September-October 2024 The WORD

SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2024 | VOLUME 68 NO. 4

WORD THE

RELICS OF S T. R A P H A E L O F B R O O K LY N ON THE MINISTRY O F T H E D I AC O N AT E ELDER SERGEI O F VA N V ES

EDITORIAL

Volume 68 No.4 September - October 2024

Metropolitan SABA’s Vision of Diaconal Service

CONTENTS.

and What We as an Archdiocese Are Going to Do

2 September - October 2024

03

EDITORIAL

by Bishop JOHN

04

CA L L I N G A L L C L E R GY WIVES: Save the Date!

05

12

ON THE MINISTRY OF THE DIACONATE

by Metropolitan SABA (Esper) RELICS OF ST. RAPHAEL OF BROOKLYN

by Deacon Peter Samore

17

ARCHDIOCESAN OFFICE

23

HOLDING ONTO GRACE

by Fr. Joshua Makoul

26 28 32 35

WHAT IS THE GOAL?

by Metropolitan SABA (Esper)

G

od has revealed Himself to be a

so that mothers can take care of their other needs), food

to us that we are created in His image

for women to prepare for job interviews, parenting

God of Love. He has also revealed and likeness. The divine love is shown in giving and serving. Love is

not stagnant; rather, it is dynamic. Our God does everything

for us and for the salvation of the world. It follows that we have “built into our DNA” the desire to serve.

Deacon means “servant” and the servant, of course, is

one who serves! With this in mind, let us reflect together on what Sayidna SABA has shared of his vision or visions

for America. He says that it is for him a scandal that the churches and church halls in America are empty during

the week. The people need to come more regularly to pray, to fellowship, to learn and to serve. The priests cannot do all the work alone, particularly because the needs in our complex society are so specialized. Parishes need to identify

the needs of their parishioners and of the communities

WHO AM I TODAY?

by Kh. Jeanette Gallaway

in which they live. Deacons and lay ministers need to

ELDER SERGEI OF VANVES

by Fr. Michael Shanbour

bear witness to the God who serves, through these efforts.

CHICAGO 2025 57th Archdiocese Convention

be identified and recruited to lead these educational and

service projects, and our faithful need to come forward to

The Antiochian Women have responded to this

call by initiating a bank of potential outreach ministries, with suggestions of best practices, that will be available on the Antiochian Women pages of the

Archdiocese’s website. These projects will include efforts COVER: Translation of St. Raphael Photos

by Alexander Moujaes

BISHOP JOHN

like mentoring young mothers, offering a “mother’s day out” (weekly or monthly baby sitting at the Church

and clothing programs for the poor, dress-up help coaching, and weekly fellowship events for seniors.

In his three-part article “On the Ministry of the

Diaconate” in this issue of The WORD, you will find the plan for the ordination of male leaders willing

to serve. Leading the ministries in the parishes is not just

for women! Men are asked to step up and lead the way in men’s ministries to men and other services as well. Of

course, all these initiatives will take your cooperation, and the service of both men and women and must be

coordinated and done in an orderly way, under the direction of the priests and bishops.

These initiatives were rolled out the same week as we

translated the relics of St. Raphael. It will take me some time to process the magnitude of this event before I can bring myself to write about it. For now, I am satisfied

to share the vision of St. Raphael bringing God’s

sacramental mysteries to the relocated Antiochians and other Orthodox of America, which is paralleled by

Sayidna SABA’s plan to witness to America through charitable service and education.

Sayidna SABA has a vision for the Archdiocese of

America. More importantly, he has the spiritual depth

and the pastoral heart to inspire and lead, and the will and determination to make such a vision a reality. May

God give Sayidna and us the energy and enthusiasm to accomplish God’s will.

The Word

3

EDITORIAL

The Most Reverend Metropolitan SABA The Right Reverend Bishop THOMAS The Right Reverend Bishop ALEXANDER The Right Reverend Bishop JOHN

Founded in Arabic as Al Kalimat in 1905 by St. Raphael (Hawaweeny)

The Children's Relief Fund

Founded in English as The WORD in 1957 by Metropolitan ANTONY (Bashir)

The Right Reverend Bishop ANTHONY The Right Reverend Bishop NICHOLAS Editor in Chief

Bishop JOHN

Assistant Editor

Christopher Humphrey

Design Director

Walid Awad

Editorial Office: The WORD 2 Lydia’s Path, Westborough, MA 01581-1841 e-mail: WORDMAG@AOL.COM

You can help change the life of a child by being a sponsor for as little as $400 a year, just $7.69 per week, $1.10 per day. Donations of any amount are always welcome. Once you sponsor a child, we will send you their name, age, address, and a brief biography. Your child will correspond directly with you, sending you letters and pictures about their life. You will be able to develop a special bond and personal relationship with them.

Executive Director Antiochian Village & CRF Administration 724-238-3677 ext. 402 Childrensrelieffund@gmail.com You may donate through PayPal on our website: https://antiochian.networkforgood.com/projects/127989-the-children-s-relief-fund Please make checks payable to Children’s Relief Fund Mail to Antiochian Village Conference Center Attention: Children’s Relief Fund 140 Church Camp Trail, Bolivar, PA 1592

Subscription Office: 358 Mountain Road PO Box 5238, Englewood, NJ 07631-5238 registrar@antiochian.org Letters to the editor are welcome and should include the author’s full name and parish. Submissions for “Communities in Action” must be approved by the local pastor. Both may be edited for purposes of clarity and space.

All ­submissions e-mailed and provided as a Microsoft Word text or editable PDF. Please do not embed artwork into the word documents. All art work must be high resolution: at least 300dpi.

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION: U.S.A. and Canada, $40.00 Foreign Countries, $50.00 Single Copies, $3.00 Checks should be made payable to THE ANTIOCHIAN ARCHDIOCESE. The WORD (USPS626-260) is published in September, November, January, March and May, by the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America at 358 Mountain Road, PO Box 5238; periodicals postage paid at Englewood, New Jersey 07631-5238 and at additional mailing offices.

Postmaster send address changes to The WORD, 358 Mountain Road, PO Box 5238, Englewood, NJ 07631-5238 ISSN 0043-7964 www.antiochian.org.

Canada Post Publication Agreement No. 40043404 Return Canada address to American International Mail, STN A – ­ BOX 697, Windsor ON N9A 6N4, Canada

4 September - October 2024

WHAT: Pan-Orthodox Clergy Wives Weekend WHEN: Friday evening, October 18, to Sunday morning, October 20, 2024

WHERE: Antiochian Village Camp We will gather once again and explore ways to strive consistently for balance as we navigate our busy lives as clergy wives. We will be blessed to hear from Mother Christophora, Abbess of the Orthodox Monastery of the Transfiguration, and Sister Paula. Our sister Khouria Erin Kimmett will lead a session on “Understanding the Language of the Icons of the Incarnation and Resurrection,” in which we will learn about these two great feasts. Reflecting on them should help bring balance to our lives, as we walk the path and toil in our corners of the vineyard. Set aside time to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to be renewed, restored, and balanced.

All accommodations and events will be at the Antiochian Village Camp Registration opens August 15th.

For more information: ClergyWivesWeekendTogether@gmail.com

On the Ministry of the Diaconate His Eminence Metropolitan SABA (Esper)

His Eminence presents a three-part article about revitalizing the diaconate in our Archdiocese.

PART ONE

T

o adequately analyze the diaconal ministry, it is first necessary to look back at its history in the Church.

How was it actually carried out in the early Church? How did it evolve? Did it expand or contract? Church history shows that there has never been a rigidly fixed or demarcated ministry assigned to the diaconate, from the First Century to the Twenty-first Century. The diaconate has experienced periods of prosperity and periods of decline, and was even completely absent in some eras.

Linguistically, the word deacon means “servant.”

The first reference to the diaconate in the New Testament, according to Christian tradition, is found in the Acts of the Apostles. Understanding why this ministry arose is important, because it reveals its role of service in the Church.

In the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 6:1–6), we learn that the Church carried out a service (διακονία) to the underprivileged, which required time to be managed properly. Similar to charitable services organized by the Church today, there can arise an accusation of personal favoritism, of helping one group at the expense of another, even if unintentional. So the Hebrew

Christians were accused of favoring the Jewish widows, over against those of the Gentiles. Faced with this problem, the Apostles decided that “it is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables” (Acts 6:2). Such a ministry could not be neglected, but the time and effort it required could not come at the expense of the Apostles’ preaching and teaching.

The Apostles therefore decided to appoint seven men of good repute and set them apart by laying hands on them for this service. Their service was that of charity, or “tables,” which included collections and distributions to the poor, the widows, and possibly the agape meals that accompanied the Divine Liturgy at that time.

Saint John Chrysostom (+407), in his commentary on this text,1 mentions that the seven whom we call deacons were not ordained with a sacramental ordination as deacons and priests are today because, at that time, the ranks of priestly service and ordinations were not yet organized as they later came to be. He accepts calling them deacons, however, because they were appointed as servants for a specific service. Thus, in his interpretation of the text, he seeks to affirm the importance of the diaconate, considering it a service that began in the early days of the Apostles.

He does not diminish their importance; on the contrary, he praises their service and encourages it.

1. Homily XIV on Acts, ET Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, 1:11, pp. 90–1.

The Word

5

ON THE MINISTRY OF THE DIACONATE

Early Church testimonies after the time of the Acts of the Apostles confirm the existence of the three known ranks in the Church: deacon, priest, and bishop. The service of the diaconate was always present at the heart of the Church. St. Justin the Martyr (+165), for example, says that deacons distribute the Holy Eucharist to the faithful and bring the Holy Communion to those who could not attend the Divine Liturgy due to illness or imprisonment.2 St. Basil the Great (+379) also mentions deacons performing this service, providing Holy Communion to those unable to attend church for valid or pious reasons.

The service of the diaconate becomes clearer in the councils convened by the Church after the Fourth Century, when many canons were established to regulate it. The issues they address often may seem insignificant to us today due to changing circumstances, but they indicate that the diaconate was a fundamental service in the Church.

For example, the Council of Neocaesarea (315 A.D.) addressed the issue of whether there could be more than seven deacons in a single city (referring to the seven original deacons mentioned earlier). Such a matter would not have been raised at a church council if the service of the diaconate had not been present in the churches whose leaders convened at this council. The Council of Neocaesarea emphasized that the number of deacons should not exceed seven,3 while the Council of Trullo (692 A.D.), about 300 years later, allowed for an unlimited number of deacons in a single city.4

missionary and social service expanded, and with it, the service of the diaconate.

What is this role? What are the services or functions assigned to this ministry? Are they still important today? We must return to history to obtain answers and judge the necessity of this service for today’s Church. As Orthodox Christians, we must be guided by Holy Tradition if we are to pursue this path.

Holy Tradition considers the diaconate an essential and complementary part of apostolic service.

Since the early days of Christianity, the diaconate has been considered the third of the three priestly ranks.5 This means that it was not a temporary or transitional service, a mere stage or step towards entering the priesthood, as it has become in many churches today due to the shortage of priests.

From the canons of various councils that discussed this matter, as well as the writings of some theologians and historians, it is clear that the diaconate was a service designated for a specific mission, and at the same time necessary for the era in which it existed, as evidenced by its relative cessation in other times.

One might rightly ask why the Council of Trullo amended the canon of Neocaesarea. The answer is simple: The service of the diaconate evolved as the need for it increased. With the stabilization of the Church and Christianity becoming the official religion of the Roman Empire, the Church’s

As Byzantine canon law developed, we notice an administrative dimension for male deacons forming, especially after Christianity stabilized and the Church became institutionalized. The deacon was considered, for example, the bishop’s hearing, tongue, and hand,6 as someone whose ministry is in “fulfilling the bishop’s need.” With the establishment of the liturgical form of worship, the deacon’s role in facilitating the service was primarily defined, especially in the presence of the bishop. Even today, at least in the Byzantine rite, as in other rites, the bishop and deacon almost entirely serve the Divine Liturgy, and the service order (Typikon) allocates only a few proclamations to the priest.

2 First Apology, chs. 65, 67.

3 Canon 15.

4 Canon 16.

5 As witnessed in Canon 18 of Nicaea (325).

6 E.g., Didascalia Apostolorum, xi. 128.

6 September - October 2024

PA R T T W O

The canons of the Council of Ancyra (314) imply that the duties of a deacon at that time, according to commentators, were limited to bringing bread and wine, making petitions and preaching.7 This means their liturgical role was clear from the end of the Third Century. Canon 23 of the Council of Trullo (692) states that no one – whether bishop, priest, or deacon – may exact a fee for administering Holy Communion, because grace cannot be sold This implies that deacons could administer Holy Communion to the faithful. The Apostolic Constitutions (380) also state that after the bishop or priest celebrates the Divine Liturgy, the deacon takes the sacraments to commune the laypeople, assisting the priest. This practice is still observed today when a deacon is present with a priest, where the priest gives the deacon the chalice to invite the faithful to partake, saying: “With the fear of God, faith, and love, draw near,” and then the deacon returns the chalice to 7 Canon 2.

the priest to administer Communion. The Apostolic Constitutions further instruct: “Let the deacon carry the chalice and as he presents it, let him say: ‘The Blood of Christ, the cup of life.’” 8 St. Justin the Martyr, in his First Apology, states that the deacons among them distribute the eucharistic bread, wine, and water to each of those present and take the sacraments to the absent.

Another role is the delivery of the divine sacraments to the sick.9 Currently, the priest performs this duty due to the lack of deacons to assist him.

Thus, the liturgical and humanitarian roles of deacons were evident from the early centuries.

With the entry of deacons into the administrative domain, new problems arose, such as their elevation over priests due to their proximity to the bishop. This necessitated addressing these issues in church councils.

The First Ecumenical Council stated: “Deacons should not exceed their limits, knowing that they are servants of the bishops and inferiors to the 8 Apostolic Constitutions, viii. 13:15–17.

9 First Apology, chs. 65, 67.

The Word

7

ON THE MINISTRY OF THE DIACONATE

presbyters”10 – meaning that their work was limited to serving the bishop in the diocese and in liturgical services. The Apostolic Canons also state that “priests and deacons should do nothing without the bishop’s consent, for he is entrusted with the Lord’s people and is accountable for their souls.” 11

unlike the specific gifts required for a bishop, for example. There is a common belief in the Orthodox Church today that a deacon should have a beautiful voice because his service has become largely confined to liturgical chanting. In the non-Chalcedonian churches, the cantor is often ordained a deacon, yet does not perform a strictly sacerdotal role. There is no specific gift assigned to the diaconate, as there are particular talents for service to which any believer is called.

Emphasis on the authority of the bishop is found in subsequent councils, such as the Seventh Ecumenical Council in 787 (Canons 12, 14), the Council of Laodicea in 363 (Canon 57), and the Council of Carthage in 418 (Canons 6, 7, 41, 50).

Even the current ordination rite for deacons does not specify a particular gift. When the bishop ordains a deacon, he lays his hand on his head and asks for the grace of the Holy Spirit to appoint him as a servant in the administration of the Sacraments.

St. Ignatius of Antioch (+108) considered deacons as servants of Christ’s mysteries, assisting the bishop in worship. According to St. Hippolytus (+236), deacons were ordained by the laying on of hands.

The First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325 A.D.), issued reminders and warnings against deacons’ arrogance and superiority over priests, emphasizing that they are only servants of the bishop. 12 The Council of Trullo condemned and excommunicated deacons who claimed superiority over priests due to the honor and distinction they received from their humanitarian service and proximity to the bishop.13

The early ordination rites for deacons do not specify a particular gift required for the diaconate, 10 Canon 18.

11 Canon 39; cf. Antioch (341), Canon 24.

8 September - October 2024

11 Canon 18.

12 Canon 7.

“

THE DEACON ASSISTS THE HIERARCH AND THE PRIEST IN CONDUCTING PRAYERS AND SERVICES, AND COMPLETING PASTORAL , EDUCATIONAL , AND SOCIAL WORK

“

It is important to clearly and strictly distinguish between what is called a rank and what is called a function. The diaconate is one of the three clerical ranks, and it is assigned a specific function, or ministry, according to the Church’s system, local situation, and current needs. This function does not change the deacon’s clerical rank, meaning it does not prevent him from performing his liturgical duties assigned to his rank, nor does the exalted function allow him to perform liturgical duties not assigned to his rank.

With the evolution and changes in the ecclesiastical situation, the deacon’s ministry began to be confined more to the liturgical realm. The prayer recited over the candidate for the diaconate in the ordination rite only refers to assisting the priest in worship, without naming the specific gifts which the bishop confers on him for the diaconate. Another indication of this is the timing of the ordination. A deacon is ordained after the transformation and consecration of the eucharistic gifts, while a priest is ordained before this, as he will participate in the sanctification of the bread and wine. The bishop gives the priest the lamb to carry in his hands, preserving this deposit until the Lord comes again, as a sign that he will be accountable for his ministration of the Eucharist. This is not the case with the deacon, however, as he is ordained after the sanctification of the offerings.

One reason for the absence of deacons in many churches today is the insufficient number of priests. The shortage of priests has led to the ordination of deacons as a transitional phase, which may last for a single day or several years, according to the bishop’s discretion. This is only if the deacon meets the requirements for priestly

The Word

9

ON THE MINISTRY OF THE DIACONATE

ordination. In our Archdiocese, the deacon’s service remains confined to the liturgical role.

Over time, this reality led to the absence or reduction of the deacons’ roles in charitable and pastoral services, replaced by laypeople who have founded charitable and educational associations.

Some of these lay brotherhoods played an important and fundamental role in preserving Orthodox faith during times of occupation or decline, such as in Ukraine, Serbia, and the East.

Today, with the development and complexities of life, the Church, in its pastoral care for the faithful, needs to enter the realm of specialized care. It is no longer sufficient for the priest to care for his parish in the traditional manner, despite its importance. Each age group now requires care tailored to its age and the challenges it faces. This would include people with special needs, marital problems, the spread of religious indifference, family problems, psychological issues, the poor, widows, the sick, those with autism, those living in loneliness and isolation, and so forth.

Without being overly idealistic and overburdening the Church beyond its capacity, we can at least revitalize the service of the diaconate, if there are suitable and willing believers for this service, and if the local church has the resources for them.

Given the availability of many talents in our Archdiocese, entering the realm of specialized care has become urgent and feasible.

PA R T T H R E E

Specialized Diaconal Ministry Project for Better Pastoral Ministry

“The deacon assists the hierarch and the priest in conducting prayers and services, and completing 10 September - October 2024

pastoral, educational, and social work” (Article 95, Chapter VII of the Internal Regulations of the See of Antioch, issued by the Holy Synod on April 7, 1983).

Introduction Whereas urban areas are expanding, and parishioners’ residences are scattered over wide areas, making the direct presence of the priest in the local community more challenging; And whereas, the current era is marked by specialization in all fields – scientific, educational, pastoral, and social work, making it more difficult for a single individual to master them all; And whereas, there is a pressing need for the activation of knowledgeable ecclesiastical pastoral service, with competency in specialized fields; Whereas traditional pastoral care, that once served people in small agricultural communities, predominantly Orthodox in the past, no longer meets the diverse needs of the current society; Whereas the complexity of contemporary life, on one hand, and the economic situation in general, on the other, no longer allows the Church to establish full-time ministers for all the required pastoral services; Whereas diverse talents might additionally contribute to various ecclesiastical-pastoral services, it is becoming imperative that the Archdiocese expand the field of volunteer diaconal ministry, especially since many of our young people show willingness and desire to serve their Church in specific areas, commensurate with the talent and potential of each of them.

Therefore, we encourage our children to engage in specialized volunteer diaconal service, in accordance with the laws of the Holy Orthodox Christian Church of Antioch and the requirements of our Archdiocese in North America.

Admission Requirements

• The applicant must be over twenty-five years old.

• The applicant must be a faithful attendee of church services.

• Must have completed the online St. Stephen’s Certificate Program from the Antiochian House of Studies,orTheWord(Al-Kalima)Programin Balamand, or be willing to pursue studies in either program.

• Must have a good reputation, being known for moral and ethical purity.

• Must be married to one woman, not divorced or remarried.

• Must obtain a letter of recommendation from the parish priest attesting to his active ministry,

apostolic zeal, and talent in diaconal service (pastoral, educational, and social fields).

• Must obtain a letter of recommendation from the Antiochian bishop in his area.

• Must commit to volunteering for six hours of specific service weekly, excluding liturgical services.

• Will commit in writing not to seek ordination to the priesthood in the future.

Duties of the Deacon

• Assisting the parish priest in conducting weekly services in the parish, the Divine Liturgy on Sundays, feasts and all other church services as needed.

• Performing a specific service or “diakonia,” according to his talent and ability, in full coordination with the parish priest, working under his obedience and complying with his instructions.

• Serving in any of the following areas: educational, pastoral, and all acts of charity as highlighted below: o Teaching the parishioners by word and example, and guiding them to the fountains of salvation, in full coordination with the parish priest. o Caring for the poor, the orphan, the widow, the disabled, the bereaved, the sick, the imprisoned, and the distressed, in full coordination with the parish priest and the Archdiocese’s charitable societies. o Caring for children and youth, organizing their meetings, helping to educate them in the faith, securing their readings, and their spiritual and sports activities, in full coordination with the parish priest.

• Seeking the blessing from his parish priest to be absent from the parish, and from the bishop of the area to be absent from the country.

• Remaining in the parish where he was ordained, and not transferring elsewhere except under extraordinary condition.

The Word

11

Relics of St. Raphael of Brooklyn Translated at Antiochian Village “God is wondrous in His saints.” – Psalm 67:36

Since 1988, St. Raphael Hawaweeny, Bishop of Brooklyn, had been buried in the Village’s cemetery. On Thursday, July 18, 2024, his holy relics were exhumed and washed in a somber yet beautiful ceremony.

Hundreds of campers and staff witnessed this historic event, looking on quietly and reverently while several priests, deacons and laypeople unearthed the saint and clergymen buried with him.

His Eminence Metropolitan SABA presided over the translation, joined by Their Graces Bishop THOMAS, Bishop JOHN, and Bishop NICHOLAS. The process proved difficult. Water had flooded the cement vault underground, ruining the original wooden casket of St. Raphael (1860–1915) and the boxes containing the remains of Bishop Emmanuel Abohatab (St. Raphael’s deacon, 1887–1933), Bishop Sophronios Beshara (1888–1940), Archimandrite Agapios Gollam (1882–1946), Archpriest Makarios 12 September - October 2024

Moore (1892–1948), and Father Moses Abihider (1863–1926).

“This day is very important in our Archdiocese,” Sayidna SABA said. “As our first bishop, St. Raphael served this Archdiocese with all his heart, capacity and energy.”

“IT IS A GREAT BLESSING FOR ME ALSO TO BE HIS SUCCESSOR.”

The clergy took turns draining the vault and gently lifting out five skulls, dozens of bones, vestments (including mandiyas, or palls, of bishops), hair, nerves and even bits of flesh. They did everything in their ability to preserve everything they rescued without further damage.

“I realized that I had been standing and praying at this grave for 23 years now, since I went to seminary,” said Fr. Noah Bushelli, pastor of St. Philip in Souderton, Pennsylvania. “Now, I’m standing in this grave and handling his bones, trying to remove this piece and not break that piece.”

Above the vault, two medical doctors, Fr. Luke Toumi of Ss. Peter and Paul Church of Potomac, Maryland, and Dr. Elaina Zabak of Ss. Constantine and Helen Church of Carrollton, Texas, carefully reassembled skeletons.

“

AT LAST, WE CAN HAVE HIS RELICS, VENERATE HIS RELICS, AND KEEP HIS RELICS SO ALL THE FAITHFUL FROM THE ARCHDIOCESE AND OUR SISTER ORTHODOX CHURCHES CAN TAKE HIS BLESSING

“

T

he holy ones of God are always spiritually present with the believers, interceding before our Lord Jesus Christ, but on a special day at the Antiochian Village, believers were reminded that they are also physically present.

Deacon Peter Samore Director of Communications

The Word

13

RELICS OF ST. RAPHAEL OF BROOKLYN

“It was a blessing that I’m still trying to process, that I was holding in my hands the relics of St. Raphael and to see the portions that were incorrupt,” she said.

of the 8th). Now, July 18 will serve as a secondary feast in commemoration of the translation.

Prior to 1988, St. Raphael had been buried at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Brooklyn – the first church that he founded – at its Pacific Street location. When the cathedral moved to its current location on State Street, St. Raphael’s body was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Queens. The other bodies were translated from that same cemetery 36 years ago.

All the while, a choir led by Fr. John El Massih, pastor of St. George Church of Washington, D.C., beautifully sang hymns to St. Raphael from his service in English and Arabic.

The night before the exhumation, Sayidna SABA prayed to St. Raphael to reveal himself amongst his brother clergy buried with him. The saint answered his prayers. The gold miter, or crown, that sat atop St. Raphael’s head since his funeral, and a small gold cross and chain with his name – ARH (Archimandrite) Raphael Hawaweeny – identified him.

St. Raphael was canonized in 2000 by the Orthodox Church in America. In October of 2023, the Holy Synod of the Church of Antioch added him to its calendar, ensuring his veneration in all archdioceses of the Patriarchate.

“At last, we can have his relics, venerate his relics, and keep his relics so all the faithful from the Archdiocese and our sister Orthodox Churches can take his blessing,” His Eminence said.

For more, see the photo album by Sub-deacon Andrea Christoforides at https://www.flickr.com/photos/antiochianarchdiocese/albums/72177720318926570/ and the album by Alexander Moujaes and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick (https://www.flickr.com/photos/antiochianarchdiocese/ albums/72177720318969533); both are available at antiochian.org.

The clergy began the ceremony of washing the bones, vestments and other fragments, and placing them on special trays. When they had washed St. Raphael’s skull and bones, Metropolitan SABA led the procession from the cemetery to nearby St. Ignatius Church. A new reliquary will hold them for believers to venerate them more easily.

“All Orthodox Christians must know that our bodies are holy and honorable. We are the temples of the Holy Spirit,” Sayidna SABA said. “We reject cremation because God is in our bodies, not just our hearts, minds and thoughts. We have tangible proof that man is venerated as a whole.”

The campers and other attendees had graciously complied with requests not to digitally record during the exhumation in order to respect the reposed.

Once they received permission to record, however, starting at the procession dozens of them raised their smartphones and captured photos and videos for memories that will last their lifetimes.

Metropolitan SABA carried the saint’s skull, while the bishops carried the saint’s bones. Once the 14 September - October 2024

procession reached the church, all present venerated them, as well as his icon and small gold cross.

That night, Great Vespers was celebrated with the service of Litia and Artoklasia (breaking of the blessed bread) at St. Ignatius Church. The campers and staff chanted hymns for St. Raphael. He is already celebrated on his repose (February 27) and the first Saturday in November (close to his birthday The Word

15

ARCHDIOCESAN OFFICE June 10, 2024 Venerable Hierarchs, Reverend Clergy, and Christ-loving Faithful of our Archdiocese, Christ is risen!

Since my arrival as your Metropolitan, I have been concerned that two dioceses of our vast Archdiocese are without a bishop to oversee them: Los Angeles and the West, and Wichita and Mid-America. Although we are not yet ready for an election of new bishops, I want to ensure that these dioceses have the attention and care they need.

In particular, during my recent travels in the West, I saw firsthand that our clergy and parishes there need an experienced bishop, since they have for a long time been without a local bishop who permanently resides among them. Therefore, I have asked His Grace Bishop ANTHONY – who has served well and faithfully for many years – to move to Los Angeles and serve as Bishop in the West. We are grateful that he has taken the needs of this diocese to heart and accepted this assignment, which will be effective August 1, 2024.

With His Grace’s transfer to Los Angeles, I am assigning the Rt. Rev. Archimandrite Jeremy (Davis) as Archiepiscopal Vicar for the Diocese of Toledo and the Midwest. Additionally, I am assigning the Rev. Hieromonk Calinic (Berger) as Archiepiscopal Vicar for the Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America. God-willing, I will elevate him to the rank and dignity of Archimandrite this Thursday, on the Feast of the Ascension. Finally, I am assigning the Rt. Rev. Archimandrite Paul (Matar) as Archiepiscopal Vicar for the Diocese of New York and Washington, D.C., so that these parishes can have special care and attention as I focus on archdiocesan matters. All of these assignments will also be effective August 1, 2024.

The holy Apostle Paul has instructed us that “all things should be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40). Just as we rely on our priests to ensure that their parishes function harmoniously in this way, so do we rely on our bishops – and now our archiepiscopal vicars – to lead their dioceses toward the same goal. In this light, I have full confidence in His Grace Bishop ANTHONY, Archimandrite Jeremy, Archimandrite Paul, and (soon to be) Archimandrite Calinic as they embark on these new ministries. We hope that, with God’s help and everyone’s cooperation and goodwill, these plans will prove to be fruitful for the future of our God-protected Archdiocese.

Wishing you much joy as we complete the Paschal season and celebrate Holy Pentecost, I remain, Yours in Christ,

+SABA Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of All North America

16 September - October 2024

ORDAINED AKKAWI, Deacon Nektarios, to the holy priesthood by Bishop ANTHONY on June 9, 2024, at St. Ignatius of Antioch Church, Madison, Wisconsin, where he is attached. He is appointed Pastor (Proïstamenos) of St. Nicholas Church, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, effective August 1, 2024.

BOURASSA,Deacon Jacob,to the holy priesthood by Bishop JOHN on June 8, 2024, at St. Nicholas Church, Spokane, Washington.

DOELMAN, Steven, was ordained to the holy diaconate by Bishop ANTHONY on June 29, 2024, at the Parish Life Conference of the Diocese of Toledo and the Midwest. Deacon Steven is attached to Holy Transfiguration Church, Warrenville, Illinois.

KOURI, Jason, to the holy diaconate by Bishop ALEXANDER on April 27, 2024, at St. George Church, Montreal, Quebec. Fr. Jason is attached to St. Elias Cathedral of Ottawa, Ontario.

LINDAHL, Adam, to the holy diaconate by Bishop ANTHONY on July 7, 2024, at the Parish Life Conference of the Diocese of Los Angeles and the West, Tucson, Arizona.

MANNON, Deacon Joseph, to the holy priesthood by Bishop ANTHONY on July 7, 2024, at the Parish Life Conference of the Diocese of Los Angeles and the West, Tucson, Arizona.

MILLER, Sub-deacon Ephrem (Nathaniel), to the holy diaconate

by Bishop ANTHONY on May 26, 2024, at St. May, Goshen, Indiana, where he is attached.

NEWMAN, Dn. Nicholas, to the holy priesthood by Bishop THOMAS on May 10, 2024, at the Church of the Holy Spirit, Huntington, West Virginia. Fr. Nicholas is attached to the Cathedral of St. George, Charleston, West Virginia, awaiting an assignment.

ELEVATED WADE, Fr. Matthew, was elevated to the rank and dignity of Archpriest by Bishop ANTHONY on May 26, 2024, at St. May, Goshen, Indiana, where he is the pastor.

APPOINTED SAMAAN, V. Rev. Fr. Joseph, as Protosyngellos, effective August 1, 2024. Fr. Joseph has been married to Khouria Linda for thirty-two years, and they have three daughters. He is a graduate of the School of Theology of Saint John of Damascus at the Balamand. He obtained his Master’s degree in Theology from Saint Vladimir’s Theological Seminary before successfully completing his doctoral studies at the University of Athens, Greece. Fr. Joseph was ordained to the Holy Diaconate in 1992 by His Eminence Metropolitan ELIAS (Youssef ) of Aleppo, of thrice-blessed memory. In the year 2000, His Grace Bishop ANTOUN (Khoury), of thriceblessed memory, ordained him to the holy priesthood. He served in our God-protected Archdiocese under the omophorion of His Eminence Metropolitan PHILIP of thrice-blessed memory for three

years, and afterward in the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Atlanta.

ASSIGNED AKKAWI, Fr. Nektarios, as Pastor of St. Nicholas Church, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, effective August 1, 2024.

AZAR, Fr. Mansour, as Pastor of St. George Church, San Diego, California, effective November 1, 2024.

BERGER, Archimandrite Calinic, as Archiepiscopal Vicar for the Diocese of Wichita and MidAmerica, effective August 1, 2024.

BIRDSALL, Fr. Joshua, as Pastor of St. Barnabas Church, Costa Mesa, California, effective August 1, 2024.

BLAIS, Fr. Jason, as Pastor of St. Antony Church, Tulsa, Oklahoma, effective July 1, 2024.

DAVIS, Archimandrite Jeremy, as Archiepiscopal Vicar for the Diocese of Toledo and the Midwest, effective August 1, 2024.

FINZEL, Fr. Jeremy, as Pastor of St. George Church, Spring Valley, Illinois, effective August 25, 2024.

HAKIMEH, Fr. Ananias, as Pastor of St. George Church, Upland, California, effective September 1, 2024.

HAZAR, Fr. Joseph as Pastor of St. Thekla Church, Fort Bend, Texas, effective September 1, 2024.

HOULI, Fr. Amin, as Pastor of St. George Church, Flint, Michigan, effective August 1, 2024.

The Word

17

ARCHDIOCESAN OFFICE

JAJEH, Fr. Spyridon, as Pastor of St. Timothy Church, Fairfield, California, effective May 12, 2024.

RETIRED ABUD, Fr. Joseph, effective August 1, 2024.

KOURI, Fr. Jason, as Pastor of St. Ignatius of Antioch Church, St. Catharines, Ontario, effective September 1, 2024.

BAHOU, Fr. Antony, effective November 1, 2024.

MACKOUL, Fr. Alexander, as Dean of St. George Cathedral, Charleston, West Virginia, effective August 1, 2024.

MAKHOUL, Fr. Nektarios, as Pastor of St. Joseph the Damascene Church, Delta, British Columbia, effective May 12, 2024.

MATAR, Archimandrite Paul, as Archiepiscopal Vicar for the Diocese of New York and Washington, D.C., effective August 1, 2024.

NACOL, Deacon Elias, attached to St. George Church, Houston, Texas, effective July 9, 2024.

NASRALLAH, Fr. Nicholas, as Interim Pastor of St. Mary Church, Murrieta, California, effective September 1, 2024.

RUGGERIO, Fr. Anthony, as Pastor of St. George Church, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, effective August 1, 2024.

SAMAAN, Fr. Joseph, as Protosyngellos at the Archdiocese Chancery, effective August 1, 2024.

SHAHEEN, Fr. as Pastor of St. Matthew Church, North Royalton, Ohio, effective August 1, 2024.

18 September - October 2024

CHRISTIANSON, Fr. John, effective May 12, 2024.

EBER, Fr. George, effective July 1, 2024.

HARMON, Fr. Andrew, effective August 1, 2024.

O’GRADY, Fr. Patrick, returned to retired status, effective May 12, 2024.

REAGAN, Fr. Michael, effective August 1, 2024.

SCOTT, Fr. David, effective July 30, 2024.

RELEASED HARGRAVE, Fr. James, to the Orthodox Church in America, effective July 31, 2024.

WOOLLEY, Dn. John Satarus, to the Orthodox Church in America, effective March 29, 2024.

DEPARTED Fr. Andrew (Brian Charles) Short, 66, of Spring Hill, Tennessee, peacefully reposed in the Lord Jesus Christ, surrounded by family on April 17, 2024, after a valiant struggle with esophageal cancer.

Brian was born on April 25, 1957, to Charles Rex and Margie Chatterton Short in Garnett, Kansas.

His childhood was spent in Topeka, Kansas, with his older sisters, Bar-

bara and Brenda, and his younger brother, Brad. Following his graduation from Highland Park High School, he attended Kansas State University where he fulfilled his childhood dream of playing saxophone in a Big 8 marching band.

While attending K-State, he met Belinda Minor, who became his beloved wife of 41 years. During his time at K-State he became involved with The Navigators campus ministry. Upon graduating, he answered Christ’s call to serve by spending the next two years as a missionary in Taiwan. Brian returned to the U.S. to marry Belinda and to attend Asbury Seminary, where he graduated with a Master of Divinity degree in 1984. After seminary, he worked on staff for The Navigators for several years, directing college ministries in both Illinois and Missouri. In preparation for continuing his mission work overseas, he completed a master’s degree in teaching English as a Second Language in 1991 from the University of Central Missouri.

In 1992, Brian and Belinda, along with their four daughters, Katie, Emily, Abigail and Amanda, returned to Taiwan, where they served as missionaries for four years and welcomed their fifth daughter, Victoria. During their time in Taichung and Kaohsiung, Brian led campus ministries and taught English in local schools and universities. In 1996, once again following Christ’s call, Brian and Belinda, moved with their family to Tennessee to join the Eastern Orthodox faith at St. Ignatius Church in Franklin. There they remained faithful members for 22 years. Bri-

an was actively involved in many aspects of church life including teaching Sunday School, singing in the choir, and helping with youth, college, and men’s ministries.

Fr. Andrew and Kh. Belinda Short

In 1997, Brian began his 25+ year career in the mortgage industry.

He was a business owner, industry leader, and educator. Brian founded Integrity Mortgage Group, served as the executive director for the Tennessee Association of Mortgage Professionals, and was an active member and leader in his local Business Network International and Franklin Noon Rotary clubs. He enjoyed teaching certification and continuing education courses for mortgage professionals across Tennessee and nationwide.

In 2017, Brian continued his lifelong calling to serve the Lord and was ordained Deacon Andrew, assigned to serve at St. Anna Church in Columbia, Tennessee, where he was a founding member. After serving as a deacon for three years, he was ordained to the priesthood and continued his ministry at St. Anna. Fr. Andrew delighted in meeting with parishioners and catechumens, visiting with the sick and elderly, and serving the divine services. During his time at St. Anna, the parish flourished.

Fr. Andrew was a devoted and loving husband, cherishing his wife and always wanting her by his side.

He was also a loving and proud father. He never missed an opportunity to tell anyone about his five girls. Fr. Andrew treasured his relationship with his son-in-law, Fr. Alex Mackoul. Being an Eagle Scout was one of Fr. Andrew’s proudest accomplishments.

He enjoyed growing trees in his backyard (affectionately referring to them as “his boys”). When the weather was nice, he would find any excuse to go out on his motorcycle. He was always looking forward to his next vacation with his family. His humor, quick wit, and love for adventure were the things he was best known for. He never met a stranger. His ministry to people and desire to spread Christ’s Gospel was the foundation of his life.

Fr. Andrew was preceded in death by his mother, Margie Chatterton Short; grandparents, Charles John and Hazel Irene Young Short; and Reuben Arthur Chatterton and Mabel Madelyn Whitaker. He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Khouria Belinda Joyce Short; daughters Katherine Short, Emily Short, Abigail (Sister Aemilia) Short, Amanda (Father Alexander) Mackoul and Victoria Short; father, Charles Rex Short; sisters, Barbara Short and Brenda (William) Clarkin; and brother, Bradley (Marilyn) Short.

Shamasaa Audrey Nicoloff, 85, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, fell asleep in the Lord Jesus Christ on Friday, April 26, 2024. Born in

Caraway, Arkansas, on August 5, 1938, she was the daughter of the late Alvin and Edith Brewer.

Shamasaa Audrey was a “selftaught” interior decorator and floral designer. With her keen sense for design, she was extremely creative, innovative, and gifted. She worked in sales at Witmark and was also their lead designer for all their displays and holiday decor.

She also possessed a strong entrepreneurial spirit, going on to become the owner of a custom framing studio and art gallery for over twenty years. Throughout her life, Audrey helped design and decorate the interior of many homes being remodeled in the area, which was something she absolutely loved. Christmas was “her season” and she made everyone’s homes so welcoming and joyous, including her own.

As a woman of faith, Shamasaa Audrey was an active and valued member at St. Nicholas Church in Grand Rapids. She always shared her faith in Christ and became a mentor and godmother to many others who were seeking to learn more. She sang in the choir and loved the ministry of music. She was an integral part of decorating the church for events and holidays, having made every event special with her unique touch. One of her highlights was her commission by Metropolitan PHILIP of thriceblessed memory to decorate the newly built Conference Center at the Antiochian Village, along with his headquarters in New Jersey, for which she was truly honored.

The Word

19

ARCHDIOCESAN OFFICE

Shamasaa Audrey is survived by her husband, Deacon Clement, and their two daughters, Mara ( John) Benz of Chicago, and Nicole Nicoloff of Grand Rapids.

George Naseeb Nassor, Sr., 94, reposed in the Lord Jesus Christ on Holy Monday, April 29, 2024, at his home in Marco Island, Florida. He passed away surrounded by love from his family and comfort from the kind and caring nurses at VITAS Hospice.

He leaves behind his daughter and her husband, Donna and Greg Nassor; son and daughterin-law, George and Christine Nassor; grandson, Michael Mamary; granddaughter, Marisa Mamary; and sister, Audrey Nassor Gomez.

He is preceded in death by his wife, Elsie Solomon Nassor; daughter, Cynthia Nassor Mamary; and his son, Michael Joseph Nassor.

Raised in Hackensack, New Jersey, the son of Mary (Attas) and Naseeb George Nassor, he lived in Hackensack and Wyckoff, New Jersey, for most of his life. Later, he moved to Marco Island to spend his retirement years in a condo overlooking the beautiful Gulf of Mexico, where he loved to sit and look out at the water, boats, and wildlife. He graduated from Hackensack High School in 1948 with honors and was valedictorian of his class. George’s entire career was spent working at the family business, Nassor Electrical Supply Co., Inc., which was established by his late father in 1934. He started out stocking shelves, making deliveries and selling electrical supplies.

20 September - October 2024

When his father was unable to carry on, George took over and later became the CEO and President of the company until he retired.

wanis Club. He was honored by Kiwanis International as a “distinguished” past President. He was also an active Shriner and Mason.

As a young man, George served St. George Church in Paterson, New Jersey (now Little Falls), as an altar boy. As a teenager, he helped to organize the St. George Youth Fellowship group and served as its President. Later, he was one of two young people selected by Fr. Michael Simon to represent the church in the formation of the Eastern Region SOYO. He helped write the group’s constitution and became the first treasurer. In his late teens, he was elected to the St. George Parish Council, serving as a member for more than 34 years as Secretary, Vice Chairman and Chairman during his tenure. He taught Sunday School for more than 26 years. He was also a member of the church choir for most of his adult life. In 1978, he became an early member of The Order of St. Ignatius of Antioch and served as North American Treasurer, Vice Chairman, and Chairman for two terms. He continued to serve The Order until retirement.

George also served as chairman of the Archdiocese’s Clergy Benefits Committee. George was repeatedly reelected to the Archdiocese Board of Trustees and served for many years as the Assistant Treasurer. He was later appointed as a member of the Antiochian Village Council. In 1997, George became one of the founders of St. Paul Church in Naples, Florida.

He was President of the Bergen County Electrical League and was President of the New Jersey Council of Electrical Leagues. He also served for several years on the advisory board of Summit Bank, now known as Bank of America. He was also president of the Bergen County Courthouse Square Club.

Civically, George once served as President of the Hackensack Ki-

Most importantly, George was a loving father and grandfather to his children and grandchildren; and a kind and generous man who believed in living his best life by being involved in the church, professional groups, and community organizations. He will be greatly missed by all who love him. latest church happenings.

Archpriest Basil Caldaroni reposed on the Great Feast of the Ascension, June 13, 2024. Fr. Basil was born in western Pennsylvania and raised as a Protestant in Cleveland, Ohio. He married Khouria Tilda in 1978 during his senior year at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, from which he graduated. He then earned his Master’s degree in Divinity at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in the Chicago area in 1982, and a Master’s degree in theology at Loyola University of Chicago in 1987.

He was introduced to the Holy Orthodox Church through the ministry of an Orthodox theology professor at Oral Roberts.

The Caldaronis entered the Antiochian Orthodox Church along with the “Evangelical Orthodox Church” in 1987, at which time Fr. Basil was ordained to the diaconate and to the priesthood.

Fr. Basil and Khouria Tilda began a mission from scratch on the campus of Wheaton College in the Chicago area in the fall of 1987. That mission became Holy Transfiguration Church in Warrenville, Illinois. Fr. Basil later pastored St. John the Baptist Church in Post Falls, Idaho, for eleven years before retiring from pastoral ministry in 2017. He and Khouria Tilda moved to Arizona, where he served at St. Ignatius of Antioch Church in Mesa.

In addition to his wife and sons, Fr. Basil is survived by two grandchildren, Jack and Allana.

Archpriest James Bernstein, 78, reposed in the Lord Jesus Christ in the early morning hours of June 17, 2024, surrounded by his family Arnold Bernstein, better known as Fr. James, was born May 6, 1946, to Isaac and Belle Bernstein in Lansing, Michigan. Soon after, the family moved to Queens, New York. Young “Arnie” grew up helping in his father’s candy store and playing chess, even winning the U.S. Junior Chess Championship

at 16. At home, his parents spoke Yiddish to one another, but chose not to teach the language Arnie or his brother Solomon because they wanted them to be more “American.” Still, their Jewish roots and ancestry were deeply entwined in their lives and identity.

As a teenager, Arnie obtained a copy of the New Testament, and his life took a dramatic turn as he felt called to learn more about Christianity and Jesus Christ. This was difficult; he read the Scriptures secretly under his bedcovers with a flashlight to avoid creating conflict in the family. Eventually, his deep thirst for Christ and His truth resulted in a revelation in which “the inner light went on and God became ever-present.”

At 20, Arnold was sent to Jerusalem to stay with family; his father hoped this would help him embrace Judaism. However, Arnold returned home still firmly committed to Christ. At 24, Arnold moved to California and helped establish “Jews for Jesus,” a Hebrew-Christian outreach organization. He also became more involved in the “Jesus Movement,” ministering both to Jews and Gentiles. He became a member of the “Christian World Liberation Front” and was involved in Christian Street Theater.

Arnold met his beloved wife Bonnie at a Christian retreat and as Fr. James later recalled, “the winter’s cold could not diminish the blossoming of love’s flower at our first encounter.” The couple was married seven months later in July of 1971. Their shared Christian faith was central to their lives and their commitment to God and one another set the foundation for a blessed marriage.

Over the next 11 years, Arnold and Bonnie welcomed their four children: Heather, Holly, Peter and Mary. In 1979, they entered the Evangelical Orthodox Church (EOC), and Arnold became a pastor. Still, he continued his search for “the Church that created the New Testament,” ultimately discovering and joining the Orthodox Christian Church in 1981.

Arnold felt called to the priesthood, and in the fall of 1985 returned to New York, entering St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. In 1988, at 42, Arnold was ordained a priest and given the name Fr. James. Bonnie became known as Khouria (Kh.) Martha. Bonnie also obtained her master’s degree in midwifery from Columbia University.

Fr. James would say, “What a team we were …. She could deliver babies and I could baptize them!”

In the fall of 1990, Fr. James was assigned to serve as the priest of St. Paul Church in Lynnwood, Washington, a small Antiochian mission of thirty souls. Soon the church expanded, and the congreThe Word

21

ARCHDIOCESAN OFFICE

gation built their own temple in nearby Brier. Fr. James catechized many inquirers, and through the grace of God, St. Paul Church grew, matured and thrived. His evangelical roots remained central to his priesthood. Through his pastoral outreach, Fr. James met Fr. David Hovik, then a Protestant pastor, and shepherded Fr. David and his congregation (St. Andrew Church of Arlington, Washington) into Orthodoxy.

Fr. James was also a strong supporter of the establishment of St. Thomas Church in Snohomish, Washington, a congregation led by Fr. David Sommer, his son-in-law! For many years, moreover, Fr. James served as Dean of the Pacific Northwest Deanery, fostering and building many lifelong friendships with his brother priests. In 2008, Fr. James published his book Surprised by Christ, which has touched countless lives and led many to Christ and Orthodoxy. His book has been published in seven languages.

carrying the leather satchel housing his book and booklets, pipe, tobacco, and harmonica. He was always eager to enter into conversation about the Orthodox faith and gave many of his books to those interested. He attended St. Thomas Church, serving alongside his son-in-law.

In the words of Fr. James, “There you have it!” Glory to God for all things! Christ is risen! Memory eternal!

Fr. James is survived by his wife Khouria Martha (Bonnie); children Khouria Heather (Fr. David) Sommer, Holly Bernstein, Peter Bernstein, and Mary ( James) Curry; and grandchildren John (Audrey), Nicholas, Ephramia, Elizabeth, and Irene Sommer; Violet Bernstein; and Noah, Levi, Lina and Sarah Curry.

HONORARY DEGREE AWARDED

In 2017, Fr. James retired from pastoral ministry. He and Khouria Martha moved to Snohomish to be closer to their children and grandchildren. Over the next seven years, he deeply enjoyed his leisurely days, spending quality time with those he loved.

An informal ministry continued as Fr. James became a beloved fixture in downtown Snohomish.

There, he made a daily trip to the bakery with his son Peter, where they would sit for hours conversing with each other and passersby.

Fr. James was always recognizable, 22 September - October 2024

During the commencement Ceremony of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, Academic Dean Dr. IonuțAlexandru Tudorie announced the conferral of an honorary degree upon well known Antiochian author, scholar, and retired pastor of All Saints Church in Chicago, the

Very Rev. Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon. The award was presented by His Beatitude Metropolitan TIKHON of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA).

NEWLY ELECTED CHAIR OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD OF ST. VLADIMIR’S SEMINARY

The Right Rev. Archimandrite Jeremy Davis, an alumnus of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS ’04), is the newly elected Executive Chair of the Board of Trustees, succeeding longtime trustee and outgoing Chair, Dr. Nicholas Pandelidis.

Fr. Jeremy is the Antiochian Archdiocese’s Archiepiscopal Vicar for the Diocese of Toledo and the Midwest. “As a seminary alumnus, an avid reader of SVS Press, and an archdiocesan administrator who depends on the Seminary to meet the needs of our parishes, I am committed—heart and soul – to St. Vladimir’s Seminary’s mission,” stated Fr Jeremy. “We are facing some big challenges, but our Board of engaged and talented trustees, our world-class faculty, our diligent staff, and especially our tireless and selfless interim President are up to the task.”

Holding onto Grace: Keeping the Memory of Our Encounters with God

O

ne of the most common struggles in the spiritual life is consistently finding spiritual traction. It is easy to feel like we have lost God in the dark shadows cast by this world. Staying in the light is a life-long endeavor.

Many of us have periods where we feel spiritually sharp and in a good place, only then to experience inevitably a loss of spiritual direction and momentum.

This loss can be felt profoundly. We often feel as though we have lost our way. We can begin to flounder as our prayer life and behavior begin to decline. Many of the saints have reported experiencing these cycles.

They would describe them as departures of God’s grace.

It would indeed return, only to depart again eventually.

When we have God’s grace we feel a profound peace.

We feel settled, grounded, focused, and perceptive, as though God is right there to be accessed at any moment.

A departure of grace is the loss of this sense of things.

Fr. Joshua Makoul Dean of St. George Cathedral Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

take care of Him. St. Silouan lived in a monastery, so perhaps he was more sheltered from the dangerous consequences (such as certain sins) when these departures of grace occurred. For us in the world, due to the ready availability of destructive vices, the consequences could be far worse.

Icon by Tsiantas Dimitrios

St. Silouan the Athonite would grieve these departures of grace intensely, almost to the point of despair. For each saint perhaps there was a different lesson intended. For St. Silouan there was a lesson being taught by God. It was to practice acceptance of these departures of grace and not to assign too much meaning to them. In other words, for him not to be alarmed and to trust that in the end, God will

The Word

23

HOLDING ONTO GRACE

I recall being at Holy Cross Seminary in Boston, where Bishop Gerasimos had lived and had passed away shortly before I arrived. A professor there shared a story. He had been walking on the beach with this bishop. As they walked, Bishop Gerasimos observed the waves. He remarked, “Do you see the waves, how they come and go? That is what God’s grace is like; it comes to us in waves.” However, we might ask, must it always come in waves? The answer is No. It is indeed possible to experience the grace of God consistently.

As we reflect on these things, we might be tempted to believe that God shows favoritism; that perhaps He favors some over others, and showers his grace on some more than others. Inevitably this is true, but not because He loves some more than others, but because some of us are more receptive of God’s grace than others. God seeks an intimacy with us that few are willing to give. It is precisely this lack of intimacy with God that causes us to spiritually flounder.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus encounters Nicodemus. He tells him, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it goes or where it comes from. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Those of us who were baptized are indeed born of the Spirit. However, at some point we reject that Spirit and choose the spirit of this world. For most of us, this is just temporary, and we return to the Holy Spirit. However, for some it is permanent. Those who are born of the Spirit and stay with the Holy Spirit are as mysterious as the blowing of the wind. The wind is indeed mysterious.

We hear it, but cannot see it. We feel it, but cannot grasp its origin, nor know where it is going. It can be a gentle breeze or it can profoundly affect our environment. One of the ways in which this mystery plays out in us is that, at any given moment, the Holy Spirit may surprise us and redirect our will, time, and attention so that we participate in a miraculous act of God. 24 September - October 2024

Of course, this requires the ability to suffer inconvenience. For example, when we meet one of the least of Christ’s brethren on the street, time stops and he or she becomes our master, and all other earthly activity is put on hold. At that moment a great mystery is unfolding, and we are invited to participate.

If we are of the Spirit, staying true to the Holy Spirit, and not having spiritual infidelity with the spirit of this world, then there is a certain balance we maintain.We have one foot in this world and one foot in the Kingdom of God. Our senses, our thoughts, our attention, our motives are all centered on God and the Kingdom of God, while simultaneously our physical responsibilities and needs are centered on this world. God’s grace enables us to maintain this equilibrium. We struggle spiritually when this equilibrium is lost.

To hold onto God’s grace, we need something concrete (though not necessarily physical) to grasp.

THE KEY TO HOLDING ONTO GOD’S GRACE AND MAINTAINING THIS EQUILIBRIUM BETWEEN GRACE AND THIS WORLD IS GOD’S ENERGIES. GOD’S ENERGIES ARE HIS ACTIVITIES.

It is how we experience God. We experience God’s grace through sacraments, but also through surprise encounters with God in which His activity manifests itself in our lives. These are the encounters we need.

These encounters create memories in us, memories that hold us to the spiritual work and become sources of hope. They become storybook of our encounters with God and the Holy Spirit. It can be as though each of us, throughout our lives, has accumulated our own personal bible of encounters with God and His energies. There should be little doubt that the Apostles’ memories of God’s energies at work helped sustain them during difficult times. How could it not be so?

After witnessing the resurrection appearances,

witnessing countless other miracles, and after participating in so many miracles themselves, those memories inevitably became sources of encouragement during challenging times.

So it should be for us. As the Apostle John wrote, “And there were many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” Those signs may not have made into the Scriptures, but they made it into the hearts of the disciples and became engraved in their memory.

Each disciple possessed his own book of memories of his own experiences with God’s energies. We are called to do the same.

Some of us may doubt our ability to experience a miracle, much less participate in one. Signs and miracles involving God’s activity, however, are sometimes more subtle than we realize. Signs and miracles do not always occur in some spectacular fashion. Sometimes we do not realize them until years later. When we read the Scriptures, we see that God’s energies are so often made manifest in encounters, encounters between people. If we do not do well with people, then this can be a problem. This is why the healing work is so important. If we cannot love and be loved fully, then we risk missing out on these encounters, for we are far too distracted and blinded by fear, need for control, and mistrust. We begin our day with prayer, and then we have to move through our days with our heads up (not buried in our phones); observing others, not judging them (but rather making excuses for them); being aware of all others in our environment; pondering their life stories and what hardships they carry; in essence, being ready at a moment’s notice to respond to an encounter that very well might be an encounter with God Himself through His energies. We become like a radio hobbyist who sits, with ears tuned to the static of his or her

radio, listening for a clear message that might come through. When we live like this, the Holy Spirit takes notice. We have then made ourselves a vessel of God’s energies, one that God can act through at any given moment as He deems fit. If we hold ourselves in this watchful state, we can experience miracles and be participants in them. We will find that God’s grace no longer is elusive, or cycling in and out of our lives, for it becomes part of us.

It is important to note that when miracles occur in encounters, it is for the benefit of both. We must be careful not to proceed in an ego-centric mindset, where we believe that a miracle only occurs for our sake. Miracles involving encounters benefit both.

This is consistent with the love of God. So, we see that miracles (encounters with God’s energies) occur more often than we realize. They can range from positive resolutions of situations that defy the physics of this world to people entering our life at just the right moment, for the benefit of both. Detecting the movement of the Holy Spirit in our lives requires awareness. Always remember, however, not to be ego-centric or self-centered in perceiving His intentions. It is not always about us. Sometimes it can be just about us; such is God’s love for us.

It is precisely these memories of encounters with God’s energies that we use to write the storybook of our relationship with God. Each of us is called to have our own library of memories from our encounters with God. The memories of these encounters can be the wind in our spiritual sails that provides hope and encouragement each time we recall them. They also keep God’s grace as our ever-present companion. If we live like this, then departures of God’s grace can become a distant memory.

Fr. Joshua has authored books available from Ancient Faith Ministries.

The Word

25

What Is the Goal?

D Metropolitan SABA (Esper)

uring Holy Week, ecclesiastical media reported news of the ordination of a liturgical deaconess in one of the churches in Zimbabwe, Africa, affiliated with the Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria. I won’t delve into the subject of ordaining a deaconess. That’s a matter I’ll leave to theologians and synods, for now. In this article, I’ll simply raise some questions stemming from this event. Such an event requires Orthodox consensus, as any ecclesiastical action outside Orthodox consensus and unanimity poses a danger and leads to undesirable consequences.

How much more so, as a matter as sensitive as this, especially at this time, would be considered a step towards the ordination of women to the priesthood.

There is no doubt that a deep and faithful study of the Christian heritage, especially the Orthodox one, and of the pastoral needs required by the Church in today’s world, is urgently needed for this topic.

26 September - October 2024

Resorting to individual decisions, however, remains more dangerous than any step its proponents might perceive as beneficial to the Church. Theological studies require scientific honesty and objectivity, not manipulation of information to serve personal agendas. Here, the role of the pure saints, not just scholars and researchers, is highlighted, lest we negate what we have been saying for centuries, that theology is the experience of God’s presence, not just rational or philosophical thinking.

My deliberations stem from a concern for Orthodox unity, which I see in danger on account of the absence of dialogue among the churches and the spread of individualism within them, to the point where the risk of following in the footsteps of Protestant-type individualism is imminent. May God protect us from replacing Orthodox unity with an Orthodox union.

The existence of deaconesses in the early Church needs further clarification. Our historical information

does not confirm that all churches witnessed the service of deaconesses, but rather some, especially large churches, and in major cities. Moreover, the distinction between the service of deaconesses and the service of widows also needs further exploration.

Our available information indicates that the service of deaconesses included several aspects, such as guarding and overseeing the women’s section in the church; according to the social custom in the past, women and men each stood in designated areas of the nave. Also, deaconesses assisted women in baptisms, such as anointing their bodies with oil. Furthermore, deaconesses may have been responsible for teaching women, but not all scholars agree on this. In the fourth service, based on the social tradition of the past, deaconesses accompanied women when they needed to meet with the bishop, as it was forbidden for a bishop to meet with a woman alone.

There came a time when this ministry fell into disuse in the Church. We do not know the exact reasons for its disappearance. Don’t we need studies to show the reasons why? Don’t we need to clarify its fields of service before adopting it in our churches?

Is its acceptance consistent with Orthodox tradition and understanding of the ordained priesthood? Can it be limited to educational service and the service of love in all its forms? What are the boundaries between this ministry and the ministry of the faithful (laity)?

What are the motives behind giving it a liturgical role? Why is this role necessary?

If this type of service is authentic, should we demand it, and does the Church really need it? To what extent do we demand it under the influence of humanistic and feminist movements? What is motivating the Church to activate its pastoral service: theological thought or worldly thought? How does the Church respond to the challenges facing today’s societies in the areas of faith, morality, and

humanitarian concern? On what basis does the Church build its pastoral programs: social or theological?

Moreover, what is the effect of accepting deaconesses and female priests in non-Orthodox churches that have adopted this pattern? Has this acceptance increased their spiritual and numerical growth, or the opposite? Is accepting deaconesses a first step towards accepting priestesses? What would be the effect of having male and female priests on the spiritual and theological concept of the priesthood? To what extent does this contribute to the secularization or degeneration of the priesthood, to considering it a religious function? What is the psychological effect of having both sexes around the Holy Table? Where will the Orthodox Church end up if each church goes on to adopt what it deems appropriate, without consulting and agreeing among all Orthodox churches?

Where is the collective spirit that distinguishes Orthodoxy? What about the unity of the Faith?

And what will unite Orthodox Churches if practices without unanimous agreement begin to appear here and there?

Do those who applaud the emergence of deaconesses think about the future of Orthodox unity? How do we know if we are allowing the Holy Spirit to work and create new talents? How do we know if we are limiting Him within the framework of our limited thinking? Are we subordinating Him to our personal desires and visions?

I won’t add any more questions here, although they would be necessary if we truly want to be honest, faithful, and pure in every work we do in the Church.

The pain from what is happening stifles me.

I hope that some of these questions encourage a few sincere, honest, and humble persons to pause before proceeding with an individualism that increases divisions and creates new schisms.

The Word

27

Who Am I Today?

Khouria Jeanette Gallaway Antiochian Women NAB Membership Coordinator

A

s an Antiochian Woman, as a member of the Body of Christ, each of us can ask herself, “Who am I today?” Each day we wake up and thank God for the morning, our rest, our families, our spouses, and all that is given to us to care for that day, that hour, or even the next few minutes. Often we try to make plans for the future and forget that God has given us this moment in time to love,to care,to see the beauty in our surroundings.

We worry about what will happen tomorrow, and forget to enjoy and to love today. Who am I today?

Am I truly in the moment?

Today I am a mother, a grandmother, a wife, a nurse, and pray I can be a true Christian, one through whose actions others would see the Light of Christ. We wear so many hats and have to deal with the obstacles

28 May - June 2024

we encounter throughout the day. We get tangled in our business and forget to take a breath and think of all of our blessings. All of a sudden the phone rings, the TV is blaring, the kids are yelling, dinner needs to be made, the schedule is full of cooking and cleaning, working, and coordinating the life of the entire family. How do we stay calm? How can we show the love of Christ in the little things we do?

As I get older, I notice I can deal with a little more of the important things and realize that the stress is usually caused by the things we can’t change. I look at people’s faces and wonder what they must be dealing with today.

In the past I thought, “What a grumpy person he must be,” instead of wondering what cross they are dealing with today. Our lives become centered around ourselves and not around others. We think we have all the answers, and forget to ask God to help us carry our own cross.

As a critical-care nurse, I have learned that a smile goes a long way. Too often we walk around in our own world and forget to look up and see others around us. I mean, to truly see them. We don’t even make eye-contact with someone, for fear that they might ask us to do something, or say something that might interfere with our busy schedule. A simple smile can show our love for each other, by just being there and letting her know that she is not alone. We must always try to have peace in our hearts, and to remember that God is with us in all our times of need, of joy, and of sorrow. We must remember not to be consumed with our phone, our thoughts, our distractions. We must be here and now, wherever that is, and not always have our minds wander somewhere else.

This doesn’t only happen when we are out and about, running errands. How often are we present in church, but our minds are somewhere else? How often do we attempt to pray and get distracted by something simple that we would not notice any other time? God knows I am guilty of that. The devil doesn’t want us to be in the presence of God. He wants to distract us and keep us so busy we forget God, His grace, His love, and His joy.

I have been blessed to be with many who have departed this life, whether as a nurse, or as a friend.

There is such a difference, whether we give our life to Christ, or if we are non-believers who don’t believe we are entering a new realm. When my girlfriend died at the age of 27 and I was with her, the entire room smelled like roses. I called my priest and he told me that this only happens when a saint dies. What a warm feeling in the middle of great sadness! We sing troparia about saints, especially during the commemoration of the regional saints two weeks after Pentecost, for those we know and those we know not. I was blessed to witness the falling asleep of a true saint. This is truly a gift God has given me. I will be ever grateful.

If or when we find ourselves stressed in the middle of day, the church has given us a small but mighty strength that we forget to use. It is the sign of the cross. “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Galatians 6:14). The sign of the cross is a profession of faith and reminds us that Jesus is the Son of God and is with us always. He is God and Man. He died on the cross for our salvation. It also reminds us to give our mind, our heart, our strength to Him who will protect us and our family throughout our times of joy and sorrow. I use it to remind myself to ask God for help and remember He is always with us. Let us remember to get joy from the little things around us, so that we can deal with the larger, more difficult things. Let us look for the good in everyone we encounter. Let us see that they are placed in our lives to help us learn, love, and grow.

My favorite prayer in times of stress is one for the Beginning of the Day by Metropolitan Philaret: “O Lord, grant me to meet the coming day in peace.

Help me in all things to rely upon Your Holy will.

In every hour of the day reveal your will to me.

Bless my dealings with all who surround me. Teach me to treat all that comes to me throughout the day with peace of soul, and with firm conviction that Your will governs all. In all my deed and words guide my thoughts and feelings. In unforeseen events, let me not forget that all are sent by you. Teach me to act firmly and wisely, without embittering and embarrassing others. Give me strength to bear the fatigue of the coming day with all that it shall bring. Direct my will, teach me to pray, pray You Yourself in me. Amen.”

Who am I today? I pray I can be the light of Christ in everything I say and do.

The Word

29

Increasingly attracted to the spiritual life, he would spend long hours in prayer and faithfully attend church services, remaining profoundly still and deep in prayer.

At this time his spiritual father was Father Afanassy, a monk from Valaam Monastery. Another of his spiritual sons, the future Metropolitan Anthony Bloom, described Fr. Afanassy (+1943) as “a remarkable man, of absolute simplicity, who lived off of nothing” and gave away the little that he had to any in need.

Elder

Sergei of Vanves

During a two-year period in Berlin, Kyrill worked at a bank where, in his free time, he read and copied out the works of the Church Fathers, his favorites being the Desert Fathers and the Ladder of Divine Ascent, which he copied out in its entirety.

Fr. Michael Shanbour

W

hen I was in seminary, I never heard anyone make mention of Elders (now Saints) Paisios of Athos or Porphyrios of Kavsokalivia.

Yet these holy ones were living at that time (1986–89), though not known to most in America.

This is often how it goes. We hear of the holy ones after their repose.

Elder Sergei of Vanves is no exception, at least for me. Where is Vanves anyway? France! I had heard of holy Elders from Greece, Russian, Serbia, Romania, and so forth – but France?

I have decided to start this series on Contemporary Holy Elders with one that likely few have heard about. He is also rare in that he, although a monastic, served a parish in the world. The primary source for his life and teachings is from the book, Elder Sergei of Vanves: Life and Teachings, by the respected Orthodox author, Jean-Claude Larchet.

30 September - October 2024

The Life of the Elder

This man of God was born Kyrill G. Shevich on July 21, 1903. Of Venetian nobility, his grandfather had moved to Russia in 1752. Kyrill’s father, George, a senior officer in the Russian Army, had a personal friendship with Czar Nicholas II, and eventually was made a general. In addition to his own country’s language, Kyrill grew up learning French, German, and English.

In 1923, Kyrill’s family moved to Paris. As a young man, Kyrill was active in intellectual and religious circles, attending meetings of the Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius, taking courses in patristics, Church history and theology at Oxford University, and attending discussion groups that included Vladimir Lossky. As a young man he wrote articles about the socio-political situation in the new Soviet Union, but eventually concluded that the survival of the Church in Russia required non-involvement in the political sphere. Later, as a priest, he renounced all political ideology and he “never judged anyone or anything except along the lines of spiritual and moral concerns.”

In 1938, he wrote Saint Silouan the Athonite, who gave him a blessing – in the last letter he wrote before his repose – to enter the monastic life. The Saint gave him the following advice, which he later lived out: “Go and tell the people as much as possible: Repent!”

His desire was to become a monk on Mount Athos, but God’s providence prevented this when World War II began. On account of his previous association with the Young Russians movement, he was arrested in May 1940 by the French government and interned at the concentration camp in Vernet. Here, according to the Elder’s own testimony, beatings were a daily occurrence, people died from lack of medical treatment, and most had to sleep without a blanket at below-zero temperatures. After his release, he was arrested again in June of 1941 by the Germans, and sent to another camp.

During this ordeal he constantly read and meditated on the whole of the Bible, as well as deepening his practice of the Jesus Prayer. In this he was directed by an extraordinary fellow captive, Fr. Seraphim, who apparently had the gift of unceasing prayer.

Being released from the second camp, Kyrill took his monastic vows on November 18, 1941, with the

name Sergius (St. Sergius of Valaam). He lived with his spiritual father, Archimandrite Stefan, the rector of the Holy Trinity Church in Vanves, who initiated him into the spiritual tradition of Valaam Monastery.

Fr. Sergius naturally became involved in the life of the parish, showing great compassion and love for others, a compassion and devotion that helped to pull an iconographer (George Kroug) out of serious psychological anguish and despair. Fr. Sergei was recognized by a number of psychiatrists as having a gift for healing depression.

Fr. Sergei was ordained a deacon on September 11, 1945, and a priest the following day. He was assigned as the rector of Holy Trinity, succeeding his spiritual father, who was reassigned to a parish in Paris. He was also made igumen of the Skete of the Holy Spirit in Le-Mesnil-Saint-Denis, a male monastery. By October a small female monastic community also formed around Fr. Sergei. Hieromonk Sergei now split his time between the Skete and the church at Vanves.

Elder Sergei was a tireless pastor and liturgist.

Despite the great diversity of the people in his parish, he was able to maintain an atmosphere of unity and brotherhood. He was fully committed to the liturgical life of the Church, maintaining the integrity of the Church’s typikon with precision and without omissions. During Great Lent, services took eight hours of his day. He served quietly, with simplicity and humility, and without pretension. Because of the great number of departed he wished to commemorate, he would begin the proskomedia (service of preparation) at 8:30 a.m., although the Liturgy began at 11:00 a.m.

The Elder became a much sought-after confessor.

Vladimir Lossky and Leonid Ouspensky became his spiritual sons, as well as several men who became metropolitans and bishops in our day. Among these are two current Athonite abbots of great reputation.

The Word

31

ELDER SERGEI OF VANVES

Because of his humility, however, to become his spiritual son one would need to insist and “pester him.”

The Elder received from God the gift of reading people’s hearts (kardiognosia). His words often brought immediate healing to penitents. At times he would offer answers and counsel before the penitent confessed, and other times revealed conditions unknown to them. He gave very practical counsel and emphasized the necessity of prayer and fulfilling the commandments. He would often say that “prayer is as necessary to the life of the soul as air is to the body” and that “prayer is the breathing of the soul, without which the soul is essentially dead.” Another often repeated teaching: “The spiritual life consists essentially in being what you are, not in what you say.” Indeed, he never preached, unless he read a patristic text.

Having been in intellectual circles, he believed that intellectuals began the spiritual life with a great handicap, since “true knowledge is not something which results from the faculty of reason or even from the operation of the intellect, but rather what the Spirit grants … to him who through ascetic effort has been purified of the passions and in their place has acquired the virtues, particularly humility and charity” (Elder Sergei of Vanves: Life and Teachings, p. 23).

ill. After a few months he recovered somewhat and was able to serve. However, he fell ill again in October of 1986 and was hospitalized. In June of 1987 he was diagnosed with cancer that had metastasized and spread to several organs. On July 25, the holy elder Sergei communed of the Holy Mysteries and reposed in the Lord at 6:05 p.m.

Teachings

Elder Elder Sergei has left us an abundance of teaching on many aspects of the Orthodox Christian spiritual life – too much to include in this article. Yet there is one word and one focal-point that characterizes both his life and his teachings: repentance. The Elder has delineated the life of repentance for us in a clear and particularly helpful way that one can immediately put into practice. This is the case since he not only taught about repentance but lived it out daily. St. Silouan’s advice, “Go and tell the people … Repent!” was proceeded by a more intimate and spiritually revealing word: “You are my brother in Christ, whom the Lord has loved on account of repentance.” How many of us would be worthy of receiving such a word from one of the greatest practitioners of the life of repentance?

Elder Sergei enjoyed a great friendship with Saint Sophrony of Essex and was recognized by Saint Justin Popovich, as well as Athonite fathers such as Saints Ephraim of Katounia, Haralambos, and Paisios.

The Elder spoke in terms of two distinct expressions of repentance. The first is repentance for specific sins committed. Yet this is not the end, nor is it the deepest aspect of what it means to repent. One must also repent in general for one’s sinful state in order to acquire contrition and humility, which is a heartfelt state of being that attracts and retains the grace of God. “A humble and contrite heart God will not despise”(Psalm 51:17).This second form of repentance, without which no one has reached sanctity, is often lost to us Orthodox Christians living in the world.

After serving for forty years, toward the beginning of Great Lent in 1985, Father Sergei became seriously

Regarding the first type of repentance (for specific sins), the Elder makes clear that it is vital. He lays

As is common among the saints, Elder Sergei was strict with himself but more lenient towards others.

However, he was firm when it came to the Orthodox faith and the keeping of the commandments. He showed no favoritism, but regarded all alike, regardless of social status or spiritual maturity.

32 September - October 2024

out three stages: 1. repenting immediately when a sin is committed; 2. asking again for forgiveness at the end of each day; and 3. completing one’s repentance through the sacrament of Confession, which brings full and definitive pardon of the sin confessed. After confession one must consider the sin blotted out and not think about it again, “considering the divine forgiveness as the beginning of a new life” (p. 30).

When dealing with sinful thoughts, the first stage itself is usually sufficient. As Elder Sergei puts it, “If you have a wicked thought and repent by desiring to think and act otherwise, this sin is erased immediately.” We could add that many Saints also teach that, if we are attacked by a particular thought persistently and can’t be rid of it, we should take it to Confession and it should cease.

The Elder strongly emphasizes the second stage of this form of repentance, that is, praying for forgiveness at the end of the day for all we have done wrongly, for things we have done with passionate thoughts, and for what we failed to do. This is called an “examination of the conscience” and it is especially beneficial in making us more aware of the sins we bring to mind. In this way we avoid spiritual insensitivity and forgetfulness.

In Confession, God works to unburden us, both spiritually and psychologically, of sins committed in the past. Elder Sergei stressed not identifying oneself with any sin, as sin is alien to our nature and cannot define us.

According to the Elder, the second form of repentance is to bring a person into a state of compunction (from the Greek, penthos). This is a general and ongoing awareness of our need for God’s mercy and grace, as we are infected by an inclination toward sin. He considers this type of repentance indispensable for spiritual growth, freedom from the passions and evil thoughts, and for prayer. It is described

as “an inner stance of fear of God, the remembrance of death, and – above all – humility, by which man comes to know again with sadness his infirmity, his weakness, and his nothingness before God” (p. 32).

Elder Sergei provides four approaches to this form of repentance: 1) First, we are to repent for sins committed unknowingly, as these often affect others or cause them suffering. These also reveal our lack of awareness and spiritual perceptiveness.

2) Next, we should repent for all that we could have done to accomplish God’s will but failed to do; for example, not loving God and neighbor, not praying enough.

3) We must repent even more deeply for our sinful state resulting from the ancestral sin, all that we may have inherited from birth, our general estrangement from God, our imperfection, weakness, and powerlessness.

4) Finally, as we are spiritually linked with all of humanity and creation, we can identify ourselves with the fallen condition of the world and repent for contributing to the general state of sinfulness existing in our world. We are not innocent victims but rather can weep as a sinner among sinners.

The Word

33

ELDER SERGEI OF VANVES

This second form of repentance requires our effort, but is ultimately a gift from God. The Elder suggests that it is nourished by the Jesus Prayer by which we seek God’s help in everything.

Here are some choice quotes (among some 310 included in the book) from the holy elder on a variety of topics.

ANGER

Try your very best not to give in to anger. Anger drives grace from your soul. Grace is like a bird; when something scares it, it flies away.

ASCETICISM

We shouldn’t let ourselves go along with whatever might happen to us, with whatever ideas come into our head, but rather we should take our lives into our own hands. We shouldn’t be led about by our feelings, or imagination, our own impressions, but rather we should be masters of these things. Just as when we are

the entire world, about our own destiny instead of that of society.

FEAR OF GOD

The newspapers present us daily with the Calvary of suffering humanity. Reading them should inspire us to compassion and prayer.

FORGIVENESS

REASON

Fear of God is fear of separation from God. We must never believe that our sinful state is beyond repair. We must be confident that there is always forgiveness for us. All we need to do to be forgiven is to ask.

GOD

There is no determinism in sin. God is stronger than any sin of ours.

EXCUSES

External circumstances can never serve as excuses for the deficiencies in our interiorr life.

GRACE

it with our hands and make it go where we want it to.

The big secret of the spiritual life is to live by the strength of God and not by our own strengths, to have Christ in ourselves.

EVANGELISM

JESUS PRAYER

driving a car, we don’t let it go where it wants, but steer

Before converting other people, convert yourself, so that no one can say to you, “physician, heal yourself!”

There is nothing worse than preaching “the good news” to someone when you yourself are filled with passions. In the Book of Acts, we read that men who wanted to cast out demons in the name of Paul were told by the demons, “We know Paul, but you, who are you?” The demons then rushed to beat the men.

Without the Church and the struggle against the passions, the Jesus prayer is totally worthless.

Sometimes we need to talk about God to other people, and sometimes we need to remain silent. No one will convert because of what we say, but only because of the example that we set forth. The demons say, “Paul we know, but who are you?” The key phrase to conversion is “Come and see!” We need to think about our own end instead of thinking about that of

JUDGING

34 September - October 2024

NEWS

Saying the prayer implies the pursuit of virtue, especially humility. The prayer must always be said in a state of contrition. The Jesus prayer also has as a prerequisite a state of purity, for, without this, the prayer cannot be of any value to us, and becomes a nervous habit more than anything.

Thespiritual life shouldn’t be purely intellectual.

The mind represents only a quarter of who we are.

REPENTANCE

God prefers someone who sins, and repents for it, to someone who thinks that he never sins and never repents.

SAINTS/INNER MAN

Thereare saints who were very anxious, who had nervous tics, and also those who were very brusque.

Others were exceptionally slow. Some saints had physical defects. What makes a saint is not outward perfection, it’s that the old man is conquered on the inside. The saints are not yet totally transfigured, and the old man continues to be visible on the outside.

These appearances can trick us and hide their inner reality from us.

SIMPLICITY

Avoid intellectual speculation, which so often does not concern your personal eschatology. In the next life, these speculations will be of no use. This is

why simple people are normally more successful in the spiritual life than intellectuals.

THOUGHTS/PASSIONS

The passions can engrain themselves in our bodies, but they can never become a part of our nature, as an abscess on a finger may in fact be on the finger, but it hasn’t in any way become the finger itself. The infection can be treated and the finger can be healed without cutting off the finger itself. Thus, when the devil says to us, “You are this, you are that, and this and that…” we should reply, “No, that isn’t who I am!

However, it is true that I am responsible for what you have said I am, I will have to answer for it, but it is not a part of my nature.”

THOUGHTS / SCRIPTURE READING

We must avoid doubts. When we experience a doubt, we must not enter into discussion with it. It is very common, when we are reading the Scriptures, for the demons to add their own commentary, for they, too, are theologians. We must not have anything to do with these “interpretations.”

THE WORLD

Fight the world not with the ways of the world, but with the ways of God.

In order to obtain from God what we ask for in prayer, we must ask Him in a spirit of humility and avoid judging anyone.

Never judge your neighbor, for this sin will come back to you.

The Word

35

THE WORD 358 Mountain Road PO Box 5238 Englewood, NJ 07631-5238

“CONTINUING THE ANTIOCHIAN LEGACY IN CHICAGO”

THE MIRACULOUS WEEPING ICON Cicero, IL

HOTEL RESERVATIONS ARE NOW OPEN!

Celebrating the 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNIFICATION OF NEW YORK AND TOLEDO and the

120TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE WORD MAGAZINE Church Services 100+ Events and Meetings Club Saint George for ages 4-12 Teen Events Young Adult Events Humanitarian Activity Workshops Bible Bowl Oratorical Festival “Taste of Chicago” Antiochian Legacy Banquet and Grand Hafli “Ask Abouna” all week

With the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Saba, for the first time, venerate the Miraculous Weeping Icon in the hotel Chapel all week.

“Then Mary said, ”Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.” Luke 1:38

AC2025Chicago.org

Host Parish Saint George Church Cicero, IL