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MAY – JUNE 2009
Archbishops Dedicate New OCMC Administrative & Training Center Fr. Dimitri Leussis, a former long-term missionary and currently the pastor of Sts. Constantine and Helen Church in Monroe, La. Mr. Argue said that Fr. Leussis also “played a major role in shaping the design” and who “tried to give it the look and feel of an administrative building at a monastery on Mount Athos.”
page 4 Christian Radio Network, Archbishop Demetrios commented on the importance of the new center. “The building is very significant to all Orthodox,” he said. “It will serve as a witness to Orthodoxy as a religion and as a Church. It is a product of pan Orthodox unity.” He said the Church “has to be an open bridge” and a “visible indication of the work of the Church.” In addressing the attendees at the concluding luncheon after the dedication, Archbishop Demetrios cited several biblical passages that serve as the scriptural foundation for the missions program, including Acts, in which Jesus, on the day of Ascension, tells his disciples they will be His “witness in Jerusalem, Samaria...all Judea and to the ends of the earth,” from Matthew, where Jesus tells his disciples to “Go to all nations”…and to “make disciples of all nations.” Seeds planted decades ago For Archbishop Demetrios, whose association with Archbishop Anastasios dates to their childhood, the dedication of the building that contains both their names was a profound experience. “There are no words to express this very sacred moment, with the two names together,” His Eminence said. “This is a building whose ultimate goal and purpose is to give glory to God.” For both hierarchs, this event represented a kind of coming about full circle and also a coming together of several key individuals’ experiences and efforts in missions work. The seeds for the eventual establishment of this missions center could be said to have had their origin in the late 1940s and early 50s, Demetrios Trakatellis and Anastasios Yiannoulatos were college students with a deep concern for the suffering of many Greeks in the aftermath of World War II and the Greek civil war. They and other like-minded young people joined the organization “Zoe,” whose emphasis was on the spiritual renewal of the people. What resulted was an “internal missions” movement. They would go to the war-torn villages of northern Greece to witness to the people. Anastasios went on to promote the idea of missions in his scholarly writings and through the founding of a publication, Panta Ta Ethni. In 1958, both future hierarchs began promoting the need for an external missions program by the Church of Greece. In 1960, at his ordination, the future Archbishop of Albania profoundly influenced a young recently ordained priest from the United States, Fr. Alexander Veronis, who at the time was a student at the University of Athens. Fr. Veronis carried the Archbishop’s vision back to his parish of Annunciation in Lancaster, Pa. He also maintained contacts with students from Africa that he met in Greece and encouraged his parishioners to help fund a scholarship at Holy Cross School of Theology for foreign students. This soon led to the creation of the “Lenten Self-Denial Club” at the parish, which channeled more financial support for foreign Orthodox students. Among his strongest supporters were George and Helen Nicozisis who eventually went on to serve as presidents of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center Board, as did Fr. Veronis, who now has the title president emeritus. It was under their leadership that the effort to build this center got under way in 2001 with the blessings of Archbishop Demetrios.
D. PANAGOS
Front view of the administration and training center, complete with landscaping. (below) The training room for the center which also serves as the chapel. The icons were created by Fr. Dimitri Leussis who had a major influence in the building’s design.
ORTHODOX OBSERVER
At the 1964 Clergy–Laity Congress, Fr. Veronis persuaded the body to begin a missions program. With Archbishop Iakovos’ approval, an Office of Missions was established at the Archdiocese. The Congress also established a Missions Committee with Fr. Veronis as vice chairman. Meanwhile, in 1968, a young Air Force officer stationed in South Korea, Clifford T. Argue became interested in mission work while attending St. Nicholas Church in Seoul. (The Church of Korea was then under the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America). After he returned to the U.S., he gave slide presentations on his experiences to parishes in California, the Archdiocesan Council and Hellenic College-Holy Cross. In 1969, Archbishop Iakovos sent a priest to build up the missions program in Korea, Fr. Eugene Pappas, now pastor of Three Hierarchs Church in Brooklyn. Mr. Argue joined the Archdiocese Missions Committee in 1977 and has continued his active participation to the present day, serving as the current OCMC board president. By 1984 the missions program had grown to such an extent that the ClergyLaity Congress established an official Department of Missions, based in St. Augustine, with Fr. Dimitrios Couchell as director. The former editor of the Orthodox Observer had also been appointed by Archbishop Iakovos as director of the St. Photios National Shrine, already located in St. Augustine. Fr. Veronis had been elected as Missions board president. At the time, until the completion of this new facility, the missions center was located in rented facilities in the city. It became known as the Alexander Veronis Mission Center in 1988. Fr. Veronis also inspired his own son, Fr. Luke Veronis, to pursue missions work. He served for several years in Kenya and later in Albania where he taught at the seminary that Archbishop Anastasios
D. PANAGOS
An expression of joy by the two hierarchs for whom the new building symbolizes their efforts and struggles that began in their university years when they ministered to the devastated communities in northern Greece.
established. Previously, the Archbishop had also established the Orthodox seminary in Nairobi, Kenya. In 1994, in a spirit of Pan–Orthodox unity, the center came under SCOBA. Today, the staff and missionaries reflect a wide representation of Orthodox Christians. The capital campaign to raise funds for the new facility began in September 2001 and the groundbreaking took place in 2006. Bishop Dimitrios served as the center’s executive director until he was succeeded by Fr. Martin Ritsi in 1995. Fr. Martin previously had served as a long-term missionary to Kenya and Albania after graduating from Holy Cross in 1987. Looking to the future In a response to e-mail questions from the Observer, Mr. Argue noted that the long-term Master Plan for the center includes future construction of a separate dormitory/dining hall/training facility to accommodate larger group, and a freestanding chapel. Currently, the training room occupies part of one wing of the new building, and also serves as the chapel. The three icons that occupy one wall of the room were painted and donated by
Becoming a missionary Over the years, the Missions Center has sent out more than 100 short-term and long-term missionaries throughout the world. Becoming a missionary is not a matter of showing up at the door with a Bible and suitcase and a willingness to travel. According to information supplied by the board president, there are two types of training. One is for our short-term Mission Teams which usually serve in a mission location for 1 to 4 weeks. Their training is typically 2 to 3 days. The major training effort is for long–term missionaries who serve for 2 years overseas, and often renew for additional terms. There are several training modules which include an evaluation retreat, new candidate orientation and pre–field training. Currently, these short–term programs run about 15 days, but the plan is to ultimately expand the model to at least 20 days. “We have a very rigorous application and screening process for those who want to become long–term missionaries. The process for selection to serve on a short-term mission team is less so, but still quite thorough,” Mr. Argue said. All applicants for OCMC missionary service must also: • Have a devoted spiritual life and a deep desire to witness for Christ. • Have been an active member of a canonical Orthodox Church for a minimum of three years. • Be a Canadian or American citizen. • Be able to work obediently as an OCMC missionary employee under the direction of the receiving hierarch in conjunction with OCMC field leadership. • Be willing to live a simple and holy life within the culture and among the people they serve. • Be willing to learn a new language and culture, and learn from the people God calls them to serve. For information on becoming a missionary, speak with your parish priest and then contact the OCMC Missionary Department at 1-877-463-6784, or e–mail missions@OCMC.org.
ORTHODOX OBSERVER
His Eminence stands with great benefactor Charles T. Masterpolis of Savannah, Ga., who provided the funding for the communications room of the center.