My Beloved Ones,
As members of the Body of Christ, we are surely blessed, but we also have clear responsibilities. In this Sunday’s Gospel, Christ tells His followers, “You are the light of the world… Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14; 16). Our Lord gives us not just a statement of philosophy, but a call to action. We must be careful, so that in everything we do, we bring glory to His Holy Name.
This Sunday commemorates those Holy Fathers who participated in the Fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon in 451. This Council was called to address a heresy, advocated by a presbyter named Eutyches, who claimed that Christ had only one nature—Divine—after His Incarnation. This heretical teaching gained many followers, including the then-Patriarch of Alexandria, who, like Eutyches, was sent into exile after the Council disproved their teachings.
In this way, those holy Fathers also acknowledged the wisdom of St. Paul’s advice to Titus in this Sunday’s Epistle: “After a first and second admonition, have nothing more to do with anyone who causes divisions, since you know that such a person is perverted and sinful, being self-condemned” (Titus 3:10-11). The Church sets our understanding of theology, not in a legalistic spirit, but so that we might better feel the awesome mystery, in which God willingly took on flesh to practice what He preached: glorifying His Father in Heaven through healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and even raising the dead.
As both God and Man, Jesus Christ also insists that we hold to the correct understanding of what God teaches: “Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:17-19).
In this way, when we commemorate the Fathers of the Fourth Ecumenical Council, we honor their commitment to the Word of the Lord: not simply as things written down, but as examples from a life lived, glorifying Him through our thoughts and deeds.
+ALEXIOS
Metropolitan of Atlanta
Metropolis Religious Education Committee Progress Report
- 12 Days of Christmas: A weekly program covering the different themes of the 12 days of Christmas. Prepared by a different presenter/priest for each week and organized by Monica Gjerde. Total attendance 800 views on the Metropolis website.
- Journey to Pascha: A weekly program covering different topics of the Lent/Pascha period similar to the 12 days of Christmas. Both of the presentations offered interactive programs as well as education. Again, the results were excellent with an average of 100 participants weekly.
- Lent, Lunch & Learn: A program established by St. Nektarios featuring different speakers each Thursday during Lent focusing on the personal journey through the period of Lent. Guest speaks Fr. Akrotirianakis, Fr. Stelyios Muksuirs, Fr. Andreas Houpos, Fr. Nektarios Karatonis and Fr. Steve Dalber. The results were very good and ranged from 24 to 130 participating in total with an average of 45 people participating each week.
- Our current new program is a Topical Study on the Gospel of John headed by Fr. Steve Dalber. This was meant to be a summer reading session and so far after the first two weeks, we are averaging 42 people for each session. We have even drawn in people from outside of our Metropolis. We still have three more sessions to go with this program which is on Zoom every Thursday evening from 7 to 8:00 pm.
- We are currently working on our Festival of Faith weekend for February 25-27 to be held at our Diakonia Retreat Center. More to follow on this event.
- We have put together a program to interact and open up communication lines with the educational leaders for all of our parishes. Mrs. Correna Panagiotou has put together an outstanding survey on catechism in our parishes that we are going to use as a basis to start our communication program.
- We will also be working on a program for our Sunday Catechism teachers to help them start their year off. We are looking to get this started around mid to end of August.
- The committee is also working on a teacher's certification program for our catechists and future catechists.
Give Today to the Support Surfside Fund
The collapse of the Champlain Tower in Surfside, Florida, is a tragedy that has saddened a nation, and the world, but nowhere more so than the community of Miami, Florida. As of this writing, upwards of 50 individuals lost their lives in the collapse, with well over a hundred men, women, and children still unaccounted for.
In the midst of such a shocking event, the country has also witnessed those brave volunteers who came together to search for survivors. His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta commends our own Fr. Aristidis Arizi, of St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church in Miami. On Thursday June 24th, at 5 AM, Father Aristidis was notified of the collapse, and immediately joined his fellow Miami-Dade Police Department Chaplains in responding to the call of duty. In the following two weeks, Father Aristidis has worked 12-to-15-hour days with the Psychological Service Department, the MDPD Chaplains and Victim’s Advocates, offering grief counseling, prayers, and support to not only the friends and family of those who have been lost, but also the first responders who continue to face this tragedy amidst the recovery process.
One example of Father’s service acts is his ministering to the family of one of these fallen souls, Andres Giannitsopoulos, a 21-year-old Greek American, who was visiting his Godfather (Nouno) at the time of the building collapsed. Father Aristidis was able to help comfort this Greek Orthodox family, and to pull together resources from the South Florida Greek Orthodox Churches to provide some financial assistance.
His Eminence and our entire Metropolis family is grateful to Fr. Aristidis for exhibiting such spiritual strength as he dedicates himself not only to his parish, but also supporting these grieving families and individuals through his work with the MDPD Chaplains; and for this we thank him, as a credit to his parish, our Metropolis, and our Archdiocese.
To show our loving concern for the families of the Champlain Tower collapse, as well as our unwavering support for Father Aristidis, His Eminence uplifts the community of St. Andrew, which has pledged to match all donations up to $2,000 for the Support Surfside Fund, which was created to provide immediate cash support to families and victims to cover their personal expenses and provide monetary relief as they struggle through this difficult time. To donate, please visit: www.standrewfl.com/surfside-donation
In the face of such an unthinkable tragedy, God has given us an opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of those who have been changed forever by this terrible event. Let us not only continue to pray for God’s mercy and comfort but let us demonstrate true Christian love by supporting others in their time of need.
Thank you and may God continue to bless you and your families.
Important Metropolis Events
The Department of Religious Education of the Metropolis of Atlanta is proud to present a 5-week virtual study of the Gospel of John with Fr. Steve Dalber, Pastor Emeritus of St. Nektarios Greek Orthodox Church, every Thursday, July 1 to July 29, 2021, from 7 to 8 PM. To gain the most from this interactive study, it would be helpful to read the Gospel of John by the first session. Join via Zoom using the Meeting ID: 833 4602 6682 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83346026682
A Concert commemorating the bicentennial anniversary of Cyprus in the Greek War of Independence, performed by New York based artists Demetris Michael (tenor) & Phyto Stratis (Artistic and Musical Director) with special guests. The program includes a premier of a song composed by Stratis to mark the occasion, with text from the prologue of the dramatic poem “July 9th” by celebrated Cypriot poet, Vassilis Michaelides. The program was Saturday, June 26th 2021, at Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church in Marietta, Georgia. You may view the program at: https://youtu.be/WDNkYND47W8
A week of intensive instruction in Iconography under the guidance of Fr. Anthony Salzman, priest and iconographer from Athens, GA. Students spend 5-6 hours in the classroom workshop each day. Daily prayers, meals, and evening activities round out the week. AUGUST 22 - 28, 2021 Diakonia Retreat Center Salem, South Carolina For more details, see our new website at www.theliturgicalarts.org.
Youth, Education and Hellenic Culture
For information on Policies for the Safety of Youth and Children, please click https://atlmetropolis.org/policies-for-the-safety-of-youth-and-children!
Please remember that all parishes must comply and sign their parish contracts to host any youth ministry programs or events on the parish level (Sunday School) or to participate on a District or Metropolis Level Events (Retreats, WYR & HDF).
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 for 2021 and beyond, and to register, please visit: https://atlmetropolis.org/pre-marital-seminars-journey-of-marriage
Registration is online. Materials costs are included in the registration. The seminars are currently being conducted by Zoom meeting.