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The 2017 DOWAMA SOYO Basketball Tournament will be hosted at St. Elijah in Oklahoma City, OK, on October 6–8. All forms and flyers with relevant info are attached hereto. Questions? Please contact our Diocesan Youth Director Erin Ghata at erin.ghata@gmail.com.

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Download the flyer!

December 1–3, 2017 WEST
Location: St. Nicholas Ranch, Dunlap, CA
Keynote: Fr. Josiah Trenham
Theme: The Courage to Homeschool

January 19–21, 2018 SOUTH
Location: St. Constantine, Houston, TX
Keynote: Dr. Philip Mamalakis
Theme: Parenting Toward the Kingdom

April 19–22, 2018 EAST
Location: Antiochian Village, Bolivar, PA
Keynote: Fr. Josiah Trenham
Theme: Be Not Afraid

August 3, 2017

The Reverend Clergy of the Diocese of Miami and the Southeast:                        

Blessings and greetings to you and your families in the name of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ, as we embark on the blessed Dormition Fast.

I would like to start this letter by thanking my dear brother His Grace Bishop Antoun for all the years of hard work in the Diocese of Miami and the Southeast. He touched all of our hearts with his dedication and support as he earned his gray hair: “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.” (Proverbs 16:31)

Ancient Faith Radio has released several audio recordings from the recently concluded biennial Antiochian Archdiocese Convention in Miami, in their "Specials" podcast section. Hosted by St. George's Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral in Coral Gables, the 53rd Convention was held from July 23–30, 2017 and commemorated the ministry of His Grace Bishop Antoun, who was retiring after decades of service to the Archdiocese. The audio recordings include the spiritual talks of Fr. Andrew Damick, the Bible Bowl contest, and the Keynote Address by His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph.

Listen to all five presentations on Ancient Faith Radio.

The Diocese of Worcester and New England Family Camp is an opportunity for your family to get away from everyday life and take a weekend as a family to grow closer to Christ, in the beautiful setting of the St. Methodios Faith & Heritage Center in Contoocook, NH on the shore of Clement Pond. At Family Camp, eating a meal together as a family is the norm, not the exception.

Not your typical vacation, Family Camp offers a mini-vacation without maps, lines for popcorn, or decisions over where to eat. Our flexible schedule gives you the choice of "doing it all" from canoeing to volleyball, or just taking it easy and savoring a good view from the waterfront.

Memory Eternal! + Georgia Marx, mother of Fr. Meletios Marx of St. Joseph Orthodox Church in Houston, TX, reposed on Monday, July 24, 2017, and will be buried from St. Joseph on Thursday, August 3.

Born in Galveston, Texas on March 27, 1941, Georgia received a Bachelor of Science in Speech Pathology from North Texas State University in 1962. She dedicated a large part of her life to working with children who had speech impediments. She had a strong love of God and was very active in church. She had ten green thumbs and was a member of a neighborhood garden club where she won numerous blue ribbons for floral design. Needlepoint was another passion of Georgia’s, and her stich mastery was often displayed at local shops. She loved good food, socializing with friends and family, and old movies, particularly, John Wayne’s The Quiet Man. Equal to her love of family was her love of cats and the fighting Irish of Notre Dame.

Nashville, Tenn. (July 18, 2017) – Aspiration Studios has announced the newest title they will bring exclusively to churches and various non-theatrical venues late this summer. BECOMING TRULY HUMAN, the first feature film about America's religiously unaffiliated, will be programmed in venues beginning August 22, 2017. To inquire about bringing a showing to your area or parish, visit http://theatricast.com/becomingtrulyhuman.  

Dear friend of St. Athanasius Academy:

Jesus at the East Side of the River Jordan

Our Summer letters have concerned Lazarus – his being called from his tomb by Jesus and how this benefits our relationship with Him. For Jesus is the Christ and Author of Resurrection and Life. Our last letter wondered about the importance of His return to the Jordan, before Lazarus became sick, not unto death but for the glory of the divine Son of His Father. We also wondered about the timing of events – before calling Lazarus from his tomb and His entrance into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday – as well as the geographical location. Within this and with joyful thankfulness, it is good to remember how He allows us to learn, experience, and participate in the Wisdom and special goodness of His physical creation. Such is the parental privilege of a Father to His children maturing in their faith in Him and His love for us.

See the attached PDF files for this month's full teaching and to order the study booklets.

July 31, 2017

Beloved brother Hierarchs, Reverend Clergy, God-fearing Monastics,
and all my Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ our True God:

I greet you as we prepare to commemorate these most joyous feasts, the Transfiguration of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos! These feasts coincide with the holy fast of the Dormition, and appropriately so, since we are accustomed to prepare for great feasts of the Church through the necessary and salvific ascetical practice of fasting.

The feasts of the Dormition of the Holy Theotokos and the Transfiguration reveal to us the salvific activity of God and how we are to prepare and receive these gifts.

Saint Gregory of Palamas wrote concerning the Transfiguration:

Memory Eternal! + Khouria Helen S. Kahle, 87, of Emmaus, PA, passed away July 26, 2017 at Lehigh Center, Macungie. She was the wife of the late Very Rev. John (Robert) Kahle (+2008), the founding pastor of St. Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church in Emmaus, PA.

Born in Emmaus, Helen was the daughter of the late John and Kathryn (Slota) Sikorski. She was a graduate of Emmaus High School, Class of 1948, and Sacred Heart Hospital School of Nursing in 1951. Helen served several medical practices as a registered nurse for many years.

She is survived by her sons, Robert Kahle and his wife, Karen, James Kahle and his wife, Rebecca; and daughters Anne Boyle, Susan Crouthamel and her husband, David, Karen Buss and her husband, Mark, Patricia Domyan and her husband, Mark, Barbara Parker and her husband, Peter; fourteen grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and her sister, Julia Kooker. 

Funeral arrangements are as follows:

• Sunday, July 30: Viewing 3-5 pm at Bachman Kulik Reinsmith Funeral Home in Emmaus, PA (225 Elm St.), with a Trisagion Memorial at 4:30pm
• Monday, July 31: Viewing 10-11 am, Funeral 11 am at St. Paul Orthodox Church in Emmaus (156 E. Main St.)

Khouria Helen's obituary can be read on Legacy.com. Contributions in her memory can be made to St. Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church in Emmaus, PA.

May her memory be eternal!

View the Facebook gallery

There has never been a better time to "like" and "share" the Antiochian Archdiocese Facebook page! All week long the Antiochian.org team will be live streaming events from the floor of the 53rd Biennial Antiochian Archdiocese Convention (#AC2017Miami), hosted by St. George Cathedral and taking place at the Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood (Miami), Florida.

For the first time ever, Metropolitan Joseph's address to the General Assembly on the state of the Archdiocese will be carried live on Friday, July 28, at approximately 11 am EST. Additionally, watch for the speeches by the seven regional Oratorical Festival diocesan winners on Saturday morning, July 29, at approximately 11 am EST. They will be speaking on the Conference theme, "My house shall be a house of prayer for all nations."

Facebook visitors will also be able to view the live presentations offered at the Grand Banquet on Saturday, July 29, where His Grace Bishop Antoun will be honored for his eight decades of service to the Orthodox Church.

View the Schedule of Events
Watch all Facebook videos from the Convention

The Summer 2017 issue of DIAKONIA is now available online. This issue highlights the Diocese of Worcester and New England. The issue contains:

• Greetings from His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph and His Grace Bishop John
• A message from Spiritual Advisor Fr. Ed Hughes
• A message from the Diocesan President Cindy Hayes
• Profiles of Worcester officers
• Chapter reports, photos and happenings

...and more! Download (PDF) here.

On the weekend of July 15–16, 2017, Orthodox faithful from across the country and around the world gathered at two Serbian monasteries: New Gracanica in Third Lake, IL and St. Sava’s in Libertyville, IL to offer glory to God’s new saint, Mardarije. His Grace Bishop Anthony of Toledo attended as the representative of the Patriarchate of Antioch.

Libertyville, Illinois is a small village located outside of Chicago. But this small place has long been a deeply important and historical site for the Serbian Orthodox faithful.

As the home of the St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Monastery, Libertyville has served as the burial site for kings, bishops, prime ministers and Serbs from all walks of life. Most prominently, Libertyville is the home of St. Mardarije, the first Serbian Orthodox Bishop in America.

From the June 2017 issue of The Word:

Ordained

TOCHIHARA, Deacon James, to the holy priesthood by Bishop Basil on Sunday, May 14, 2017 at St. Mark Church in Denver, Colorado. He is assigned as second priest there.

Elevated

CORBIN, Fr. Michael, to the rank and dignity of Archpriest by Metropolitan Joseph and Bishop Anthony on April 23, 2017, at St. George Church in Canton, Ohio.

McDONALD, Deacon Vladimir, to the rank and dignity of Archdeacon by Bishop Basil on Sunday, May 14, 2017, at St. Mark Church in Denver, Colorado He is assigned as first deacon there.

MORRIS, Father Christopher, of St. George Church, Kearney, Nebraska, to the rank and dignity of Archpriest by Bishop Basil, Sunday, April 23, 2017.

[SVOTS Communications / Yonkers, NY] Orthodox Christian couples are often seeking sage advice on how to strengthen their marital bond, and St. Vladimir's Seminary Press (SVS Press) has just released a book to help them do so: Building an Orthodox Marriage: A Practical Commentary on the Eastern Orthodox Marriage Rite. Written by a long-time married but now widowed bishop and a newly married layman, the book prepares couples to understand marriage as "a great mystery" akin to the relationship between Christ and His Bride, the Church (Eph 5.32), while coaching them in practical ways to strengthen their union.

His Grace the Right Reverend John Abdalah, bishop of the Diocese of Worcester and New England of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA), and Nicholas G. Mamey, a newly married seminary graduate, are coauthors of the volume. In their work, they first establish a grounding for marriage, using Scripture and texts from the Orthodox Christian wedding ceremony, and then go on to offer practical guidance to couples.

Proclaiming 2017 as the 125th year of Orthodox Christianity in Greater Chicago, the ruling bishops of Chicago have endorsed a historic celebration to take place Saturday, September 30, 2017. Sponsored by the Orthodox Christian Clergy Association [OCCA] of Greater Chicago, the commemoration will include the celebration of a Pan Orthodox Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at Lane Tech Auditorium, 2501 W. Addison @ Western Sts, in Chicago, followed by a celebration banquet at the Chicago Marriott O'Hare, 8535 W. Higgins Rd, Chicago.

Chairing the event is Archpriest Nicholas Dahdal, rector of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Cicero. Chicago area hierarchs along with all area clergy will gather to concelebrate the historic liturgy. His Grace, Bishop Irinej (Dobrijevic), Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Eastern America, former Director of Education at Holy Resurrection Serbian Orthodox Cathedral in Chicago, will deliver the homily. Responses will be sung by the Pan Orthodox Choir of Greater Chicago, under the direction of Gordana Trbuhovich.

Author’s note: We have written in the past about having a family goal for the summer. If your family’s summer goal is to grow in the faith, read on! We’ve also shared some ideas of activities in your back pocket for when your children need some guidance/something to do. Here is another idea  - something that your family can do together that will offer common purpose while also allowing you to actively live your Faith this summer.

There are so many different needs that come to our attention. A local fire or flood, a foreign orphanage, a friend-of- a-friend’s illness with lofty medical costs, hungry homeless in a nearby city, etc. The list goes on, and sometimes it can feel overwhelming. Because we are Christians, we need to live a life of giving and helping. We become aware of needs, sometimes on a daily basis, and we know that we should be part of the cure for those needs. But where do we start?

If your Sunday Church School continues to meet year ‘round and you want some fun ideas for summer classes, this blog post is for you. If you are taking a break from teaching for the summer, but are thinking ahead to next year and how you want to switch things up a bit in your classroom, this blog post is for you. If you just love to collect fun ideas and keep them in your “back pocket” so that you can pull them out and use them with your Sunday Church School class at a moment’s notice, this blog post is for you! (Does that cover everyone? We hope so! We think this blog post can be helpful for you!)

The V. Rev. Dr. Joseph Purpura of the Department of Youth and Parish Ministry reports that several parishes in the United States and in Canada are seeking to hire full-time youth directors for our Antiochian Orthodox parishes. If you are an Orthodox Christian young man or young woman who has graduated college and is looking to work full-time in youth ministry, please send your resume and complete contact information to: frjoseph@orthodoxyouth.com.

Register Online NOW at AC2017Miami.org—the AC2017 Committee does not want anyone to miss out!
ONLINE REGISTRATION DEADLINE EXTENDED!

Extended Online Registration Deadline: Wednesday, July 19, 2017
11:59 p.m. (EST)
_________
Register Online NOW at AC2017Miami.org

Dear friend of St. Athanasius Academy:

Jesus the Author of Resurrection and Life Returns to the River Jordan – John 10:40

In the last days before Palm Sunday, before Lazarus became sick – not unto death but for the glory of the Son of God (John 11:4) – Jesus returned to the Jordan where He had been baptized by John. This occurred right after He had offered the Jews of Jerusalem, words of His divine promise. ( John 10:27-31) In particular, He spoke to those who choose to hear His Voice and follow Him. He let them know they shall never perish, nor be snatched out of His Hand. He then says,

“My Father, Who has given Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Hand. I and My Father, are One."

See the attached PDF files for this month's full teaching and to order the study booklets.

Dear friend of St. Athanasius Academy:

Jesus is the Son of Man, the Son of His Father.

Last month, we began our discussion about Lazarus answering the call of Jesus to walk from his tomb. He was dead for four days. Here we gained insight into Who Jesus is and His significance to us, by reviewing John 11:4, ... not unto the death of Lazarus, but unto the glory of Jesus, His Son. It helps bring to focus the mortality of our flesh while also offering a great hope and purpose for the Incarnation of the Word. Truly Lazarus is important to us and our sense of salvation: “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God.” Jn 11:40.

See the attached PDF files for this month's full teaching and to order the study booklets.

The Department of Christian Education will be offering two Teacher Training II courses this fall. Teacher Training II is divided into elementary and middle school/high school sessions, each cover techniques and tools appropriate to the ages you are teaching. Classes include "Enriching the Classroom Experience," "Child Development and the Exceptional Learner," "Creative Expressions, Adolescent Needs and Moral Issues."

Saint Paul Orthodox Church, Brier, WA will host and sponsor a TTII session on Saturday, September 9. Saint Elias Orthodox Cathedral, Ottawa, will host and sponsor a TTII session on Saturday, September 23. If you would like to attend or for more information, please contact Leslie Atherholt at aodce.events@gmail.com. She will put you in touch with the coordinator at each venue.