Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
This month, on the 26th of October, our Holy Orthodox Church will commemorate the Holy Great Martyr Demetrius the Myrrh-streamer.
Pilgrims travel to the Church of St. Demetrius in Thessalonica daily. They come to pray, to venerate the relics of the Great Martyr and to sense the holiness.The veneration of St. Demetrius continues century after century. The Holy Orthodox Church proclaims the steadfastness of his faith and the suffering he endured for Christ. Believers maintain a contemporary relationship with St. Demetrius. Though he lived more than seventeen hundred years ago, Orthodox believers speak of St. Demetrius and pray to him in the present. St. Demetrius communicates and is the focus of a hope in Jesus Christ. The hope in Jesus Christ is not diminshed by passing time. The hope in Jesus Christ is magnified by the passing of time.
In Christ, we find the hope for the establishment of friendships in the world today. In Christ, we find the hope that good will triumph over evil. In Christ, we find the hope that light will prevail in times of darkness. St. Demetrius was confined to a bath-house, a prisoner of Maximian because of his professed Christianity. Confinement did not limit the effects of St. Demetrius' Christian faith. Nestor drew strength from the God of St. Demetrius and was able to defeat Lyaeus, the haughty challenger of citizens. The God of St. Demetrius gives strength today to believers facing the daily challenges in contemporary life. This strength is found in daily prayer, intercessory prayer to St. Demetrius, asking him to intercede with the Lord Jesus Christ. This strength in found in knowledge of the countless miracles attributed to St. Demetrius.
The Holy Orthodox Church describes the suffering body of St. Demetrius as a medicine for infirmities, a treasury of miracles, as a focus for believers to draw near for healing. A believer need only stand in observing silence in the Church of St. Demetrius in Thessalonica to see the stream of people coming daily from around the world. A martyr's death has not silenced St. Demetrius. In Thessalonica and in churches everywhere, century after century, on every continent, believers proclaim the star-like radiance of St. Demetrius. Believers proclaim the joy identified with St. Demetrius.
Through the prayers of The Holy Great Martyr Demetrius the Myrrh-streamer, Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and save us!
May the blessing and the mercy of the Lord be with you!
+Father Sasa Turkic
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18th Annual Saint Athanasios Golf Classic Tournament
Glenlakes Golf Club, Foley AL
Saturday, October 6th
For additional questions, please, contact Jimmy Lignos at (251) 454-0652
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Holy Confession
The sacrament of Holy Confession has always been a central part of an Orthodox Christian’s spiritual journey during our pilgrimage with the Lord in life. Orthodox Christians interested in participating in this Holy Sacrament of Confession and Reconciliation can meet with me by appointment. Please call me at 251-233-3128.
Additional information can be found about Holy Confession and the other sacraments of our Church on our web site at http://www.stathanasios.al.goarch.org/ourfaith/sacraments
+Fr Sasa Turkic