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8:45 am Orthros
10:00 am Divine Liturgy
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Highlights of Upcoming Services and Events
Sunday, September 2 ~ 14th Sunday of Matthew
8:45 am Orthros
10:00 am Divine Liturgy
No Sunday School
The first District GOYA event of the new Ecclesiastical year -- Welcome Back Pool Party. Parishes from Ft. Pierce to South Miami (Kendall) will be there !
On September 29th, we will all be blessed as a Metropolis to receive the miraculous icon of Panagia Vimatarissa, from the Monastery of Vatopaidi on Mount Athos. Beginning at 11:00 AM, this rare and joyous occasion will take the form of a procession with the icon of the Theotokos into our new Panagia Chapel, led by His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta, along with the Monks of Vatopaidi, the clergy of the Metropolis of Atlanta, and a parade group created especially for the event!
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Second Orthros Gospel
The Reading is from Mark 16:1-8
When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might go and anoint Jesus. And very early on the first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?" And looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back, for it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were amazed. And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here; see the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you." And they went out and fled from the tomb; for trembling and astonishment had come upon them; and they said nothing to any one, for they were afraid.
Prokeimenon. Fourth Tone. Psalm 103.24,1.
O Lord, how manifold are your works. You have made all things in wisdom.
Verse: Bless the Lord, O my soul.
The reading is from St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 16:13-24.
Brethren, be watchful, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. Now, brethren, you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints; I urge you to be subject to such men and to every fellow worker and laborer. I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicos, because they have made up for your absence; for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give recognition to such men. The churches of Asia send greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord. All the brethren send greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss. I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. If any one has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.
13th Sunday of Matthew
The Reading is from Matthew 21:33-42
The Lord said this parable, "There was a householder who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country. When the season of fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants, to get his fruit; and the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first; and they did the same to them. Afterward he sent his son to them, saying 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.' And they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" They said to him, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons." Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the scriptures: 'The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?'"
The holy Martyrs Adrian and Natalie confessed the Christian Faith during the reign of Maximian, in Nicomedia, in the year 298. Adrian was a pagan; witnessing the valor of the Martyrs, and the fervent faith with which they suffered their torments, he also declared himself a Christian and was imprisoned. When this was told to his wife Natalie, who was secretly a believer, she visited him in prison and encouraged him in his sufferings. Saint Adrian's hands and feet were placed on an anvil and broken off with a hammer; he died in his torments. His blessed wife recovered part of his holy relics and took it to Argyropolis near Byzantium, and reposed in peace soon after.
In all probability, the icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir was painted in Constantinople. In the twelfth century, Patriarch Luke Chrysoberges sent it to Kiev to Great Prince Yuri Dolgruky. The icon was kept in the convent at Vyshgorod, whence the holy Prince Andrew of Bogoliubovo brought it to Vladimir. The icon is one of the most venerated in Russia, having been carried by princes in military campaigns, prayed before by rulers for the welfare of the people, and flocked to by the faithful of all walks of life. At the election of the metropolitans and patriarchs, the names of the candidates were placed before this holy icon, and after prayer, the lot chosen; Patriarch Tikhon the Confessor was elected this way. The icon is celebrated also on June 23 and May 21, the last feast being established to commemorate the deliverance of Moscow in 1521 from the onslaught of the Tartar Khan Makhmet-Girei.
Little is known of the holy Martyr Phanurius, except that which is depicted concerning his martyrdom on his holy icon, which was discovered in the year 1500 among the ruins of an ancient church on Rhodes, when the Moslems ruled there. Thus he is called "the Newly Revealed." The faithful pray to Saint Phanurius especially to help them recover things that have been lost, and because he has answered their prayers so often, the custom has arisen of baking a Phaneropita ("Phanurius-Cake") as a thanks-offering.
Saint Pimen was from Egypt and shone forth in the ascetical life in Scete in the fourth century; he was renowned for his discretion. Many of his sayings and deeds are preserved in the Paradise of the Fathers and the Sayings of the Fathers.
Saint Job of Pochaev was born about 1551 in southwest Galicia of a pious Orthodox family. In his tenth year the Saint departed for the Ugornitsky Monastery of our Saviour in the Carpathian Mountains. Tonsured after two years, he was ordained hieromonk about 1580. Renowned for his meekness and humility, Job was invited by the great zealot for Holy Orthodoxy in the Carpatho-Russia, Prince Constantine Ostrozhky, to be Abbot of the Monastery of the Cross in Dubno. In his zeal for the preservation and propagation of the Orthodox Faith, and to counteract the propaganda of the Uniates, he printed and widely disseminated Orthodox spiritual and liturgical books. About 1600 he removed to the Mountain of Pochaev where at insistence of the brethren, he became Abbot of the Monastery of the Dormition of the Theotokos, which he enlarged and made to flourish. Through his labours, a large printing works was founded at Pochaev and greatly assisted in the nurture of the Orthodox faithful in that region. His monastery became the center of the Orthodox Church in western Ukraine. The Saint reposed, having taken the schema with the name of John, in 1651, at the advanced age of one hundred.
Saint Moses, who is also called Moses the Black, was a slave, but because of his evil life, his master cast him out, and he became a ruthless thief, dissolute in all his ways. Later, however, coming to repentance, he converted, and took up the monastic life under Saint Isidore of Scete. He gave himself over to prayer and the mortification of the carnal mind with such diligence that he later became a priest of exemplary virtue. He was revered by all for his lofty ascetical life and for his great humility. Once the Fathers in Scete asked Moses to come to an assembly to judge the fault of a certain brother, but he refused. When they insisted, he took a basket which had a hole in it, filled it with sand, and carried it on his shoulders. When the Fathers saw him coming they asked him what the basket might mean. He answered, "My sins run out behind me, and I do not see them, and I am come this day to judge failings which are not mine." When a barbarian tribe was coming to Scete, Moses, conscious that he himself had slain other men when he was a thief, awaited them and was willingly slain by them with six other monks, at the end of the fourth century. He was a contemporary of Saint Arsenius the Great (see May 8).
The divine Baptist, the Prophet born of a Prophet, the seal of all the Prophets and beginning of the Apostles, the mediator between the Old and New Covenants, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, the God-sent Messenger of the incarnate Messiah, the forerunner of Christ's coming into the world (Esaias 40: 3; Mal. 3: 1); who by many miracles was both conceived and born; who was filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother's womb; who came forth like another Elias the Zealot, whose life in the wilderness and divine zeal for God's Law he imitated: this divine Prophet, after he had preached the baptism of repentance according to God's command; had taught men of low rank and high how they must order their lives; had admonished those whom he baptized and had filled them with the fear of God, teaching them that no one is able to escape the wrath to come if he do not works worthy of repentance; had, through such preaching, prepared their hearts to receive the evangelical teachings of the Savior; and finally, after he had pointed out to the people the very Savior, and said, "Behold the Lamb of God, Which taketh away the sin of the world" (Luke 3:2-18; John 1: 29-36), after all this, John sealed with his own blood the truth of his words and was made a sacred victim for the divine Law at the hands of a transgressor.
This was Herod Antipas, the Tetrarch of Galilee, the son of Herod the Great. This man had a lawful wife, the daughter of Arethas (or Aretas), the King of Arabia (that is, Arabia Petraea, which had the famous Nabatean stone city of Petra as its capital. This is the Aretas mentioned by Saint Paul in II Cor. 11:32). Without any cause, and against every commandment of the Law, he put her away and took to himself Herodias, the wife of his deceased brother Philip, to whom Herodias had borne a daughter, Salome. He would not desist from this unlawful union even when John, the preacher of repentance, the bold and austere accuser of the lawless, censured him and told him, "It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife" (Mark 6: 18). Thus Herod, besides his other unholy acts, added yet this, that he apprehended John and shut him in prison; and perhaps he would have killed him straightway, had he not feared the people, who had extreme reverence for John. Certainly, in the beginning, he himself had great reverence for this just and holy man. But finally, being pierced with the sting of a mad lust for the woman Herodias, he laid his defiled hands on the teacher of purity on the very day he was celebrating his birthday. When Salome, Herodias' daughter, had danced in order to please him and those who were supping with him, he promised her -- with an oath more foolish than any foolishness -- that he would give her anything she asked, even unto the half of his kingdom. And she, consulting with her mother, straightway asked for the head of John the Baptist in a charger. Hence this transgressor of the Law, preferring his lawless oath above the precepts of the Law, fulfilled this godless promise and filled his loathsome banquet with the blood of the Prophet. So it was that that all-venerable head, revered by the Angels, was given as a prize for an abominable dance, and became the plaything of the dissolute daughter of a debauched mother. As for the body of the divine Baptist, it was taken up by his disciples and placed in a tomb (Mark 6: 21 - 29). Concerning the finding of his holy head, see February 24 and May 25.
Saint Alexander was sent to the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea as the delegate of Saint Metrophanes, Bishop of Constantinople (see June 4), to whose throne he succeeded in the year 325. When Arius had deceitfully professed allegiance to the Council of Nicaea, Saint Alexander, knowing his guile, refused to receive him into communion; Arius' powerful partisans threatened that they would use force to bring Arius into the communion of the Church the following day. Saint Alexander prayed fervently that God might spare the Church; and as Arius was in a privy place relieving nature, his bowels gushed forth with an effusion of blood, and the arch-heresiarch died the death of Judas. Saint Alexander was Bishop from 325 until 337, when he was succeeded by Saint Paul the Confessor, who died a martyr's death at the hands of the Arians (see Nov. 6). The Saint John commemorated here appears to be the one who was Patriarch during the years 562-577, surnamed Scholasticus, who is also commemorated on February 21. He was from Antioch, where he had been a lawyer (scholasticus); he was made presbyter, then was sent to Constantinople as representative (apocrisiarius) of the Patriarch of Antioch, and was appointed Patriarch of Constantinople by the Emperor Justinian. Saint Paul was Bishop of Constantinople during the years 687 - 693, in the reign of Emperor Justinian II, and presided over the Quinisext Council in 692.
The Synaxis of the Holy Hierarchs of Serbia: The Saints commemorated on this day are: Sabbas, First Archbishop and enlightener of Serbia (see Jan. 14); Arsenius, his successor, a great hierarch and wonderworker; Sabbas II, son of Saint Stephen, the first-crowned King of Serbia; Nicodemus, Abbot of Hilandar, later Archbishop of Serbia; Joannicius, Archbishop, later Patriarch from 1346 to 1349; Patriarch Ephraim, an ascetic, who crowned Prince Lazarus, and later left the patriarchate to live in solitude; Spyridon, Ephraim's successor, who reposed in 1388; Macarius, who printed many church books in Serbia and abroad, was very zealous in renovating and adoring churches, and reposed in 1574; Gabriel, Archbishop, who took part in the Church Council of Moscow during the patriarchate of Nicon, for which the Turks accused him of treason and hanged him in Prusa in the year 1656. Also commemorated are Eustathius, James, Daniel, Sabbas III, Gregory, Cyril (Patriarch), John, Maximus, and Nicon. Many of them labored in asceticism on the Holy Mountain, and all were "good and faithful servants, good labourers in the vineyard of the Lord".
Although the historical accounts differ somewhat, the Deposition that is celebrated today took place most likely during the reign of Emperor Arcadius (395-408), when the precious Cincture of the Mother of God was brought from Zela of Cappadocia to Constantinople, and placed in the Church of the Theotokos in the section of Chalcopratia.
Saint Cyprian was born of pagan parents in Carthage of Roman Africa about the year 190. An eloquent teacher of rhetoric, he was converted and baptized late in life, and his conversion from a proud man of learning to a humble servant of Christ was complete; he sold his great possessions and gave them to the poor, and because of his zeal and virtue, was ordained presbyter in 247, then Bishop of Carthage in 248. He was especially steadfast in defending the sanctity and uniqueness of the Baptism of the Church of Christ against the confusion of those who would allow some validity to the ministrations of heretics; his writings continue to guide the Church even in our own day. Having survived the persecution of Decius about the year 250, he was beheaded in confession of the Faith during the persecution of Valerian in 258, on September 14; that day being the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, his feast is kept today.
For the maintenance of their armed forces, the Roman emperors decreed that their subjects in every district should be taxed every year. This same decree was reissued every fifteen years, since the Roman soldiers were obliged to serve for fifteen years. At the end of each fifteen-year period, an assessment was made of what economic changes had taken place, and a new tax was decreed, which was to be paid over the span of the fifteen years. This imperial decree, which was issued before the season of winter, was named Indictio, that is, Definiton, or Order. This name was adopted by the emperors in Constantinople also. At other times, the latter also used the term Epinemisis, that is, Distribution (Dianome). It is commonly held that Saint Constantine the Great introduced the Indiction decrees in A.D. 312, after he beheld the sign of the Cross in heaven and vanquished Maxentius and was proclaimed Emperor in the West. Some, however (and this seems more likely), ascribe the institution of the Indiction to Augustus Caesar, three years before the birth of Christ. Those who hold this view offer as proof the papal bull issued in A.D. 781 which is dated thus: Anno IV, Indictionis LIII -that is, the fourth year of the fifty-third Indiction. From this, we can deduce the aforementioned year (3 B.C.) by multiplying the fifty-two complete Indictions by the number of years in each (15), and adding the three years of the fifty-third Indiction. There are three types of Indictions: 1) That which was introduced in the West, and which is called Imperial, or Caesarean, or Constantinian, and which begins on the 24th of September; 2) The so-called Papal Indiction, which begins on the 1st of January; and 3) The Constantinopolitan, which was adopted by the Patriarchs of that city after the fall of the Eastern Empire in 1453. This Indiction is indicated in their own hand on the decrees they issue, without the numeration of the fifteen years. This Indiction begins on the 1st of September and is observed with special ceremony in the Church. Since the completion of each year takes place, as it were, with the harvest and gathering of the crops into storehouses, and we begin anew from henceforth the sowing of seed in the earth for the production of future crops, September is considered the beginning of the New Year. The Church also keeps festival this day, beseeching God for fair weather, seasonable rains, and an abundance of the fruits of the earth. The Holy Scriptures (Lev. 23:24-5 and Num. 29:1-2) also testify that the people of Israel celebrated the feast of the Blowing of the Trumpets on this day, offering hymns of thanksgiving. In addition to all the aforesaid, on this feast we also commemorate our Saviour's entry into the synagogue in Nazareth, where He was given the book of the Prophet Esaias to read, and He opened it and found the place where it is written, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, for which cause He hath anointed Me..." (Luke 4:16-30).
It should be noted that to the present day, the Church has always celebrated the beginning of the New Year on September 1. This was the custom in Constantinople until its fall in 1453 and in Russia until the reign of Peter I. September 1 is still festively celebrated as the New Year at the Patriarchate of Constantinople; among the Jews also the New Year, although reckoned according to a moveable calendar, usually falls in September. The service of the Menaion for January 1 is for our Lord's Circumcision and for the memorial of Saint Basil the Great, without any mention of its being the beginning of a new year.
Our righteous Father Symeon was born about the year 390 in a certain village named Sis, in the mountain region of Cilicia and Syria. Having first been a shepherd, he entered the monastic discipline at a young age. After trying various kinds of ascetical practices, both in the monastery and then in the wilderness, he began standing on pillars of progressively greater height, and heroically persevered in this for more than forty years; the greater part of this time he spent standing upright, even when one of his feet became gangrenous, and other parts of his body gave way under the strain. He did not adopt this strange way of life out of vainglory, a charge that some of his contemporaries made against him at the first: because he was already famous for his asceticism and holiness before ascending his first pillar (in Greek, style, whence he is called "Stylite"), many pious people came to him wishing to touch his garments, either for healing or for a blessing; to escape the continual vexation they caused, he made a pillar about ten feet high, and then higher and higher, until the fourth and last was about fifty feet high. The Church historian Theodoret of Cyrrhus, an eyewitness of his exploits who wrote of him while Symeon was yet alive, called him "the great wonder of the world." God gave him the grace to persevere in such an astonishing form of asceticism that multitudes came to see him from Persia, Armenia, South Arabia, Georgia, Thrace, Spain, Italy, Gaul, and the British Isles. Theodoret says that he became so famous in Rome that the Nomadic Arabs by the thousands believed in Christ and were baptized because of him; the King of Persia sent envoys to inquire into his way of life, and the Queen asked to be sent oil that he had blessed. He also was a great defender of sound doctrine, and confirmed the Orthodoxy of the Holy Council of Chalcedon for many who had been beguiled by the teachings of the Monophysites, including the Empress Eudocia, widow of Theodosius the Younger. After a life of unheard-of achievements and struggles, he reposed in peace at the age of sixty-nine, in the year 459.
Jesus (Joshua) of Navi was born of the tribe of Ephraim in Egypt, in the seventeenth century before Christ. When he was eighty-five years of age, he became Moses' successor. He restrained the River Jordan's flow and allowed the Israelites to cross on foot. He caused the sun to stop in its course when he was waging war against the Amorites. He divided the Promised Land among the Twelve Tribes of Israel and governed them for twenty-five years. He wrote the Old Testament book that bears his name, and having lived 110 years in all, he reposed in the sixteenth century before Christ. His name means "God saves."
Message from Metropolitan Alexios
My Beloved Ones,
I greet you all with love and joy, as we prepare to come to the end of the summer season. I send my blessings to all the children and young people of our Metropolis if Atlanta, whether they are beginning their time in primary school, high school, or university.
Along with the conclusion of summer, very soon, the cooler weather that comes with fall makes us think also, of the harvest. Those fruits and crops which blossomed during the springtime of Pascha and grew under the warmth of the Apostles Fast will soon become fruit and grain to give nourishment and comfort.
It is therefore a blessing that this Sunday’s Gospel reading is takes place in a vineyard. In our Lord’s parable however, the tenants of the vineyard do not behave honorably in their work. When the owner of the vineyard wishes to inspect their works during the harvest, and receive the fruit that is rightfully His, He sends servants to represent Him. However, the tenants beat one, stone another, and kill the last. Again, the owner wishes to reach out to His tenants, and so He sends more servants—but this shameful process of torture and death is repeated. Finally, the owner of the vineyard reasons that the tenants will respect His son, but when His son arrives, the tenants see a way to steal his inheritance, and so they murder Him as well.
The parallels of this parable were not clear to those with whom Christ was speaking. The vineyard, of course, is earth; the owner is God, and the tenants to whom He let out the property were the Israelites with whom He established His covenant. Just as the owner wished to see what His tenants had brought forth in the season of the harvest, God sent His servants, the Prophets, to speak His Word, so that faithful might bring forth good fruits. In the abuse and horrible mistreatment of all His messengers and His Son, Christ is criticizing the frequent rejection of God’s Word—and predicting His own Crucifixion, as He is the Son of the Vineyard Owner.
While the people to whom He is speaking can grasp the meaning of the parable, they fail to understand their role in it as the wicked tenants. When He asks what the owner will do to the wicked tenants, the listeners correctly say that the owner will “…put those wretches to a miserable death, and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons" (Matthew 21:41). Christ ends His preaching quoting Psalm 118 which predicts that the rejected stone shall become the chief cornerstone, encouraging both the Israelites, and now the Gentiles to turn to Him.
My brothers and sisters, as we look to the coming harvest, I pray that we all take the time to examine what spiritual fruits we have produced for the Glory of God. The meaning of this parable was not simply historical, we too can reject our Creator’s message; not only by disobeying His commandments, but also by failing to cultivate the Fruits of the Spirit. Christ makes it very clear that the gifts His Father bestowed to humanity can be easily taken from us and given to others who prove more worthy of them. As we approach the time of harvest let us work to insure that we will be able to give a good account to the owner of the Vineyard when He returns to receive His fruit.
+ALEXIOS
Metropolitan of Atlanta
From the Chancellor's Desk
Pastoral Reflection from Fr. George:
There is a huge industry in modern society producing products that are “time savers.” We all recognize that time in busy lives needs to be used productively, so “saving time” has a natural appeal to busy people. I have been impressed by how time management and productivity experts have changed their focus over the last 20 years from a notion of management and scientific examination of using time to a more spiritual understanding of time used in living lives.
Years ago, time management emphasized setting goals and keeping track of how those goals were met. It was a “to-do” list with time slots. Theoretically, over the course of weeks of keeping track of how time was used, a pattern would develop and people could make adjustments toward efficiency. Sure, we could all do more things in a day if we carried a stop-watch around and worked on beating yesterday's time. We could achieve world record speeds in consuming our coffee and donuts with enough determination and practice.
Lately, however, time management experts have concluded that “to-do” lists also need to have “not-to-do” features. Time management has begun to examine the habits and attributes of highly productive people. Lately it has become very important not only to “save time” but also to “make time.”
Stephen Covey in his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People tells how important it is to live from the inside out. Outside success never guarantees inner happiness. Covey shares a story about a Sunday morning on the subway in New York City. He was sitting in a seat reading his paper along with a few other people in a mostly empty subway car, when a man with several children boarded. The man was silent and slumped over, with his elbows on his knees looking at the floor while his children loudly ran up and down the car.
The adults on the car were at first unsettled, but after a few stops, the visible level of agitation grew. People were not able to “use” their time reading or even thinking quiet thoughts. Finally Covey decided he needed to do something. He approached the man and said, “Sir, your children are really disturbing a lot of people. I wonder if you couldn’t control them a little more?”
The man lifted his head and said. “Oh, you’re right. I guess I should do something about it. We just came from the hospital where their mother died about an hour ago. I don't know what to think and I guess they don't know how to handle it either.”
Suddenly, a man intent on reading his paper as a prudent use of time was jerked from “saving” time on the train to “making” time to be with a stranger and his children.
And I ask you, which do you think is most memorable? Reading the paper or that conversation?
Each day, we have an opportunity to manage our time in a way that is either “task-oriented” or as “a gift from God.” Without realizing it, we daily confront exciting intersections of “holy” time and “work” time. Simply put, I challenge you to contrast “getting something done” versus “spending time with people.” Consider the wonderful opportunity we gain when we surrender and allow God to give us new and beneficial insights in our unique and unexpected daily experiences.
Much of our focus in the Church is oriented to offering our time and talents to God for the benefit of His Kingdom and sharing His salvation with all we encounter. While we seek to make the world a place where our children are safe and our neighbors have the dignity of human rights, we likewise strive to make our world peaceful and free of disease or hunger.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, we need to remember that before we can act, we must open ourselves to be acted upon. The God of our salvation is the God of the Exodus, the God of the Cross, and the God of the Resurrection – acting in unimaginable ways in creation for our benefit.
Let us identify with Jesus’ Disciples who needed to spend time with Him. We also can identify with the crowds coming to see Jesus the miracle worker. As Christians, we should realize that God gives us enough time to pray, enough time to work, enough time to play, enough time to reflect, and enough time to just be. In short, we all can claim the benefit of some “Jesus time.”
When we draw apart from the demands of the world and claim the time God gives us, then we begin to understand what the crowds sought in Jesus. When we serve in our Lord’s Holy Church and when we claim and witness God's love and presence in our lives, then His blessings pour forth in miraculous ways. Let us learn to claim the blessings that God has given us . . . in His time and not simply in hours, minutes, and seconds.
“Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with all of you.”
(2 Thess. 3:16)
+Fr. George Tsahakis
Chancellor
The Strategic Plan
FAITH FORUM
Want to learn the latest best practices on how to grow your parish?
How about learning to create a plan for the future of your parish?
How do I fund the essential ministries of my parish and become less dependent on fund raisers?
Have I covered all the significant risks to my parish and what risks go beyond insurance coverage?
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If you and your fellow parishioners have ever discussed these topics and you want to learn more, then …
MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR MARCH 9, 2019 FROM NOON TO 5PM AT ST. NEKTARIOS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH IN CHARLOTTE, NC
MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW
Take a look at the online portal.
Vist www.atlstrategicplan.org/portal to view a list of the several goals completed in 2017.
Family Life Ministry
The Metropolis of Atlanta’s Family Life Ministry (www.familylifeministry.atlanta.goarch.org) strengthens individuals, families and church families through adaptable programs, blogs and educational materials as a means of fostering connection within our homes and our parishes.
Join Paula and Edna as they discuss the latest book from with FLM, “Woven: An Interactive Book for the Modern Teenage Girl on Orthodox Christianity” with Bobby Maddex from Ancient Faith Ministries.
For more information, or to order "Woven" please visit, woveninhislove.org
We also share with you helpful links from the OCN and the Family Life Ministry of the Metropolis of Atlanta.
Journey of Marriage (Pre-Marital Seminar)
All couples marrying in the Metropolis must attend a Metropolis-sponsored Journey of Marriage seminar prior to their wedding. The couple will present their certificate of completion to their parish priest after the seminar.
To see the full list of seminars in Florida and in our entire Metropolis as more seminars are scheduled please visit: http://www.familylifeministry.atlanta.goarch.org/upcoming-events-2/
Registration is online. Materials costs are included in the registration.
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Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We all have learned of the devastating fires in Attica, Greece that have claimed the lives of dozens of people, injured many others, and destroyed countless homes and properties. We are filled with agony and pain as we watch the horrifying images and hear the tragic stories coming from Greece.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America mourns the passing of Presvytera Margaret (Pavlides) Orfanakos of Wayne, New Jersey who passed away to the Lord, peacefully and surrounded by her family on Monday, August 13th, 2018. She was 75 years old.
WASHINGTON – His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America, at the invitation of the Secretary of State of the United States Mike Pompeo, participated in the first-ever Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, July 24-26, 2018, held at the State Department.
WASHINGTON – His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America held today in the Cathedral of Saint Sophia a memorial service for the fire victims in Eastern Attica, Greece. The Archbishop is in the Nation’s Capital on the invitation of the Secretary of State of the United States, Mike Pompeo, to attend and participate in the first-ever Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom (a separate release will cover this event), held in the State Department, July 24-25, 2018.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America expresses its deep sorrow and agony for the disastrous fires in eastern Attica, Greece, which yesterday, July 23, 2018, destroyed inhabited areas and woodland, caused the loss of life of dozens of our fellow human beings, injured many others, and devastated homes and property. There is currently a significant number of missing persons.
The 44th Biennial Clergy Laity Congress of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America concluded last night, July 5, 2018 with a Grand Banquet at the Boston Marriott Copley Place Hotel and attended by more than 1,200 people. The festive banquet followed a full day of deliberations in the setting of the Plenary Session of the Congress.
A service of Doxology was held today for the 4th of July, Independence Day by His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America inside of the large conference rooms of the Boston Marriott Copley Place Hotel, where the 44th Clergy Laity Congress is taking place July 1-5, 2018.
The 44th Biennial Clergy Laity Congress of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America began with the Keynote Address of His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America, Monday morning July 2, 2018.
On behalf of the clergy and laity of the 62 parishes of the Metropolis of Boston, I welcome you to the 44th Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress. The city of Boston is a fitting location for our gathering, not only because it is home to one of the historic Greek Orthodox communities in America and Hellenic College/Holy Cross, but also because it is the birthplace of religious freedom in the United States. This religious freedom makes assemblies such as this possible. While the freedoms we enjoy in this great land of ours provide us with the environment in which we, as Orthodox Christians, can flourish, we must never forget the sacred obligation that we owe to our forefathers and mothers who came from Greece, Asia Minor, and other distant lands. Their courage, determination, hard work, and fervent faith, above all, inspired our communities, built our churches, and shaped this very Archdiocese. Boston is certainly an historic city, and our assembly this Fourth of July week becomes part of that history.
As Orthodox Christians, we are ever mindful of “history.” Whether it be deeply rooted in Greece, enriched by the Byzantine centuries, or sanctified by our apostolic devotion, our historical experience forms us and teaches us. For those old enough to recall, even within living memory, our church faced severe challenges, which were only overcome by the grace of God and through the steadfast faith and dedicated effort of the clergy and laity.
Over the past century, our Church in America has surmounted certain difficulties, precisely because of assemblies such as this. In these biennial gatherings, we come together as a community to ensure that our faith, the pearl of great price, this Παρακαταθήκη, this sacred deposit, which has been entrusted to our care, is preserved and passed on to future generations.
This Congress has been organized to help us understand the nature of whatever difficulties we face as an Archdiocese and to create a forum for open, frank, and respectful discussion. Through exchanging our insights and sharing our thoughts and visions, we can identify areas of concern, resolve the issues of today, and anticipate those which might emerge in future years and decades.
My brothers and sisters, fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, our work here in Boston this week is indeed a sacred responsibility and a necessary task. Throughout the ages, Orthodox Christians have overcome persecution, oppression, hardship, slavery, and divisiveness with the conviction that, “all things are possible for one who believes.” This is the great truth of our history, this is the light which guides our footsteps, and the path upon which we walk this week. This Fourth of July, in this historic city, in this great nation, we too can make history. We can beautify and strengthen the fabric of this great Archdiocese. Once again, the Metropolis of Boston welcomes you, and we pray that almighty God may grant us all the fortitude and the wisdom necessary for our sacred work.
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Keynote Address of His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios
At the 44th Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress
“All Things Are Possible to the One Who Believes in Christ”
(cf. Mark 9:23)
Δόξα τῇ ἁγίᾳ καὶ ὁμοουσίῳ καὶ ζωοποιῷ καὶ ἀδιαιρέτῳ Τριάδι, πάντοτε, νῦν καὶ ἀεί, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων.
Glory to the holy and consubstantial, and life giving, and undivided Trinity, always, now and forever and to the ages of ages.
1. With this expression of doxology and thanksgiving to God, we are together again in our 44th Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress. We focus on the theme of this congress, which is, “All Things Are Possible to the One Who Believes in Christ”, as we prepare to deal with the challenges that we face as the Greek Orthodox Church in America, the Eparchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the West. Our theme is based on the words of the Lord, If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes (Mark 9:23), Who also added: Truly I say to you if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed you will say to this mountain “move from here to there”, and it will move, and nothing will be impossible to you (Matthew 17:20-21). We have been together in Clergy-Laity Congresses since the year 2000 in Philadelphia and then in succession in Los Angeles, New York, Nashville, Washington, Atlanta, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Nashville, and now in Boston, the place of education and democracy.
We express also our wholehearted thanksgiving to His All Holiness our Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew for his warm love and abundant blessings, for his very inspirational message that we just heard and for sending to us the distinguished Hierarchs: Metropolitan Apostolos, Geron of Derkoi, and Metropolitan Maximos of Selyvria to represent him at this Congress. Profound thanks belong also to His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios of Boston, the gracious host of this 44th Congress and the people of this Metropolis who offer such an outstanding hospitality.
2. In the period between our last Clergy-Laity Congress in Nashville 2016 up to today, we have had a number of events worth mentioning, but allow me for brevity of time to limit myself first to remember our brothers and sisters that have passed away during this period.
We had the passing of three prominent hierarchs of our Archdiocese, namely, Metropolitan Iakovos of Chicago, and Metropolitan Philotheos of Meloa. A few days ago, Bishop Iacovos of Catania also passed away. In addition, we had the passing of 29 priests and 24 presvyteres of our Archdiocese. We also had quite a number of members from Archdiocesan organizations that joined the Church Triumphant and are no longer with us. So, we count 4 members from the National Board of the Ladies Philoptochos Society, 53 members of Leadership 100, and 61 Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Order of St. Andrew. May their memory be eternal, and may they rest in peace and joy in heaven, in the company of the saints and the righteous.
At the same time, we were blessed with the election of the new Metropolitan of Chicago in the person of Archimandrite Nathanael Symeonides, and with many ordinations to the diaconate and to the priesthood. Thus, we had 30 ordinations to the diaconate, and 35 ordinations to the priesthood. During the same period, 16 of our priests retired, 12 clergymen were incardinated to our Archdiocese from various jurisdictions and 8 clergymen were released.
3. As we all know, the major issue that occurred during this period were the difficulties and problems at the Archdiocese and at the building of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at the World Trade Center.
We have been harmoniously working together in our Greek Orthodox Archdiocese for almost 20 years. During these years, we have encountered—in executing our sacred work—joy, love, harmony, achievement, and unity, but also sadness, hardship, distancing, and apathy. As members of the Orthodox Church, which is the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:27), we have worked with most sincere dedication in the course of promoting in America the Orthodox Christian Faith, and the universal values of the Hellenic Tradition, as well as having the unique honor of being the living and dynamic presence of our Ecumenical Patriarchate in the Western Hemisphere. During this same period, we gratefully ascertained the fact that, by the grace of God, significant and verifiable progress has been realized in many areas of our Archdiocese.
There have appeared, however, since the 2016 Clergy-Laity Congress in Nashville, unexpected serious economic difficulties and problems and organizational inefficiencies for which we genuinely and deeply regret.
For me, personally as Archbishop, after a long 19-year experience of serving here, and for the entire faithful of the Archdiocese, this dire situation caused truly unbearable pain. This pain resulted from the fact that in spite of the sincere and unselfish offering of work done by many people, we suddenly found threatening before us an extremely difficult and really unacceptable situation. I am truly and deeply sorry for the disappointment, sorrow, frustration and pain that this unfortunate situation brought upon each and every member of our precious and beloved Archdiocese. And I am still refusing to accept and justify the stopping of the building of St. Nicholas. To stop the building of a church, truly monumental and highly symbolic universally for Orthodoxy as is St. Nicholas at Ground Zero is really unthinkable. Tragically, this unthinkable happened.
4. Confronted by this situation of our Archdiocese, we immediately started taking appropriate measures for corrections. Most important among them was a thorough and in depth auditing by external special firms of the finances and management policies and procedures of the Archdiocese and separately of the finances related to the St. Nicholas building activities. As a result of these measures we have already seen—and are continuing to see—positive outcomes, thus gaining better perspectives for future developments. A very important part of correcting these previous inadequacies and deficiencies is the much better arrangement and systemic enhancement of the administrative and financial management of the Archdiocese. We are going to dedicate special time to discuss all relative issues in the forum that will follow this afternoon.
But before that, I would like to publicly express our gratitude to the members of the Executive Committee of our Archdiocesan Council, both our Metropolitans, and our lay people, and particularly, the officers of the Archdiocesan Council. They did an amazing work, offering a huge number of daily and nightly hours in order to make sure that proper procedures and measures are established. I feel it my duty at this point to mention the three officers of the Council, i.e. the Vice-Chair Archon George Tsandikos, the Treasurer Archon Michael Psaros, and the Secretary Dr. Cathy Walsh. In addition to them, sincere thanks are due to the financial committee of the Archdiocesan Council, presided over by His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios of Boston, and chaired by Archon Lou Kircos with the constant assistance of the highly specialized in managerial and auditing affairs Mrs. Elaine Allen, to the Chancellor of our Archdiocese Bishop Andonios of Phasiane, and to the CFO of our Archdiocese Fr. Soterios Baroody. Profound gratitude belongs also to you, clergy and laity brothers and sisters, representing all of our parishes. In spite of the vicious propaganda by enemies of the Church to stop you from offering your regular stewardship allocation to the Archdiocese, you not only continue your important regular allocation but a significant number of you covered partially or entirely in advance the stewardship for the entire year 2018. Such an astonishing dedication reveals the high human and faith quality of our own people like you, which radically differs from the distancing, apathy and even enmity expressed by some individuals. We also thank the numerous people who offered their unselfish and continuous services related to the building of St. Nicholas at the World Trade Center.
Having in mind the picture of what happened and the correcting measures related to it, let us now proceed with the challenges that are confronting us, as we continue our sacred mission of Orthodox presence and witness in the United States.
5. Challenges are not unknown to our Orthodox Christian Church. Please remember what happened to the Early Church at its very beginning. The first Christians in the Apostolic times were a minority of a minority in their era and world; only the 12 Apostles with a small number of people. They did not have any types of schools or seminaries as it so happened with its contemporary Judaism. They did not have strong financial resources. They faced, almost immediately, persecution. For the first three centuries, the early Christians were confronted not only by the reality of persecution, but also with the challenge of overcoming their need for survival and making Christianity a universal religion destined to embrace the whole of humanity.
As we know, what followed after the first three centuries, and the possibility given to Christians to freely practice their faith, was an exponential expansion of the Christian Church all over the world. But here again, in spite of astonishing progress, the Church faced serious challenges; heresies and schisms. The Ecumenical Councils and the local synods, as well as the unique wealth of the writings of the great Church Fathers and theologians are eloquent witnesses of the magnitude and the seriousness of the challenges. Needless to say that persecutions of the Christians continued to occur frequently throughout history reaching the truly unbelievable number of 30 million martyrs only during the 20th century.
Since we are an integral part of the Orthodox Church, we are now facing our own portions of challenges.
6. Challenge 1: The non-stopping change in everything. It is well known that changes happened throughout history. In today’s era, however, changes do not occur every century or every year, or even every month. They occur every hour. Communications, a basic function of human life, have become a matter of electronic media, texting has replaced fully articulated dialogue, knowledge and information has become an issue of googling, twitter and Facebook. The degree of irresponsible, distorted and falsified usage of language and communication has reached such a point of radical change and disconnection from the truth that sociologists and historians say that we have entered in a new era, the post-truth era. Basic institutions like family have been radically altered. A recent statistic, for instance, states that today we have in the United States 21 million children of only one parent. Even shopping is going through a complete transformation dominated by Amazon and online activities. Lifestyles are more and more determined by the lifestyles of various celebrities, regardless of norms of elementary ethics. This whole situation creates a sense of instability and of inability to plan and program things since often times before putting a plan into action the conditions related to it have already changed.
7. Challenge 2: Economic pressure and poverty. Economic pressure and poverty are universal phenomena with serious consequences not unknown to us. For instance, the need for adequate income causes people to work in two professions, in essence pushing family life to a marginal status. We have the sad experience of many family problems being caused by financial pressures. On the other hand, we face phenomena like human trafficking or slavery involving 35 million women and children who are objects of financial labor and pleasure exploitations due to extraordinary conditions of poverty. Certainly, poverty, along with its accompanying consequences, one of them being violence, cannot be ignored by us. And of course, the economic factor has been central as a challenge to our Archdiocese, as we are confronted by the complicated economic difficulties that we experienced in the last year.
8. Challenge 3: Disconnecting from the Church. It has been noticed that in America, but much more so in Europe, the major Christian denominations are losing people. Roman Catholic and Protestant communities, with a few exceptions, see their membership diminishing. People are not becoming atheist or agnostic, but rather they simply do not want to be connected any longer to any organized religious body. We also, as Orthodox Church, are affected by this phenomenon to a certain degree. There are parishes in our Orthodox Church in which this disconnecting attitude occurs. In our case, this happens particularly with a number of mixed marriages and among the young adults. People disconnecting from the Church is an alarming challenge not to be overlooked. Added to some changing demographic conditions, this disconnecting attitude might lead small parishes to extinction.
9. Challenge 4: Attacks against the Christian Faith. The attacks, frequently violent, against the Christian Faith and the proliferation of many religions like Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and other religio-cultural variations are a major challenge. Atheism today is not what it used to be 30 or 40 years ago. On the other hand, religions other than Christian are becoming more militant and aggressive, not passive and neutral as in the past. Young people of our Faith frequently tell us that in their colleges and universities there are classes and courses in which the presentation and promotion of anti-Christian ideas is a common practice, parallel to the proliferation of ideologies hostile to Christianity and to religions replacing Christianity. Not to speak about what is happening in the press, with social media, television, and with movies and shows in terms of presenting inaccurate views and distorted information about articles of faith, and which even deal with Christianity in sarcastic, humiliating, and ridiculing ways and language.
10. In order to successfully confront the aforementioned challenges, we have to undertake a number of important tasks. First, we have to become fully aware of where we are and what we are. What our parishes are today are not the same as when they were initially founded by first generation immigrants who came mostly from villages and towns, having a homogenous population with an Orthodox and Hellenic identity. The churches that our pioneer ancestors created here were originally something similar to what they had left in their place of origin, namely, Orthodox ecclesiastical institutions serving their practical needs, i.e. liturgies, baptisms, weddings, funerals, memorials, etc. In addition, their parishes were places of tremendous social and psychological support and strength in an effort for survival in a new land of which most of them did not even know the language.
Now we are in the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and even 6th generation. The current conditions need parishes which are not self-limited closed entities serving elementary religious needs and merely supporting survival. Thanks to the grace of God and to the hard work of our pioneer ancestors, we are now beyond the language of survival. The conditions now require a form of a parish whose members, a) have a strong consciousness of an Orthodox identity and ethos, which make them different from our fellow Americans with whom, however, they fully share the big benefits and advantages of being citizens of this blessed country, and b) have an awareness that they have been called to an apostolic mission of sharing the truth, the light, the joy, and the peace of the Gospel with the non-Orthodox people, with whom they live in the same location or elsewhere. Such a strong consciousness of Orthodox Christian identity and full awareness of apostolic mission require proper cultivation, education, and methodical training.
11. Facing these grave situations and responsibilities, we urgently need the development of programs:
a) First, there is a need to develop programs for an adequate and attractive adult education related to the Orthodox Christian Faith. How many of our parishes have established such programs? The great Apostle Paul writing to the Philippians at the end of his life, declared that now his urgent purpose was to learn Christ, and the power of His resurrection, and to share in His Passion (cf. Phil. 3:10), clearly indicating that there is no ending in learning the inexhaustible wealth of faith in Christ. Learning Orthodoxy is a matter of a continuous never ending education. This is what the great Fathers of the Church did for the faithful of their time on a continuous, non-interrupted daily basis.
b) Next to developing programs for an Orthodox adult education, there is a greater need to seriously review what we do in introducing our children and young people to Orthodoxy as a Faith, as a lifestyle and as a superb cultural gift.
Children’s introduction to Orthodox Christianity is a big priority for us. Properly developed and applied relevant programs, not only cover a vital need, they are also a strong antidote to some of the challenges which we mentioned before. Needless to say, that what frequently happens in our parishes, namely, to offer the session of the introduction to Faith at a time parallel to the Divine Liturgy, needs thorough revision. Such a practice deprives the children from attending the Divine Liturgy and creates a childless liturgical congregation which is not good.
It is obvious that in our Church in America the activities and programs related to Orthodox religious education need review, strengthening and enhancing. When, following objective statistics, 45% of the members of our Greek Orthodox population have at least one University or College degree, which means that they are advanced in education and knowledge, we cannot have limited knowledge of our Faith, or even sometimes exhibit an Orthodox illiteracy. When the parents are deficient in terms of Orthodox knowledge, what then will happen to their children? The necessity of dealing systematically and intensely with issues of proper Orthodox training and education for adults and for children constitute an urgent priority. In this case today, we are in an advantageous position because plenty of Orthodox Educational material and relevant resources are available. The question is if and how we use them.
12. An equally urgent priority is the issue of dealing with the challenge of people disconnecting themselves from the Church and gradually distancing or even cutting themselves off. The number of these people in our case might be relatively small compared to major Christian denominations here and in Europe. The phenomenon, however, cannot be ignored, and the fundamental questions cannot be avoided, namely, what is the cause of distancing and disconnection? A central answer may be the dissatisfaction with the function and activities of a parish, or that the parish has nothing else to offer in terms of participatory engagement except the Sunday liturgy. Thus, here the question arises: What can be done in order to improve the life and activities of a parish?
There are parishes in which we notice an ongoing task to have as many parishioners as possible involved in various activities or special projects. In my numerous visits throughout the country, I have encountered parishes which have developed various activities for the parishioners, especially for young adults. There must be a way for the proliferation of all relevant information. In this case, philanthropic tasks on a wide spectrum, special cultural events and athletic opportunities for the young, in addition to the annual festival, could also become instrumental in keeping the people connected to the Church. The care for involving members of mixed marriages is another opportunity with great potential, especially since disconnection occurs frequently with mixed marriage families.
13. There is an open field inviting all of us to work together in order to confront all challenges and to respond to the call of the Lord Who says to us: As the Father has sent me, even so I send you (John 20:21). This sacred task is certainly exciting but not easy. Even our present financial and administrative difficulties play a very challenging role. An equally very challenging role in our sacred task is the necessity to continue immediately the building of St. Nicholas. But we are not an organization, a club, a corporation, or even a fraternity. We are the people of God, we are His Church, we are the believers in Christ. Our theme for this 44th Clergy-Laity Congress is, “All things are possible to the one who believes in Christ” (Mark 9:23). All things are possible to us who believe in Christ including any challenge, including any social, cultural, psychological or financial problems or even provocations coming from the contemporary world. This remains true for us presuming that we are following the line of action of our God and Lord Jesus Christ, Who started and continued to the end His saving ministry by proclaiming the Gospel, by teaching and by healing (Matt. 4:23). Proclaiming the Gospel, teaching the truth revealed by Christ and healing the suffering is our mission and our strategic plan for the present, the future and forever.
Thus, facing reality, we certainly are in a position to say along with St. Paul, I know how to be abased and I know how to abound, in any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and want. I can do all things in Christ and with Christ Who strengthens me (Philip. 4:12-13). Truly, “All things are possible to the one who believes in Christ”.
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Your Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America, exarch of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, our dear brother and concelebrant in the Holy Spirit, Your Eminences and Graces brethren metropolitans and bishops, reverend clergy, honorable parish and community representatives, esteemed Archons of the Mother Church, representatives of major institutions of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and all participants comprising this 44th Clergy-Laity Congress:
Grace be unto you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, and the sanctification of the All-Holy Spirit, together with our loving Patriarchal blessing and prayer.
The absolute priority of love in the life of the Church
BOSTON – The 44th Biennial Clergy Laity Congress of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America began today with a Hierarchical Concelebration of the Divine Liturgy in Boston’s Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation. The meetings and deliberations of the Clergy Laity Congress will take place in the Boston Marriott Copley Place Hotel.
His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios Geron of America presided over the Divine Liturgy concelebrating with the Metropolitans of the Holy Eparchial Synod of the Archdiocese. Taking part in the Liturgy were His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios of Boston (the host hierarch), His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta, His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas of Detroit, His Eminence Metropolitan Savas of Pittsburgh, His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco, His Eminence Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey, and His Eminence Metropolitan Nathanael of Chicago. His Eminence Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver was not present as he was expected to arrive later in the day.
Representing His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in the Congress and prayerfully attending the Liturgy from the Solea were His Eminence Elder Metropolitan Apostolos of Derkoi and His Eminence Metropolitan Maximos of Selyvria.
Archbishop Demetrios, in his homily at the conclusion of the Liturgy first publicly expressed gratitude to the Ecumenical Patriarch for sending to the Congress such a distinguished delegation and said that “the Clergy Laity takes place with the blessing, love and care” of His All Holiness. He also thanked His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios of Boston and the host committee for all the hard and complex work of preparing and hosting the Congress.
The Archbishop noted the feast day of Sts. Cosmas and Damian the Holy Unmercenaries and said they are the patron saints of the National Philoptochos. His Eminence spoke about the day’s apostolic reading from St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians (12:27-31; 13:1-8) that starts with Brethren, you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. He said that we should be cognizant that we are not a club, a corporation or an organization but we are a Church, the body of Christ. He also said that further in St. Paul’s letter we read in Chapter 13 what is known as the Hymn to Love and we realize that love is the new law, principle and method for anything the body of Christ does. We read, he said, that if we have everything else but have not love, I (we) gain nothing, which shows us the absolute priority of love. Archbishop Demetrios concluded by quoting St. John Chrysostom who said “the measure and limit of love is that it has no measure and has no limit.”
On the invitation of Archbishop Demetrios, His Eminence Elder Metropolitan Apostolos of Derkoi, offered a heartfelt greeting to the congregation and conveyed the blessings and love of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. He said that this love for which Archbishop Demetrios spoke and St Paul writes in his Letter to the Corinthians, may guide and reign over all the meetings and deliberations of the Clergy Laity Congress for the benefit of the Holy Archdiocese and the Omogeneia.
It is a blessing for me to be here with you, said His Eminence Metropolitan Maximos of Selyvria, and to share our common faith and share in the message of the 44th Clergy-Laity Congress that to those who believe in Christ all things are possible. This is the core of our ministry in the Ecumenical Patriarchate and I am glad to see that this is what happens in our Archdiocese too.
Later in the afternoon, Archbishop Demetrios together with all the Hierarchs and lay leaders of the Church cut the ribbon at the official opening of the Congress Exhibit Hall. Leadership 100 is the underwriter for the exhibit area, which features numerous booths with vendors from the United States, Canada, Greece, and Cyprus and includes a ministry pavilion that highlights the national ministries of the Archdiocese. They also attended the General Assembly meeting of the National Philoptochos and a reception of the National Forum of Church Musicians.
Photos: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmny27F7 and https://flic.kr/s/aHsmesJ5gm
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June 29, 2018
NEW YORK – The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America announces today that it has completed a financial transaction with Alma Bank which has provided to the Archdiocese credit facilities at closing to immediately restore funds due to donor restricted and custodial accounts and to additionally satisfy legacy obligations from prior years.
“We are grateful to Alma Bank for its confidence in the concrete actions already taken by the Archdiocese towards financial stability and a balanced budget for this and future years” noted Bishop Andonios, Chancellor of the Archdiocese. “The decision of Alma, along with the approval of the Attorney General’s Office which was required for such a transaction, validate the actions taken to date by the administration of the Archdiocese to implement appropriate and necessary managerial and financial controls. That our finances and accounting practices have successfully undergone thorough due diligence, and have subsequently been found strong, represents an objective vote of confidence in the Archdiocese and is a success shared by us all.”
Alma has provided a 10 year $5.5 million mortgage at an initial 5-year rate of 4.25% along with a credit line on terms that are considered customary for commercial loans to a not-for-profit organization. The Archdiocese used loan proceeds from the mortgage and credit line aggregating $7.5 million to restore monies to the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine, fulfill obligations to restricted funds and the pension plan, and to fund the Metropolises of the Archdiocese.
The debt service associated with the bank loan are well within budgeted amounts for addressing past obligations of the Archdiocese which is pleased to have established the banking relationship with Alma Bank.
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June 28, 2018
NEW YORK – Forty young adults participated, from May 31 through June 11, in the inaugural session of IV Next, a ministry of the Office of Ionian Village of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and Leadership 100. The twelve-day itinerary included time at the beautiful Ionian Village campgrounds, as well as excursions to the cornerstones of the Ionian Village travel program. What made this program unique was the time dedicated to personal and professional development.
Participants spent time evaluating their own vocational calling through various “Orthodox Life” sessions and devotionals with their trip leaders, Fr. Vincent and Presvytera Nadia Minucci of Saint Demetrios in Weston, Massachusetts. Both Fr. Vincent and Presvytera Nadia are experienced youth workers and guided the participants along a journey of true self-reflection and growth.
"The young adults participating in IV Next are challenged not only by the new relaxing and "tech-free" environment that Ionian Village has to offer, but also by the leadership team both in Greece and in the United States who provide them with thought provoking discussions about being an Orthodox Christian professional in a secular and anxiety-ridden world. The campgrounds and excursions provide the young adults with perspective as many of their professional and social viewpoints are tested and transformed in a short period of time through talks, discussions, and activities with their peers” commented Trip Leader Presvytera Nadia Minucci. “The young adults leave feeling refreshed and armed to take on the social, spiritual, and professional challenges that lie ahead not only with concrete resources provided at IV Next but with connections to leaders willing to help them throughout their journey."
Working together with members of Leadership 100, IV Next was also able to give participants direct access to successful members of the Greek-American community. For the developmental sessions, participants met via live video conference with Dimitra Manis and Erinn Goldenberg to discuss “First Steps of starting your career,” Kathleen Chimicles and Father Jim Kordaris regarding “Financial planning and what Stewardship really looks like,” and lastly Katherine Relle, Mike Manatos and Greg Papadeas to work the maze of what it really means to be “Young, professional AND Orthodox.”
“We really wanted to focus on integration in this program. Too often, people think that being a young adult means balancing the church on one side of your life, and then your social and professional life on the other side of this scale of life,” remarked Father Evagoras Constantinides, Director of Ionian Village. “To me, I think that’s where a lot of our problems originate from. We talked about integration during IV Next because being a successful young adult doesn’t mean balancing Christ and your life on a scale, it means finding a way to make Christ a part of your every day life.”
IV Next was fully subsidized by a grant from Leadership 100, and would not be possible without their response to the crisis the Orthodox Church is facing regarding young adult ministry. “Leadership 100 is pleased that IV Next, supported by our grant, was successful in orienting our Greek Orthodox young adults to integrate their faith and professional lives with the help and mentoring by our members. We fully recognize and support the importance of engaging young adults through innovative ministries,” remarked Agryris Vassiliou, Leadership 100 Chairman.
Ionian Village and Leadership 100 hope to continue working together to develop and provide ground-breaking ministries to engage as many young adults as possible and bring them into the fold of the Orthodox and Greek cultural community.
See photos: https://flic.kr/s/aHskzrvtei
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