From His Eminence Metropolitan PHILIP: 

January 6, 2009
Great Feast of Theophany

Beloved in Christ,

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who was baptized by John in the River Jordan for our salvation. A blessed and happy feast day and New Year to you and your families.

While we rejoice in this great feast of our holy church, we are also deeply saddened by the humanitarian crisis that we are witnessing daily in Gaza. With each news update we hear of more and more people, many of them women and children, whose lives have been abruptly and needlessly ended by the brutality of the ongoing invasion of a foreign army. In addition to this senseless loss of life, there is a humanitarian disaster taking place. Food and water are running out, there is a dire lack of medical supplies, and countless thousands have no place to rest their heads at night.

Since there is no infrastructure in Gaza, we have no way to help these suffering people directly as an Archdiocese. Thanks be to God, however, that we have IOCC, International Orthodox Christian Charities. IOCC is mobilizing its forces in the disaster relief community and through its contacts in Gaza to bring much needed aid to the suffering people there. Therefore, I strongly urge each of our parishes to collect money in a way they see fit and forward it directly to the IOCC as soon as possible. For more information on the IOCC and how they are helping in Gaza, please see the attached news release or view their website at www.iocc.org.

Tone 4

O Jordan River, why wast thou astonished at beholding the Invisible naked? And he answereth, saying, I beheld Him and trembled; for how shall I not tremble and fear, when the angels trembled at sight of Him, heaven was astounded, earth was encompassed by trepidation, and the sea was bashful, with all things visible and invisible; for Christ hath appeared in the Jordan to bless the waters.

Tone 1

He that encompasseth the heavens with clouds putteth on today the courses of the Jordan; and He that lifteth the sin of the world, cleanseth and purifieth me. Yea, the Spirit hath testified of Him from on high that He is the only Son of the Father on high. Let us, therefore, shout to Him, crying, O Thou Who didst appear and save us, glory to Thee.

Update: IOCC Works to Bring Relief to Gaza

Although it remains difficult to get supplies into Gaza, IOCC [International Orthodox Christian Charities] is working with organizations that have significant operations inside the territory and who are in touch with government officials and United Nations personnel to gain access. [IOCC Representative Dirk] Lackovic-van Gorp reports that the greatest need now is life-saving drugs and medical supplies to equip hospitals which have been forced to turn away the injured.

Help IOCC speed relief to families who have been caught in this conflict. Visit www.IOCC.org, call 1-877-803-4622, or mail a check or money order payable to "IOCC" and write Middle East Relief in the memo line to: IOCC, P.O. Box 630225, Baltimore, MD 21263-0225.

And during this time of year when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, please join us in praying that His peace may reign in the Holy Land and throughout the world.

Click here to listen to an interview regarding IOCC's efforts in Gaza on Ancient Faith Radio.

We of The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America join most of the world in decrying the loss of life and extreme human tragedy unfolding in Gaza before our eyes.

In light of this, we make an urgent appeal to all of the faithful of The Antiochian Archdiocese to immediately contact their elected representatives. Urge them to exert the considerable influence of the U.S. Government to end these hostilities and engage the various parties in a meaningful dialogue to forge a just and lasting peace. At the same time we ask you to keep all of the victims of this tragedy in your daily prayers.

Please click here to contact your U.S. Senators, Members of Congress and the President.

His Grace Bishop THOMAS thought he would be at Antiochian Village for the College conference when he began his 4 hour drive from the Chancery in Charleston, West Virginia on December 27^th. But just a few miles from the Village he recieved a message from Metropolitan PHILIP asking him to represent the Antiochian Archdiocese at the Enthronement of Metropolitan JONAH of the OCA. Bishop BASIL, who was originally scheduled to attend, was prevented by bad weather. Bishop THOMAS then drove the 4-1/2 hours to the Washington area in order to attend the Enthronement and Divine Liturgy on Sunday the 28^th.

Bishop THOMAS arrived at Saint Nicholas Cathedral at 7:45 on Sunday morning and vested with around 16 other Hierarchs from the various Orthodox Jurisdictions. The occasion provided the opportunity for many of the bishops to greet one another and catch up. At one point the new Metropolitan JONAH came in and asked if Bishop THOMAS remembered attending seminary with him, which he did of course.

Apolytikion of St. Basil, Tone 1

In all the earth that received thy sayings, thy melody did resound, O righteous father, through which thou didst go about and proclaim, as worthy of God, the nature of creatures, cultivating the character of mankind, O thou of kingly Priesthood, Basil. Wherefore, plead thou with Christ God to save our souls.

Aposticha verse, Vespers of the Feast, Tone 2

O Basil, the revealer of noble things, having verily studied the nature of creatures and contemplated the instability of all things, thou didst find but One Who is stable, the Transcendent in essence, the Creator of all, to Whom as thou didst the more incline, thou didst the more cast off desire of things transient. Wherefore, intercede for us that we may obtain our divine desire.

Many years to His Grace Bishop BASIL of the Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America on his name's day!