CHRIST IS BORN! GLORIFY HIM! OThe C rthodox hurch · 2008. 7. 5. · NOV/DEC 2005 3 Orthodox Church...

Orthodox ChurchTheCHRIST IS BORN! GLORIFY HIM!

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VOLUME 41VOLUME 41VOLUME 41VOLUME 41VOLUME 41 11/12 11/12 11/12 11/12 11/12 NOV/DEC 2005 NOV/DEC 2005 NOV/DEC 2005 NOV/DEC 2005 NOV/DEC 2005 THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IN AMERICA THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IN AMERICA THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IN AMERICA THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IN AMERICA THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IN AMERICA www.oca.org www.oca.org www.oca.org www.oca.org www.oca.org

WonderworkingSitka Icon completestwo month pilgrimage

Official Office of Protopresbyter Robert S. Kondratick/ Chancellor Nos. 457/458/459 AUG/SEPT/OCT 2005 EPISCOPAL CHANGES

[SWAIKO], Metropolitan Herman is released fromduties as Locum Tenens of the Diocese of New Englandby the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Churchin America. All his other archpastoral duties remain thesame/ October 19, 2005.[LIOLIN], Bishop Nikon of Boston and the AlbanianArchdiocese was elected Bishop of Hartford and NewEngland by the Holy Synod of Bishops of the OrthodoxChurch in America. He remains Bishop of Boston andthe Albanian Archdiocese with the title of Bishop of Bos-ton, New England, and the Albanian Archdiocese/ Oc-tober 19, 2005.

ORDINATIONSANTONESCU, Cosmin Gheorghe was ordained to theHoly Diaconate by Archbishop Nathaniel of Detroit andthe Romanian Episcopate at St. George Cathedral,Southfield, MI. He is under the omophorion of Arch-bishop Nathaniel and attached to the Episcopate/ Feb-ruary 20, 2005.ARMATAS, Daniel was ordained to the Holy Diacon-ate by Bishop Benjamin of Berkeley on behalf of BishopTikhon of San Francisco, Los Angeles, and the West atSt. Spiridon Cathedral, Seattle, WA. He is under theomophorion of Bishop Tikhon and attached to the Dio-cese of the West/ June 10, 2005.ARMATAS, Deacon Daniel was ordained to the HolyPriesthood by Bishop Benjamin of Berkeley on behalfof Bishop Tikhon of San Francisco, Los Angeles, andthe West at St. Spiridon Cathedral, Seattle WA. He isunder the omophorion of Bishop Tikhon and attachedto the Diocese of the West/ June 11, 2005.BEAL, John was ordained to the Holy Diaconate byBishop Benjamin of Berkeley on behalf of Bishop Tikhonof San Francisco, Los Angeles, and the West at HolyTrinity Cathedral, San Francisco, CA. He is under theomophorion of Bishop Tikhon and attached to the Dio-cese of the West/ May 21, 2005.[BERGER], Monk Calinic was ordained to the HolyDiaconate by Metropolitan Herman on behalf of Arch-bishop Nathaniel of Detroit and the Romanian Episco-pate at the Dormition of the Mother of God Monastery,Rives Junction, MI. He is under the omophorion of Arch-bishop Nathaniel and attached to the Episcopate/ Au-gust 15, 2005.BOGDAN, Ioan Iosif was ordained to the Holy Dia-conate by Archbishop Nathaniel of Detroit and theRomanian Episcopate at St. George Cathedral, South-field, MI. He is under the omophorion of ArchbishopNathaniel and attached to the Episcopate/ September18, 2005.BROWNE, Raymond Martin was ordained to the HolyDiaconate by Metropolitan Herman at St. Tikhon of Za-donsk Monastery Church, South Canaan, PA. He isunder the omophorion of Metropolitan Herman/ August28, 2005.BUJEA, John was ordained to the Holy Diaconate byArchbishop Nathaniel of Detroit and the Romanian Epis-copate at St. George Cathedral, Regina, SK, Canada.He is under the omophorion of Archbishop Nathanieland attached to the Episcopate/ April 23, 2005.CADMAN, Alexander was ordained to the Holy Dia-conate by Archbishop Job of Chicago at Christ the Sav-ior Church, Chicago, IL. He is under the omophorion ofArchbishop Job and attached to the Diocese of the

Midwest/ July 30, 2005.JACKSON, Deacon Matthew was ordained to the HolyPriesthood by Archbishop Dmitri of Dallas and the Southon behalf of Metropolitan Herman at Holy ResurrectionChurch, Clinton, MS. He is under the omophorion ofMetropolitan Herman/ July 10, 2005.JACOBS, Deacon Andrew was ordained to the HolyPriesthood by Bishop Benjamin of Berkeley on behalfof Bishop Tikhon of San Francisco, Los Angeles, andthe West at Holy Trinity Cathedral, San Francisco, CA.He is under the omophorion of Bishop Tikhon and at-tached to the Diocese of the West/ July 29, 2005.KASHEVAROF, Andrew T. was ordained to the HolyDiaconate by Bishop Nikolai of Sitka, Anchorage andAlaska at Holy Resurrection Cathedral, Kodiak, AK. Heis under the omophorion of Bishop Nikolai and attachedto the Diocese of Alaska/ February 12, 2005.KASHEVAROF, Deacon Andrew T. was ordained tothe Holy Priesthood by Bishop Nikolai of Sitka, Anchor-age and Alaska at Holy Resurrection Cathedral, Kodiak,AK. He is under the omophorion of Bishop Nikolai andattached to the Diocese of Alaska/ February 13, 2005.MACARIE, Deacon Alin Stefan was ordained to theHoly Priesthood by Bishop Irineu of Dearborn Heightson behalf of Archbishop Nathaniel of Detroit and theRomanian Episcopate at SS. Michael and GabrielChurch, Middle Village, NY. He is under the omopho-rion of Archbishop Nathaniel and attached to the Epis-copate/ July 29, 2005.MC FATTER, Deacon Gleb was ordained to the HolyPriesthood by Archbishop Dmitri of Dallas and the Southat St. Seraphim of Sarov Cathedral, Dallas, TX. He isunder the omophorion of Bishop Dmitri and attached tothe Diocese of the South/ July 31, 2005.MOSHER, Deacon Joshua S. was ordained to the HolyPriesthood by Metropolitan Herman at Holy Transfigu-ration Church, New Haven, CT. He is under the omopho-rion of Metropolitan Herman/ September 25, 2005.PEREZ, Dimitri was ordained to the Holy Diaconate byBishop Benjamin of Berkeley on behalf of Bishop Tikhonof San Francisco, Los Angeles, and the West at HolyTrinity Cathedral, San Francisco, CA. He is under theomophorion of Bishop Tikhon and attached to the Dio-cese of the West/ July 29, 2005.PEREZ, Deacon Dimitri was ordained to the HolyPriesthood by Bishop Benjamin of Berkeley on behalfof Bishop Tikhon of San Francisco, Los Angeles, andthe West at Holy Trinity Cathedral, San Francisco, CA.He is under the omophorion of Bishop Tikhon and at-tached to the Diocese of the West/ July 30, 2005.STOLERU, Paul Catalin was ordained to the Holy Dia-conate by Bishop Irineu of Dearborn Heights onbehalf of Archbishop Nathaniel of Detroit and Roman-ian Episcopate at Ascension of the Lord Mission, Mon-treal, QC, Canada. He is under the omophorion of Arch-bishop Nathaniel and attached to the Episcopate/ May2, 2005.VALLENS, Alexander was ordained to Holy Diaconateby Bishop Benjamin of Berkeley on behalf of Metropoli-tan Herman at Transfiguration of Christ Cathedral, Den-ver, CO. He is under the omophorion of MetropolitanHerman/ May 14, 2005.VRATO, Gregory James was ordained to the Holy Dia-conate by Bishop Nikon of Boston and the AlbanianArchdiocese at SS. Peter and Paul Church, Philadel-

phia, PA. He is under the omophorion of Bishop Nikonand attached to the Albanian Archdiocese/ July 10, 2005.

ASSIGNMENTSADEN, The Rev. Basil is released from duties at St.Raphael of Brooklyn Mission, Quincy, IL and St. JosephChurch, Wheaton, IL and attached to St. NicholasChurch, Kenosha, WI/ October 4, 2005.ANTONESCU, Deacon Cosmin Gheorghe is attachedto Chapel of the Nativity of the Ever Virgin Mary, GrassLake, MI/ February 20, 2005.ARMATAS, Deacon Daniel is attached to St. SpiridonCathedral, Seattle, WA/ June 10, 2005.ARMATAS, The Rev. Daniel is attached to Holy Trin-ity/Holy Resurrection Church, Wilkeson/Tacoma, WA/June 11, 2005.BASHKO, The V. Rev. Dimitri, who was awaiting as-signment, is attached to St. George Cathedral, Chicago,IL/ August 9, 2005.BEAL, Deacon John is attached to St. Nicholas Church,San Anselmo, CA/ May 21, 2005.[BERGER], Hierodeacon Calinic is attached to Chapelof the Nativity of the Ever Virgin Mary, Grass Lake, MI/August 15, 2005.BOCK, The Rev. Mikel is released from duties at St.Innocent Cathedral, Anchorage, AK and appointed rec-tor of St. Herman Church, Fairbanks, AK/ September 1,2005.BOGDAN, Deacon Ioan Iosif is attached to Chapel ofthe Nativity of the Ever Virgin Mary, Grass Lake, MI/September 18, 2005.BONA, Protodeacon Alexis is released from duties atHoly Resurrection Church, Berlin, NH and granted Re-tirement/ October 1, 2005.BROWNE, Deacon Raymond Martin is attached to St.Tikhon of Zadonsk Monastery Church, South Canaan,PA/ August 28, 2005.BUJEA, Deacon John is assigned to St. George Ca-thedral, Regina, SK, Canada/ April 23, 2005.BURDIKOFF, The V. Rev. Igor is released from dutiesas administrator of Holy Trinity Church, Niagara Falls,NY. All his other duties remain the same/ September 1,2005.CADMAN, Deacon Alexander is assigned to Christ theSavior Church, Chicago, IL/ July 30, 2005.COZBY, The V. Rev. Dmitri is released from duties asdean of the South Central Deanery and St. Anthony theGreat Church, San Antonio, TX. He is attached to St.Seraphim Cathedral, Dallas, TX/ August 1, 2005.DEMKO, Deacon Michael is released from duties atSS. Cyril and Methodius Church, Milwaukee, WI andfrom the Diocese of the Midwest, transferred to theomophorion of Bishop Tikhon of Philadelphia, and at-tached to the Diocese of Eastern PA, where he awaitsassignment/ July 7, 2005.GASSIOS, The Rev. Paul is released from duties at St.Thomas the Apostle Church, Kokomo, IN and is attachedto St. Gregory of Nyssa Church, Columbus, OH/ July 1,2005.HOROSKY, The V. Rev. John is released from dutiesat St. John the Divine Church, Monessen, PA and grant-ed retirement/ July 31, 2005.HOROSKY, The V. Rev. John, who was awaiting as-signment in retirement, is attached to the Bishop’sChapel of St. Basil, Cranberry Township, PA/ July 31,2005.

2 VOLUME 41 11/12

NOV/DEC 2005 3

Orthodox ChurchThe Orthodox Church [ISSN 0048-2269] is published bythe Orthodox Church in America, PO Box 675, Syosset,NY 11791-0675.

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The Orthodox Church clearly identifies official statementsand positions of the Orthodox Church in America. All othermaterials represent the viewpoint of their authors andshould not be interpreted as expressing the policy ofthe Orthodox Church in America or The Orthodox Church.

The InThisIssueVOLUME 41VOLUME 41VOLUME 41VOLUME 41VOLUME 41 11/1211/1211/1211/1211/12 NOV/DEC 2005NOV/DEC 2005NOV/DEC 2005NOV/DEC 2005NOV/DEC 2005

Our CoverFaithful carrythe wonder-working SitkaIcon during oneof over sixdozen visits theicon made toparishes in the“lower 48” fromSeptember 7to mid-November. Tens of thousandsof faithful venerated the icon fromcoast to coast. PAGE 17

5 “I Am Who I Am” The incarnationreveals God’s love for creation.

6 Mission central to Gospel Metropoli-tan Herman reflects on the importance ofmission in the life of the Church.

7 The results are in Survey revealselements essential for parish growth.

8 Approaching the Nativity What exactly are we celebrating?8 Acts of God? Christ doesn’t send disasters – He overcomes them!9 The malling of religion For too many, the mall has become

America’s new “House of Worship.”

10 Nativity Message Metropolitan Herman calls upon the faithful topartake of the divine nature on the Great Feast of the Nativity.

11 OCA News, Notes, Notices• Holy Synod elects Bishop Nikon to NE see.• Condolences sent after terrorist attack.• Prayers for ailing Metropolitan Philip.• Metropolitan Council reviews AAC, finances.• Fr. Dresko named development director.• Bishop Tikhon installed.• Date set for Bishop Nikon’s installation.• Metropolitan Herman speaks at DC ceremony, attends gathering honoring Mikhail Gorbachev.

• Annual stocking drive begins.13 Sitka Icon’s pilgrimage concludes

Tens of thousands venerate icon.

28 North America• NY site of fifth annual UN prayer service.• SCOBA hierarchs establish prison ministry.• New OCMC communications director.• Waiting to build NY’s St. Nicholas Church.• Armenian bishop elected NCCC president-elect.

30 World briefs• New Patriarch of Jerusalem installed despite Israeli warnings.• Property returned to OCA’s representation church in Moscow.• Autocephalous churches show support for Ukrainian Church.

DEPARTMENTS

19 Christian Education20 Stewardship21 Liturgical Music22 Evangelization24 Youth, Young Adult,

and Campus Ministry

FEATURES

2 Official4 Editorial10 Up Front18 In Memoriam31 Communities

CHRIST IS BORN!GLORIFY HIM!

Editorial FATHER LEONID KISHKOVSKY4 VOLUME 41 11/12

Orthodox Christianity in Albania:An example we would do well to emulate

Albanian ArchbishopAnastasios deliversa lecture at St. Vladimir’sTheological Seminary in2003.

ur annual celebration of the birth of JesusChrist is an experience of joy. “God is withO us!” God is with us in Jesus Christ. God in

Christ for the sake of humanity became man, becameone of us. And the miracle of the presence of Godamong us continues in the life of the Church, theBody of Christ. Our mission as members of theBody of Christ is to preach the Good News of Christ,to follow the way of Christ’s commandments, to suf-fer in the name of Christ, and to be witnesses to theResurrection of Christ. Before Thanksgiving, I traveled to Albania toparticipate in an international interfaith conference.I was there as vice moderator of the World Confer-ence of Religions for Peace, and in that capacity Ichaired several sessions of the meeting. Conferenceparticipants represented the Christian, Muslim, andJewish communities of South East Europe – specifi-cally, the religious communities of Albania, Serbia,Montenegro, Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Macedonia.

The meeting in Tirana was both difficult and encouraging. Thedifficulties reflected the violent recent history in the region, the dif-ferent perspectives of the ethnic and religious communities, and theiranxieties about the future. Yet the conversations – which revealedboth the disagreements and also the willingness to seek consensus –reflected the hope for peaceful life together.

I was particularly moved by the witness of the Orthodox Churchof Albania under the leadership of Archbishop Anastasios. This wit-ness was made evident during the conference in the words spoken bythe Archbishop. The Church’s testimony of faith, hope, and love isalso given in the story of its resurrection.

Albania under communist rule was unique in its perfect realiza-tion of communist atheist ideology. Religion was violently perse-cuted and marginalized in other communist lands. Only in Albaniawas religion outlawed, and all religious practice was forbidden. Thismeant that all churches and mosques were shut down, and in manycases destroyed. The religious life of the Muslim communities andOrthodox and Roman Catholic communities was officially illegaland punishable by imprisonment and death.

Nevertheless, religious faith was treasured secretly by faithfulfamilies. One story offers a vivid picture both of persecution and offaith. Since all religious practice for forbidden, painting Easter eggswas also forbidden. Sometimes, faithful Christians would secretlycolor some eggs, and then would leave some red egg shells on theground far from their home, thus offering a witness to the Good Newsof the Resurrection of Christ. In this way, the incarnate and humili-ated Christ was present in Albania during the persecutions.

When the communist rule ended in the early 1990’s, the institu-tions of religious life simply did not exist in Albania. A significantstep towards the resurrection of the Orthodox Church in Albania oc-curred when Archbishop Anastasios was first named Exarch for Al-bania by the Ecumenical Patriarch, and then Primate of the re-

newed autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania.The first period of the Archbishop’s ministy in Al-bania was very difficult. Everything was lacking –material resources, churches, priests. In addition,the ethnic tensions between Albanians and Greekscaused the Archbishop, as an ethnic Greek, to beregarded with deep suspicion and animosity by eth-nic Albanians. The Archbishop’s deep commitment to theChurch of Albania and to its suffering people, hisdedication to the Church of Albania’s mission andministry, converted hearts and minds, and openedthe way to rebirth. Albania is a small and poor coun-try. In this context, the scale of the OrthodoxChurch’s rebirth is stunning. Churches have beenrestored from ruins, and new churches have beenbuilt. Monastic life has been renewed. A seminaryhas been built up, and many priests have been or-dained. The Church is engaged in social and educa-

tional work. Youth camps and youth conferences engage childrenand young people in the life of the Church. Where the old Orthodoxcathedral once stood on Tirana’s main square, there is now a hotel.The new cathedral, dedicated to the Resurrection, is being built onthe opposite side of the square.

Even more impressive than the scale of the rebirth and recon-struction is the spiritual quality of the Archbishop’s leadership andthe spiritual quality of the life, mission, and witness of the OrthodoxChurch of Albania. The presence of Christ in the memory of thesuffering during the communist era and in the experience of theChurch’s resurrection is quietly evident.

The Orthodox Church of Albania has made a deep spiritual con-tribution to the peace and cooperation of Christians and Muslims inAlbania and in the Balkan region. When the Albanians were fleeingby the hundreds of thousands from Kosovo several years ago, theOrthodox Church provided hospitality – shelter, food, and other formsof assistance – to the refugees, without making any distinctions alongreligious lines. This meant that the vast majority of refugees offeredlove and help by the Orthodox Church of Albania were Muslims.The Church of Albania gave a significant monetary contribution to-wards the building of a mosque in Kosovo, as a sign of love andreconciliation.

It is fitting that the Archbishop whose name means “resurrection”presides in love over a Church that has risen from the dead, and isbuilding a cathedral church named after the Resurrection of Christ.

In a time when Orthodoxy, wherever we turn, is beset by manychallenges and difficulties, the light of Christ which shines so brightlyin Albania reminds us that the light of Christ illumines all. Thismeans that in every situation of challenge and difficulty we, too,have the vocation to be witnesses to the love of Christ, witnesses tothe presence in our midst of the One Who is born for our sake asa little child, witnesses to the joy which Christ shares with us inits fullness. ■

That’stheSpirit FATHER VLADIMIR BERZONSKYNOV/DEC 2005 5

He Who is, becomes. The uncreated iscreated. He Whom no locality can hold,through the mediation of an intelligentsoul, is within the limits of the flesh.He Who enriches others, Himselfbecomes poor, and because Heassumed the poverty of our flesh, weare made rich with His divinity. Full-ness empties itself, because Heempties Himself of His glory for a time inorder that I participate in His fullness.

– St. Gregory Nazianzen

“I Am Who I Am”ithin the halo of every icon ofOur Lord Jesus Christ, one findsW three Greek Letters: an O with a

backward comma above, a fat W, and an H.These letters mean “He Who Is,” the Greektranslation of the four Hebrew consonants thatmean “I Am Who I Am,” or “I Am ‘He WhoIs,’” or simply “I Am” [YHWH]. When theAlmighty appeared to Moses on Mt. Sinai andwas asked His name, this was His answer – aresponse that has humanity searching to de-fine ever since, aware that the name is inde-finable. To define is to limit; God is beyondall limits.

We shall never define God, nor shall wegain entry into God’s essence, His innermostbeing. Yet out of love for His world, the sec-ond person of the Trinity became man. Wecelebrate this awesome mystery without be-ing able to solve it. Centuries ago, Saint Gre-gory Palamas explained the way God comesto us by grace, or “energies,” without offer-ing us access to divine essence. That rela-tionship is exclusive to Father, Son, and HolySpirit. Even beyond this lifetime God as Heis in Himself will not be revealed; however,through the exchange between Christ andourselves it is made real. This is the promisethat Saint Gregory of Nazianzen expressedso beautifully in the passage above.

This mystery is proclaimed continually inthe Church’s worship. Listen to the poignantembellishment of Psalm 118/119 sung plain-tively at the Matins of Great and Holy Fri-day, as the Church again ponders Christ’s

incarnation, ministry, and crucifixion. As wehold a wake for the crucified Lord of heavenand earth, the Word of God Who was “in thebeginning” – that is, before the universe, priorto the angels, earlier than anything that wascreated – not only was “with God,” but in-deed “was God.” And yet “for us men andfor our salvation [He] became man... and wehave beheld His glory” [John 1].

God enters into the very creation He made.He accepts the limits of humanity, never hav-ing been limited by space or time. He per-mits Himself to take on the confinements ofour nature, the “poverty of our flesh,” so thatwe may become like Him, and thereby be-come, miracle of miracles, true children ofHis Father – not in the same manner in whichHe is the Son of God, but by adoption. Heemptied Himself for a time, in order that wemay be filled with Him.

We may ask ourselves, or even ask Him,why He would do that for us? Surely not foranything we did to earn that gift of adoptionto sonship. Nor was it through some com-pulsion on God’s part, nor because He needsanything from us other than to return His lovewith as much love as we humans are capableof, given our natural limitations.

No bequest on earth can equal God’s giftof love to us. Imagine being visited by somebillionaire with the offer to make us his soleinheritor. Would we refuse? How muchmore ought we express our appreciation toJesus Christ for having brought us the gift ofentry beyond death to eternal life. ■

Saint Justin Martyr FormerlyHe appeared to Moses and to theother prophets in the form of fire oras a bodiless Being; but now, by aVirgin and by the will of the Father,He has become man... for the sakeof believing men and for the defeatof the demons.

Saint Athanasius He becameman and dwelt bodily in the flesh....In the body He experienced hunger,thirst, suffering, weariness, and thelike.... He carries our infirmitiesand He Himself bears our sins, sothat it might be revealed that Hehas become man for the sake ofus, and that the body in which Hebore our sins is His own body.

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem Manabandoned God and fashionedimages carved after the human form.Since an image of man was falselyworshipped as God, God becametruly man so that the falsehood mightbe destroyed.... The Lord took onour likeness so that He might giveus an even greater grace, so thatsinful mankind might become apartaker of God.

Saint Irenaeus of Lyons Youwill follow the only true and reliableTeacher, the Word of God, JesusChrist Our Lord, Who, because ofHis great love, became what weare so that He might bring us to bewhat He Himself is.

Saint Clement of Rome Whocan explain the extent of God’slove? In love the Master took holdof us. Jesus Christ, for the sake ofthe love which He had for us andby the will ofGod, gave Hisblood for us,His fleshfor ourflesh,and Hislife forour lives.

W I S D O Mfrom the Fathers

InSites

Metropolitan Herman

Mission central to GospelMetropolitan Herman addresses OCMC banquet

hrist’s challenge to proclaim the Good News in word and deed stands at the very heart of the Church’s essence and exist-C ence. As the late Protopresbyter John Meyendorff wrote,

“When the Church ceases to be missionary, the Church ceases tobe.”

Having been buried and raised with Christ in Holy Baptism, hav-ing been sealed with the Gift of the HolySpirit in Holy Chrismation, and havingentered into a “common union” with theMost Holy Trinity and one another in theHoly Eucharist, we cannot view the greatgift of salvation as something for “ourpeople” alone, or as something that we arecalled to “preserve.” On the day of resur-rection, the women ran with haste to sharethat which was revealed by the emptytomb with the disciples. They did not con-ceal their joy, nor did they keep the goodnews of the resurrection to themselves.They immediately shared it! Similarly, onthe day of Pentecost, Peter boldly pro-claimed the Gospel to those who had gath-ered in Jerusalem. Thousands publiclyembraced the risen Christ as a result. Themissionary work undertaken from that dayforward by the apostles and disciples,whose “proclamation has gone out into allthe world” and whose words resounded“to the ends of the universe,” was carriedon by Saint Nino, the Evangelizer of Geor-gia; Saints Cyril and Methodius, the Evan-gelizers of the Slavs; Saint Herman andhis seven missionary companions, whoplanted the Orthodox Faith in NorthAmerica in 1794; and countless otherswho, in all places and at all times, haveenabled the Church to be what it is calledto be – a community of faith and hope,based on the love of God, embracing all nations, all peoples, the en-tire universe.

Mission involves more than words, more than proclamations, morethan preaching. Important as these elements are in the proclamationof the Gospel – and central as they were to the ministry of ChristHimself, Who preached and taught continually during his three yearsof public ministry – transforming word into action, thereby revealingthe love of God for all mankind in tangible, concrete ways, is equallycentral to “teaching all nations.” As Our Lord reveals in Matthew25, in which we find the well-known parable of the sheep andgoats, we ultimately will not be judged on the number of words wehave uttered, or on the number of sermons we have preached, or onthe number of classes we have organized. Rather, we will be

judged on our desire to recognize the very image of Jesus Christ inthose around us. We will be judged on our willingness to discern Hisdivine presence in the “least of the brethren.” Herein we discovertrue mission and true ministry, responding to the Lord Himself byresponding to the real needs of His People.

There are those, to be sure, who reduce Christianity to addressingmankind’s temporal needs. The “social Gospel” and numerous “peaceand justice ministries,” while focusing on alleviating human suffer-ing, often fail to recognize mankind’s real, and universal, need todiscover a new, transformed, and transfigured life in Christ. This isnot to say that such ministries are “wrong.” However, they are “in-complete.” Feeding the hungry involves more than the distributionof food. When Our Lord, for example, fed the 5000, He not only

offered fish and bread; He enabled themto feed on Himself, His divine presence intheir otherwise difficult lives. In the sameway, the very example of sharing that withwhich we have been blessed abundantlyfeeds the soul, as well as the body. Visit-ing the sick and imprisoned involves morethan sharing a pleasant hour or two “cheer-ing up” those thirsting for human contact;it requires bringing the image and verypresence of Christ into the lives of thosewho suffer from spiritual thirst, emptiness,and any number of worldly “imprison-ments,” thereby revealing the Kingdomnot yet fully revealed, but already fullypresent in the Church. True mission in-volves not only distributing blankets andschool supplies, offering essential healthcare and social and educational programs,or providing basic shelter and other essen-tials of this life. True mission involvessharing and revealing the love of the God,Whom Saint John calls “Love” Itself; dis-tributing and offering and providing suchthings for the sake of the Gospel, for thesake of Christ, and for the sake of provid-ing by our actions and personal examplea glimpse of the divine. Hence, we feedthe hungry, not only to satisfy their physi-cal needs, but also to address their crav-ing for spiritual nourishment. We clothethe naked not only with coats and shoes,

but in the One in Whose very image all of us have been created. Wegive drink to the thirsty, not only to quench their physical thirst, butas a means of sharing the One Who reveals Himself as the “LivingWater,” Who quenches the need to encounter the divine and partakeof the divine nature itself, as Saint Paul so eloquently writes.

The work of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center – and theministry of the countless faithful who have made the commitment toshort or long-term missionary teams – has always been characterizedby the commitment to put our faith into action. Proclaiming theGospel by living the Gospel – sharing the Good News by personalexample and in thanksgiving for the love and blessings we havereceived – is the essence of mission, of evangelization, of the

Mission to 27

6 VOLUME 41 11/12

OCMC honorsMetropolitan HermanMetropolitan Herman was presented withan icon of the call of the disciples by theRev. Martin Ritsi, director of the OrthodoxChristian Mission Center, and Mr. CliffArgue, OCMC board president. Thepresentation was made during a Chicago-area OCMC fundraising banquet at whichMetropolitan Herman was keynotespeaker on November 10, 2005. Metro-politan Herman also met with OCMC boardmembers and offered words of encourage-ment as the agency embarks on buildingits new center in St. Augustine, FL.

InSitesNOV/DEC 2005 7

The results are inSurvey reveals keys to parish growth

n preparation for the 14th All-American Council in Toronto thispast summer, parish priests from every diocese in the OrthodoxI Church in America participated in an online survey on various

aspects of parish life. Over 260 priests – 51% of all assigned parishpriests – responded to the survey, the results of which were previewedduring an AAC plenary session on the theme of evangelization.

The survey delved intoparish data, worship and sacraments, edu-cation, outreach and evangelization, structure and administration, so-cial and other activities, inter-Orthodox and ecumenical relations,parish practices, and related issues. The survey’sattempted to profile the “typical”characteristics of an OCA par-ish, to enable parish clergyand leaders to compare theirparishes with similar parishes,and to compare growing parisheswith respect to parish and parish-ioner age, frequency of services,frequency of social and educa-tional programs, activity level,challenges, etc.

Accentuating thepositive. A number of en-couraging signs were revealedby the survey.• Nearly 56% of the respon-dents indicated that their par-ishes were experiencing “goodgrowth” or “fair growth.”Only 4% said their parisheswere in “serious decline.”• Over 82% said their par-ishes had either “stayed thesame” or “gotten younger,”while only 18% said their par-ishes had “gotten older.”• 83% reported that Englishis the exclusive language ofliturgical worship, while 14%use other languages in addi-tion to English. Only 3% re-ported the exclusive use of alanguage other than English.• 20% reported that convertsmade up over 40% of theirparishes’ membership. An-other 20% reported that the number of converts in their parishes wasat least 60% of the membership.

Characteristics of growth. According to the survey,parishes experiencing “good growth” shared several characteristics.

The parish is a young one. 72% of the respondents reported1 that their parishes had “gotten younger” or “stayed the same”

None of the respondents who experienced “good growth” reportedthat their parishes had “gotten older.”

New immigration is affecting growth in some parishes. 52%2 reported that they were experiencing “a recent influx of immi-grants.”

Conversions are also playing a role in growth. 26% reported3 that converts comprised 41–60% of their membership, while24% reported convert membership of 61–80%. An amazing 18%noted that over over 80% of their memberships are made up of con-verts.

A fuller liturgical life is another hallmark of a growing par-4 ish. 76% of those reporting “good growth” said that in addi-tion to the Sunday Liturgy, three or more additional services are cel-ebrated weekly.

Participation in the parish’s liturgical,5 sacramental, and social life also af-fects growth. “Good growth” parishes have ahigher percentage of parishioners attending ser-vices, participating in Holy Communion andConfession, and attending at least one week-

day social activity. “Good growth” parishes fo-6 cus on things that producegrowth. 53% reported focusingon parish ministries, 18% on par-ish membership growth, and16% on strategic planning. Growing parishes face7 different challenges than

parishes faced a generationago. 28% are concerned aboutthe parish’s future direction,27% about money, and 19%about ongoing growth. Curiously, education8 did not play a signifi-cant role in parish growth.Nearly half the parishes report-ing “good growth” – 46% –said that less than 20% of theirmembers attend adult educa-tion programs. Only 10% ofparishes in this category, mostof them rather small, reportedthat more than 60% of theiradults attend such programs. Personal contact is the9 key to growth. Finally,of all the “techniques,” meth-ods, and attempts to make par-ishes known in the community[web sites, ads, newspaper ar-

ticles, radio announcements, etc.] 80% of growing parishes – and73% of all parishes, regardless of growth rates – reported that newmembers and converts came to the Church because they heard aboutit or were invited to the parish by friends. [This calls into questionthe value of some of the aforementioned “methods” that can producevisibility while generating little growth in reality.]

Common groundParishes reporting “good growth” were remarkably simi-lar in one area: the designation of what constituted theirgreatest strengths as well as their greatest weaknesses.

Strength Weakness

Worship 92% 8% Fellowship/friendliness of

parish 90% 10% Pastoral/lay visits in parish 67% 33% Strategic Planning 56% 44% Pastoral/lay visits in the

neighborhood/community 37% 63%

For complete survey results visit http://freeonlinesurveys.com/viewresults.asp?surveyid=82807&rn=0.6449941

The Nativity icon reveals Our Savior’sPassion, as well as His birth.

InSites

Father John Behr

Approaching the NativityJust what are we celebrating today?

esides fasting and examining ourselves before going to con-fession, part of our preparation for the Great Feast of the Na-B tivity of Our Savior should be to reflect again on what it is

that we will be celebrating. We speak so readily of the Son of Godbeing born from the Virgin that we often forgethow it is that we affirm this, and overlookthe full significance of the liturgical today– “Today Christ is born of the Virgin inBethlehem” [Nativity Matins].

Whenever we approach any aspect ofthe mystery of Christ, we must alwaysremember that our way into the mysteryis through the Passion – the crucifixion,resurrection, elevation in glory, and be-stowal of the Spirit. With the exceptionof Peter’s confession on the road toCaesarea Philippi before the Passion (theexception which proves the rule, for hethen reveals his ignorance about Christby trying to prevent Him going to Jerusa-lem to suffer, so receiving the harshwords, “get behind me Satan!”), the dis-ciples were unable to answer those whoasked, “Is this not the son of Joseph?” Infact, whatever they had heard about Hisbirth, whatever they had heard them-selves from His lips, or whatever miracles they had seen Him work,even seeing Him transfigured in glory, in the first three Gospels theyfall away from Him at the time of His Passion, even denying him likePeter. It is not the Cross itself, nor the empty tomb (which is am-biguous, causing anxiety until the angel explains what had hap-pened),nor even the resurrectional appearances (for they did not recognizeHim), that finally persuades them as to Who Christ is. Only when Hebegins to open the Scriptures to show how they all speak of how itwas necessary that He should suffer these things before going to Hisglory – only then do their hearts start to burn, so that they are ready torecognize Him in the breaking of bread, at which point He disap-pears from their sight.

Perhaps now we are ready to be led into a deeper understandingof the feast of the Nativity. The presence of the saving Passion in theNativity is already intimated by the wise men bringing gold, frankin-cense and myrrh – appropriate for a dead Lord, Whose birth is nowbeing celebrated. This theological reflection is carried further by theicon for the feast, which is striking precisely because it does not at-tempt to represent what we read in the Gospels of Matthew or Luke.Instead we have a portrayal of Christ’s birth told in terms of HisPassion. He already has a Cross in His halo. He is wrapped in swad-dling clothes, as a corpse. He is placed in a manger, to be eaten,which is depicted as an altar or as a coffin. And He is placed in acave, whose shape is completed by the Virgin, just as the crucifiedChrist was placed in a new-hewn tomb, in which no man had ever

been lain (that is, a virgin tomb), belonging to Joseph. The samepoint could be made by looking at the hymnography for the feast,especially for the days leading to the feast, which is explicitly mod-eled on the hymnography for Holy Week. “To the tomb correspondsthe womb,” as the Fathers said.

Perhaps now we are also ready to appreciate anew why it is thatwe celebrate the feast of the Nativity on December 25. The Nativityof Christ began to be celebrated in the East only in the late fourthcentury, and thereafter it is explained in terms of solar symbolism, asa replacement of the pagan feast of the birth of the invincible sun.But, before any such considerations arose, the feast was celebrated

in the West, where the date of the 25th of Decemberwas based on the date of the Passion, for this

was reckoned to have occurred, ninemonths earlier, on twenty-fifth of March(the Julian calendar equivalent of the four-

teenth of Nissan). So in the liturgical cal-endar, the Passion of Christ was followed,nine months later, by the birth of Christ.Only subsequently was this date, count-ing now backwards from the Nativity,reckoned to be the date of the Annuncia-tion. Finally, perhaps, now that we haveseen something of how it is that we speakof the birth of the Son of God from theVirgin, we will also be able to see thebreadth of this mystery. We, who nowstand in the light of Christ’s Passion, con-fessing that He is indeed the Son of God,born of the Virgin, are in the position ofthe beloved disciple in the Gospel of John,standing by the foot of the Cross, hearing

the words of Christ: “Woman behold your son; son behold yourmother.” The first Christians spoke beautifully and boldly of theChurch as their mother, their virgin mother, in whom they were bornagain, putting on the identity of Christ. “I am in travail,” Paul says tothose who received his words, “until Christ be formed in you.”

Let us, then, bear all these dimensions of the Nativity of Christ inmind as we prepare ourselves for this feast, knowing that, as the bodyof Christ, it involves us too in the most immediate way possible –today! ■

Fr. Behr is a faculty member at St. Vladimir’s Seminary,Crestwood, NY.

Father Steven Kostoff

Acts of God?Looking back at Hurricane Katrina

urricane Katrina proved to be one of the worst natural disas-ters in contemporary history. The devastation reached bibli-H cal proportions. As sunny skies returned over New Orleans

and Mississippi, the enormity of the loss and the colossal propor-tions of the clean-up were revealed. Countless lives were lost; count-

8 VOLUME 41 11/12

less others were ruined.To what are the refugeesto return? With homes,jobs, and livelihoodsblown or swept away,“normal life” no longerexists.

Human nature beingwhat it is, we initiallysympathized and empa-thized to a degree; butnow, many weeks later,we have returned to ourown lives, to those thingsto be accomplished todayand tomorrow. We argueover the same petty thingsas we did yesterday. Wecomplain about rising gas prices, politics, the weather, whatever. Yetwe are convinced that we learned the importance of appreciating thepeople in our lives and the things around us as we witnessed othersstripped of them in the rising flood waters. This is all perhaps inevi-table as the world does not – and cannot – stop because of a localdisaster, enormous though it may be. With the built-in instinct forsurvival that characterizes human beings, we inwardly sigh in reliefthat it was “someone else,” and not me.

On the other hand, we witnessed countless acts of heroism, sacri-fice, and selflessness in the months after Katrina. As a society, we doan impressive history of “coming together” in the face of disaster,with anonymous volunteers putting in days of physically and emo-tionally draining work to speed the process that will return coastalcities and towns to a liveable condition. Millions of dollars, food,water, and clothing continue to be donated and distributed. Compas-sion, sacrifice, and selflessness have notbeen in short supply.

Natural disasters are often called “actsof God.” While Orthodox Christians be-lieve that God is indeed engaged with Hiscreation, an “act of God” remains a very am-biguous, if not misleading, term. We do notbelieve that Katrina was directly willed byGod for some punitive or didactic purpose.Were the people of Gulf Coast, Indonesia,or Mexico any more sinful than the rest ofus? Were they being made an example toput the fear of God into us? Our theologi-cal reflection should not lead us into suchmurky speculation, unworthy of the God welove and adore. In an article titled “Tsu-nami and Theodicy,” Orthodox theologian David Hart wrote, “I donot believe we Christians are obliged – or even allowed – to lookupon the devastation visited upon the coasts of the Indian Ocean andto console ourselves with the vacuous cant about the mysterious coursetaken by God’s goodness in this world, or to assure others that someultimate meaning or purpose resides in so much misery. Ours is,after all, a religion of salvation; our faith is in a God Who hascome to rescue His creation from the absurdity of sin and the empti-ness of death, and so we are permitted to hate these things with

InSitesNOV/DEC 2005 9

a perfect hatred....”Christ has already won the victory over evil and death, but we

acknowledge that the fulfillment of His victory – the wiping away ofall sickness, sorrow, and sighing – has not yet been fully achieved.Creation remains in groaning until the full revelation of the King-dom. Again, as David Hart writes, “Until then, the world remains aplace of struggle between light and darkness, truth and falsehood,life and death; and, in such a world, our portion is charity.”

A pious and sigh-filled resignation in the face of natural disaster– as well as accidents, illness, war, terrorist attacks – does not makeour response any more “Christian” than the next. We need muchmore to feel the sting of such events, and even the grief and angerthat accompany that awareness. Human loss, suffering, and deathare the enemies that God has overcome on our behalf through Christ.In the end, they will lose their grip over our lives. And then God willbe all in all. To once more refer to a passing comment by David Hartthat strikes me as very insightful, “Faith... has set us free from opti-mism, and taught us hope instead.” And hope comes from God, andwill lead us to God. ■

Fr. Kostoff is rector of Christ the Savior/Holy Spirit Church,Cincinnati, OH.

Mary Ann Bulko

The malling of religionThoughts on America’s “House of Worship”

ecently, my sister and I met for lunch at the mall. I hadn’tbeen there in some time. The complex’s growth, combinedR with the huge number of people scurrying about, left me per-

plexed. I thought about the decreasing num-ber of persons who attend the Divine Lit-urgy in many of our parishes, and theeven smaller handful of souls who partici-pate in Vespers or festal services. Yet, at-tendance is up at the mall, especially as theholidays approach.

In a sense, the mall might be equated toa church. Some try to get there early, be-fore the doors open, to take advantage of agood sale – not unlike those who arrive wellbefore the Liturgy begins to secure their“favorite spot.”

On this particular visit to the mall, shop-pers were preparing for a “great feast” –Halloween – claimed by some to be

America’s second most popular family celebration. Now, while Ihave nothing against children getting treats and innocently dressingup for some fun, but is it really necessary to have an entire storedevoted exclusively to costumes, masks, and props? Of course, inthe Church we have those who vest in special garb, but beyond that,there is no comparison. It’s one thing to see children – and evenadults – dressed in costumes, but quite another matter to witness ourspiritual shepherds vested in the white baptismal garment and the

Mall to 18

Godly acts/ The OCA’s Fr. DavidGarrettson, ROCOR’s Fr. AlexanderLogunov, and ACROD’s Fr. DavidKossey helping Katrina victims.

“O come, all ye somewhat faithful”A new “House of Worship?”

10 VOLUME 41 11/12

Nativity Message of Metropolitan HermanNativity Message of Metropolitan HermanNativity Message of Metropolitan HermanNativity Message of Metropolitan HermanNativity Message of Metropolitan HermanCHRIST IS BORN! GLORIFY HIM!

Dearly Beloved in the Lord:“All the angels in heaven are of good cheer and greatly rejoice today! The whole

creation leaps with joy, for the Savior and Lord is born in Bethlehem! Every error ofidolatry has ceased, and Christ reigns unto all ages!” [Nativity Litiya].

As we celebrate the birth of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ, we join ourvoices with those of the angels in praising the One Who took on our human nature inorder to renew us and all creation, that we might become “partakers of His divinenature, as Saint Paul reminds us. This is indeed a reason to be “of good cheer” and to“greatly rejoice!”

Yet the world in which we live so often fails to delight in this wonder, this unspeak-able joy. Too often, the very mention of Christ and His birth is often surrounded withcontroversy. There are those who would reduce the pivotal event in mankind’s historyto one of many “holidays” to be privately and quietly observed, but never proclaimed.While “Christ reigns unto all ages,” the idolatry which His incarnation erased continuesto exist, challenging those who see Him as “the Wonderful Counselor, the King ofKings and Lord of Lords, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace” to be all the morefervent in proclaiming that “God is with us” not only with their words, but most impor-tantly, by their actions and deeds.

The ministry of Christ was hardly a private one. He preached to vast throngs ofpeople. He healed the sick in the presence of many. He revealed the fullness of truthto all who would listen and accept His invitation to “come and see.” The messageof repentance and forgiveness revealed in His parables and miracles was sealed by thevery blood He shed in His very public passion and death. His resurrection, an-nounced to thousands in Jerusalem on the great day of Pentecost and to the whole worldin the days that followed, opened the doors to a greater reality – eternal life in theKingdom.

We recall the words of the Prophet Isaiah, “He came unto His own, yet His ownknew Him not.” The Gospel Christ proclaimed was – and still is – surrounded in con-troversy, precisely because it challenges the “error of idolatry” that insists that thisworld, and not the world to come, offers all that is necessary, all that is real, all that manneeds to attain “fulfillment” and “self actualization.” The earthly cares Christ chal-lenges us to lay aside – beginning with the idolatrous desire to see ourselves rather thanGod as the center of all things – remain obstacles to discerning His will, to sharing Hislife, and to partaking of His divine nature.

In today’s world, so burdened with wars, natural disasters, “political correctness,”and an overall lack of loving-kindness, it is easy to succumb to temptation and doubt, tofocus on earthly cares rather than heavenly delights. The incarnation invites us to lookbeyond these burdens, to recognize that while we still live in a fallen world, the victo-rious Kingdom yet to come is already fully present to us in the Church, if only werespond to Christ’s call: “Come… and I will give you rest.” It is in this light that all theangels of heaven are of good cheer as they announce to mankind that freedom fromselfishness and isolation from its Creator has been lovingly granted to all who, fleeingthe idolatry of this life, freely seek and accept the gift of eternal life discovered in thefullness of Bethlehem’s cave and, at the same time, in the emptiness of Jerusalem’stomb.

It is my prayer that this year’s celebration of the Nativity will be filled with thejoy that comes when we truly repent, when we truly strive to lay aside the world’sidols and passing concerns, when we discern that Christ indeed “reigns unto allages.” May we, now and in the year to come, flee from the temptation to bear ourburdens without Him. Let us recommit ourselves to embracing His very presence inour midst with renewed zeal and conviction, striving to become the “light of the world”He calls us to be.

With love in the Newborn Lord,

+ HERMANArchbishop of Washington and New YorkMetropolitan of All America and Canada

Hard copy: TOCback in print in 2006

eader feedback to the posting of TheOrthodox Church on the OCA web siteR was reviewed at a recent meeting of

members of the Office of Communications andthe OCA chancery staff.

The response to posting TOC in PDF formaton the site was universally positive, but the vastmajority of those reacting to the decision voicedstrong opinions concerning the need to continuepublishing TOC, since many faithful do not haveinternet access. Consequently, it was decidedthat in 2006, six bi-monthly issues will be pub-lished and mailed free of charge to all registeredmembers of OCA parishes.

It was also decided to adopt a 32-page newsmagazine format instead of the oversized tab-loid format used since TOC made its debut fourdecades ago.

Sharp, unanticipated increases in paper andproduction costs and the increase in postage rates,slated to go into effect in the second week ofJanuary 2006, have had an impact on TOC.

In an effort to reduce unnecessary printing,production, and mailing expenses, it also was de-cided that• while reported parish members – that is, thoseincluded in a parish’s reported “fair share” sta-tistics – will continue to receive TOC free ofcharge, subscription rates for non-parish mem-bers will be increased for the first time in 16 yearsfrom $15.00 to $30.00.• all complimentary “outreach subscriptions”to non-parish members and enquirers will beeliminated, although gratis copies will still be sentto the sister Orthodox Churches abroad, hier-archs, seminary libraries, institutions, and Churchorganizations. In some instances, parishes re-porting memberships of 50 or 100 souls wererequesting two or three hundred unpaid subscrip-tions for visitors and potential members or forlocal outreach efforts. Eliminating “outreachsubscriptions” will reduce the total press run byan estimated 2000 copies per issue. Those non-parish members interested in receiving TOC willbe invited to subscribe.”• the Department of Pastoral Life andMinistry’s newsletter, Pastors to Pastors, willbe incorporated into future issues of TOC, as willselected articles from the OCA’s popular Re-source Handbook for Lay Ministry.

Parish rosters will be reviewed to ensure thatcurrent membership records are on file and up-to-date.

TOC to 14

U P F R O N T

OCANewsNotesNoticesNOV/DEC 2005 11

Holy Synod holds fall sessionBishop Nikon elected to vacant New England see

Syosset, NY/ OCA Communications

n response to the request of delegates toa July 2005 extraordinary assemblyI of the Diocese of New England to pro-

vide a ruling bishop for the diocese, mem-bers of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Or-thodox Church in America elected His Grace,Bishop Nikon of Boston and the AlbanianArchdiocese to fill the diocesan vacancy attheir fall session at the OCA chancery hereOctober 18-20, 2005.

Delegates to the extraordinary assemblyfailed to nominate a candidate to fill the di-ocesan see, which had been vacant since thetransfer of Bishop [now Archbishop] Job tothe Diocese of the Midwest in the early 1990s.Of the 58 voting delegates, 25 had abstained,while the remaining ballots were cast for fivedifferent candidates, none of whom garneredthe required two-thirds majority. The del-egates then passed a resolution calling for theHoly Synod of Bishops to elect a ruling hier-arch for the diocese “in the best interests ofthe diocese and the whole Church.”

As ruling bishop of the Albanian Arch-diocese, Bishop Nikon was not eligible for

nomination by the assembly, but was eligiblefor election by the Holy Synod.

Bishop Nikon will bear the title of Bishopof Boston, New En-gland, and the Alba-nian Archdiocese.

The Holy Sy-nod’s fall sessionopened on Tuesday,October 18, with thecelebration of aService of Thanks-giving in the pres-ence of the wonder-working Sitka Iconof the Mother ofGod in Saint Ser-gius of RadonezhChapel.

“We have justoffered prayers ofsupplication, ask-ing God’s blessing and the guidance of theHoly Spirit, in the presence of the wonder-working Sitka Icon of the Mother of God,”Metropolitan Herman said in his openingaddress. “This icon, a true spiritual treasure,

Metropolitan Herman opens Holy Synod session with Service of Thanksgivingbefore the wonderworking Sitka Icon of the Mother of God.

reminds us that from the earliest days of theChurch in North America and from the verybeginning of its mission, the Mother of God’spresence in the life of our Church and hermotherly intercession on our behalf, haveplayed an integral and essential role in its lifeand mission.”

Metropolitan Herman went on to reporton a variety of matters, including the OCA’srelationship with various Orthodox SisterChurches, the current activities of the Stand-ing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bish-ops in the Americas, and the work of the chan-cery and the Church’s departments, offices,and boards. He reported on the recent visitto the OCA of His Eminence, Archbishop Leoof Karelia and All Finland and the celebra-tion of the 35th anniversary of the glorifica-tion of Saint Herman of Alaska. He notedthat in the face of a drop in free-will offer-ings – a phenomenon shared by other Ortho-dox Churches, religious bodies, and not-for-profits in North America – the OCA’s 2006budget had been reduced by $250,000.00.The reduction reflects a cutback in chancerypersonnel and in the elimination of expendi-tures related to various projects and publica-tions. He spoke positively about the renewedefforts of the Fellowship of Orthodox Stew-ards under its new executive director, theVery Rev. Eugene Vansuch.

Financial concerns were also expressed inreports given by Protopresbyter Robert

Kondratick, chan-cellor; the VeryRev. Paul Kucynda,acting treasurer;and the Very Rev.Stavros Strikis,comptroller. Thehierarchs acceptedthe 2006 budget andapproved it for re-view and imple-mentation by theMetropolitan Coun-cil. [See related ar-ticle on page 13.]The hierarchs sup-ported the decisionof the 14th All-American Council

in July 2005 for further implementation ofthe “Fair Share” program, which includes theappointment of a full-time development di-rector by Metropolitan Herman.

Synod to 12

Bishop Nikon receives blessing fromMetropolitan Herman after election tovacant New England see.

Synod from 11They also analyzed statistics detailing thelevel of support offered by individual parishesfor the OCA’s annual charity, seminary, andmission appeals.

The hierarchs reviewed the work of the14th All-American Council. They acceptedthe report of the Council summary team forimplementing specific goals during the nextthree to six months, three years, and five toten years respectively. In response to the in-terest in evangelization, education, and unityexpressed by delegates, the hierarchs decidedto look into ways to coordinate evangelisticefforts and address the goal of establishing50 new communities and revitalizing 50 olderparishes in the next decade. They approvednumerous appointments to the OCA’s depart-ments, offices, boards, and commissions.

In the area of external affairs and inter-Church relations, it was reported that Ortho-dox participation in the National Council ofChurches in Christ will be discussed at theSCOBA meeting in November 2005.

The hierarchs also heard a report on therecent work of International Orthodox Chris-tian Charities [IOCC] by Mr. Dean Trian-tafilou, especially in addressing the needs ofHurricane Katrina victims. They applaudedIOCC’s growing efforts on behalf of NorthAmerica’s Orthodox Christians by present-ing Mr. Triantafilou with a citation signed bythe hierarchs.

In other episcopal matters, His Eminence,Archbishop Kyrill of Pittsburgh and West-ern Pennsylvania and the Bulgarian Dioceseand His Eminence, Archbishop Job of Chi-cago and the Midwest were appointed to theLesser Synod of Bishops for 2005-2008. HisGrace, Bishop Tikhon of Philadelphia andEastern Pennsylvania was appointed to theLesser Synod for 2005-2006. His Grace,Bishop Seraphim of Ottawa and Canada was

OCANewsNotesNotices12 VOLUME 41 11/12

appointed to the Lesser Synod for 2006-2007, while Bishop Nikon was appointedto serve for 2007-2008. Bishop Seraphimalso was appointed secretary of the HolySynod and chairman of the Department ofExternal Affairs and Interchurch Relations,for which His Grace, Bishop Nikolai of Sitka,Anchorage, and Alaska was appointed vice-chairman.

In other appointments, Archbishop Kyrillwas named to chair the Board of TheologicalEducation, with Bishops Seraphim, Nikolai,and Tikhon of Philadelphia serving as boardmembers. His Eminence, Archbishop Dmitriof Dallas and the South was appointed chair-man of the Committee on Late Vocations,with His Eminence, Archbishop Nathaniel ofDetroit and the Romanian Episcopate and HisGrace, Bishop Alejo of Mexico City servingas committee members. His Grace, BishopTikhon of San Francisco, Los Angeles, andthe West was appointed chairman of the Com-mittee on Canons and Statutes.

Further episcopal appoints were made.Chairing the Pension Board is Bishop Nikon.Archbishop Nathaniel was appointed chair-man of the Canonization Commission, withBishop Tikhon of Philadelphia serving asvice-chairman and His Grace, Bishop Irineuof Dearborn Heights as commission mem-ber. Bishop Nikolai will chair the newly-cre-ated Clergy Awards Commission and theCommission on Church Demographics, as-sisted by Bishop Tikhon of Philadelphia andHis Grace, Bishop Benjamin of Berkeley.Archbishop Job will chair the Commissionon the All-American Council.

The Holy Synod of Bishops meets twotimes each year, in the spring and fall. TheHoly Synod’s next spring session will be heldMay 23- 25, 2006 at the OCA chancery inSyosset, NY. ■

Holy Synod with IOCC’s Dean Triantafilou, who received a synodal citation for hisefforts in the field of humanitarian aid on behalf of N. America’s Orthodox Christians.

Condolences sent afterJordanian terrorist attack

is Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman, sentH condolences to His Majesty, King Ab-dullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jor-dan and to His Excellency, Karim Kawar,Ambassador, after learning of the terrorist at-tacks at three hotels in Amman, Jordan onWednesday, November 9, 2005.

Many of those who lost their lives in theattack were Orthodox Christians.

“It is with deep sadness that news of thetragic events perpetrated against the peopleof Jordan was reported here in the UnitedStates,” Metropolitan Herman wrote. “Onbehalf of the hierarchs, clergy, monastics andfaithful of the Orthodox Church in America,please accept our deepest condolences for youand the people of Jordan on the horrific andbrutal terrorist attacks in Amman.

“Although we live in a world that is pres-ently in the grip of violence and terror, wealso live in a world in which people, such asyou and your late father, King Hussein, havebeen steady examples of peace and reconcili-ation,” the letter said. “Please be assured ofmy continued prayers for you and the peopleof Jordan during these most painful days.May God continue to inspire you to lead yourpeople with wisdom, courage and prudenceas you respond to these evil deeds, which ul-timately will end in failure.” ■

Prayers offered for ailingMetropolitan Philip

is Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman, as-H sured assured His Eminence, Metropoli-tan Philip of the Antiochian Orthodox Chris-tian Archdiocese of North America of hisprayers and those the OCA’s faithful in a let-ter dated October 20, 2005.

One week earlier, Metropolitan Philip hadbeen hospitalized, but doctors have beenpleased with his progress to date.

“Please accept this sincere expression ofthe concern and sincere best wishes of theHoly Synod of Bishops as well as those of allthe hierarchs, clergy, monastics, and faithfulof the Orthodox Church in America as youcontinue your recuperation,” MetropolitanHerman wrote. “Be assured of our prayers,that the Lord will restore Your Eminence tofull health and strength so that you mayquickly return to the exercise of thearchpastoral responsibilities with which Hehas entrusted you.” ■

Metropolitan Council reviews14th AAC, OCA finances2006 budget unanimously passed


Syosset, NY/ OCA Communications

embers of the Metropolitan Coun-cil of the Orthodox Church in Ame-M rica reviewed in detail the 14th All-

American Council held in Toronto, ON,Canada in July 2005 during their meeting atthe OCA Chancery here Wednesday, Novem-ber 9, 2005.

The All-American Council addressed anumber of issues facing the Church, with par-ticular emphasis on evangelization and mis-sion efforts, ongoing educational opportuni-ties for parish clergy, and finances.

The decision of the Holy Synod of Bish-ops to change the periodicty for conveningAll-American Councils from three to fiveyears was also reported. Hence, the 15th All-American Council will be held in 2010. It ishoped that pastoral life, parish life, and youthand young adult conferences will be sched-uled in the intervening years.

Metropolitan Council members also re-viewed the financial status of the Church indepth.

In his report to the Metropolitan Council,the Very Rev. Paul Kucynda, acting treasurer,expressed his hope that the executive direc-tor of the Fellowship of Orthodox Stewards,the Very Rev. Eugene Vansuch, and thenewly-appointed director of development, theVery Rev. John Dresko, will be effective intheir work and will meet with a generous re-sponse.

Father Kucynda added that it is impera-tive for the Church to fol-low sound financial prac-tices to avoid questionsconcerning accountability.

Father Dresko, rectorof Holy Trinity Church,New Britain, CT and long-time chairman of the OCADepartment of Steward-ship, will begin his dutiesas director of developmenton January 1, 2006. Hestated that he looks for-ward to beginning his re-sponsibilities and accept-ing the challenges his newduties will bring. He addedthat the MetropolitanCouncil is essential in suc-cessful fundraising and encouraged its mem-bers to exercise leadership in this importantarea of Church life.

Father Vansuch updated council members

Metropolitan Council members listen to address of Metropolitan Herman.

FOS exec directorFr. Eugene Vansuch reportson need for increased free-will giving.

on his recent parish visits and ongoing effortsin expanding the work of the Fellowship ofOrthodox Stewards. He noted that 156parishes presently support FOS at variouslevels. Mr. David Lucs, assistant to the

chancellor for communica-tions and special appeals,reported on the response tothe 2005 special appeals. The proposed 2006 bud-get, previously approvedby the Holy Synod ofBishops, was presented tothe Metropolitan Councilmembers and, upon FatherKondratick’s suggestion,was reviewed line-by-line. The Very Rev.Stavros Strikis, OCAcomptroller, responded toseveral questions, notingthat the budget as pre-sented had been revisedfour times and had been

reviewed by five different bodies, includingthe Office of the Treasurer, the Administra-tive Committee, a working group comprisedof Metropolitan Council members that met

on September 12, 2005, the Holy Synod ofBishops, and the Metropolitan Council.

After a thorough review, MetropolitanCouncil members unanimously adopted the2006 budget.

His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman, ad-dressed numerous concerns that arose in re-sponse to information and statements circu-lated in recent weeks, primarily on theinternet. Emphasizing that all financial mat-ters are his responsibility, MetropolitanHerman informed council members that heplans to order independent audits by an out-side CPA firm licensed within the State ofNew York. He further reported that the re-sults of the independent audits will be madeavailable to the Church at large.

“Our love and concern must be for theChurch,” Metropolitan Herman stated, add-ing that recent allegations, especially thosecirculated on the internet, are ‘not for the goodof the Church.”

In response to questions about earmarkeddonations, Father Strikis noted that such con-tributions are used as specified by the donors.

With regard to the indebtedness reportedby the Very Rev. Dimitri Oselinsky, former

Met Council to 14


Met Council from 13

Metropolitan Council meetsOCA treasurer, at the 14th All-AmericanCouncil, Metropolitan Herman stated that thecorrect process in this regard is to assume aloan that will eliminate the entire debt, therebyconsolidating payments. Affirming that heand the members of the Holy Synod take thismatter “very seriously,” he assured Metro-politan Council members that the issue is be-ing addressed in a responsible manner.

Costs associated with the printing, produc-tion, and mailing of The Orthodox Churchnewspaper were also reviewed, and it wasreported that less expensive printing optionswere being explored, especially in light ofincreasing printing costs and the anticipatedincrease in postal rates due to go into effectin January 2006. Two issues of TOC – Au-gust/September/October and November/De-cember – are being distributed on the OCAweb site during this period of review.

Questions were also fielded concerningexpenses related to Saint Catherine Repre-sentation Church in Moscow, the Departmentof Christian Education, the Department of Li-turgical Music and Translations, the Semi-narian Internship program, and other bud-geted items. An open and fruitful discussionconcerning the financial needs of parishes,dioceses, and the central Church administra-tion ensued.

Before moving on to other matters, Met-ropolitan Council members unanimously af-firmed the following statement issued byMetropolitan Herman.

“The Fourteenth All-American Councilhad an impact on us in a variety of ways,”Metropolitan Herman’s statement began. “Iappreciate the clarity with which those gath-ered for the Council identified specific issues,concerns, and priorities. Theological educa-tion, on-going clergy formation, religiouseducation of adults and children, addressingthe issue of parish health in all parishes andmissions of the Church, are just a few wor-thy of note.

“Today’s treasurer’s report included thefact that we presently face a significant in-debtedness that cannot be ignored,” Metro-politan Herman continued. “This matterwas also discussed at the recent meeting ofthe Holy Synod. In acknowledging that thisissue must be addressed forthrightly andaccountably and, with the full consensus andsupport of the Metropolitan Council, I haveasked Father Paul Kucynda, as acting trea-

surer, to arrange for a full and complete in-dependent audit of our financial records.Also, beginning January 1, 2006, the Chan-cery of the Orthodox Church in America willemploy ‘Best Practices’ for non-profit orga-nizations. I believe that this decision willserve us well in both the present and the fu-ture.”

Metropolitan Council members alsoadopted a resolution calling for a means ofconsolidating all debts under the direction ofthe Office of the Treasurer, and considered avariety of other matters, including• the Church Planting Grant program.Council members reviewed the list of mis-sions participating in the Planting Grant pro-gram. It was reported that, if the 2006 Mis-sions Appeal raises more than $120,000.00,a sixth mission will receive a grant.• Pension benefits. The Very Rev. MichaelWesterberg and Mrs. Elizabeth Kondratickpresented a report on the proposal to amendthe provisions of the pension plan. This pro-posal adds to the benefits, with some in-creased expense to parishes and participants.Father Westerberg noted that this representsa modest increase in cost, but a large increasein benefits.

Simply stated, the pension plan would beamended to include housing allowance in themonthly pension fund contributions, therebyincreasing pension benefits. Council mem-bers voted to accept the new benefit plan aspresented. Further information concerningthe new provisions will be sent to all partici-pants in the pension plan and to all clergyand parishes in the near future.

Chaired by the Primate of the Church, theMetropolitan Council is composed of clergyand lay representatives elected by the OCA’sdioceses, as well as representatives at largeelected by the All-American Council. Mem-bers of the central Church administration arealso members of the Council.

In addition to Metropolitan Herman andothers mentioned above, those attending themeeting included the Very Rev. David Brum,recording secretary; Archimandrite Isidore[Brittain]; the Very Revs. Vladimir Ber-zonsky, Theodore Boback, Sergei Bouteneff,George Hasenecz, John Onofrey, PhilipReese, Gregory Safchuk, Matthew Tate, JohnTkachuk, Michael Westerberg, and Con-stantine White; and Daniel Crosby, Prof. JohnErickson, Robert Kornafel, Dorothy Nowik,Gary Popovich, Richard Schneider, Dr. JohnSchultz, Dr. Faith Skordinski; Dr. RichardWest, and Dr. Alice Woog. ■

Fr. Dresko named OCAdevelopment directorSyosset, NY/ OCA Communications

he Very Rev.T John Dresko,rector of HolyTrinity Church,New Britain, CT,was recently ap-pointed directorof developmentfor the Ortho-dox Church inAmerica.

The need fora development director had been discussedby members of the Holy Synod of Bishopsfor some time. The position involves encour-aging increased giving to the work of theChurch and will compliment the work beingdone by the Fellowship of Orthodox Stew-ards under the direction of the Very Rev.Eugene Vansuch.

For many years, Father Dresko has servedas chairman of the OCA Department of Stew-ardship. He has conducted numerous work-shops and seminars on financial steward-ship and was instrumental in drafting the cur-rent “fair share” system. He is widely knowl-edgeable on every aspect of financial plan-ning, grants, will and bequests, and relatedareas.

Father Dresko assumes his new positionon January 1, 2006. ■

Fr. John Dresko

TOC from 10

Hard copy: TOC back inprint for 2006

“We hope to resolve discrepancies be-tween reported parish membership and TOCsubscriptions,” said the Very Rev. John Matu-siak, communications director. “A parish re-porting 100 members for the OCA ‘fair share’should not be submitting a subscription listof two or three hundred or more addresses,for example.”

Future printed editions of TOC also willbe posted to the web site in PDF format.

Also participating in the meeting wereProtopresbyter Robert S. Kondratick; theVery Revs. Leonid Kishkovsky, Joseph Fes-ter, Stavros Strikis, and Eugene Vansuch;Messrs. David Lucs, John Mindala, and Gre-gory Sulich; and Mrs. Lydia Ludemann. ■

NOV/DEC 2005 15

A new hierarch for Eastern PABishop Tikhon installed as Bishop of Philadelphia

Philadelphia/ OCA Communications

aint Stephen Cathedral here was filledto capacity as His Beatitude, Metro-S politan Herman presided at the Di-

vine Liturgy during which His Grace, BishopTikhon [Mollard], was officially installed asthe ruling hierarch of the Diocese of Phila-delphia and Eastern Pennsylvania on Satur-day, October 29, 2005.

Concelebrating with MetropolitanHerman was His Grace, Bishop Seraphim ofOttawa and Canada and numerous clergy rep-resenting the diocese’s three deaneries.

Metropolitan Herman had served as thediocese’s ruling bishop for two decades be-fore his election as the OCA’s Primate in July2002.

“Bishop Tikhon was elected to ruling hi-erarch of the diocese by clergy and lay del-egates at a special assembly of the dioceseheld in May 2005,” said the Very Rev. JohnMatusiak, OCA Communications Director.“He will oversee nearly 50 parishes acrossthe eastern half of the state.”

Protopresbyter Robert Kondratick, OCAchancellor, read the proclamation of installa-tion at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy,

after which Metropolitan Herman presentedBishop Tikhon with the archpastoral staff,signifying his episcopal office.

Following the Divine Liturgy, hundredsof diocesan faithful attended an installationbanquet at the Phylmont Country Club,Huntingdon Valley, PA. Th e Very Rev. JohnKowalczyk, diocesan chancellor, opened thefestivities with a toast in Bishop Tikhon’shonor. Bishop Tikhon was presented withnumerous gifts, including new sets of vest-ments, from the deaneries, clergy, and faith-ful of the diocese.

A native of Boston, Bishop Tikhon con-verted to Orthodox Christianity from Epis-copalianism in 1989. After completing stud-ies at Franklin and Marshall College, Lan-caster, PA, he entered Saint Tikhon Ortho-dox Theological Seminary, South Canaan,PA, from which he received a Master of Di-vinity degree in 1993.

Prior to his consecration to the episcopacyin 2004, Bishop Tikhon was senior lecturerin Old Testament at Saint Tikhon Seminary,and is credited with a number of publications.He also served as deputy abbot of SaintTikhon Monastery prior to his election to thePhiladelphia see. ■

Bishop Nikon ‘sinstallation setfor mid-December

Boston, MA/ OCA Communications

s this issue of The Orthodox Churchwas being completed, final plans forA the installation of His Grace, Bishop

Nikon as Bishop of the Diocese of New En-gland were being made. The installation willtake place at Boston’s Holy Trinity Cathe-dral December 16-18-2005.

Bishop Nikon was elected to fill the NewEngland Dicoese’s vacant episcopal see bythe members of the Holy Synod of Bishopsduring their fall session at the OCA chanceryDecember 19, 2005. Bishop Nikon will bearthe title of Bishop of Boston and New En-gland and the Albanian Archdiocese.

The installation weekend will open on Fri-day, December 16 with the celebration ofVespers at the cathedral at 6:00 p.m.On Saturday, December 17, the installationLiturgy will begin with the greeting of thehierarchs at 9:00 a.m. A reception will fol-low in the cathedral’s D’Arbeloff Hall.

At 1:30 p.m. a banquet honoring BishopNikon will be held at the Elements Cafe

On Sunday, December 18, Bishop Nikonwill celebrate the Divine Liturgy at the ca-thedral at 9:00 a.m.

Information on banquet reservations, pro-gram book listings, and hotels is available onHoly Trinity Cathedral’s web site atwww.holytrinityorthodox.org. ■

Bishop Tikhon with Metropolitan Herman, Bishop Seraphim, and concelebratingclergy from across the Diocese of Eastern PA after the installation Divine Liturgy atPhiladelphia’s St. Stephen Cathedral.

OCANewsNotesNotices

Bishop Nikon of Boston, NewEngland, and the Albanian Archdiocese.


President Bush and Vice-President Cheneyand their wives acknowledge Metropolitan Hermanafter DC ceremony.

Metropolitan Herman speaks at DCceremony in remembrance of Katrina victims

Washington, DC/ OCA Communications

he National Cathedral ofSaints Peter and Paul hereT was filled to capacity on Fri-

day, September 16, 2005 as HisBeatitude, Metropolitan Hermanand dozens of other national reli-gious leaders joined US PresidentGeorge Bush in remembering thosewho had lost their lives as a resultof Hurricane Katrina.

One week earlier, US PresidentGeorge W. Bush called uponAmericans to set aside the day asone of prayer and remembrance.

Metropolitan Herman wascalled upon to address the impor-tance of leadership in the face ofcrisis. He joined several otherreligious leaders, including Roman CatholicArchbishop Alfred C. Hughes of New Or-leans and others representing faith commu-nities in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, andTexas, in reflecting on the tragedy.

In his remarks at the end of the ceremony,President Bush called upon the nation to re-member the departed and the suffering by

asking the Lord to comfort the afflicted andembrace the departed.

International Orthodox Christian Chari-ties [IOCC] continues to provide on-site as-sistance and ministry to flood victims acrossthe south. Immediately after the hurricane,IOCC dispatched teams to the region to as-sess needs. ■

Metropolitan Herman attends Greek Orthodoxgathering honoring Mikhail Gorbachev

New York, NY/ OCA Communications

is Beatitude, Met-ropolitan Herman,H attended an Octo-

ber 22 reception herehosted by the Archons ofthe Ecumenical Patriarch-ate at which Nobel PeacePrize Laureate PresidentMikhail Gorbachev re-ceived the AthenagorasHumanitarian Award.

His Eminence, Arch-bishop Demetrios of theGreek Orthodox Archdio-cese of America presentedthe award.

Established in 1986 in honor of PatriarchAthenagoras, who served as Archbishop ofthe Americas for 18 years before beingelected Ecumenical Patriarch in 1948. Pre-

Metropolitan Herman with former Soviet PresidentGorbachev and Greek Orthodox Archbishop Demetrios.

vious recipients have included ArchbishopIakovos, President Jimmy Carter, PresidentGeorge H.W. Bush, Archbishop DesmondTutu, Mother Teresa, and Elie Wiesel. ■

Annual stocking drivein full swingSyosset, NY/ OCA Communications

outh groups, Church school classes, par-Y ish organizations, and numerous individu-als have been busy this fall raising funds toprovide Christmas gifts to needy childrenabroad in response to the Orthodox Churchin America’s 2005 Christmas StockingProject.

“Over 100,000 stockings and other Christ-mas gifts have been distributed since the an-nual drive was initiated 12 years ago by theOCA Office of Humanitarian Aid,” said Mrs.Arlene Kallaur, project coordinator. “Theproject has helped to brighten the celebrationof the Nativity for countless children and or-phans in Albania, Belarus, the Georgian Re-public, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Ukraine,and a number of Alaskan villages.”

In addition to sending gifts to children inthese regions, children displaced by Hurri-cane Katrina also appear on this year’s giftlist, Mrs. Kallaur added.

“In 2004, we reached our goal of distrib-uting 18,000 filled stockings or equivalentgifts,” Mrs. Kallaur said. “The 2005 goal re-mains the same.”

Each stocking or equivalent gift costs$5.00 – a slight but necessary increase overlast year’s costs. The stockings once againare being assembled by workers at LongIsland’s Cerebral Palsy Center before beingshipped to their destinations. ■

Metropolitan Sawa of Warsaw andAll Poland distributes Christmasstockings donated last year by OCAparishes to needy children.


Sitka Icon’spilgrimagedraws to closeTens of thousands offaithful venerate icon

ver six dozen churches were filled tocapacity between September 7 andO November 17, 2005 as the wonder-

working Sitka Icon of the Mother of Godmade its historic pilgrimage to the “lower 48.”

The icon traveled an estimated 12,000miles during the pilgrimage that began atSaint Spyridon Cathedral, Seattle, WA andended November 17 at Saint NicholasChurch, Juneau, AK. While the majority ofvisits were to parishes of the OrthodoxChurch in America, the icon was also vener-ated at a number of parishes of the RussianOrthodox Church Outside Russia, includingHoly Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, NY; theGreek Orthodox Archdiocese of America;the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdio-cese of North America; the Serbian Ortho-dox Metropolitanate; the American-Carpa-tho Russian Orthodox Diocese; the MoscowPatriarchate; and other jurisdictions.

While the icon had visited a number of“lower 48” parishes in past years, the two-month pilgrimage marked the first time in his-tory that the icon was available for venera-tion in so many communities.

His Grace, Bishop Nikolai of Sitka, An-

FFFFFaithful faithful faithful faithful faithful fill DC’ill DC’ill DC’ill DC’ill DC’s St.s St.s St.s St.s St. Nic Nic Nic Nic NicholasholasholasholasholasCaCaCaCaCathedrthedrthedrthedrthedral al al al al for the celebration ofAkathistos Hymn; a woman veneratesthe icon during its final visit to St.Nicholas Church, Juneau, AK.

Bishop NikBishop NikBishop NikBishop NikBishop Nikolai olai olai olai olai presided at services in a number of parishes the icon visited,including New York City’s Holy Virgin Protection Cathedral.

chorage, and Alaska, presented plans for thepilgrimage to members of the Holy Synod ofBishops at their fall 2004 session. His Beati-tude, Metropolitan Herman and the hierarchsenthusiastically endorsed the pilgrimageplans.

Special services, including the AkathistosHymn in the icon’s honor, were celebratedin every parish along the pilgrimage’s “coast-to-coast” route. Bishop Nikolai presided orconcelebrataed at services in several loca-tions.

The icon, a 19th-century variation of theKazan Icon of the Mother of God, is adornedwith a magnificent gold and silver covering.It was commissioned Saint Innocent Venia-

minov in the early 1800s for Sitka’s Archan-gel Michael Cathedral, where it has been en-shrined for some 150 years. The icon is at-tributed to the hand of Vladimir Borovi-kovsky, a leading artist of the time and oneof Russia’s most revered painters. Miracu-lously, the icon survived a fire that destroyedthe original cathedral in 1966. Over the years,many healings and miracles have been cred-ited through the intercession of the Holy Vir-gin in response to prayers offered by count-less faithful before the icon.

Extensive photo galleries of the icon’svisits may be viewed on the Diocese ofAlaska’s web site at http://www.dioceseofalaska.org.

RECORDING OF AKATHISTOSHYMN NOW AVAILABLE

A CD record-ing of theAkathistosHymn inhonor of theSitka Icon,chanted byclergy of the

Diocese of Alaska, is available for$20.00 by sending orders to theRODA, PO Box 210569, Anchor-age, AK 99521.

InSitesMall from 9

The malling of religionstole that symbolizes their service to Christ’s.

The apex of the Liturgy is eating and drinking theBody and Blood of Christ “for the remission of sins andlife eternal.” What spiritual refreshment! Yet one canfeast at the mall. Food courts and restaurants abound.No need for home-cooked meals with the family aroundthe table – sharing, talking, communicating and com-muning with one another – since Boston Market offers“home-cooked” fast food.

But can the mall transform a person? In a mannerof speaking, yes. Glamor Shots can transform a 13-year old girl into a movie star ala Jon Benet. Salonsoffer hair extensions, hair coloring [in a wide array ofcolors not found in nature], tanning booths, and finger-nails with glitter, initials, and other oddities. High-enddepartment stores offer makeovers guaranteed to makeadult women and men – yes, they sell make-up for guys!– look two decades younger. The Church, on the otherhand, also transforms people, but from the inside out.It is a deeper, richer, life-altering – or, rather, life-giv-ing – transformation that transcends age and appear-ance and affects the inner person, that ignores how onelooks while focusing on who one is and what one iscalled to be.

On Pascha, churches are packed; it’s the biggest dayof the Church year. The mall’s counterpart is “BlackFriday” – the day after Thanksgiving – the year’s busi-est sales day, on which “attendance” skyrockets as re-tailers anticipate record revenues to pump “new life”into otherwise sluggish seasons. Unlike the Church,where people gather quietly, confess their sins, and seeksolitude in the midst of others, the mall offers quite theopposite – salespersons shouting over counters, parentsshouting at their kids, and cell phone users shouting thefamiliar litany, “Can you hear me now?” and broad-casting inane conversations to one and all.

Ultimately, the mall consumes the consumer, swal-lowing up the individual into a sea of humanity, activ-ity, and chaos. Whether one is drawn to the mall bysales, food, amusements, peers, or sheer boredom, themall has become the temple in which homage is paidto the dollar and the “ultimate shopping experience” isconsumated. What a far cry from the Church, wherethe individual is recognized for his or her unique rolewithin the community, the parish family; where eachmember is called to the chalice by name; where we re-main the unique persons God created us to be whileengaging in a common union with Christ and each other.

It is the Church, the true house of worship, that trans-forms us, refreshes us, delights us, and reminds us thatwe are the living temples of the God Who consumes uswith His undying and eternal love. ■

Mary Ann Bulko is a member of Holy TrinityChurch, Randolph, NJ, and a frequent contributor toThe Orthodox Church.

18 VOLUME 41 11/12

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