A Year of Peace and Redemption By Father Luke Melackrinos
them. We are called as Christians to stand up for what is right, and to protect the values of our beautiful, inherited faith.
I chose the title of this article based on one of the petitions from the service of the Cutting of the Vasilopita. At the Cathedral of St. Paul we began the year 2013 in such a beautiful way with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil.
Also, if we are to make this year a year of redemption, we have to be prepared to work for that as well. We will not be redeemed if we aren’t willing to sacrifice the routines that make us so comfortable in the vain pursuits of this world. Rather, we are called to be citizens of Paradise (as we hear in the Memorial Service). Thankfully, we are approaching the time the Church Fathers call “The School of Repentance” that is, Great and Holy Lent.
In the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil (a slightly different version of the Divine Liturgy that is celebrated on special occasions such as the Saint’s Nameday, the Sundays of Lent and other holidays), immediately after the Consecration of the Holy Gifts there is a lengthy but beautiful prayer attributed to St. Basil that reminds us at the beginning of the year about the mission of all Christians and certainly for our beautiful Cathedral. Fill their cupboards with every good thing. Preserve their marriages in peace and harmony, raise the infants, guide the young, support the aged, encourage the faint-hearted, reunite the separated. Lead back those who are in error and join them to your holy, catholic and apostolic Church. Free those who are held captive by unclean spirits. Sail with those who sail, travel with those who travel by land and by air. Defend the widows, protect the orphans, free the captives and heal the sick. While this is indeed a daunting mission statement for us, I can say without exaggeration and in all sincerity that this is what I have experienced here at the Cathedral of St. Paul. Thankfully, as I look back and remember the amazing circumstances, I rejoice at the great blessing of being assigned to, as Mr. Michael Gurlides refers to it, “the greatest community, not only in the country, but in the world!” What was initially supposed to be only an assignment where I would stay for a year, has become an opportunity to become part of a wonderful family, not just a community. 2013 marks ten years that we have served the Lord together. There have been sad times and joyous one. I know that we did not always agree to things and, certainly that is understandable as this community has a great history of priestly ministry with sustained longevity and traditions. We have not only persevered but we have excelled. We have not only survived but thrived. We have a bright future together and Marusia, Eleni, Magda, Mia and I all thank God that we are with you. And we pray that this blessing continues for years to come. So now as we launch into another year for the glory of God, the words of the of the prayers of the Vasilopita Cutting Service ring in my ears and one of the most beautiful prayers asks the Lord to bless the New Year and to make it a year of peace and redemption. While we certainly need the help of God to make this year a year of peace and redemption, we cannot be passive about it. We have to work for peace, but at the same time be ready to fight for what is right. Being a peacemaker is not the same as being someone who allows injustice to happen in front
Before we enter this great period of fasting and prayer we will have the great blessing of hosting a fundraiser for All Saints Greek Orthodox Monastery in Calverton here at our beloved Cathedral. The fundraising dinner will take place on March 12th at 7:00 p.m. The speaker that evening will be Archimandrite Father Maximos from the Monastery of the Holy Cross in Setauket. He will share thoughts on the monastic life with us. Not only will we benefit All Saints Monastery, but our souls will receive great benefit from the education and spiritual enrichment that evening. This Lent will be a special time for us as well because our own Deacon Mathew Kakis is organizing a series of lectures to be hosted by our parish on Wednesdays in Great Lent. The lecture series will take place in conjunction with a pot-luck dinner. The reason for the dinner is that when we come for Pre-Sanctified Liturgy (which will be 6:30 every Wednesday evening), we should fast from at least noon on to receive the precious Body and Blood of our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ. One of the speakers will be Father Demetrios Carellas who will continue his series on Orthodox Spirituality as the Medicine for our Wounded Souls. He will be with us on April 3, 2013. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the newest addition to our Cathedral, an electronic carillon bell system. This was generously given to our Cathedral by the donations from parishioners in memory of our beloved Father Nicholas J. Magoulias. We rang the bells for the first time on the night of the Memorial Christmas Tree service. I couldn’t think of a more appropriate time or place. This also happened to be night that Kay Pamas announced her retirement from the Grief and Bereavement Group which she and Father Nick established. We will miss Kay’s hard work, but we know that she will continue to contribute while still guiding it under the more than capable leadership of Anna Dounelis. I also would like to take a moment to thank Bob Donus and a great crew of volunteers who made the Vasilopita Dance so amazing. While I was not able to attend personally due to the 40 Day Memorial of my father-in-law in Maryland. I heard nothing but rave reviews of an excellent event. Later this year, the annual dance will be held in-house as we will be having the Golden Leaves Ball at a outside venue this year. I pray we have a great 2013, an uplifting renewal in the Great and Holy Lent, a powerful Holy Week and a glorious Resurrection in the celebration of our Lord’s Pascha.
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