Antiochian System Admin's blog

Troy, Michigan — From Tuesday, May 6, through Thursday, May 8, the Orthodox Christian Mission Center held its 2008 Spring Board Meeting in Troy, Michigan.  The meeting was hosted by St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, under the auspices of the Diocese of Detroit.  Along with OCMC Board members, Executive Director Fr. Martin Ritsi, Associate Director Fr. David Rucker, and Teams Department Director Andrew Lekos attended the event.

In addition to the regularly held meetings, there were several missions-related events over the course of the week.  On Tuesday evening, the OCMC Healthcare Committee sponsored a Health Outreach Event.  This event, intended to raise awareness about medical missions, drew the largest turnout yet present for this event.  Dr. Demetrios Kyriacou spoke about his recent OCMC Mission Team to Ethiopia.  This team was a joint OCMC/IOCC assessment project looking at the local Church’s work with HIV/AIDS patients.  Dr. Maria Vasilakis also spoke about her short-term Team experience.  Dr. Vasilakis was part of a healthcare Team that ministered in Kenya, offering treatment to over 1000 medical patients and 200 dental patients. Dr. Spero Kinnas, OCMC Board Member, updated participants on the work of Floyd and Ancuþa Frantz in Romania. 

May 12, 2008, at 12:00 noon, at the Synodal Cathedral of Our Lady of the Sign in New York, His Eminence Archbishop Hilarion of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand was elected Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, and shall be elevated to the rank of Metropolitan.

In accordance with the Act of Canonical Communion signed on May 17, 2007, the Council of Bishops will send the Act of Election,
drawn up by the Counting Committee, to His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia, with a request from the elected First Hierarch for his blessing to assume the duties placed upon him by his brother archpastors, and for confirmation by the Holy Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate of his election.

The Enthronement of His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York, Primate-elect of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, will be held on Sunday, May 18, 2008.

The schedule of services relating to the Enthronement of the new First Hierarch is as follows:

Support for all people with antiochian.org email addresses transitioned on May 9 from the Department of Communications and Information Technology to NST, an excellent technology services provider selected to manage hosting of antiochian.org email accounts and the antiochian.org website.

Everyone who wants to continue using an antiochian.org email address who did not respond to NST's Friday, May 9 email that day will now need to contact NST's support phone line at 877-678-8080 ext. 3, in order to reset their account. This is necessary if you have an antiochian.org email address set up in your email client, or if your antiochian.org emails are forwarded to another email address.

If you need any additional assistance, you can also contact Fr. George Kevorkian at the Archdiocese offices at 201-871-1355.

by Fr. James C. Meena

Word Magazine, April 1980

bp.thomas@antiochian.org

We worship together in the Eucharistic celebration for more than an hour and we walk together liturgically through the life of Christ from all the prophecies that were spoken of Him, His teachings, His life and for about two minutes we dwell on His death. That’s all! And the rest of the time it’s Resurrection! Victory! The Conquest of death and the promise of eternal life for all those who believe. “We trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, especially of them that believe,” (I Timothy 4:10).

ON THIS WEEK'S COME RECEIVE THE LIGHT

Ever wonder why Orthodox Christians ask the Saints for their intercessions? Or why we pray for the forgiveness and salvation of those who have already passed away? On this week's program, Dr. David C. Ford, a professor at St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary, explains why these practices are Biblical and fully part of the ancient Christian faith.

On this week's Come Receive the Light, On this week's program, Dr. David C. Ford, a professor at St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary, explains why these practices are Biblical and fully part of the ancient Christian faith. If you have ever wondered why Orthodox Christians ask the Saints for their intercessions? Or why we pray for the forgiveness and salvation of those who have already passed away this is program for you?

You can hear this program--and many others--by listening to our Internet radio stations, The ARK and The RUDDER, at http://www.myocn.net. This week, we'll also be featuring a talk with Kh. Maggie Hock, director of Marriage and Parish Family Ministries for the Antiochian Archdiocese, on Orthodox parenting in a Materialistic World-Part II. Both the ARK and the RUDDER will be featuring columnist Terry Mattingly's program "Saint Brenden the Navigator". A program about Mark 5 will also be featured on the Ark. Programs are also available on Podcast and OnDemand.

The 61st Annual Midwest Parish Life Conference, hosted by St. George, Grand Rapids, will be held June 25 to June 29, 2008 at Amway Grand Plaza Hotel.

The Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America prays with all the Orthodox Christians of this land, and all of our brothers and sisters in faith across the world, that God's greatest blessings, mercy and peace are showered over all mankind during this Feast of Feasts.

His Eminence Metropolitan PHILIP presided over the Paschal Liturgy on April 27 at the Archdiocese Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Brooklyn, New York. Listen to a recording of the service. Click here for more pictures of the Metropolitan serving at St. Nicholas on Holy Pascha. Learn more about Metropolitan PHILIP here.

Christ is Risen! Click here for more on Pascha. Also visit our Great Lent 2008 Resource Center.

On Wednesday May 7, 2008, His Eminence Metropolitan PHILIP hosted a meeting of five of the SCOBA hierarchs at the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese headquarters in Englewood, New Jersey.  The meeting was held to allow these hierarchs to discuss pertinent issues related to the Orthodox situation in North America. 

Students also participated in an evening vigil held on campus.

Come Receive the Light, the only nationally syndicated Orthodox Christian radio broadcast, is a weekly program that features interviews with noted Orthodox Christian clergy, theologians, and lay leaders on theological, spiritual, pastoral, and modern social issues. Heard on the radio in more than 100 cities in the United States and the Bahamas, this unique weekly broadcast offers the ancient, Christ-centered message of Orthodox Christianity to the modern world. You can listen to past programs on demand and find many other online resources to deepen your faith at www.MyOCN.net.

May 2, 2008
Topic: Introducing Orthodox Christianity to Western Christians
Guests: Dr. James R. Payton, Jr. and Rev. Dr. John McGuckin  
This week's episode of Come Receive the Light, THE NATIONAL ORTHODOX RADIO PROGRAM, introduces Eastern Orthodoxy to a Western audience. James R. Payton Jr., author of Light from the Christian East: An Introduction to the Orthodox Tradition, and Fr. John McGuckin, an expert in the writings of the Early Church Fathers, discuss different aspects of Orthodox Christian doctrine and spiritual life.

May 9, 2008
Topic: Prayer to the Saints & for the Dead
Guest: Dr. David C. Ford
Ever wonder why Orthodox Christians ask the Saints for their intercessions? Or why we pray for the forgiveness and salvation of those who have already passed away? On this week's program, Dr. David C. Ford, a professor at St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary, explains why these practices are Biblical and fully part of the ancient Christian faith.

Fierce winds, rain and storm surge have devastated much of the Irrawaddy Delta and Myanmar’s largest city, Yangon. International Orthodox Christian Charities will provide cash support to its ecumenical partners toward emergency relief supplies for the survivors in Myanmar.

Visit IOCC for information about this emergency and how you can contribute.

Reflection on God and Natural Disaster by Orthodox Theologian David Hart Posted in Response to Myanmar Disaster

This hand painted Ascension from Cameroon reminds us that Christ’s death and Resurrection was for the whole world. Thank you for answering the call to share the Gospel of Christ!

We pray that you had a beautiful Holy Week and a glorious Pascha. May God continue to bless you and your family during this Paschal season.

Visit www.ocmc.org.

At the Orthodox Institute this fall Dr. Maria Khoury of Palestine will present the keynote address. Maria is known for her reflections on life in the Holy Land, which circulate to a wide readership by e-mail. Many appreciate her writings as a personal window into the land of our Christian heritage. I received one of her e-mails recently from Ms. Phyllis Onest which describes what is known as the Holy Fire in Jerusalem. I enclose both the introduction by Phyllis, and Maria’s description of the Holy Fire. During her time in the States, Maria will be available to come to parishes and present on life in the Holy Land and her affordable housing project, and to sign her Christina children’s book series. If you are interested in hosting Maria, please contact us at aodce@aol.com.

From Phyllis:

Maria Khoury, author of the Christina book series, and her family live in the last Christian village in Palestine—Taybeh, known as Ephraim in the Scriptures (if my memory serves me correctly). She has been our eyes and ears to the truth of what occurs behind the high walls the Israeli government has built around Gaza to keep the Palestinians "entrapped" in their own land. President Carter refers to the what occurs there as "Apartheid."

There are still Christians attempting to witness to the world that this is the place where Jesus lived and preached and where the Apostles taught and the Church grew. But most have left out of fear for their lives and for a future for their children. There was a time that thriving Orthodox monasteries cared for the Holy sites. Now there are a few monks or nuns.

Baltimore, Maryland (IOCC) — All star basketball player Peja Stojakovic of the NBA’s New Orleans Hornets is partnering with International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) to provide mobility assistance to more than 160 disabled people in Thessaloniki, Greece. More than $200,000 in wheelchairs, including sports wheelchairs for disabled athletes, and other mobility devices and therapeutic equipment will be distributed in Thessaloniki from May 12 - 16, 2008.

Orthodox Teen Talk Online

This week, Fr. Peter Jon Gillquist and a group of Antiochian teens discuss Orthodox Unity in America.

by Fr. James C. Meena

Word Magazine, April 1980

bp.thomas@antiochian.org

The words spoken by the young man in the long white robe, whom the Ointment-bearing women found at the tomb when they went to anoint the body of Jesus (St. Mark 16:6) ring down through the centuries in the most challenging terms. “You seek” are the first words of this statement; “You seek Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. He is not here. He is Risen. Behold the place where they laid Him.”

You and I go through life “seeking” day by day. Each of us seeks for different things. Some look for security, some for peace of heart, some for the best formula to get along with our neighbors and families, some for financial and career success, some for intellectual achievement. Each of us has labeled that for which we think we are searching. But in reality each of us is looking for that source of power greater than ourselves by which we might somehow reconcile ourselves with life and with the seeming inequities of life.

updated April 20, 2008 

MAY

02 Ohio Deanery Meeting, Canton, OH

03 Michigan Deanery Meeting, St. Nicholas, GR, MI

03-04 Virgin Mary, Alsip, IL

08 St George, Indianapolis, IN

09-11 St George, Cleveland, OH

16-18 St John Chrysostom, Ft Wayne, IN

21 Mid-Pentecost

24-25 St. George, Cleveland, OH (Wedding)

29-30 A/V Synod Meeting

JUNE

01 St. Mark, Youngstown, OH

04 St Barnabas, Columbus, OH (Vesperal Liturgy for Ascension)

06 Holy Incarnation, Lincoln Park, MI

07-08 St. Catherine, Ann Arbor, MI

12-14 Pentecost St George, W St Paul, MN

20-22 St Ignatius, Madison, WI

23 Apostles’ Fast Begins

25-29 Parish Life Conference GR, MI (Feast of Ss Peter & Paul)

JULY

04-06

11-13

18-20

20-25 Clergy Symposium

25-27

AUGUST

01-03 Friday Dormition Fast Begins

05-06 Vesperal Liturgy (Transfiguration of Christ) Holy Transfiguration, Warrenville, IL

08-10

15-17 Friday Dormition

18-September 1 Unavailable

SEPTEMBER

05-07

08 Monday Nativity of the Theotokos

12-14 St Michael (Louisville, KY) Elevation of the Holy Cross

19-21

26-28

OCTOBER

3-5

10-12

17-19

24-26 Fall Gathering

31- Nov. 02 St. Raphael of Brooklyn, Iowa City, IA

NOVEMBER

07-09 St George, Cleveland, OH

14-16 St. Matthew, North Royalton, OH

21-23

28-30

DECEMBER

5-7 St. Nicholas, GR, MI

12-14

19-21

26-28

2009

MARCH 2009

March 08 Sunday of Orthodoxy Canton, OH

LIVONIA, Mich. - The Council of Orthodox Christian Churches of Metropolitan Detroit (COCC) will hold a charity benefit May 17 at 7 p.m. at SS. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church, 750 N. Beech Daly Road, Dearborn Heights.

Entitled "Saturday Night Laughter," the benefit will feature comedian Mrs. Hughes (http://www.mrshughes.com), musician Rennie Kaufmann (http://www.renniekaufmann.com/), a silent auction and dancing.

Tickets are $30 per person in advance, $40 at the door.  Admission includes hors d'oeuvres, beer, wine and soft drinks.  The COCC is also accepting donations of money and items for the silent auction.  All proceeds will go to International Orthodox Christian Charities, the official international humanitarian organization of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (http://www.iocc.org).

To order tickets, donate money or auction items, or obtain further information, contact COCC President Richard Shebib at (734) 422-0278 or paschabooks@sbcglobal.net.

The COCC is a 51-year-old clergy and lay association that represents various canonical Orthodox churches in metropolitan Detroit.  Its mission is to promote Orthodox Christianity throughout the area through worship, fellowship, and charitable, educational and outreach programs. 

His Eminence Metropolitan PHILIP presided over the Paschal Liturgy on April 27, 2008 at the Archdiocese Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Brooklyn, New York. A recording of the service and His Eminence's homily are being prepared for release. Learn more about Metropolitan PHILIP here.

We extend our prayers and love to His Grace, Bishop JOSEPH of the Diocese of Los Angeles and the West, on the occasion of his Name's Day on May 11 (St. Joseph of Arimathea, Second Sunday after Pascha). May God grant him many years!

Learn more about Joseph of Arimathea (Come and See Icons)

Read about Bishop JOSEPH

Visit the Diocese of Los Angeles and the West

In the newest episode of Orthodox Christian Network's Tuning in to the Faith video series, Kh. Maggie Hock, Director of the Department of Marriage & Parish Family Ministries for the Antiochian Archdiocese, discusses the role of media and advertising in modern life, and what Orthodox Christian parents should know about how their kids are affected.

Watch part 1
Watch part 2

Read the May issue of The Word Magazine. Articles include:

- Words We Live By: Orthodox and American Ideals in Some Foundational Texts, by Gregory Cook
- "Starting A Conversation: New Ways To Keep Young People Engaged in the Orthodox Faith, by Seraphim Danckaert
- Department of Youth Ministry
- House of Studies Seminarian Track
- Communities in Action
and more!

Read The Word archives.

Read select articles from The Word.

The 15th Biennial Clergy Symposium will be held July 21 to 25 at Antiochian Village, Bolivar, Pa. The theme is "Christianity & Islam."

The 15th Biennial Clergy Symposium will be held July 21 to 25 at Antiochian Village, Bolivar, Pa. The theme is "Christianity & Islam," featuring Professors Irfan Shahid, George Saliba, and Najib Saliba.