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On Sunday, April 16, 1961, the CBS Television Network showcased the richness of Holy Week services in the Orthodox Church featuring one of our Antiochian parishes. "Lamp Unto My Feet" filmed at St. George Church of Paterson (now Little Falls), New Jersey and captured the procession of the Cross on Holy Thursday, the Lamentations of Holy Friday, and the Resurrection (Rush) and Orthros Service of All-holy Pascha.

The electronic version (PDF) of the Atlas of American Orthodox Christian Monasteries is now available free of charge from the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA, and can be downloaded here. The hard copy of the Atlas can be purchased directly from the publisher, Holy Cross Orthodox Press. 

The Atlas includes:

These two thoughtful reflections from a new father and a seasoned father and grandfather, offer insights into the importance of Orthodox Christian fathers, as we celebrate Father's Day on Sunday, June 18, 2017.

Who Else Will Raise the Second Generation of Orthodox Christians?

By Fr. George Shalhoub

On June 18th, we will celebrate and honor every father again on Father's Day.

In the Holy Orthodox Church, no man is defined without a woman, no woman is defined without a man, and no man or woman is defined without God. A mother is not more important than the father and neither is the father more important than the mother. The two cannot be separated. They are like railroad tracks; one cannot exist without the other. They become one flesh in marriage (Ephesians 5:31) and share the responsibility for their future.

I recall that even when my mother took me to church, my father was no less important. On many occasions, I tagged along with my father as he was one of the builders of St. George Cathedral in my hometown of Hama, Syria. It took ten years to build this church which was next to our old church, the Dormition of the Virgin Mary.

Read the whole reflection.

Fatherhood, A Kind of Asceticism

By Deacon Thom Crowe

By Deacon Thom Crowe

At three in the morning, our house is quiet and dark. The distractions of the day all fade into silence, no to-do lists, no errands, no calls, nothing. I learned this the night we brought Elise home from the hospital and was reminded the countless nights over the next coming months. We learned quickly that I could wake up and fall back to sleep much easier than my wife, so I took night duty. After changing Ellie’s diaper, we would sit in the living room with all of the hustle and bustles of life far away. I watched that precious little girl for hours as she ate and slept in my arms. I didn’t know nursery rhymes so I would chant the hymns of the Church to her. Granted, at three in the morning my mind reached for what it could, and I remember one night chanting the Troparion of the Cross, followed by a Nativity hymn, then “Open to Me” and the Troparion of Epiphany. The next morning I laughed at the odd prayer service I had put together mashing up hymns that spanned the entire liturgical year. But I figured I couldn’t introduce her to the Faith too early.

By Fr. George Shalhoub

On June 18th, we will celebrate and honor every father again on Father’s Day.

In the Holy Orthodox Church, no man is defined without a woman, no woman is defined without a man, and no man or woman is defined without God. A mother is not more important than the father and neither is the father more important than the mother. The two cannot be separated. They are like railroad tracks; one cannot exist without the other. They become one flesh in marriage (Ephesians 5:31) and share the responsibility for their future.

I recall that even when my mother took me to church, my father was no less important. On many occasions, I tagged along with my father as he was one of the builders of St. George Cathedral in my hometown of Hama, Syria. It took ten years to build this church which was next to our old church, the Dormition of the Virgin Mary.

Update: Metropolitan Joseph's Letter of Condolences to the Archdiocese of Mexico, Central America, Venzuela, and the Carribean Islands.

"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live." John 11:25

His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch, the Holy Synod of Antioch, and the Archdiocese of North America announce with great regret the departure to the house of the Lord of Metropolitan Antonio Chedraoui on the morning of June 14, 2017.

His Eminence was born in the City of Tripoli, Lebanon, on January 17, 1932. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Lebanon and the Bachelor of Theology at the University of Athens, Greece. On July 20, 1952, he was ordained as a deacon, and on August 29, 1958, he was ordained a priest and elevated to be an archimandrite.

On June 5, 1966, he was consecrated as a bishop, receiving the appointment of Patriarchal Vicar for Mexico, Venezuela, Central America and the Caribbean.

Photos of the funeral of Metropolitan Antonio Chedraoui are now available by clicking on this link.

Now available for download! An original Christmas pageant entitled Light of the World written by Rebekah Yergo (Church School Director at St. John Chrysostom Orthodox Church in York, PA) and Bonnie Flowers, is available for use in your parish. The writing, stage preparations, and costumes will be a hit with your children, who will feel like they are in a real production!

Additionally, attached is the sheet music that is used in the production.

View the photos of the Light of the World production.

By Bishop Thomas Joseph and Peter Schweitzer

The Greek word φρόνημα, transliterated in English as phronema is difficult to capture in a single word since it is more of a way of being in the world or a way of looking at the world.  Often, it is rendered in English as mindset or ethos.  For the purposes of this paper, we will employ the understanding of phronema as ethos.

In no Western religion is the concept of phronema present.  The concept truly has meaning only for the Orthodox Christian.  Perhaps this is because most Western religions understand themselves intellectually.  They adopt a so-called theology and employ philosophical categories to make it intelligible to their adherents and the world around them.  This is not the case for Orthodoxy.  Indeed, it would be hard to experience Orthodoxy apart from this ethos.  Since Orthodoxy is not about the intellectual pursuit of knowledge, it is thoroughly consistent that phronema can’t be grasped or recognized in a purely rationalistic pursuit.  One has to live Orthodoxy, experience it deeply, to perceive its ethos.

Vladislav Andrejev, IconographerThe Antiochian Village Conference and Retreat Center will be hosting an intensive 6-day icon workshop on October 1–7, 2017. Students will learn both the theory and practice of icon writing in the Prosopon School, using methods dating to 16th century Russia. The materials used in the workshop will all be natural and will include: egg tempera, pure gold leaf, earth and mineral pigments, and carved wooden boards prepared with gesso.

This workshop will be conducted by master iconographer and founder of the Prosopon School, Vladislav Andrejev and/or his son Nikita. Beginners will be given step-by-step instructions to complete their own icon of Archangel Michael. Students who have attended previous Prosopon workshops will be assigned an icon appropriate to their experience and skill level. All materials are included in the registration fee for beginners. Previous artistic experience is not necessary, as icon writing is as much a spiritual discipline as it is an artistic expression.

For further information, contact workshop coordinator Donna Smith: presbyteradonna@stsophias.org (preferred contact method) or (315) 723-5128.

By Fr. Joshua Makoul

Having completed Holy Week and Pascha, we were able to experience the transition from the long, darker services of Holy Thursday and Holy Friday to the brighter and joyful services of Holy Saturday, Pascha, and Bright Week. For many, having labored through Lent and Holy Week, this transition to joy, hope, and relief is an emotional occasion and reminder of many things. Indeed, this transition that the Church has given us to experience has far more meaning for our own life than we might realize. It is a reminder that in the end, God is always triumphant and victorious. It means that in the end everything will be okay. It means that this world will never have the final say. It means that behind every cross is a potential new life waiting to be had, behind every struggle is God’s promise to wipe every tear from our eye, that behind every moment of despair or struggle is hope and joy waiting to break forth, that behind every hurt there is healing, and that behind every crucifixion we endure there is a resurrection waiting to occur.

From St. Basil the Great

Outline of Sections 3-4

III. Profane learning should ornament the mind, as foliage graces the fruit-bearing tree.

IV. In studying pagan lore one must discriminate between the helpful and the injurious, accepting the one, but closing one's ears to the siren song of the other.

Sections 3-4

III. If, then, there is any affinity between the two literatures, a knowledge of them should be useful to us in our search for truth; if not, the comparison, by emphasizing the contrast, will be of no small service in strengthening our regard for the better one. With what now may we compare these two kinds of education to obtain a simile? Just as it is the chief mission of the tree to bear its fruit in its season, |104 though at the same time it puts forth for ornament the leaves which quiver on its boughs, even so the real fruit of the soul is truth, yet it is not without advantage for it to embrace the pagan wisdom, as also leaves offer shelter to the fruit, and an appearance not untimely. That Moses, whose name is a synonym for wisdom, severely trained his mind in the learning of the Egyptians,7 and thus became able to appreciate their deity.8 Similarly, in later days, the wise Daniel is said to have studied the lore of the Chaldaeans while in Babylon,9 and after that to have taken up the sacred teachings.

An Open Letter to the Archdiocese
By Economos Antony Gabriel

To The Archdiocese Board of Trustees, Pastors , Parish Council Members and Faithful of our God Protected Archdiocese:

AL MASSIH. QAM!

May you be blessed during this Season of Pascha and Pentecost.

I am appealing to you through the vehicle of The Word magazine, to raise your awareness of one of an important projects of the Foundation: An Honor Wall is to be placed in the Antiochian Village Heritage Center commemorating the blessed hierarchs, Vice Chairman of the Archdiocese Board of Trustees, and faithful clergy since the inception of the Antiochian Church in North America. Having authored Ancient Church on New Shores: Antioch in North America, it was a blessing to study the lives of the pioneers, commencing with St. Raphael and so many others who literally gave their lives together with their wives to plant the seeds of Antiochian Orthodoxy on this continent.

Dear fellow Antiochian,

Saint John Chrysostom once exclaimed: Glory to Thee, O God, For all things!

"Lest, we forget."

Yes, we give thanks to Almighty God for all of our beloved pioneers who knitted the fabric of our God Protected Archdiocese.

Throughout the years we have witnessed greatness in some of the most simple moments as well as clergy. It is almost unimaginable today how the early clergymen carved out their lives with some of the most difficult of circumstances, both financially as well as spiritually. From the earliest days in North America, our clergy, their wives and families played a pivotal role in the development and maturation of the Antiochian Church on New Shores. They have inspired us by their strenuous sacrifices and their sweet liturgical services which formed us and to this day, and their wisdom enlightened our paths towards the priesthood.

The school year is wrapping up in North America. For many of us, this means that Sunday Church School will also be taking a summer break. A change from the usual routine is a good time for us to think and evaluate what we do and take steps toward making improvements. Let us take advantage of this time to review our classroom and lessons this year, thinking about what worked and what did not work, and then figure out steps to take to improve for next year.

Evaluating all of this at once can feel overwhelming. We recommend blocking out a few evaluation sessions in our summer schedule, concentrating on one aspect at each session. Suggested review sessions could include: classroom setup; curriculum; interactions with students; teaching style; etc. Each of us knows which areas of our Sunday Church School class experience need the most consideration, and we should schedule a self-appointed review session for each of those specific areas.

 
Do you already have your Parish’s Vacation Church School scheduled? Are you trying to find the right program? If you’re still searching, visit The Orthodox Marketplace online! The Twelve Great Feasts VCS Curriculum from the Greek Archdiocese has everything you need to host a robust, interactive summer program for the youth in your Parish.

Another resource for planning and implementing a summer Vacation Church School, from our friends at the OCA, is the article "New Life in the Summer: Summer Church School." Here you’ll find an article helpful in building a program, with suggested themes.

By Bishop Thomas Joseph and Peter Schweitzer

Having celebrated the feast of feasts, the Lord’s Pascha, and Pentecost fifty days thereafter, we are about to embark upon the Apostles’ Fast, which this year begins on June 12, 2017, and ends with the commemoration of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul on June 29. 

The Apostles’ Fast is a prescribed fasting period of the Church, lasting from the day after the Sunday of All Saints to the 29th of June, the feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul.

It is a sad truth that many neglect this particular fast for a variety of reasons inconsistent with the apostolic and patristic tradition.  Prior to reflecting upon the importance of the Apostles’ Fast, a review of the ancient history of this particular fast may help us to recognize its integral place in the life of each and every Orthodox Christian.

Photo: Nicole Boliaux, Deseret NewsEvery year, on the eve of Great and All-holy Pascha, the Holy Fire miraculously lights inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher for the Greek Orthodox Christian Patriarch to distribute to the clergy and faithful anxiously waiting outside the tomb of our risen Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Some of them take this light by candle to distribute that very day throughout the Middle East, Greece and even Russia.

But this year, for the first time ever, the miraculous Holy Fire traveled via charted airplane from Moscow to New York, and faithful Orthodox Christians have shared it throughout North America, driving from parish to parish. Ss. Peter and Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church received this blessing with great joy, and the event received local media coverage. (Flame from Jerusalem lights faith in the hearts of S.L.'s Antiochian Orthodox worshipers) The clergy and faithful purchased lanterns to take the Holy Fire home with them. 

"The reality is, this holy fire means nothing if a fire doesn't kindle within your hearts," Fr. John Mahfouz, Assistant Pastor, said. “May we have the light, the holy light, burning within us. May we have the light of Christ within us and repent.”

They had examined the history books, but more importantly their own souls, and after a year of intense preparation and purification, twenty-five catechumens were baptized and chrismated into the Holy Orthodox Church. They all joined the Body of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ at Ss. Peter and Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church in Salt Lake City, Utah. (View the Facebook gallery)

By Joseph Clark

During the weekend of May 26–29, 2017, the Monastery of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk, America’s oldest Orthodox monastic community, held its 113th Annual Pilgrimage, and St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary celebrated its 75th Annual Commencement Exercises. Five saints of the Church: St. Tikhon of Moscow, St. Raphael of Brooklyn, St. Alexis of Wilkes-Barre, St. Alexander Hotovitzky, and St. Nicholai of Zhicha, have walked the hallowed grounds of these communities, and all who visit this holy mountain are touched by the prayers of these saints.

The festivities began with the arrival of the “Hawaiian” Myrrh-Streaming Iveron Icon of the Mother of God. Many miracles are attributed to her intercessions, and the mere presence of the holy icon brought joy to the faithful. The miraculous myrrh was so plentiful that upon entering the altar, after processing with her, His Grace Bishop Thomas’ hands were thoroughly covered, and this occurred in spite of the wooden case and velvet cover in which she is kept.

By Dr. Christopher Veniamin, Assistant Director
The Antiochian Orthodox Institute (TAOI)

Something special is happening in the Antiochian Archdiocese.

The 2017 May Residency of the Antiochian House of Studies PhD program proved to be a resounding success. It was hard to see how it could be otherwise, given the world-class calibre of its faculty, including Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlachos and Renos K. Papadopoulos. But even so, the second Intensive (Residency) of the first-ever AHOS PhD cohort managed to surpass all expectations.

No stranger to the Antiochian Archdiocese, Metropolitan Hierotheos—speaker at the Archdiocese's 2016 Clergy Symposium—immediately recognized the importance of Metropolitan Joseph's invitation to contribute to the spiritual and intellectual life of the Church in North America.

June 4, 2017
Pentecost

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

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter (that is, the Holy Spirit), will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth. (Jn. 16:7, 13).

On this feast of Pentecost, I greet you in the name of the thrice-holy Trinity, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit! Our Creator and our Savior now also becomes our Comforter! In the words of Saint Theodore the Studite:

On Sunday, April 2, 2017, the community of St. George Cathedral in Pittsburgh, PA, with Fr. Joshua Makoul, was honored to host His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph for the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy.

For many of us in North America, the Sunday Church School year is coming to an end. The end of a year offers the opportunity to note growth and accomplishment in all of us, but especially in our students. This a good time to review their growth and celebrate with them the positive ways we have seen them change.

Perhaps your Sunday Church School offers awards at the end of the year, such as certificates celebrating perfect attendance, most improved, best at ____, etc. Those achievements are important, and should be noted. But there are even more important ways for a child to improve than curriculum and attendance. As Orthodox Christians, we should constantly be evaluating and celebrating our spiritual growth and that of our students. The end of a school year is a great time to do so! Let us take a little time to think about each of our students and note their growth in the virtues. Growth in virtue is one way to measure their growth in The Faith. Perhaps this year would be a good time to begin giving our students virtues awards as well!

Not sure where to start? Check out our recent blog posts on the virtues, which offered suggestions of ways to teach our students about each of the virtues. Each of these blog posts can offer us helpful information about the virtue on which it focuses, which we can then apply as we think about each child. How have they grown in humility, liberality, chastity, mildness, temperance, happiness, and diligence? Which of these virtues do they best exemplify in their life? In which virtue have they grown the most?

Photo: svots.eduThe Department of Sacred Music is happy to announce that The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, President of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, will be the keynote speaker at this summer's Sacred Music Institute (SMI) and Youth Music Ministry (YMM), July 12–16, 2017 at the Antiochian Village. Father Chad will be addressing the theme for the week: "Music as Ministry: Looking Outward Through Orthodox Hymnography."

For more information, please contact Paul Jabara or visit the Department of Sacred Music homepage.