Metropolitan Alexios' Message
My Beloved Ones,
I greet you with love and joy in the name of our Risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Χριστὸς ἀνέστη! Christ is Risen! This Sunday, we are blessed to remember a great saint of Orthodoxy, one who was important to the growth of monasticism throughout the world.
St. Pachomios the Great was born near the end of the 3rd century, in Egypt. The son of pagan parents, he found himself forced into serving in the Roman army. New recruits who were kidnapped from their homes were often lodged, at first, in a prison. It was in this prison that St. Pachomios first discovered the love of Christ, when he saw the behavior of those Christians who came and brought food and drink for the new recruits. Moved by their selflessness, St. Pachomios vowed that after ending his military service (during which he never used a weapon), he would be baptized, and then dedicate his life to Christ.
He first studied with a local hermit named Palaemon, for seven years, and then with St. Anthony the Great—until he heard a voice tell him to build a place where hermits would come and live together. Until this point, in the early 4th century, most of Christian monasticism had consisted of the eremitic style: that is to say, each monk or nun would live in the wilderness (in Greek, ἔρημος) in their own individual cell, only coming together for Divine Liturgy). Though Pachomios did not “invent” cenobitic monasticism, we consider him its “Father”, because he developed a structure of taking small communities, and bringing them together under a very structured Rule. Each monk was given the same amount of food and clothing, and each monk was allowed to determine their fasting and work based on their own spiritual and physical strength. Knowing that many hermits would react negatively, as he organized this new cenobitic style (meaning the common life), St. Pachomios took on the burden of the administration himself.
Eventually, this monastery grew so large that another was founded. Such was St. Pachomios’s humility that he refused St. Anthony’s wish to ordain him as a Priest. By the end of his earthly life, he had founded eight monasteries which followed his Rule. From this Rule order, he inspired both St. Basil when he wrote his Rule, and also St. Benedict of Nursia, whose Rule governs Roman Catholic monasticism. In this way, despite the differences found in these churches, we can see that we do indeed share a common “Abba”, “Abbot”, or “Father”.
Though few are called to monasticism, all our lives have been made richer through the example of this holy man. St. Pachomios took the negativity of being separated from his homeland, and rather than falling into despair, he used his experiences living together with his fellow soldiers in the military, to teach others how to instead serve our Heavenly Commander, who is God.
+ALEXIOS
Metropolitan of Atlanta
Youth, Education and Hellenic Culture
St. Stephen's Summer Camp has a rich tradition, dating back to the 1980's, and is grounded on the principals of living a true Orthodox lifestyle. There are liturgical services twice a day, opportunities for reflection, team building activities, community living and meals, athletics, arts & crafts, and nightly social activities.
Summer 2022
Week 1: June 26 - July 2
Week 2: July 3 - July 9
Week 3: July 10 - July 16
Week 4: July 17 - July 23
Week 5: July 24 - July 30
Camper Registration will open Tuesday, April 12 at 12:00 p.m. ET
Camper Registration Cost is $450.00 per camper.
$200.00 deposit upon registration and the remainder will be due by June 15, 2022.
Amazon Wishlist
We have put together an Amazon Wish List of items to assist in making St. Stephen's Summer Camp the best week of the year. Please take a moment and see if you can help in any way. All items will be shipped directly to the Metropolis in Atlanta.
If you do give us a gift, please let us know who you are so we can Thank You! Click Here!
On Youth Safety Protocols
From Father George Tsahakis, Chancellor: On behalf of His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios and Monica Gjerde, our Metropolis Youth Coordinator, I commend you for working to achieve the ongoing safety and protection of our youth. Please review the following:
Login in to Armatus Administration to see your Parish Summary Now!*
https://armatus2.praesidiuminc.com/armatusUser/login
In closing, we understand this effort requires 100 percent compliance. The parish I serve, St. Christopher Church is 100 percent compliant with the above protocol. If your parish is at 100 percent, email me so I can add you to the listing for His Eminence's review. He is both supportive and has completed his background check, the 2-part Youth Safety and 1-part youth worker regulations online training. This is an ongoing responsibility for all our clergy and their youth workers... we support your efforts to guide your parish to 100 percent compliance. Thank you.
*If you misplaced your password, contact your Parish Youth Safety Admin to get it.
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 2022 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.
New Release from Trisagion Films: Saint Ignatius the God-bearer
Today, we released the latest video in our series about the lives of Orthodox Saints. St. Ignatius the God-bearer is about the life and martyrdom of the third bishop of Antioch. St. Ignatius was a disciple of the St. John the Theologian and, according to Orthodox tradition, was the little boy that Jesus Christ sat in the midst of the disciples when He said, "Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3). St. Ignatius was also known as the "God-bearer" (Theophoros), because he bore God in His heart and prayed to Him unceasingly. He was also given this name because he was held in the arms of Christ, the incarnate Son of God. As bishop of Antioch, St. Ignatius led the church with courage during a difficult time of persecution. He strengthened the flock through his willingness to suffer for Christ. This comes through in the letters St. Ignatius wrote to various churches on his way to martyrdom. We hope you enjoy this video about his life and about the history of that era.
If you enjoy our work, please consider contributing to our effort. We use donations to support our artists, upgrade equipment, and maintain our website and domain name. One option is the crowdfunding site Patreon, where your monthly donation will go a long way in helping us share the Orthodox faith with the world. You can also make donations via PayPal. Contact us directly if you would like to donate via other methods. We greatly appreciate any help you can give!