], re-F tired Archbishop of Sitka and Alaska,

were celebrated at the Nativity of the HolyVirgin Church, Jackson, NJ, April 18-19,2008. Interment followed in the parishcemetery.

His Grace, Bishop Tikhon of Philadel-phia and Eastern Pennsylvania, presidedat the funeral service, while His Beatitude,Metropolitan Herman, presided at the Di-vine Liturgy on Lazarus Saturday.

Archbishop Gregory fell asleep in theLord on the evening of April 15, 2008, justdays before his 83rd birthday.

The son and grandson of priests, Arch-bishop Gregory was born George Afonskyin Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 17, 1925. Dur-ing World War II, he was taken by the Ger-man army to labor camps in Germany whilehis family remained in the Soviet Union.In 1949, he immigrated to the US, wherehe served as choir director at parishes inNew Jersey and Connecticut.

After completing a degree at the Uni-versity of Connecticut, he attended SaintVladimir’s Seminary, Crestwood, NY, fromwhich he graduated in 1965. Later thatyear, he was ordained to the diaconate andthe priesthood by His Beatitude, Metro-politan Ireney and assigned to Saint SergiusChapel at the Metropolitan’s Residence inSyosset, NY (which in 1974 become theOCA Chancery) and served as OCA archi-vist from 1965 until 1971. He went on toearn a Master of Arts degree from HofstraUniversity and a Master of Theology de-gree from Saint Vladimir’s Seminary.

In November 1971, he was assigned rec-tor of Saint Nicholas Church, Portland, OR.Shortly thereafter, he was tonsured to mon-

Archbishop Gregory of Alaskafalls asleep in the Lordtastic rank at Saint Tikhon’s Monastery,South Canaan, PA, receiving the nameGregory. In March 1973, he was electedBishop of Sitka and Alaska. He was conse-crated to the episcopacy at ArchangelMichael Cathedral, Sitka, AK, on May 13,1973.

Bishop Gregory was instrumental in thetransformation of Saint Herman’s PastoralSchool, Kenai, AK, which was establishedone month before his election to the epis-copacy, into a theological seminary. Heoversaw the seminary’s move to Kodiak,where the campus grew to include class-room buildings, dormitories, a library, anda museum. As professor of Alaskan Churchhistory, dogmatic and moral theology, andcanon law, he fully immersed himselfinto the academic life of the seminary.

Bishop Gregory visited every parish inhis geographically far-flung diocese and

Scholarship fund establishedn initiative to establish a memorialA scholarship fund in memory of His

Eminence, Archbishop Gregory, was re-cently developed by the late hierarch’sfriends.

With the blessing of His Beatitude,Metropolitan Herman, “the intent of thescholarship fund will be to provide as-sistance to Orthodox residents of Alaskawho require financial aid in pursuing aseminary education,” said the Very Rev.Alexander Garklavs, OCA chancellor.“The specific details of the scholarshipfund will be developed and coordinatedby the administration of Saint Herman’sSeminary in Kodiak, AK.”

Donations to the Archbishop Gre-gory Memorial Scholarship Fund maybe sent to the Orthodox Church inAmerica Chancery, PO Box 675, Syosset,NY 11791. Please make checks payableto “The Orthodox Church in America”and indicate “Archbishop Gregory Me-morial Fund” in the memo line.

Metropolitan Ireney andArchbishop Gregory, at the time apriest, in the early 1970s with therelics of St. Herman enshrined at St.Sergius Chapel at the Metropolitan’sresidence.

delighted in attending annual regionalconferences. He oversaw the complete res-toration of Sitka’s Archangel Michael Ca-thedral, which was destroyed by a fire inthe mid-1960s, and initiated the construc-tion of Saint Innocent Cathedral, Anchor-age. He was deeply loved by his flock,especially the diocese’s native population.

In 1995, Bishop Gregory was elevatedto the rank of archbishop by the Holy Synodof Bishops. Later that year, after 22 yearsof fruitful archpastoral service in Alaska,he retired due to failing health.

The author of several books, Arch-bishop avidly researched the history of theChurch in North America. He served asepiscopal moderator of the OCA Depart-ment of History and Archives and chair-man of the Canonization Commission.

May Archbishop Gregory’s memory beeternal!

Archbishop Gregory

Bishops Nikon, Ilia issuejoint centennial encyclical

joint encyclical commemorating the centennial of Albanian OrthodoxyA in North America was issued on March 9, 2008 by His Grace, BishopNikon of Boston, New England, and the Albanian Archdiocese of the Ortho-dox Church in America and His Grace, Bishop Ilia of Philomelion of theAlbanian Orthodox Diocese of America under the jurisdiction of the Ecu-menical Patriarchate.

The encyclical opens with a verse from Psalm 122: “I was glad when theysaid, let us enter into the House of The Lord.”

The complete text of the encyclical reads as follows.“The year 2008 marks a century of ministry of the Albanian Orthodox

apostolate in North America. For the first time, divine services were cel-ebrated in Albanian in order toserve Orthodox Christians intheir own language as the firstparish was organized in Boston.Our first priest and, later hier-arch, Theophan Stylian Noli, be-gan an extraordinary and multi-faceted ministry in 1908 thatserved his people here and in thehomeland in prodigious ways.

“Over the course of the de-cades that followed, we have wit-nessed the rise of multiple juris-dictions; the intrusion of secu-lar revolutions abroad as well astheir effect on the faithful here;and the intersect of political andpatriotic considerations that challenged our communities and often dividedthem. As with all temporal struggles, we have experienced pain as well astriumphs, losses as well as epiphanies. During the last ten decades, we havelearned many lessons, and we have fallen short in embracing one another morefervently. Our separations have been due as much to circumstances as toourselves. We have shared our experience with others, since we are bothsingular as well as similar to others. We have been passionate and reasoned,strident and flexible, in seeking ways to overcome differences. Yet times ofdisunity have never clouded, nor prevented, our predecessors from fulfillingtheir episcopal roles before Christ to go forth, teach, baptize, and serve thoseentrusted to us and to our forebears.

“At this time, we remember with prayer our guiding hierarchs, BishopTheophan [Noli], Bishop Mark [Lipa], Bishop Stefan [Lasko], and the manypriests and lay men and women of our shared and faithful flock who have gonebefore us to their rest. May their memory ever be eternal.

“Despite the many challenges faced by us all, the clergy and faithful havealways remained focused on their primary duty: the proclamation of the Gos-pel and the salvation they attain through the redemptive act of Our Lord andSavior, Jesus Christ.

“We commemorate and celebrate this centennial moment with humility,recalling all that has gone before with the hope that we remain true to theaspirations and needs of future generations, yet to be saved, nurtured, andnourished.

“As those entrusted by God’s Grace to shepherd our communities, we takethis opportunity to witness together and to say together with love and hope,that we are one in Our Lord, one in the Eucharist, and one in the sentiment thatwe leave this day a better place for the generations to come. ‘How good it iswhen brothers dwell together in unity’ [Psalm 133].”

Bishops Nikon and Iliaconcelebrate the centennialDivine Liturgy, after which theirjoint encyclical was read.

16

Official from 2Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, is released from attach-ment to the Bishop’s Chapel of St. Silouan the Athonite, Johnstown,ON, Canada and assigned third priest at Annunciation Cathedral,Ottawa, ON, Canada/ March 9, 2008.KONTOS, The Rev. Philip is attached to St. Tikhon of ZadonskMonastery Church, South Canaan, PA/ March 25, 2008.KSYNYUK, Deacon Igor is attached to St. Tikhon of ZadonskMonastery Church, South Canaan, PA/ March 8, 2008.MAEV, The Rev. Yuri is released from duties at Holy VirginMary Cathedral, Los Angeles, CA and appointed acting rector ofSt. Spiridon Cathedral, Seattle, WA/ March 1, 2008.MIKITA, The Rev. John, who was awaiting assignment, isappointed priest-in-charge of St. John of Damascus Mission, Tyler,TX/ March 14, 2008.PIERCE, The V. Rev. John is released from duties at St. SpiridonCathedral, Seattle, WA. All his other duties remain the same/March 11, 2008.ROWE, The Rev. Christopher, who was attached, is appointedassociate priest of Holy Trinity Church, Overland Park, KS/March 7, 2008.SCHROEDEL, The Rev. John, who is on-loan to the Diocese ofthe West from the Diocese of the Midwest, is attached to St.Juvenaly Mission, Kona, HI. He remains under the omophorionof Archbishop Job and attached to Christ the Savior Church,Chicago, IL/ March 11, 2008.STEFERO, The V. Rev. John is granted retirement from the USAir Force/ February 1, 2008. He is released from the militarychaplaincy and attached to St. Sergius of Radonezh Chapel,Oyster Bay Cove, NY/ March 26, 2008.URBANOWICZ, The Rev. Maximus is attached to St. Tikhon ofZadonsk Monastery Church, South Canaan, PA/ March 16, 2008.WESCHE, The V. Rev. Paul, in addition to duties at St. HermanChurch, Minneapolis, MN, is appointed dean of the MinneapolisDeanery/ March 13, 2008.WOJCIK, The V. Rev. Thaddeus is released from duties atHoly Assumption Church, Lublin, WI and as dean of the Minne-apolis Deanery and granted retirement/ March 13, 2008.

LEAVE OF ABSENCE[COOKE], Archimandrite Gabriel, on loan to the Greek Ortho-dox Metropolis of San Francisco, is released from that assignmentand returned to the omophorion of Bishop Benjamin; attached to theMonastery of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco, Manton,CA; and granted a six month leave of absence/ March 12, 2008.

RETIREDWOJCIK, The V. Rev. Thaddeus is granted retirement. He isattached to Holy Trinity Church, St. Paul, MN, and granted thetitle of dean emeritus/ March 13, 2008.

DEATHSVANSUCH, The V. Rev. Eugene, rector of St. Vladimir Church,Trenton, NJ, died on March 23, 2008. May his memory beeternal!

PARISHESDIOCESE OF THE SOUTH/ New Status. St. John of Dam-ascus Mission Station, Tyler, TX is granted mission status andis now known as St. John of Damascus Mission/ March 14,2008.DIOCESE OF THE SOUTH/ New Status. St. Mary MagdaleneMission, Rincon/ Savannah, GA, is granted parish status and isnow known as St. Mary Magdalene Church/ March 16, 2008.DIOCESE OF WASHINGTON AND NEW YORK/ New Sta-tus. St. Catherine the Great Martyr Mission, Hagerstown, MD,is granted parish status and is now known as St. Catherine theGreat Martyr Church/ March 1, 2008. NOTE: * indicates non-OCA clergy.

PASCHA/PENTECOST 2008 17

oston’s Saint George Cathedral wasfilled to capacity on Sunday, MarchB 9, 2008 as the centennial of the Al-

banian Orthodox Church in North Americawas celebrated with a festive hierarchicalDivine Liturgy.

His Beatitude, Archbishop Anastasiosof Tirana and All Albania, attended theLiturgy, concelebrated by His Grace,Bishop Nikon of Boston, New England,and the Albanian Archdiocese and HisGrace, Bishop Ilia of Philomelion of theAlbanian Orthodox Diocese of Americaunder the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Bishop Nikon welcomed ArchbishopAnastasios on behalf of His Beatitude,Metropolitan Herman, Primate of the Or-thodox Church in America.

In the presence of hundreds of diocesanclergy, lay leaders, and faithful, a joint cen-tennial encyclical by Bishops Nikon andIlia was read.

It was in March 1908 that the first Di-vine Liturgy in the Albanian language wascelebrated in Boston by the Rev. Theophan[Fan] Stylian Noli.

“This was a significant moment, since

his homeland had been subjugated for fivecenturies under Ottoman rule, duringwhich time the use of the vernacular hadbeen surpressed,” said the Very Rev.Arthur Liolin, archdiocesan chancellor.“The movement in the US helped fosterthe independence of Albania in 1912 andthe formation of an indigenous and auto-cephalous Albanian Orthodox Church inthe homeland.”

In 1913, one year after he graduatedfrom Harvard, Father Theophan visited Al-bania for the first time. After his return tothe US during World War I, he was ap-pointed head of the Albanian OrthodoxMission by His Eminence, MetropolitanPlaton of North America, in 1919. Eventu-ally he returned to Albania, where he wasconsecrated Bishop of Korca and Durres in1923. One year later, he was named thenation’s first democratic premier.

“A prodigious scholar, he translatedmany liturgical books and hymnals fromGreek into Albanian, and later into En-glish,” said Father Arthur. “He also be-came a noted translator of Shakespeare,Ibsen, Cervantes, and Longfellow into Al-

Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana attends celebrationof centennial of Albanian Orthodoxy in US

banian after he returned to Boston to over-see his US-based church.”

Bishop Theophan’s academic workswere vast and widely recognized.

“His doctoral thesis at Boston Univer-sity on Albania’s 15th century nationalhero, George Castriioti Skanderbeg, be-came a classic, while his scholarly work,Beethoven and the French Revolution forthe New England Conservatory of Music,was later published and received accoladesfrom George Bernard Shaw, Thomas Mann,and Jan Sibelius,” Father Arthur added.

Saint George Cathedral and BishopTheophan’s historic connection to Alba-nia became a symbol for democracy in thehomeland when the nation began to shedits communist past in 1990. Father Arthur,who also serves as dean of the cathedral,was the first clergyman to enter the for-merly atheist nation in 1988, helping tofoster improved relations with the US.

“Today, Albania has emerged from itsisolation and is considered one of thestaunchest allies of the US in the Balkans,while also seeking membership in the Eu-ropean Union,” Father Arthur said.

Following the Divine Liturgy, guestsgathered at Anthony’s Pier 4 on Bostonharbor for a gala centennial banquet. Theproceedings were aired on the BBC andthe Voice of America’s TV.

Ongoing centennial year events, whichinclude an exhibition in Boston thatopened on May 4, will conclude with agrand gala at the World Trade Center onSeptember 27, 2008.

Archbishop Anastasios ofTirana and All Albaniacommunes during centennialDivine Liturgy.

Boston’s impressive St. George Cathedral was filled beyond capacityfor the centennial Divine Liturgy.

18 VOLUME 44 2

InMemoriamEditorial request: Please inform the TOC editorial office at 630/668-3071 or info@oca.org when a death occurs soannouncements may be made on the OCA web site and in TOC in a timely manner.

The Rev. Miroslaw KulikPORTAGE, PA – The Rev. MiroslawKulik, 46, unexpectedly fell asleep inthe Lord at his home here on February28, 2008.

Born and raised in Poland, wherehe received his seminary training andwas ordained to the diaconate andpriesthood, Father Miroslaw and hisfamily immigrated to the US in 1997.After his reception into the OrthodoxChurch in America, he was assignedrector of Saint Michael Church, Por-tage, PA, and Saints Peter and Paul Church, Vintondale, PA. Healso served as rector of Saint John the Baptist Church, Edwardsville,PA, and the Nativity of Saint Mary Church, Masontown, PA.

Father Miroslaw is survived by his wife, Matushka Eva, andtheir children Andrew, Anna, and Barbara.

Funeral services were celebrated March 2-3, 2008, at SaintMichael Church, Portage, PA. Interment followed at Holy Trans-figuration Monastery Cemetery, Ellwood City, PA.

May Father Miroslaw’s memory be eternal!

The Very Rev. Eugene VansuchEASTON, PA – The Very Rev. Eu-gene Vansuch, 66, rector of SaintVladimir Church, Trenton, NJ, andformer executive director of the Fel-lowship of Orthodox Stewards, fellasleep in the Lord at his home here onSunday, March 23, 2008.

Born in Campbell, OH, the son ofthe late Michael Vansuch and Mary[Racz] Vansuch, who survives him,Father Eugene graduated from Young-stown University in 1965 and SaintVladimir’s Seminary, Crestwood, NY, in 1967. He was a memberof the seminary’s cross-country octet.

After his marriage to the former Frances Papaharalambos, hewas ordained to the priesthood on March 12, 1967.

Father Eugene served several parishes, including the Nativityof the Virgin Mary Church, Madison, IL; Saint George Church,Trumbull, CT, where he also served as chaplain for the TrumbullFire Department; Saint John Chrysostom Church, Philadelphia,PA; Saint John the Baptist Church, Nanticoke, PA; and SaintNicholas Church, Bethlehem, PA. He also started a parish in theDiocese of the South. In 2005, he was appointed executive direc-tor of the Fellowship of Orthodox Stewards until his assignmentas rector of Saint Vladimir Church, Trenton, NJ, in 2007.

He served the Church in a variety of other capacities duringhis 41 year ministry. He was the long-time national spiritualadvisor for the Federated Russian Orthodox Clubs, today’s Fel-lowship of Orthodox Christians in America. He was a member

The Very Rev. Romulus RaduMIRAMAR, FL – The Very Rev. Romulus Radu fell asleep in theLord here on February 11, 2008.

Born August 31, 1909 in Ohaba-Forgaci, Timis, Romania, hegraduated from the Theological Faculty at the University ofCernauti in 1934. The following year, he married the formerAlexandrina Mondoc. In 1938, the couple adopted their onlyson, Traian.

Father Romulus was ordained to the diaconate and priesthoodby His Grace, Bishop Andrei of Arad in May 1936. In addition tohis parish assignments, he served as defender at the spiritual courtin Timisoara from July 1953 until December 1966, when he andhis family immigrated to the US.

After initially serving in the Romanian Patriarchate’s Mis-sionary Episcopate in Hollywood, FL, he was received into theRomanian Episcopate of the Orthodox Church in America in 1972.He served as administrator and later rector of Saint Thomas Church,Saint Louis, MO, Missouri, until April 1975, at which time he wasreassigned to Saint Andrew Church, Terre Haute, IN. He retiredfrom active ministry on January 1,1982.

After the repose of his wife, Father Romulus retired to Miramar,FL, and was attached to Holy Trinity Church, where he was deeplyrespected by the clergy and faithful.

Funeral services were celebrated February 13-14, 2008, at HolyTrinity Church, Miramar, FL, with interment at Saint Mary Cem-etery, Vatra Romaneasca, Grass Lake, MI.

May Father Romulus’ memory be eternal!

The Very Rev. Venseslav DimitroffROSSFORD, OH – The Very Rev. Venseslav Dimitroff, 84, re-tired rector of Saint George Cathedral here, fell asleep in the Lordon February 28, 2008.

Born in Bourgas, Bulgaria, in 1923, Father Venseslav spenthis early childhood in Edirne, Turkey, where his father was prin-cipal of the Peter Beron Bulgarian High School. At the age ofseven, he and his family moved to Plovdiv, Bulgaria. In 1944,just days before the communist takeover of the country, he andhis family returned to Istanbul, Turkey.

After serving in the Turkish military, he married the formerMarina Veneziani in 1955. In 1961, he was ordained to the priest-hood in the Ecumenical Patriarchate and served Istanbul’s SaintJohn of Rila Church in the Bulgarian Exarchate until July 1975.In 1973, he was elevated to the rank of archpriest by His Holiness,Patriarch Maxim of Bulgaria.

In August 1975, he immigrated to the US and was named rec-tor of Saint George Cathedral, which he served until his retire-ment in August 1995.

In addition to his wife, Popadia Marina, Father Venseslav issurvived by a daughter, Kathy.

Funeral services were celebrated at Saint George Cathedral,Rossford, OH, March 3-4, 2008, with interment at Toledo Memo-rial Park, Sylvania, OH.

May Father Venseslav’s memory be eternal!

and secretary of the board of trustees of Saint Herman’s Seminary,Kodiak, AK. At Saint Tikhon’s Seminary, South Canaan, PA, heserved as senior professor of canon law and Church history. Hewas active in local Orthodox clergy associations and the LehighValley Council of Churches. He also served on numerous com-mittees and diocesan councils, as well as serving as a member ofthe OCA’s Metropolitan Council, administrative committee, andpreconciliar commission.

Father Eugene was an avid sports fan, enjoying the ClevelandIndians and Browns as well as Youngstown University and OhioState University athletics. He particularly enjoyed watching hischildren play sports and followed their achievements as they weregrowing up.

Father Eugene will be lovingly remembered by his mother,Mary, Campbell, OH; his beloved Matushka Frances; sons BasilVansuch and his wife Katherine of Vermont; the Rev. JasonVansuch and his wife Katia, Norwich, CT; and Damian Vansuchand his wife Anastasia, Allentown, PA. He is also survived by hisbrother Nicholas Vansuch and his wife Monica, Howland, OH;four grandchildren and fifth to be born soon; and numerous aunts,uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Funeral services, at which His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman,presided, were celebrated at Saint Nicholas Church, Bethlehem,PA, on March 27, 2008. After the celebration of the Liturgy of thePresanctified Gifts the following morning, interment took placeat Union Cemetery, Hellertown, PA.

Memorial contributions may be made in care of the ConnellFuneral Home, Inc., 245 E. Broad St., Bethlehem PA 18018 forfuture distribution to the churches Father Eugene loved and served.

May Father Eugene’s memory be eternal!

Matushka Alexandra LukashonakGLENVIEW, IL – MatushkaAlexandra Lukashonak, 70, the wifeof the late Rev. Cyril Lukashonak, fellasleep in the Lord at Glenbrook Hos-pital here on Thursday, January 31,2008.

Born Alexandra AvvakumovnaHawryluk in Staten Island, NY, thedaughter of Ukrainian immigrants, shewas a graduate of the Latin AmericanInstitute, New York, NY. She was amember of Manhattan’s Holy VirginProtection Cathedral, where she and her husband were married in1962.

Answering the call to serve in the Church, she worked self-lessly to support her young daughter Anthea and husband whilehe studied at Saint Vladimir’s Seminary, Crestwood, NY. It wasduring the Lukashonaks’ years at the seminary years that theirfirst son, Andrew, was born.

After Father Cyril’s graduation from the seminary, ordination,and assignment as the first full-time rector of established HolyResurrection Mission, Mt. Prospect, IL [today Holy ResurrectionChurch, Palatine, IL], Matushka Alexandra gave birth to theirsecond son, Alexander. She took an active role in every parish

assignment by teaching, organizing vacation Church schools, sing-ing the responses at weekday services, and volunteering in vari-ous capacities. The center of her life was the Church and herfamily.

After Father Cyril fell asleep in the Lord while serving as rec-tor of Archangel Michael Church, Burbank, IL in 1985, MatushkaAlexandra became an active member of Saint Luke the Evange-list Church, Palos Hills, IL, where she continued to share her tal-ents in many ways. In 2005, she was diagnosed with nonalco-holic cirrhosis of the liver, which had gone undetected for severalyears. This disease, combined with diabetes, a recent stroke, anda serious infection, weakened her heart and led to her repose.

Matushka Alexandra is survived by her daughter AntheaCatherine, Palos Hills, IL; sons Andrew Avvakum, Lisle, IL, andthe Rev. Alexander Cyril and his wife Oksana, Wheeling, IL; hersister, Irene Christensen, Staten Island, NY; her niece and god-daughter, Lydia Christensen, Evergreen Park, IL; and several othernieces and nephews.

Funeral services were held at Saint Luke Church, Palos Hills,IL, February 3-4, 2008, with interment next to her husband atEvergreen Cemetery, Evergreen Park, IL.

Donations in Matushka Alexandra’s memory may be made toReligious Books for Russia, Inc., PO Box 466, LaGrangeville, NY12540.

May Matushka Alexandra’s memory be eternal!

Preoteasa Olga GrigorescuFREMONT, CA – Preoteasa Olga Grigorescu, wife of the lateVery Rev. Gheorghe Grigorescu, fell asleep in the Lord here onFebruary 12, 2008.

Born Olga Ionescu in Scurtesti, Romania, on September 1,1921, she and her husband were married in 1939. After immigrat-ing to the US, her husband was accepted into the Romanian Epis-copate of the Orthodox Church in America in 1990 and assignedto Holy Cross Mission, San Jose, CA, which he served until hisretirement in 2000.

After Father Gheorghe’s death on October 7, 2005, she wascared for by the Very Rev. and Preoteasa Constantin Lapustea.

She was preceded in death by her only child, Gabriel, in 2002.She is survived by her daughter-in-law, Viorica, and grandchil-dren Mihaela and Lucian.

Funeral services were celebrated at Holy Cross Mission.May Preoteasa Olga’s memory be eternal!

PASCHA/PENTECOST 2008 19

InMemoriam

Council from 13

Metropolitan Council meetsIssues related to strategic planning, including the pursuit of

Orthodox administrative unity and the function and location ofthe OCA chancery, were discussed. Council members will formu-late a process for developing a strategic plan, with the goal ofinitiating this process at the 15th All-American Council.

Committees were formed to evaluate costs associated withthe current location of the OCA Chancery and examine areas ofcooperative ministry with other Orthodox jurisdictions andagencies.

PAGESfrom our past

Alexis Liberovsky

2008 marksanniversaries forOCA seminaries

his year marks the 70th anniversa-ries of Saint Tikhon’s and Saint Vladi-T mir’s Seminaries and the 35th anni-

versary of Saint Herman’s Seminary.The Church in North America had been

without a functioning theological schoolfor nearly a decade and a half by the timeof the Sixth All-American Sobor [Council]in October 1937. Saint Platon’s Seminaryin Tenafly, NJ – originally located in Min-neapolis, MN – had been forced to close in1923 due to organizational difficulties andfinancial turmoil in the North AmericanChurch after the Russian Revolution in1917. At the same time, the steady streamof clergy and theologically educated layleaders sent from Russia to serve in NorthAmerica had come to an end. Thus, theneed for institutions offering theologicalformation had become a major concern forthe Church during preparations for the 1937Sobor.

The Pre-Sobor Commission asked Dr.Basil Bensin, who had helped to organizethe seminary in Minneapolis in 1905 andhad taught there for several years, to pre-pare a report to the Sobor advocating theestablishment of an academically-orientedtheological school, similar to Russia’s theo-logical academies, to educate clergy andlay leaders for the Church’s increasinglysophisticated North American flock. Hav-ing also heard similar proposals for the es-tablishment of pastoral schools at SaintTikhon’s Monastery, South Canaan, PA,and in Chicago, Sobor delegates unani-mously decided to accept all three propos-als and appointed commissions to explorethe feasibility of establishing schools inthe three locations.

Saint Vladimir’s Seminary.While plans for a theological school in Chi-cago proved unfeasible, Saint Vladi-mir’sSeminary in New York City opened onOctober 3, 1938. Three weeks later, on Oc-tober 24, a pastoral school under the direc-

tion of retired Bishop Arseny [Chahovtsev]opened at Saint Tikhon’s Monastery.

Dr. Bensin personally spearheaded themonumental task of making Saint Vladi-mir’s Seminary a reality within a year.Bishop Makary [Ilyinsky], former dean ofSaint Platon’s Seminary, became theseminary’s first dean. MetropolitanTheophilus [Pashkovsky], the Church’s Pri-mate, celebrated the seminary’s openingservice at Brooklyn’s Holy Trinity Churchon October 3, 1938, while classes beganthe following day in the parish house ofChrist the Savior Church on East 121 Streetin Manhattan. Originally, the seminary ac-cepted high school graduates who, whilepursuing a five-year course of study at theseminary, also attended Columbia Col-lege, with which academic affiliation hadbeen established. In 1939, the seminarymoved to temporary quarters at GeneralTheological Seminary. During the tenureof its second dean [1944-47],Archimandrite Dionysius [Diachenko],Saint Vladimir’s moved to quarters rentedfrom Union Theological Seminary, whereit would remain until the acquisition of itsown campus some 15 years later. Duringthe tenure of the seminary’s third dean[1947-50], Bishop John [Shahovskoy], aprovisional charter was granted by theBoard of Regents of the University of theState of New York on June 18, 1948, offi-cially establishing the seminary as “an in-stitution of higher learning.”

The seminary’s permanent charter fromNew York State, granted in 1953, wasachieved through the efforts of its fourthdean, Father Georges Florovsky [1950-55],whose leadership reoriented the seminarytowards becoming an accredited graduateschool. The growing number of facultymembers arriving from Europe in the 1950sfurther elevated the seminary’s academicstandards and enhanced its reputation.

In 1955, Father Georges was succeededby Metropolitan Leonty [Turkevich], whileFather Alexander Schmemann, who servedas dean from 1962 until 1983, became thedynamic force guiding the seminary’s day-to-day life.

In 1961, the seminary acquired a per-manent campus in Crestwood, NY. In ad-dition to the expansion of the physicalplant, the seminary successively securedstate accreditation for the granting of vari-ous degrees from the 1960s through the1980s; obtained provisional and then per-

manent accreditation in 1966 and 1973respectively through the Association ofTheological Schools in the United Statesand Canada; and nurtured a new Ameri-can-born generation of faculty. At the sametime, the demographics of the student bodychanged to include an increasing numberof converts, women, and married students.SVS Press became one of the leading pub-lishers of English-language Orthodox theo-logical literature, and the seminary’s repu-tation as a leading center of Orthodoxthought continued to grow. Building onthese significant developments, SaintVladimir’s Seminary continued to prosperand grow under its successive deans: Fa-ther John Meyendorff [1984-92], FatherThomas Hopko [1992-2002], and FatherJohn Erickson [2002-2007]. The develop-ment of a far-reaching strategic plan and asuccessful capital campaign financed con-struction of a new library in 2002 and mar-ried student housing. Under the leader-ship team appointed in 2007 – Father JohnBehr, dean, and Father Chad Hatfield, chan-cellor – a new curriculum, carefully devel-oped over several years, was implemented.

Saint Tikhon’s Seminary. Asa young priest in 1905, Bishop Arseny hadbeen the driving force in realizing the vi-sion of Saint Tikhon, Archbishop of NorthAmerica, to establish a monastery in SouthCanaan, PA. More than three decades later,after his retirement from archpastoral min-istry in Canada, Bishop Arseny was calledto oversee the establishment of a pastoralschool at Saint Tikhon’s Monastery. Hisskillful leadership was recognized with hiselevation to the rank of Archbishop in1939, while the school was granted semi-nary status by the Church’s hierarchy in1942. Archbishop Arseny continued to leadthe seminary until his death in 1945.

Throughout its history, Saint Tikhon’sSeminary has reaped the unique benefitsof its location at the monastery. In its earlydecades, the school was almost exclusivelydevoted to priestly formation, and its fac-ulty was staffed primarily by local clergy.There were several outstanding theologiansamong the faculty, most notably, SaintNikolai Velimirovic, the Serbian bishopwho spent the last five years of his life as amonastic elder, teacher, and seminary rec-tor before his death in 1956. Under theleadership of Archbishop Kiprian [Boris-evich] as rector [1961-80], the academicdirection of the seminary began to change.

VOLUME 44 2

Humble beginnings

Hierarchs, clergy, and seminarians in procession during the dedica-tion of the new campus of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, Crestwood, NY, in October1962.

New buildings were constructed. A charterwas received from the State of Pennsylva-nia in 1967. Academic affiliation wasachieved with Kings College in Wilkes-Barre in 1970 and Marywood College (lateruniversity) in Scranton in 1975, allowingstudents to obtain accredited degrees fromthese schools in conjunction with theirseminary studies. In the 1980s and 1990s,a new crop of faculty members with ad-vanced academic degrees made it possiblefor the seminary to receive accreditationfrom the State of Pennsylvania to grant theMaster of Divinity degree in 1988. Underthe current administration, which includesFather Michael Dahulich, dean, and FatherAlexander Golubov, academic dean, theseminary received accreditation from theAssociation of Theological Schools in theUnited States and Canada in 2004, mak-ing Saint Tikhon’s a full-fledged graduateschool of theology. In recent years, thejurisdictional affiliation of the seminary’sstudent body has become far more diverse,and the majority of its students are mar-ried. As a result, the seminary is develop-ing plans for married student housing anda new library in the near future.

Saint Herman’s Seminary.The five years of archpastoral ministry inAlaska of Bishop Theodosius [Lazor] –1967 through 1972 – prepared the ground-work for the decision of the 1972 Alaskandiocesan assembly to establish a pastoralschool for the training of clergy, lay assis-tants, educators, and singers. As BishopTheodosius had already been transferredto the see of Pittsburgh, Father Joseph Kreta,who provisionally administered diocesanaffairs in the absence of a ruling bishop,was charged with implementing theassembly’s decision. Alaskan clergy andlaity serving the Church had not had theopportunity to obtain formal training inAlaska since the early 20th century, whena school in Unalaska closed. Few Alas-kans had the means to pursue seminary edu-cation in the lower 48 states.

Classes at Saint Herman’s PastoralSchool began on February 11, 1973, atWildwood Station, a former military instal-lation in Kenai. Just months later, theschool was recognized as a diploma grant-ing institution by the State of Alaska. Laterthat year, Bishop Gregory [Afonsky] wasconsecrated as the new hierarch of Alaska.He served as seminary rector and, with

Pages to 28

21

The first graduates of St. Tikhon’s Seminary, holding diplomas, with[from left] Archbishop Arseny, Metropolitan Theophilus, and Bishop [laterMetropolitan] Leonty, faculty members, and other students at commencementceremonies in 1941.

Bishop Gregory, rector, with Fr. Paul Merculieff, faculty member; Fr.Joseph Kreta, dean; and students of St. Herman’s Seminary in the school’sfirst chapel at Wildwood Station, Kenai, AK in 1974.

22 VOLUME 44 2

Evangelization

“all the earth and their words to the ends ofthe universe” after Pentecost. Just as wecannot separate Christ from His resurrec-tion, we cannot separate our faith in andexperience of the risen Christ from our call-ing to proclaim them. Our faith is reducedto an intellectual exercise when we fail toshare it with those who have yet to dis-cover and experience it in its fullness. TheGood News is not “our little secret.”

4. Proselytization and evan-gelization are not the samething. Evangelization is the act of pro-claiming the Gospel to those who have yetto hear it, either in part or in its entirety.Proselytization focuses on encouragingthose of other faiths to reject their tradi-tions, not out of a desire to embrace thefullness of the Gospel and its truth, but forthe sake of making converts. Evangeliza-tion involves a running to Christ; pro-selytization focuses on running away fromsomething. True evangelization involvesa commitment to lead others to the full-ness of truth not by bashing or demoniz-ing, but by extending the same invitationto “come and see” that Christ extended

when He called His first apostles.5. It’s not about the mort-

gage! Parishes that see increasing mem-bership as a means by which expenses canbe “spread out” amongst a greater numberof people aren’t evangelizing. And theywon’t grow!

6. Seeking out those who’vemoved to the ‘burbs is not evange-lization. It’s outreach, for sure, but notevangelization. Of course, there are alwaysthose who, in moving to the suburbs, havelost their ties with the Church and whosefaith lies dormant. They need to be evan-gelized – or re-evangelized, so to speak –and should never be overlooked. Evange-lization is not limited to the unchurchedor non-Orthodox; there are many “lapsed”Orthodox Christians, and they should beinvited once again to “come and see.”

Older parishes that abandon their oldneighborhoods are not necessarily evan-gelical-minded. Too often transplantedparishes lack a sense of real mission to theirnew communities and remain content toserve “our people,” albeit in new surround-ings, but not “outsiders.” True evangeli-zation is aimed at reaching the unchurched,not just maintaining the roster.

In the next issue of The Ortho-dox Church, we’ll take a look at essentialprerequisites that must be in place if evan-gelization and growth are to take place.

ver the years, a lot has been writtenand spoken about evangelizationO and Church growth. Countless

books, pamphlets, articles, seminars, work-shops, boot camps, and consultations haveappeared since the All-American Councilsheld in 1983 and 1986 introduced thethemes of Church growth and evangeliza-tion respectively.

In this and the next few issues of TheOrthodox Church, we will present a vari-ety of principles gleaned from the writingsand gatherings of the past 25 years.

1. Evangelization is Ortho-dox. We who claim to hold the fullnessof the Gospel – the Evangelion – and theapostolic faith simply cannot say that evan-gelization is “something only Protestantsdo.” Christ charged His disciples – and us– to “teach all nations” long before Protes-tantism emerged some 1500 years later. Asthe Church that first received the Gospel,should we not be the first to share it?

2. Evangelization is every-body’s “job.” The attitude that claims“evangelization is the job of the clergy” isdead wrong. Everyone is called to proclaimthe Good News of Jesus Christ and to reachout to others. Simply stated, those whohave heard the Gospel are expected to shareit. After all, it is good news, and as with allgood news, it is designed to be shared, notheld in secret.

Evangelization and the growth it pro-duces cannot be delegated to “clergy spe-cialists,” like care for the heart can be del-egated to cardiologists. Much of the day-to-day to work of evangelization can andmust be done by the laity, who far outnum-ber the clergy and who have far more con-tacts with the unchurched than the clergy.To claim that evangelization is strictly forthe clergy is akin to the 70 disciples claim-ing that evangelization was solely the“job” of the apostles!

3. Evangelization is not op-tional. Christ’s death and resurrectiontook place publicly because they affectedthe public – so publicly, in fact, that theproclamation of the apostles went out into

Getting down to basicsPrinciples of evangelization: Part 1

Portland site of DCE regional conferencePORTLAND, OR – Members of the OCA Department of Christian Educationconducted a regional conference at St. Nicholas Church here April 12, 2008.

Titled “In the Beginning,” the conference considered how the book ofGenesis can help students navigate their lives, tips for lesson planning, andrelated themes. Presentations were given by department members ValerieZahirsky, Daria Petrykowski, and Victoria Jones. The fifth in a seriesof regional DCEconferences, the pro-gram was very wellreceived. One partici-pant stated in theend-of-day evalua-tion, “The conferencewas wonderful. Fromthe keynote addressto the workshops,everything went to-gether beautifully.”

PASCHA/PENTECOST 2008

Christian Ed

Lecturing is certainly not a novelmethod of teaching. And if we look at theaccount of Pentecost in the Book of Acts,for instance, we’ll see that it netted theapostle Peter 3,000 new converts in asingle day! Even if the results in our class-rooms are not quite that stellar, we can use

the lecture method to generate somethingpositive for our students – and that is resultenough.

Valerie Zahirsky is a member ofthe OCA Department of ChristianEducation.

Valerie Zahirsky

very Church school teacher tries toavoid doing the “same old thing”E week after week. Teachers work hard

to give their lessons variety in order to keeptheir students interested. There are lots ofteaching methods and approaches fromwhich to choose, and a good lesson willusually include several.

But teachers need not and should notabandon that tried-and-true method – thelecture. Used properly, a well-planned lec-ture can be an excellent way of teachingand can offer solid educational opportuni-ties to students.

One advantage of the lecture is that itallows the teacher to highlight key pointsabout a topic. Students could miss these intheir independent reading, internet re-search, or creative projects. If a topic issomewhat complicated, the teacher canchoose the best way to “walk through” itwith students in a lecture. Left on theirown to do research, students might getbogged down in details, become con-fused by differing explanations or defini-tions, or have their enthusiasm simplysink under the weight of too much infor-mation.

Lectures also give teachers the chanceto enhance the information they presentwith their own personal experiences. Thestruggles of a saint, for example, may havebeen inspirational to a teacher, who canshare his or her inspiration with studentswhen relating the life of the saint. If ateacher enjoys history, his or her enthusi-asm can enliven a lecture on a particularperiod of time in the Church’s life.

Flexibility is another advantage of thelecture method. A teacher can present in-formation in a lecture to the whole class orto small groups. Often in our Church schoolclasses, we find students with varying lev-els of knowledge about specific topics. Alecture can help one group catch up toanother’s level of knowledge, while thosewith more information engage in a relatedactivity.

IMPORTANT POINTS IN LECTURE PLANNINGLength. Five minutes

is the max a teacher shouldlecture to elementary schoolstudents. Middle and juniorhigh school students will ben-efit from lectures of up to tenminutes, while high schoolstudents can be attentive forup to 15 minutes. These timesrefer to uninterrupted lectur-ing; a lecture can run longerwhen questions or discussionsare included to break up thespoken presentation.

Outlining the topic. Probably the hardest part of deciding what to say isdeciding what to leave out. A lecture should include only information that iscritical for students to know. The outline also should indicate the amount of time tobe allotted to each point. For middle and junior high school students, copies of theoutline can be handed out so that students have a basis for taking notes.

Creating a script and notes. Writing a complete script is helpful to theteacher in thinking through exactly what the lecture will contain. But for theclassroom presentation, never, ever, read the script! Instead, refer to notes based onthe script. Nothing is more deadly than reading a less-than-spontaneous lecture.

Deciding on supplements to the lecture. Visuals, such as mapsand charts, or the writing of significant words, names, and definitions on a chalk-board or screen, can enhance a lecture and help keep students attentive. These,obviously, must be thought out and prepared in advance.

Finding a “hook” to generate interest. There are many opening“hooks” that can focus the students’ attention. Ask a question. Show a video clipor an artifact related to the topic. Make a statement and ask the students to decideas they listen to the lecture whether they agree or disagree. Give the studentssomething to listen for, to decide, or to determine as they listen to the lecture. Theywill be challenged to accomplish this “job” and focus their attention on what isbeing said in order to do so.

Checking the students’ level of understanding. Teachers shouldplan, at the end of the lecture, a way of discovering how much their students under-stood – and whether they have understood correctly. Pose questions to the group.Give a brief quiz. Or divide students into pairs to think about and then answer aquestion related to the topic of the lecture.

“Lecture” isn’t a dirty wordKeeping it short, sweet, and simple

In this section22 Evangelization

23 Christian Ed

24 Youth & Young Adults

25 Chaplaincies

24 VOLUME 44 2

Youth & Young Adults

when it comes to the internet, cell phones,iPods, and video games.

All of these forms of media are actuallyfora. They are an electronic means for teensto interact with each other, form friend-ships, meet new people, exchange ideasand – yes! – learn about their faith.

According to the Barna ResearchGroup, teens in particular use the internetas a way to explore their own faith and dif-

ferent faith traditions in a private, non-threatening environment.

That’s why it’s vitally important for theChurch to engage teens where they spendmost of their time.

And, in this new realm of electronicmedia, it’s not enough to simply speak to(or at!) young people. Teens are attractedto a form of media that emphasizes partici-pation and community. They don’t justwant to watch or listen; they want to jointhe conversation, comment on the program,and create their own show!

In fact, according to a 2007 survey fromthe Pew Internet and American LifeProject, 64 percent of “on-line teenagers”

Seraphim Danckaert

he numbers are astounding. Accord-ing to a variety of surveys conductedT over the last few years, the average

American teenager spends more than72 hours a week using “electronic me-dia.”

But the numbers alone don’t tell the fullstory of teenage media use, especially

Starting a conversationKeeping young people engaged in the Church

Bay area youth enjoy lock-in Teens fromparishes of several jurisdictions in Northern California held atwo-day lock-in and service project focusing on the great “IAM” statements of Christ in Sacramento, CA, April 11-12. For two years, Bay Area parishes have hosted youth eventson a rotating basis. Lock-ins, retreats, service projects,and a BBQ are held annually. The youth also participate inthe regional St. Eugene camp each July. In the immediate future, a BBQ will be sponsored by theOCA’s St. Christina of Tyre Mission in Fremont, CA, whereFr. K. Michael Anderson is pastor.

Diocesan teens attend pre-lenten retreatOver 40 teens from the Diocese of Washington and NewYork enjoyed a pre-lenten retreat titled “Jesus, Others, andYourself” in Princeton, NJ, February 8-10, 2008. Besides discussions and services, the youth enjoyedteam-building activities, skits, basketball, and Spiderman 3!

Striking a balanceThere’s nothing like an old-fashioned lock-in orretreat to build friendships – and faith!

Parents joined the teens for the Sunday Liturgy. A summer retreat will be held in East Meadow, NY.

Lock-in a first for SC teens For the first time,the Good Seeds youth group of Holy Apostles Church,West Columbia, SC, held their first teen lock-in February15-16, 2008. Fr. Thomas Moore, pastor, and Dn. Joseph Kreta leddiscussions on the meaning of the Cross and Great Lent,services, and fellowship activities. The teens also enjoyedan outing to the South Carolina State Museum, a picnic,and a variety of games during the gathering.

California teens combine faith with service at lentenlock-in.

DC/NY youth discuss their faith at pre-lenten retreat.

South Carolina teens enjoy their first lock-in.

“Come, receivethe Light!” Fr.Eugene Lahue passeson the Paschal lightduring outdoor servicesin Kabul, Afghanistan[right] while Fr. PeterBaktis blesses familiarPaschal foods markingthe end of the lentenfast at Baghdad’sCamp Victory [above].

PASCHA/PENTECOST 2008

Chaplaincies

“Their proclamation has goneout into all the earth!”Proclaiming the resurrection in the war zone

s countless Orthodox Christiansacross North America celebratedA Pascha with family and friends in

familiar surroundings, Orthodox Christianchaplains were bringing the joy of the Res-urrection to military personnel in some ofthe world’s most volatile regions.

Joining the chaplains, members of theUS armed forces, and civilians at Paschalservices were Orthodox service men andwomen from a host of countries.

Soldiers and civilians from Ukraine, Po-land, Romania, Bulgaria, and Australiagathered at Baghdad, Iraq’s Camp Victory– the site of Saddam Hussein’s former AlFaw Palace – as US Army Chaplain PeterBaktis celebrated the Paschal Matins andLiturgy. By coincidence, Pascha coin-cided with ANZAC day – the commemora-tion of soldiers of the Australian and New

Zealand army corps who fought at Galli-poli, Turkey during World War I – whichwas observed by Australian troops.

Meanwhile, Command Chaplain Eu-gene Lahue celebrated Paschal services forOrthodox Christian personnel at NATO In-ternational Security Assistance Force head-quarters in Kabul, Afghanistan. The cel-ebration of services on a makeshift outdooraltar in no way diminished the solemnityof the Feast of Feasts.

And, of course, despite the miles thatseparated the troops from their homes, thetraditional breaking of the lenten fast fol-lowed services in both locations as thechaplains blessed and shared Paschal food!

In both instances, the light of the RisenChrist transcended time and space as thechaplains’ proclamation literally went out“into all the earth!”

engage in at least one type of content cre-ation. They write their own blogs, makeand post their own videos, and create theirown photo albums.

And, even more significantly, they arelooking to be included. The survey dis-covered that content creation is not justabout sharing creative output; it is alsoabout participating in conversations fueledby that content.

With all of this in mind, the OrthodoxChristian Network [OCN], a media minis-try of the Standing Conference of Canoni-cal Orthodox Bishops in the Americas, hasstarted a new, user-driven on-line programfor Orthodox Christian teenagers andyoung adults.

Called OTTO – Orthodox Teen TalkOnline – OCN provides a bi-weeklypodcast that features a pan-Orthodoxgroup of teens from around the countrywho discuss real-life issues in an open andhonest manner with at least one Orthodoxpriest. Recent topics have included drugs,drinking, abortion, dating, and peer pres-sure.

The teens themselves develop the top-ics for discussion, contribute their ownopinions, and share their own life experi-ences related to the discussion. This al-lows young people to find their own voiceand to develop their own Orthodox Chris-tian response to some of the most pressingissues of the day.

Given today’s on-line culture, that’scritical.

And, in line with the internet’s tradi-tion of inclusion, all Orthodox Christianteens are welcome to participate! If ayoung person in your parish would like tojoin the conversation, just ask; if the mem-bers of your youth group would like to pro-duce their own episode, it can be arranged.

When it comes to teenage media con-sumption, the numbers are astounding –but so too are is opportunities to engageteens in the life of the Church.

Just sign on-line and join the conversa-tion.

To listen to the existing episodes ofOTTO visit www.MyOCN.net.

Seraphim Danckaert is an OCNstaff member. For more info on OTTOand teens and media, contact him atseraphim@myocn.net.

26 VOLUME 44 2

Chancellor from 10

Not for pastors onlyessential work of the Church – attracting new souls to the faith.”Not only priests but “all parish workers must take part in mission-ary activities.” Now unquestionably understood as a critical com-ponent of parish growth, missionary outreach is the cornerstoneof a spiritually healthy community whose influence will spread.“A parish that strives for such activity, for true understanding ofthe purpose and meaning of the earthly Church’s existence, willbe a wondrous blessing for the world around it.”

There is that famous saying, “The kind of priest a parish has isthe kind of parish a community becomes.” Of course, the parishpriest has tremendous influence on the parish. But the commu-nity also has great influence on its pastor. In many places, pastorsand parishioners constitute true parish families, where bonds ofintimacy and trust are as deep as in any biological family. Here ithelps to think about the marriage-like relationship that exists be-tween the priest and his parish. Just as today’s marriages are chal-lenged by the stresses of modern life, today’s pastors and parishesdeal with stressful issues on many different levels. Today’s NorthAmerican parish, situated in a complicated modern society withwell-educated and sophisticated parishioners, requires an equallysophisticated, well-educated, energetic, multi-tasking, and com-petent pastor. Both pastor and parish engage each other as theyconfront the challenges of maintaining centuries-old OrthodoxChristian tradition in the context of a rapidly changing society.“What,” asks Archbishop John in his book, “is there to add tothis?” Everything has been laid out by the apostles, but proclaim-ing the apostolic revelation is ongoing and “of many words di-rected to the good and of expressing the old and the eternal in anew way and applying it to the new conditions under which theChurch lives and suffers.”

Archbishop John’s book is notable in that it is thoroughlyspiritual and theological, yet fully attuned to the dramatic socialchanges which were only beginning when the book was written.“Free from all worldly ‘modernity,’ a pastor should know the con-ditions of modern life,” he writes. “A pastor is not ‘outside life;’he is merely outside its vanities. His direct task is not to inventnew methods of social organization, but to make the most of ev-ery given social organization in order to teach men to be faithfulto God. He educates men in all conditions of life and on everypath of it to be followers of Christ’s spirit. Like the Lord JesusChrist Himself, the priest teaches men not what social forms theyshould adopt, but in what way they should relate to one anotherin society.”

The inter-connectedness between pastor and parish and theirmutual dependence on each other exists as a spiritual reality – notpsychological or physiological, as in a biological family. Spiri-tual kinship binds “brothers and sisters in Christ” with a greaterdegree of permanence than any genetic relationship. In a chaptercalled “The Second Birth” in the second art of The OrthodoxPastor, Archbishop John discusses the mysterious properties ofspiritual kinship. He indicates that the process of awakening oc-curs as the conscience becomes “sensitive to good and evil,” whilerecognizing how in isolation we are “powerless in the strugglewith sin and evil.” The qualities needed to overcome that struggleare humility and suffering. “The process of spiritual birth is con-nected with suffering,” he writes, adding that those who are bornin the spirit “do not regard themselves as having ‘attained’ any-thing; they see their deficiency in everything; they do not noticeother people’s failings but, on the contrary, are always struck by

their good qualities.”The Orthodox Pastor is neither a pastoral handbook, nor is it

an outline of liturgical services, a list of topics for homilies, or alegalistic-administrative how-to-do-it handbook. It only sketchesout “pastoral problems,” avoiding rigorous and mechanical ques-tions and answers. It is precisely the absence of those things thatmakes The Orthodox Pastor so special and so accessible, even tolay readers. It is a book that reminds us, priests and parishionersalike, that at the heart of Christian community life is joy. “Truthis joyful,” writes Archbishop John. “And its knowledge cannotbe but joyful.” The book emanates with radiance and love. Itspeaks with apostolic vibrancy about life transfigured: “TheApostles had not only wisdom but love and spiritual power aswell.” Spiritual life arises out of that power, which priest andparishioners alike are challenged to maintain. The living souls –that is, the people of God who are members of a parish – are“witnesses to Truth,” abiding in the wisdom that stands beyondreason, the ability to love others “in spite of their errors and im-perfections.”

Archbishop John reminds us that the Orthodox Christian par-ish is a microcosm of the heavenly Kingdom. It is the physicaland psychological arena in which turmoil, challenges, and battle-fields become grace-filled, peaceful camp grounds. It is the spiri-tual reality of perfection perceived in anticipation of the finalthings. It is the vantage point from which we can all stand beforethe Face of the Lord. In an 1947 essay titled “On Prayer,” Arch-bishop John wrote that, in standing before God, “everything smallis perfected; everything imperfect becomes great.” That mysteri-ous purification, which occurs when we approach Our Lord withtrue humility, is the guarantee that as long as the world exists,there will be true-believing Christians who will gather togetherin worshipping communities where a designated person will bechosen to lead them in organized and effective prayer. That per-son is, of course, the priest, a person whose “authority rests notupon his rank but on the practice of his fatherly love for a man’ssoul.” Love is mutual by definition; not static and not unful-filled. This love is the origin and goal of human existence; it isdistorted and absent in the world, but made evident in the Church,in each Orthodox Christian community.

The Orthodox Pastor is a small but powerful testimony ofthose communities that stand as “precious jewels among weeds”and as reminders to pastors and parishioners alike that every par-ish, while unique and special, is indeed “a ladder to the Kingdomof God.”

Classics from 6

Christ and the Churchfaith.” We firmly believe that our Orthodox Church of today isthe very same Church that was founded by Jesus Christ and Hisapostles. In the Church we preserve and proclaim basic beliefsand truths of God’s revelation that must never be replaced ordeformed, despite whatever pressures contemporary history maybring to bear.

The dogma of the Church is remembered and beautifully ex-pressed in a morning prayer: “First of all, remember, O Lord,Your Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, which You have pur-chased with Your own blood. Protect and strengthen her, andgrant her to grow upon the earth. Preserve Your Church in pu-rity, in peace, and in safety, from the gates of hell, by the divinegrace and power of the Holy Spirit.”

NorthAmericaMetropolitan Laurus, ROCOR FirstHierarch, falls asleep in the Lord

is Eminence, Metropolitan Laurus,First Hierarch of the Russian Ortho-H dox Church Outside of Russia, fell

asleep in the Lord at Holy Trinity Monas-tery, Jordanville, NY, on Orthodoxy Sun-day, March 16, 2008.

Born Vassily Skurla in Ladimirovo,Czechoslovakia, on January 1, 1928, hewas drawn to monastic life as a youngboy. In 1939, with the blessing of his fa-ther, he joined the Monastery of Saint Jobof Pochaev in Ladimirovo where, five yearslater at the age of 16, he became a novice.

Facing the approaching German-Sovietfront during World War II, he and the othermembers of the monastic brotherhood fledCzechoslovakia via Germany and Switzer-land in 1946, eventually arriving at HolyTrinity Monastery, Jordanville, NY.

In March 1948, he was tonsured tomonastic rank and given the name Laurus.The following year, he took the lesserschema and was ordained to the diaconate.In 1954, he graduated from Holy TrinitySeminary and ordained to the priesthood.He was elevated to the rank of hegumen in1959. The following year he was appointeddean of the seminary. In 1966, he was el-evated to the rank of archimandrite.

Archimandrite Laurus was electedBishop of Manhattan and appointed sec-retary of the Synod of Bishops in 1967.Nine years later, he was elected abbot ofHoly Trinity Monastery and appointedBishop of Syracuse and Holy Trinity. In1981, he was elevated to the dignity of arch-bishop.

In October 2001, after the retirement ofHis Eminence, Metropolitan Vitaly, Arch-bishop Laurus was elected Metropolitanof Eastern America and New York and FirstHierarch of the Russian Orthodox ChurchOutside of Russia.

In 2006, Metropolitan Laurus chairedthe ROCOR’s fourth All-Diaspora Coun-cil, which approved reconciliation and nor-malization of relations with the MoscowPatriarchate. On May 17, 2007, he partici-pated in the signing of the Act of Canoni-

Holy Trinity Monastery March 20-21.Upon learning of Metropolitan Laurus’

repose, His Beatitude, MetropolitanHerman, addressed a letter of condolenceto His Eminence, Archbishop Hilarion ofSydney and Australia-New Zealand,ROCOR senior hierarch.

“We join you and the hierarchs, clergy,and faithful of the Russian OrthodoxChurch Outside of Russia in prayer for therepose of the soul of the newly departedMetropolitan Laurus,” MetropolitanHerman wrote. “On behalf of the HolySynod of the Orthodox Church in America,the clergy and faithful, I express our sym-pathy and condolences.

“The death of Metropolitan Laurus isa great loss for all of us. He laboreddiligently for long decades – first as amonastic and then as a hierarch. Hecrowned his service in Christ’s HolyChurch with his courage in achievingreconciliation within the Russian Ortho-dox Church,” Metropolitan Herman con-tinued. “At every stage of his ministry, hemaintained monastic humility, simplicity,and joy. May God in His mercy and lovegrant that all of us will continue on theway of reconciliation which the late FirstHierarch of the Russian Orthodox ChurchOutside of Russia pursued with evangeli-cal hope and faithfulness. May his memorybe eternal!”

cal Communion in Moscow, Russia, andparticipated in a joint Liturgy with HisHoliness, Patriarch Aleksy II at Moscow’sChrist the Savior Cathedral.

Funeral services were celebrated at

Metropolitan Herman and clergy of the Orthodox Church in Americacelebrated a panikhida for the repose of ROCOR First Hierarch, MetropolitanLaurus, at Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, NY, on March 20, 2008.

PASCHA/PENTECOST 2008 27

Metropolitan Laurus

Recession from 8

Time to tighten the beltcrisis. Those who bought the “prosperitygospel” have some theological rethinkingto do. Young capitalists who have knowngood times will struggle existentially whenclicks and cliques don’t pay the rent. Fami-lies built on “shopping together” will haveonly each other, plus a stack of bills, totriage. Cult-like devotion to the housingmarket will yield scant hope or meaning.People need real bread.

Third, it is time to nurture community,opening the doors wide to a troubled worldand then engaging new and old in basicChristian gifts: love, hospitality, care-giv-ing, sharing travails, listening. This isn’t atime to be perfecting doctrine or polishinginstitutional brass.

Fourth, this is a time to reconsider op-erational basics. Cutting to the chase: dowe need the inefficient facilities that wehave inherited? Do we need to continuebeing in business only one day a week?The answers aren’t necessarily “No,” butnothing, not even a beloved sanctuary, getsa free pass.

Finally, we have got to stop fightingover control. If we can’t work together –clergy and laity, conservative and liberal,traditional and conservative, new and oldmembers, male and female, rich and poor –then we have nothing to offer a brokenworld. Our fights have corrupted mostof human history. Enough of theseshameful and arrogant conflicts!

Tom Ehrich is a writer for ReligionNews Service.

Pages from 21

AnniversariesFather Joseph Kreta, the first dean, heguided the school through its formativeyears. The seminary moved to a site adja-cent to Kodiak’s Holy Resurrection Churchin 1974. Two years later, it was recognizedas a theological seminary by the HolySynod of Bishops. The faculty includedgraduates of the OCA’s other seminaries.Some faculty members, notably FatherMichael Oleksa, a reknowned Alaskan his-torian and native cultures expert, remainedin Alaska for the long-term. The seminaryhas played a key role in reviving Churchlife in Alaska. At the time of the seminary’sestablishment, the diocese was served by ahandful of clergy, many from the lower 48states. Today, dozens of native clergy pas-tor Alaska’s nearly 100 churches, whileseminary-trained lay readers and catechistsserve communities without resident priests.

The Orthodox Church in America’sseminaries are indispensible in preparingeducated hierarchs and clergy and learnedlay leaders, teachers, and others devotedto various forms of ministry. The seminar-ies provide spiritual formation through theintegration of academic study, worship, ser-vice, and fellowship within the context ofthe Christian community. May the semi-naries continue to lead the entire Churchin theological discourse to uncover the rev-elation of the Church’s genuine, timeless,and unchanging Holy Tradition in waysmeaningful for contemporary society.

Alexis Liberovsky is the archivistof the Orthodox Church in America.

NorthAmerica

MA museum boasts largest US collection of Russian iconshile today’s skyrocketing airW fares make a trip to Moscow’s

Tretyakov Gallery cost prohibitive, a visitto the Museum of Russian Icons in Clin-

ton, MA, will prove to be a most respect-able alternative!

Housed in a fully renovated 150-year-old former mill since 2006, the museum

– the only one of its kind in the US – wasfounded by Gordon Lankton, chairmanof Nypro, Inc., who became fascinatedwith icons during his many visits to hiscompany’s Moscow facility. Over 250icons, tracing the development of iconog-raphy from the 15th century right up tothe present, are currently on display inthe 4,800 square foot facility.

Located at 203 Union St., Clinton,MA, the museum is open Tuesday throughSaturday from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.Information on special programs is avail-able on the museum’s web site atwww.museumofrussianicons.org.

Orthodox schoolsconference to be heldAugust 1-2

ith the help of the Virginia H. FarahW Foundation, the Orthodox SchoolAssociation will hold its second annualconference at Hellenic College, Brookline,MA, August 1-2, 2008.

Two plenary addresses – “The Peda-gogy of Saint John Chrysostom” and “Clas-sical Education and the Orthodox Mind”– will be delivered by Dr. Anne Bezzeridesand the Rev. Dr. Demetrios Constantelos.Individual seminars will explore topicsranging from organizing capital campaignsto methods of teaching various disciplines.

“We invite everyone to join us as weexamine the patristic educational counselsthat will keep us consistent with our faithand the organizational models and practi-cal skills that will make our schools a solidand attractive option to all Americans,”said Bryan Smith, association director.

The association serves as a resource toNorth America’s growing number of Ortho-dox schools. It’s first conference, held inFort Worth, TX in 2007, attracted adminis-trators and teachers from over 20 schools.

Registration forms and general infor-mation on Orthodox schools may be foundon the association’s web site at www.orthodoxschools.org, or by contacting theassociation at 7601 Bellaire Drive South,Fort Worth, TX 76132; 617/850-1315;info@ orthodoxschools.org.

Miniature folding iconostasis, circa 1780, from the museum’s collection.

28 VOLUME 44 2

WorldBriefsG R E E C E

Greek Church elects new primaten February 7, 2008, just one weekafter the funeral of His Beatitude,O Archbishop Christodoulos of

Athens and All Greece, members of theHoly Synod of the Church of Greeceelected His Eminence, MetropolitanIeronymos of Thebes, 70, as theChurch’s new Primate.

Archbishop Christodoulos fellasleep in the Lord on January 28, 2008,after a six-month bout with cancer.

Seventy-four bishops participatedin the election of Metropolitan Iero-nymos, who received 45 of 74 votesduring a second round of balloting.

“I accept this high office and honorto uphold the holy traditions of theGreek Orthodox Church,” he said in accepting the post.

The election was closely watched in Greece, where Orthodox Christianityis recognized as the “prevailing religion” in the constitution. Ninety-sevenpercent of the country’s native-born population has been baptized in theOrthodox Church.

Born in 1938, the new archbishop pursued postgraduate studies in Aus-tria and Germany after completing studies in philosophy and theology at theUniversity of Athens. He abandoned a promising academic career after enter-ing the ministry.

In 1981, he was unanimously elected Metropolitan of Thebes after serv-ing as abbot of two monasteries and as chief secretary of the Church of Greece’sHoly Synod.

As Metropolitan of Thebes, he renovated and revived over 20 monasticcommunities. In addition to scholarly pursuits on a variety of theological,social, and historical disciplines, he established numerous boarding schools,orphanages, homes for the elderly, rehabilitation centers for the mentallychallenged, a drug prevention center, food kitchens for the poor, and a varietyof other social and charitable ministries.

Upon learning of the election, His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman, senta congratulatory message to Archbishop Ieronymos, the text of which reads asfollows.

“It is with great joy that I greet you on the occasion of your election asArchbishop of Athens and All Greece. Although we do not know eachother personally, it is clear from your reputation as a churchman, an adminis-trator, and an academic that you are a truly worthy candidate for the officeof Primate of the Church of Greece. We are particularly impressed with thework that you accomplished establishing numerous and varied philanthropicand pastoral institutions in your service as Metropolitan of Thebes andLevadeia.

“On behalf of all the hierarchs, clergy, and faithful of the Orthodox Churchin America, I offer prayers that our ever-merciful Lord will continue to blessyour work as you apply your talents to this new yoke of service, leading theOrthodox Church in Greece.”

Archbishop Ieronymos

29G E N E V A

Bishop tells WCC:“Liberal Christianitywill not survive” is Grace, BishopH Hilarion [Alfa-

yev], the MoscowPatriarchate’s repre-sentative to the Euro-pean institutions,warned about the“danger of liberalChristianity” at theopening session ofthe central commit-tee of the WorldCouncil of Churchesin Geneva, Switzer-

land, on February 13, 2008.“The liberalization of moral standards, initi-

ated by some Protestant and Anglican communi-ties several decades ago and developing with ever-increasing speed, has now brought us to a situationwhere we can no longer preach one and the samecode of moral conduct,” he said. “We can no longerspeak about Christian morality, because moral stan-dards promoted by ‘traditional’ and ‘liberal’ Chris-tians are markedly different, and the abyss betweenthese two wings of contemporary Christianity israpidly growing.

“We are being told by some allegedly Chris-tian leaders, who still bear the titles of Reverendsand Most Reverends, that marriage between awoman and a man is no longer the only option forcreating a Christian family, that there are other pat-terns, and that the Church must be ‘inclusive’enough to recognize alternative life-styles and givethem official and solemn blessing,” Bishop Hilarioncontinued. “We are being told that human life isno longer an unquestionable value, that it can besummarily aborted in the womb, or that one mayhave the right to interrupt it voluntarily, and thatChristian ‘traditionalists’ should reconsider theirstandpoints in order to be in tune with modern de-velopments. We are being told that abortion isacceptable, contraception is agreeable, and eutha-nasia is better still, and that the Church must ac-commodate all these ‘values’ in the name of hu-man rights.

What, then, he asked, is left of Christianity?“In the confusing and disoriented world in

which we live, where is the prophetic voice of Chris-tians? What can we offer, or can we offer anythingat all to the secular world, apart from what the secu-lar world will offer to itself as a value system on

Geneva to 30

Bishop Hilarion

bishop’s part is simply the essential sacra-mental act of laying on hands, but he can-not exercise this power at his own discre-tion, but only with the consent of hisChurch.” Once again, we see the bishopand his presbyters functioning as a unity,like “a single lyre with its many strings.”

Things were soon to change underConstantine. The needs of the ImperialState required a single liaison of localChurch with distant Emperor; this liaisonwas the bishop, and juridical authoritycame to be concentrated almost solely inhim. What was originally the bishop’smoral authority among his flock becamehis legal – and State enforced – jurisdic-tion. This was natural enough in Byzan-tium, but it forms no essential part of thebishop’s office. And Byzantium is longdead. The American eagle, I notice, hasbut one head.

The Church in North America mightwell consider a return to our original Tra-dition regarding the functioning of the of-fices of bishop and presbyter – not as anexercise in ecclesiastical archaeology, butas part of our recovery of spiritual healthand vitality. It is not a question of “return-ing artificially to the third century,” but ofhaving credibility and fulfilling Christ’swill in the 21st century. That is, I suggestthat we take our conciliar nature more seri-ously than we have before, that bishopsand their presbyters strive to nourish a closepersonal relationship, that bishops seek outand utilize the wisdom which God hasplaced in the presbyters for their guidanceand support and for the health of theChurch. The bishops’ dioceses have ex-panded far beyond what the pre-NiceneChurch ever imagined – one bishop of theOCA has a diocese that spans the conti-nent, while another oversees a diocese ofsome 16 states. There is no way our bish-ops can effectively function as the “localpastor” of all the faithful in their vast terri-tories. With such expanded responsibili-ties, the bishops therefore need our love,support and prayers – even more. Part ofthis loving support includes the guidanceof their presbyterial college. The bishop isnot only the father to his diocese; he – likeSaint Peter – is also sumpresbyteros, or co-presbyter, called to act in concert with theother members of his college. If the bishopand his presbyters could function as a unity,like a single lyre with its many strings, whata song of praise might arise to God!

Fr. Lawrence Farley is rector of St.Herman Church, Langley, BC, Canada.

30 VOLUME 44 2

Geneva from 29

Liberal Christianitywhich society should be built? Do we haveour own value system which we shouldpreach, or should we simply applaud ev-ery novelty in public morality which be-comes fashionable in the secular society?”

Bishop Hilarion also challenged whathe called a “‘politically correct’ Christian-ity... which not only so easily and readilysurrenders itself to secular moral standards,but also participates in promoting valuesystems alien to Christian tradition.

“We are facing a paradoxical situa-tion,” he explained, observing that “Brit-ish secular politicians who share Christianconvictions are concerned about the ris-ing Christianophobia in the UK and ini-tiate a debate on this issue in Parliament,calling for recognition of the country’sChristian identity” while, “at the same time,the Primate of the Church of England callsfor ‘a constructive accommodation withsome aspects of Muslim law.’

“I am sure I will be told that Christian-ity must become more tolerant and all-in-clusive, that we Christians should no longerinsist on our religion as being the only truefaith, that we should learn how to adoptother value systems and standards,” BishopHilarion continued. “My question, how-ever, is: when are we going to stop makingChristianity politically correct and all-in-clusive; why do we insist on accommodat-ing every possible alternative to the cen-turies-old Christian tradition? Where is thelimit, or is there no limit at all?

Observing that “many Christiansworldwide look to Christian leaders in thehope that they will defend Christianity

against the challenges that it faces,” BishopHilarion stated that “it is not our task todefend Sharia law, or to commend alterna-tive life-styles, or to promote secular val-ues. Our holy mission is to preach whatChrist preached, to teach what the apostlestaught, and to propagate what the Holy Fa-thers propagated. It is this witness whichpeople are expecting of us.

“I am convinced that liberal Christian-ity will not survive for a long time,” BishopHilarion concluded. “A politically correctChristianity will die. We see already howliberal Christianity is falling apart and howthe introduction of new moral norms leadsto division, discord, and confusion in someChristian communities. This process willcontinue, while traditional Christians, Ibelieve, will consolidate their forces in or-der to protect the faith and moral teachingwhich the Lord gave, the Apostlespreached, and the Fathers preserved.”

Tradition from 9

A return to TraditionDix gives two examples of this; I will

quote one. Saint Cyprian of Carthage or-dained a subdeacon and a reader, but ne-glected first to secure the assent of hispresbyterium. He therefore sent anxiousapologies to his presbyters for having donethis, excusing himself and saying that thiswas done in time of emergency [cited asEpistle 28]. Dix comments, “Cyprian’sexcuse that the presbyters had previouslyagreed to the men’s fitness for these ordersmakes it all the more strange to us that heshould think it necessary to excuse him-self at all.... In the pre-Nicene Church the

New Orthodox Study Bible withOld Testament now availableThe fruit of over 20 years of labor by many of the best Ortho-dox Christian theologians of our time, the long awaitedOrthodox Study Bible combines an original translation ofthe Old Testament from the Septuagint with the popular

New Testament and Psalms pub-lished several years ago. The editionis available from most Orthodox ven-dors and on-line at www.conciliarpress.com.

Jacob’s Well back in printAfter an absence of several years, Jacob’s Well, theofficial publication of the Diocese of Washington andNew York is back in print. Read the latest issue inPDF format at http://dcnyoca.org.

R E S O U R C E S

CommunitiesSend photos and news to TOC Communities,One Wheaton Center 912, Wheaton, IL 60187 or toinfo@oca.org.

Choir director’s compositionspremiered in Joliet, ILJOLIET, IL – The 25-voice choir of Lewis University,Lockport, IL, performed a concert of Orthodox hymns at St.Nicholas Church here recently. In addition to featuring classic works by Kedrov,Arkhangelsky, and Tchaikovsky, the choir premiered originalcompositions by the parish’s former choir director, StephenJ. Platko. Twenty-two selections from Mr. Platko’s collec-tion, Orthodox Musical Offering 2008, are the end result ofcollaboration with his brother, the late Fr. John Platko ofOverland Park, KS, himself a noted composer, who fellasleep in the Lord in 2005. One of the hymns, The JesusPrayer, was composed as a prayer for healing within theOrthodox Church in America. Fr. John E. Kuchta is rector of St. Nicholas parish. The collection is available free of charge to parishes andchoirs who send a request to Mr. Platko at splatko@comcast.net; 815/254-4865.

PASCHA/PENTECOST 2008

Ambassador bids farewell toMoscow Representation churchMOSCOW, RUS-SIA – On April 2,2008, His Excel-lency, WilliamBurns, Ambassadorof the US to theRussian Federa-tion, visited theOCA’s Representa-tion Church of St.Catherine the GreatMartyr to bid farewell to the parish dean, ArchimandriteZacchaeus. Fr. Zacchaeus offered sincere thanks for the cooperationthat took place between the OCA Representation and the USEmbassy during Ambassador Burn’s diplomatic service inRussia. The Ambassador avidly supported projects initiatedby the parish, including the annual September 11 memorialservice for the Innocent victims of terrorism around the worldand the annual prayer service for World AIDS Day. Fr. Zacchaeus presented the Ambassador with an iconof St. Catherine and wished him success in his futurediplomatic work at the US Department of State.

Grants available to furtherthe mission of OrthodoxyWILLIAMSPORT, PA – Financial support is now availablefrom the Ganister Orthodox Foundation for organizationswith innovative approaches to advancing the mission ofOrthodoxy in the US. The deadline for submitting grantapplications is July 31, 2008. Recipients will be announcedin the fall. Founded in 2001, the Ganister Orthodox Foundationis a component ofthe First Commu-nity Foundation ofPennsylvania, lo-cated in Williams-port, PA. Recent grantshave been awardedto Ancient FaithRadio, to supportthe purchase ofdigital recorders forworldwide distribu-tion; Raphael House,San Francisco, CA,to sponsor intern-ships for residentvolunteers; andSt. Tikhon’s Seminary, South Canaan, PA, to finance anoff-site education program for those pursuing the diaconate. Favor is given to proposals that address priority needs ofthe Orthodox Church in America, especially those that doso in catalytic ways. The selection process also weighsleadership experience within each organization, clarity ofgoals, the presence of a stable funding base, and faithful-ness to the teachings and ministry of the Church. Appli-cants must articulate how their undertaking will have apositive impact on a specific priority need, withoutduplicating other programs or projects already serving theChurch. Applicants must be qualifying 501c(3) organizations asdescribed under IRS Section 509(a)(1). Grants will not beconsidered for endowments, ongoing operational support,annual campaigns or event sponsorships, debt reduction,research grants, or support of individuals. To receive a grant application, contact Julie Adams,First Community Foundation of Pennsylvania, 330 Pine St.,Suite 401, Williamsport, PA 17701. Applications will bereviewed and recommendations made by the advisory boardof the Ganister Orthodox Foundation, a donor-advisedcomponent of the First Community Foundation of Pennsyl-vania.

San Francisco’s RaphaelHouse recently received aGannister Foundation grant tosponsor internships for live-involunteers.

Communities32

Gas tanks recycled into churchbells at Canadian parishLANGLEY, BC, CANADA – What does today’s commit-ment to recycling have to do with the ancient faith of theOrthodox Christian Church? “Bells!” says Matushka Donna Farley, whose husband isrector of Saint Herman Church here. And on Sunday, April 6, 2008, the parish’s faithfulgathered around Fr. Lawrence Farley as he blessed a set ofsix bells fashioned out of high quality, recycled steeloxygen cylinders donated by Air Liquide. “A team of parishioners and friends began by cutting thebottoms of the cylinders, grinding each one to a differentsize to produce a variety of tones,” said Matushka Donna.“Sandblasting and painting completed the process. Now,instead of sitting in a landfill, there are six more ‘voices’proclaiming the glory of God.”

Deacon Kurt Jordan cuts each cylinder to adifferent length to produce a variety of tones.

A modest tower at the church’s entrance was built tohouse the bells, each of which is named in honor of one ofthe North American saints. “We thought it fitting that the largest, deepest bell benamed in honor of our parish’s patron, Saint Herman ofAlaska,” Matushka Donna added. At the end of the blessing rite, percussionist DanSteenburgh struck the bells for the first time with mallets asthe faithful entered the church for the Divine Liturgy. Helearned how to ring the bells from the monks at HolyTransfiguration Monastery, Gibsons, BC, who also hadmade bells from recycled cylinders.

Fr. Lawrence with some of the bell-making and tower-building team admire recycled bells!