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JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2006 • Vol. 71 • No. 1221 $1.25 per
copywww.observer.goarch.org • e-mail: [email protected]
B A R T H O L O M E WBy The Mercy Of God
Archbishop Of Constantinople,New Rome, And Ecumenical
Patriarch,
To The Plenitude Of The Church,Grace And Peace from Our Savior
Christ,
Together With Our Prayer,Blessing And Forgiveness
“Let us listen to the Scriptures on the Prodigal Son who
regained wisdom,
and let us follow the good example of his repentance.” (Oikos
from the Sunday
of the Prodigal Son)
Beloved brothers and childrenin the Lord,
By the grace of God, once more we are entering the period of the
Triodion, during which the Holy Orthodox Church invites everyone to
good repentance. Although, according to the Holy Fathers, good
repentance is necessary even for those who are faultless in faith
and virtue, many Christians do not understand that they are in need
of good repentance.
Many Christians refuse to repent, for they are convinced that
they have not committed deeds for which they feel compunction and,
thus, they do not feel the need to repent.
However, good repentance is a pro-cess much deeper than the mere
acknowl-edgement of our sins and recognition of our errors as this
relates to our actions. Good repentance should primarily ad-dress
the thoughts and reflections, and the beliefs and feelings from
which our deeds spring.
Our Lord Jesus Christ taught us that our bad thoughts pollute us
in the same way as our deeds, and that thinking the commission of
evil is equal in weight to an actual commission of sin in the eyes
of God.
Being indifferent toward our fellow human beings; being confined
only to our own selves, wishes and needs; feeling bitterness for
other people’s actions; lack-
Patriarchal Homily for Holy and Great Lent
THE LORD Confronts the Disobedience of Adam and Eve and The
Expulsion from Paradise. Nave Mosaics from Palatine Chapel,
Palermo, Sicily. Mid 12th Century. (Courtesy of Dept. of Internet
Ministries)
ing in love and feeling hatred and other disparaging sentiments
toward others; harboring feelings of superiority,
self-af-fectation, ambition, sensuousness, and avarice: all of
these make for a person far distanced from the ideal human
being.
The ideal human being is character-ized by love, humility,
meekness, peace, and the forgiveness of God. Therefore, we are all
in need of good repentance, of changing our mentality and
perceptions regarding good and evil, for we are all very different
than the ideal human being.
We all look at the actions of other people. Indeed, we often
criticize others for their cruelty, their lack of adequate
knowledge regarding the truth on certain issues, and their
self-assurance in insisting that they alone know the truth. We
criti-cize other people for their insistence that they are capable
of acting, thinking, and judging the best way, regardless of their
inadequacies.
We need to reflect on whether other people see us in the same
light, and we should consider which of our notions we need to
change, which feelings we need
to improve, which pieces of knowledge we need to examine,
change, or enhance. In examining ourselves in such a manner, we may
realize that we too lack much and that we ignore our ignorance and
our spiritual shortcomings.
The Holy Fathers consider as sins ignorance, negligence,
carelessness, and indolence; namely, conditions which most of us
hardly ever think as abnormal, but for which we nonetheless need to
repent.
Besides these things, our love for our fellow human beings and
for God is not always adequate, and there is room for much
improvement. Therefore, we need good repentance for the little love
we show, and we need to demonstrate more love for all others.
More importantly, we need to remove from our hearts our
criticism of others. We need not feel arrogance, bitterness, or,
even worse, resentment toward other people for the way they treat
us. We should not have a bad disposition toward others.
TO OUR READERSWe regret that this January-
February issue of the ORTHODOX OBSERVER is published with some
delay due to budget constraints in the new year, amplified by
increases in printing, mailing and other opera-tional costs.
As we try to overcome these difficulties and return to a monthly
frequency in the near future, we ask your understanding and
continuous support.
Thank you!
Church Enters journey of Great Lent
EPIPHANY 2006 pages 2-5
NEW YORK – Greek Orthodox Christians have entered the solemn
40-day period of fasting and self-evalu-ation known as Great Lent
leading to Holy Week and Pascha. Orthodox Christians will observe
Easter (Pascha on April 23.
Archbishop Demetrios, spiritual leader of the Greek Orthodox
Church in America, acknowledging the spiri-tual significance of the
Lenten period, states in his Lenten encyclical to the faithful: “As
we embark upon this most sacred season of our Holy Orthodox Church,
I pray that we may all look toward Holy Lent as an opportunity for
renewed spiritual growth in Christ. “Through increased
opportunities for prayer and worship, increased opportunities to
receive the grace of God through the Holy Sacraments, and
intensified efforts at spiritual askesis and almsgiving, we embark
upon a journey for our building of faith and our nourishing of love
for one another. “May God provide you with strength during this
journey of Holy Lent, so that each and every day along it you may
'grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ (2 Peter 3:18).”
The Orthodox Christian Lent always begins the Monday after
Cheesefare Sunday, designated as “Clean Monday,” the day of
cleans-ing or purification, when the faithful begin a spiritual and
moral purifica-tion through fasting, prayer, medita-tion,
repentance, attending Lenten religious services and partaking of
the Sacraments of Confession and Communion.
Cheesefare Sunday also is re-ferred to as the Sunday of
Forgiveness, the last of the preparatory Sundays before Great Lent
, which reminds us of our need for God’s forgiveness and guides our
hearts, minds and spiritual efforts on returning to Him in
repentance. page 14
FIRST HISTORIC VISIT TO CYPRUS
Section B
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2 JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2006 3JANUARY - FEBRUARY 20062 JANUARY -
FEBRUARY 2006 3JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2006A RCHDIOCESE NEWS
Published bi-monthlyexcept single issue in September and
Decemberby the Greek Ortho dox Archdiocese of America.
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CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Nicholas Manginas
USPS 412340 ISSN 0731-2547
56 Teens MakeCentennial Historyas They Dive for the Cross
T he Centennial of the Epipha-ny cross diving event includ-ed 56
youths, nine more than last year’s event.
The teen-age boys, ages 16-18 walked at the head of the
proces-sion as it made its way around the block of the church
complex, then turned westward on Tarpon Avenue for the 10-minute
walk to spring bayou.
They assembled on the steps leading down to the platform built
for the event where Patriarch Bartholomew read a prayer before they
sprang into Spring Bayou on a sunny, but unseasonably cool and
windy day.
As they made their way to the rowboats tied together in a
semi-circle, a few of the boats invariably capsized as the boys
scrambled to get in. Some boats became swamped and the divers had
to expend time and energy emptying the water.
There followed several min-utes of nervous anticipation while
the teens waited to make history.
They waited for the Patriarch to toss the wooden cross painted
white made especially for the occa-sion by Bill Pascalakis. The
original crosses were made of gold until several were lost or
broken during the dive.
In the 1960s, the practice of using gold crosses ended and
wooden crosses painted gold came into use. The paint color was
changed to white in 1971 for better visibility. The selection of
the 2006 divers was completed in mid-December. The boys had to
apply for the honor and prove they are worthy by attending a series
of seminars.
The 56 who dived for the cross were as follows, according to age
group.
16-year-olds: Manoli Angropoulos, Tarpon Springs; John
Aloizakis, Dunedin; George Himontos Dick, Tarpon Springs; John
Gialousakis, Palm Harbor; Ariel Al-exander Gonzales, Clearwater;
Matthew
Thomas Kantaras, Holiday; Stamatios George Kapous II, St.
Petersburg; Christo-pher Kavouklis, Tampa; Michael Kavouk-lis,
Tampa; John Kokolakis, Palm Harbor; Michael Dimitrios Kontodiakos,
Palm Harbor; John Koulias, Tarpon Springs; Andreas Lagos, Dunedin;
Dean Makris, New Port Richey; Christos Manis, Tarpon Springs;Andrew
James Nowels, Belleair; Theodore Paul Potaris, New Port Richey;
John Seraskeris, Holiday; Christophoros Spiliotopoulos, Holiday;
Nicholas Starnas, Tarpon Springs;Peter John Trihas, Palm Harbor;
JACK VASILAROS, Clearwater Beach (winner); Eftechios Phil
Xanphan-dakis, Safety Harbor;
17-year-olds: Savas Amorginos, Tar-pon Springs; Michael Emanual
Antonaka-kis, Tampa; Christos Argeras, Dunedin; Emmanuel J.
Cortessis, Tarpon Springs; Alexander Giatras, Holiday; Phillip
Nicho-las Ginnis, Tarpon Springs; Dionisios Gizas, Safety Harbor;
George Grawe III, Odessa; Demetrios Hatzileris, Palm Har-bor;
Patrick Hamilton Prestiss, Crystal Beach; Vasili Kambouris, Palm
Harbor; Rousso George Kanaris, Homosassa; Chris Psetas, Port
Richey; John Rinios, Tarpon Springs; Minas Trihas, Palm Harbor;
Anthony Verlardocchia, Tarpon Springs; Richard R. Weaver, Tarpon
Springs; Mi-chael N. Xipolitas, Tarpon Springs; Chris Zervos,
Tarpon Springs;
18-year-olds: Emanuel Caros, Olds-mar; Michael G. Danapas,
Tarpon Springs; Michael Demas, Palm Harbor; Robert Southwell Dick
IV, Tarpon Springs; Nicho-las Chad Evans, Tarpon Springs;
Miltiadis, Kerdemelidis, Tarpon Springs; George Koukos, Spring
Hill; Panagiotis Koulias, Tarpon Springs; Konstantine Lagos,
Dunedin; Christos Mylonas, Clearwater; Nicholas Pizanias, Tarpon
Springs; William G. Starnas, Tarpon Springs; Robert Nicho-las
Stavrakis, Tarpon Springs; George H. Taktikos II, St. Pete
Beach;
DIVE FOR GLORY – Fifty-six boys jump into Spring Bayou hoping to
retrieve the cross. (Right) Kalliope Hatzileris, 16, prepares to
release the dove.
THOUSANDS of faithful line the banks of Spring Bayou for the
centennial Epiphany celebration with Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew.
N. MANGINAS
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2 JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2006 3JANUARY - FEBRUARY 20062 JANUARY -
FEBRUARY 2006 3JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2006 A RCHDIOCESE NEWS
TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. – Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew made his
fourth visit to the United States Jan. 4-8 to lead the celebration
for the 100th Anniversary of the Epiphany in this predominantly
Greek Orthodox city on the Gulf Coast.
Ecumenical Patriarch Celebrates Centennial of Tarpon Springs’
Epiphany
by Jim Golding
During his visit he met with thou-sands of youth and faithful at
several ven-ues and delivered more than 20 addresses and witnessed
first-hand the devastation in New Orleans caused by Hurricane
Katrina last August.
His All Holiness arrived at St. Peters-burg-Clearwater
International Airport shortly after 4:30 p.m. Jan. 4 aboard a
private Gulfstream IV twin-engine jet pro-vided by Alex G. Spanos
for the Patriarch’s use.
Several hundred faithful, including a local organization of
Imvrians, from his native island of Imvros, greeted Patriarch
Bartholomew as he entered a nearby hangar.
The Patriarch, Archbishop Demetrios, Metropolitan Alexios of
Atlanta, who ac-companied His All Holiness throughout his visit,
and other metropolitans and bishops from the United States, Greece
and Russia, representatives from Congress and the State Department,
diplomats from Greece and Cyprus, including Greece’s ambassador to
the U.S, Alexandros P. Mal-las, assembled on a dais for the
welcoming ceremony.
About a dozen local teens, the Clear-water Hellenic Dancers,
performed a Cretan dance for the audience.
Archbishop Demetrios, in his intro-ductory remarks, praised the
efforts of the area’s faithful in maintaining the tradition of
Epiphany over the past 100 years. He also suggested that, with the
historic first visit of an Ecumenical Patriarch to the area, Tarpon
Springs should also be known as the “Ecumenical Epiphany City.”
Others welcoming the Patriarch included Congressman Michael
Bilirakis and Tarpon Springs Mayor Beverley Bil-liris, who read a
proclamation declaring Jan. 6 as “Patriarch Bartholomew Day” in
Tarpon Springs, and the Consul General of Greece in Tampa.
Congressman Bilirakis thanked the Patriarch for his visit to
Tarpon Springs and “for persevering at the Ecumenical Patriarchate
under very, very difficult conditions.”
In his salutation, Patriarch Bar-tholomew said, in part, “It is
good to be here in your midst, beloved brothers and sisters and
children and most honorable dignitaries of this locale, where, with
the help of God, we decided to concelebrate with you the Feast of
Epiphany and to pray for you all...
“We came here, beloved brothers and sisters to see your honest
faces and to fulfill the joy of our spiritual, living com-munion
with you. We rejoice when we hear about all of the honorable and
virtu-ous things that you, the Orthodox people of Greek descent
accomplish, as people of order and obedience of the great United
States of America…”
Following the ceremony, the Patri-archal entourage was whisked
by motor-cade to St. Nicholas Cathedral in Tarpon Springs for an
evening doxology.
The church was filled to capacity for the Patriarch’s
arrival.
In his homily, the Patriarch said, in part, that “our gathering
here …in this most sacred Holy Church of St. Nicholas reveals the
truth that we indeed are mem-bers of the mystical Body of the
Incarnate Lord. We comprise one body, one operat-ing unity and we
ought to keep this unity unbroken, as our Lord Jesus Christ
wishes;
page 25
our Lord Who became human in order to deify us if, of course, we
live according to the Holy Gospel.”
Day Two – Connecting to YouthPatriarch Bartholomew began the
first
full day of his visit with a breakfast at the Innisbrook Resort
in Palm Harbor with Archbishop Demetrios and other Ortho-dox
hierarchs.
A press conference followed attended by representatives of CBS,
NBC, CNN and the Tampa Tribune and St. Petersburg Times. (See
related story)
His All Holiness then held two meet-ings with about 800 children
and teens, ages 5 to 11 and 12 to 18.
The Patriarch told the young children to keep the Cross of
Christ “deep inside your hearts” and to “grow up strong and true,
genuine and sincere.”
He told the teens that “You are the hope for the future and the
present of the church. You are the promise of a flourish-ing Greek
Orthodox future in this land.”
He also exhorted them to learn to cope “with those opposed to
the Ortho-dox tradition and in what you do person-ally especially
in foreign world that is indifferent to or denying the existence of
God.”
He issued an invitation to the older children to visit him at
the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
In the afternoon, Patriarch Bar-tholomew attended a clergy/laity
Cen-tennial Luncheon, a private vasilopita reception for
benefactors that included Bill Planes, chairman of the Patriarchal
Centennial Visitation Committee, a recep-tion for the Archons and
other private events.
At the luncheon, among those who welcomed the Patriarch were
Metropoli-tan Alexios, Dr. Panagiotis Skandalakis, deputy foreign
minister of Greece and U.S. Sen. Paul Sarbanes of Maryland.
In his remarks, Archbishop Deme-trios again praised the
community on its centennial event. “A community that goes beyond
100 years is a community that needs to be commended,” he said..
Day Three – EpiphanyHis All Holiness, Archbishop Deme-
trios and Metropolitan Alexios began the day with the
celebration of Orthros and the Divine Liturgy at the cathedral.
His All Holiness officiated at the service that included about
100 clergy n attendance.
HIS ALL HOLINESS Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew tosses the
Cross in the waters of Spring Bayou.ST. PETERSBURG TIMES/CARRIE
PRATT
JACK VASILAROS of Clearwater Beach, re-ceived the blessings of
Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew and Archbishop Demetrios right after he retrieved
the Cross. ST
. PET
ERSB
UR
G T
IMES
/CA
RR
IE P
RAT
T
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JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2006�
TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. – Two years and thou-sands of hours of
preparations by parishioners of St. Nicholas Cathedral in the
period leading up to the 100th anniversary of the Epiphany ended
success-fully and happily with the first visit to the area of an
Ecumenical Patriarch.
Ecumenical Patriarch’s Visit Brings Enthusiasm to Tampa Bay
Area
by Jim Golding
Members of the St. Nicholas Cathedral commu-nity, especially
Centennial Visit Chairman William Planes and members of his
committee, could breathe a collective sigh of relief as the
Patriarch boarded the private jet Jan. 8 for the return trip to the
Patriarchate. Among those well pleased with the successful out-come
was the cathedral dean, the Very Rev. Sebastian Skordallos. “It was
very beautiful. I felt we were on Mount Tabor observing the glory
of God,” he said. “It was awesome experience. People are still
writing their feelings about the visit in the local newspapers.
They’re always s positive.”
Fr. Skordallos said the five-day event was “very well organized”
and that all the Tampa Bay-area churches were “very supportive;
they worked well together.” The priest said of the patriarch that
“He didn’t only present himself in terms of the spiritual, he was
very humble, greeting every person on Sun-day, and the cathedral
was full. After he passed out antidoron; he walked from cathedral
to the new hall and greeted everyone along the way. It was just an
awesome experience and we are still relishing the event. We are in
a daze.”
Fr. Skordallos also mentioned the large amount of publicity the
Patriarch’s visit generated. “The public-ity we had was
unprecedented. My mother in Cyprus was watching it live. And in
over 150 countries it was televised live.” He also said the
Hallmark Channel will carry a one-hour segment of the visit on Jan.
29.
The priest also noted “It was a great witness of our faith. The
goal of Mr. Planes and his committee was to witness the Orthodox
faith around the world and to carry the message and peace and love
from our Ecumenical Patriarch. That mission was accom-
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew offers to the delighted Very
Reverend Archmandrite Fr. Sebastian Skordallos, pastor of St.
Nicholas Cathdral, a silver censer and a patriarchal cross.
D. PANAGOS
THE PROCESSION to Spring Bayou starts in front of the imposing
Cathe-dral of St. Nicholas. Archbishop Demetrios and Metropolitan
Alexios in the front followed by His All Holiness Ecumenical
Patriarch Bartholomew.
N. MANGINAS
HIERARCHS attending the patriarchal doxology upon His All
Holiness arrival. (L to R) Metropolitan Apostolos of Moshonisiou,
Archbishop Demetrios of America, Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta,
Metropolitan Theologos of Seron and Metropolitans Iakovos of
Chicago, Methodios of Boston, Nicholas of Detroit, Nikitas of
Hong-Kong, Evangelos of New Jersey and Paisios of Tyana.
N. MANGINAS
THE YOUTH of the Metropolis of Atlanta celebrated the visit of
His All Holiness and received in wonder and amazement the
Patriarchal blessing.
plished,” he said. “It’s beautiful.”“I’m greatly touched by the
visit,”
Chairman Bill Planes told the Observer,” and that he was
particularly impressed by the Patriarch’s “tenderness toward the
children, his reverence toward the elderly and his acceptance of
our love.”
Of his participation in the centen-nial celebration, Mr. Planes
said, “I only stopped to reflect on it, noting the contri-butions
of the generations that sustained the parish over the past 100
years.
“Tens of thousands of people moved us along the way,” he said.
Mr. Planes said of the far-reaching effects of the centennial, “We
extended a forum to witness to Christ today, and not only at Spring
Bayou.”
His emotions regarding the visit were mixed. “Personally, I feel
joy, fulfillment and satisfaction we set a course that we
success-fully completed,” he said. But at the same time he also
experienced feelings arising from “the burden of mourning” because
of the recent passing of the long-time cathedral dean, Fr. Tryfon
Theofilopoulos.
“Fr. Tryfon died 10 weeks ago and I didn’t get to finish the
trip with him, said Mr. Planes, his voice choked with emotion.
“It’s very hard to describe.”
The Patriarch’s visit touched many other individuals in personal
ways. Among them was the son of Anthony Hatzileris, a retired U.S.
Army sergeant who headed the security subcommittee for the
visit.
His son, Dimitrios, a member of the 53rd Com-bat Support Group
of the Florida National Guard who is serving in Iraq, was home on
leave and re-ceived a special blessing from the Patriarch before
returning to his unit. Anthony Hatzileris also fought in Iraq,
during the Gulf War in 1990.
Hundreds of the cathedral’s faithful assisted with the visit,
along with those on the organizing committee who, in addition to
Mr. Planes and Fr. Skordallos, included Harry Patsalides, Epiphany
2006 Chairman Emmanuel Gombos, George Kousk-outis, Nikitas Manias,
Jerry Theophilopoulos, Nicholas Katsaras, Dr. Theodore Vlahos,
Kenneth Henderson, Paul Aiello and George Psetas.
Subcommittee members included Anthony Hatzileris, Michael
Kouskoutis, Dr. Andreas A.
ECUMENICAL Patriarch Bartholomew with Patriarchal Visita-tion
Commitee Chairman Bill Planes and his wife Regina.
D. PANAGOS
Paloumpis, Elisabeth Theofilos, Joanne H. Kambouris, Regina M.
Planes, Theo Samar-kos, Kathy Theofilos, Helen Katzaras, Dee
Nicolaou, Dr. Dean Theophilopoulos and Bessie Zantopoulos.
Honorary committee members in-cluded Archbishop Demetrios,
Metro-politan Alexios, Congressman Michael Bilirakis, Alex and Faye
Spanos, Mayor Beverley Billiris and (posthumously) Fr. Fr. Tryfon
Theofilopoulos. The parish also received support and participation
from the numerous Tampa Bay area Greek Or-thodox communities,
including St. John the Baptist, Tampa; St. George, New Port Richey;
St. Stefanos in St. Petersburg; Holy Trinity in Clearwater; St.
Sophia, Winter Haven; St. Barbara’s in Sarasota; and Sts. Raphael,
Nicholas and Irene Orthodox Mission in Palm Harbor and Christ the
Savior Orthodox Mission in Spring Hill.
The Grand Benefactors were Charles Masterpolis, William and
Regina Planes and Alex and Faye Spanos. The Archons of St. Andrew
were among the benefactors.
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JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2006 �One of Tarpon Springs’ Finest Offers
His Finest Effort
For one police officer on the security detail of Ecumenical
Patri-arch Bartholomew, his preparation for the visit began four
months ago.
Officer Steve Tsataros of the Tarpon Springs Police Department
was one of more than 250 city, state and federal law enforcement
of-ficers involved in the visit, but pro-vided the Patriarch with
something more to remember his visit by.
Since September, Steve, who does carving as a hobby, along and
his brother John, hand-carved a highly detailed replica of a
typical sponge boat of Tarpon Springs.
The model, which he created from a block of basswood, is nearly
two feet in length. At the Epiphany
Patriarch Discusses the Patriarchate,Papal Visit at Press
Conference
On the second day of his visit, Jan. 5, Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew held a press conference where he discussed a wide range
of issues relating to the Patriarchate and announced a visit to the
Phanar by Pope Benedict XVI in the near future.
With Archbishop Demetrios translat-ing his remarks, the
Patriarch explained that, in addition to his pastoral duties, he
has two other priorities, “rapprochement among people: and
“ecological issues.”
He cited his involvement in several inter-religious and
intercultural activities, among the Peace and Tolerance meetings
with representatives of three monothe-istic religions. The first
such gathering occurred in 1994, and the second was in Brussels in
December 2001.
Recently, he traveled to Austria for an interreligious meeting
sponsored by Austrian government under the theme “Islam in a
Pluralistic World.”
Expanding on the role of the Pa-triarchate, he said it “is not
involved in politics or political discussions but, un-fortunately,
the Patriarchate finds itself affected by political issues,
particularly between Greece and Turkey.”
The Patriarch said he seeks to make a contribution “to the
lessening of ten-sions, to promote reconciliation, helping to
eliminate terrorism” and seeking a rap-prochement of religions to
bring about “the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth.”
He also noted the Ecumenical Patri-archate’s basic role concerns
the “coor-dination among Orthodoxy and securing unity of the faith
around the world,” add-ing that “the Patriarchate is not involved
in the administration of various autocepha-lous churches.”
The Patriarch also noted the Patriarch-ate is a founding member
of the World
dents about the law and to “help them stay out of trouble.”
Officer Tsataros, a 24-year veteran of the Tarpon Springs police
and a Tarpon Springs native, remembered that, as a teen, he too had
dived for the cross in Spring Bayou. He came to within two or three
yards of getting it one year.
He also recalled that while in high school, he came very close
to attending Hellenic College/Holy Cross. While play-ing for his
GOYA basketball team, the officer, who stands about 6’4”, said that
while participating at a tournament in Rhode Island, he was
approached by a representative of the school, a priest, who offered
him a full scholarship to play at Hellenic College, which at the
time had an intercollegiate basketball team.
But Steve said he felt it still might have been a hardship for
his parents – his mother worked in a bakery and his father, in
addition to sponge fishing, did part-time painting.
banquet the evening of Jan. 6, he pre-sented the boat, which he
named the St. Sophia, to His All Holiness. The vessel, is encased
in a Plexiglas box.
“My father was a sponge diver,” he said of his reason for
thinking of a sponge boat. “I wanted the Patriarch to have
some-thing to remember of his visit here.”
Steve and fellow Greek American po-lice officer Mike Kazouris,
also with TSPD, and both fluent in Greek, spent about 40 hours each
above their normal work week as they accompanied every motorcade to
the various venues where the patriarch was to appear. “I’ll
probably wind up sleeping that many hours, too,” he noted on Sunday
afternoon, Jan. 8, shortly be-fore he had to escort the Patriarch
back to the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Airport.
The next day he would be back to his regular routine. His duties
include serving as a resource officer at the Tarpon Springs Middle
School, where he counsels stu-
Officer Steve Tsataros
OFFICER Steve Tsataros presents to the Ecumenical Patriarch a
replica of a Tarpon Springs sponge boat.
D. PANAGOS
Council of Churches and a member of the Union of Council of
European Churches. It also functions as a coordinator of dia-logue
with the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran and other Churches.
Discussing relations with the Roman Catholic Church, the
Patriarch explained the differences between the two Churches to the
reporters, specifically with regard to “administration and
ecclesiology.”
The Patriarch said he has a good re-lationship with the new
pope, Benedict 16th, who will make an official visit to the
Ecumenical Patriarchate “sometime this year.” His All Holiness also
said the Churches are preparing to restart their dialogue at the
international level a five-year cessation over the issue of the
Uniates in Eastern Europe.
Ecological activitiesHis All Holiness also touched upon
the Patriarchate’s ecological priority. “For many years we have
tried to sharpen the sensitivity and consciousness of people to the
importance of dealing with these issues,” he said.
He cited five major international sym-posia organized by the
Patriarchate that have been held on various seas and rivers, and a
sixth upcoming conference on the Amazon. The Patriarch recalled
that, at end of his fourth meeting with Pope John Paul II, he
signed with late Pope a declaration explaining the dimensions of
ecological problems.
News organizations represented at the press conference included
the St. Peters-burg Times, Tampa Tribune, Fox News, CNN, CBS and
NBC.
Later in the week, Archbishop Deme-trios noted at several public
events that the extent of coverage of the Patriarch’s visit was
worldwide and that viewers as far away as China and Australia had
seen the Epiphany ceremony.
ECUMENICAL Patriarch Bartholomew addresses members of the press
as Archbishop Demetrios translates. Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta
(left) and Metropolitan Theologos of Nigritis and Serron ar in
attendance.
N. MANGINAS
D. PANAGOS
A MOMENT OFspontaneous and mutual joyand affection between
Patriarch Bartholomew and this young boy.His All Holinesshad many
joyful opportunities togreet and blesschildren and youths during
his firstpastoral visit to Florida.
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INTERFAITHINTERFAITH
Dear Father Charles,I have fallen in love with someone
who isn’t Christian. He is Moslem. Recent-ly I approached my
priest to inquire about marriage, and he informed me that we
can-not get married in the Orthodox Church. Can you help me
understand why?
E-mail respondent
When Orthodox Christians Marry Non-Christians
by Fr. Charles Joanides, Ph.D., LMFT
There is hardly a month that passes when I fail to receive an
e-mail like the one above. Some are more impassioned and longer
than this one, but they all ask the above question along with
questions like the following few: Why is the Church shut-ting me
out? Why can’t I get married and retain my sacramental privileges?
Why is the Church forcing me to choose between the one I love and
my faith tradition?
This article will not attempt to answer all these questions.
However, it will focus attention on Orthodox Christians who marry
non-Christians, with the underlying assumption that the
implications and chal-lenges related to this pastoral challenge are
very complex and deserve consider-ably more attention.
Some General StatisticsResearch studies investigating
religion
in this country suggest that non-Christians comprise nearly 4
percent of the popula-tion. These studies also indicate that some
of the fastest growing faith groups in this country are
non-Christian, which means that the number of non-Christians who
populate America’s religious landscape will likely increase.
Coupled with this, recent studies also indicate that the
percentage of people who do not have a religious affiliation is on
the rise, up from 8% in 1990 to over 14 percent in 2001. Given
these and other similar statistics, one could argue that it is
becoming increasingly more likely for Orthodox Christians to meet
and fall in love with someone from a non-Trinitarian and
non-Christian background.
How Pervasive?We do not know the percentage of
Greek Orthodox Christians who are choos-ing to marry
non-Christians. Nonetheless, on the basis of the attention
delegates have placed on this issue during the last three Clergy
Laity Congresses, it could be ar-gued that the number of Greek
Orthodox Christians marrying non-Christians may be increasing. In
particular, during the last three Congresses - held in
Philadelphia, Los Angeles and New York - delegates who participated
in the Interfaith Marriage Committee spent an inordinate amount of
the committee’s time discussing the challenges they faced related
to inter-reli-gious marriage. Moreover, the committee reports given
at the plenary during these Congresses reflect the importance that
delegates placed on this issue.
My own personal experiences also suggest that marriages between
Orthodox Christians and non-Christians are likely on the rise. In
addition to the e-mail I re-ceive from Orthodox and non-Orthodox
who are typically puzzled by the Church’s stance regarding
inter-religious marriage, both lay leaders and clergy often
approach me asking if anything is being done to ad-dress the needs
of those who choose to marry non-Trinitarian Christians and
non-Christians outside of the Church.
Only a Small PercentageMy experiences working with thou-
sands of marriages and families within the GOA has taught me
that while it is
true that the type of couples this article is focused upon
comprises a small percent-age of the marriages that Greek Orthodox
Christians are entering, I believe that a sizable number of people
are impacted by this trend. To be more specific, when thinking
about these marriages, I would maintain that it is an error to
simply limit our focus to the Orthodox partner who enters these
marriages. I would further argue that Greek Orthodox Christians who
crossover religious boundaries are embedded within marriages,
families and extended families, and the pastoral chal-lenges they
face tend to not only impact them, but also affect their marriages,
chil-dren, families and extended families. All of which suggests
that more than just the individual Orthodox spouse is affected by
this pastoral challenge.
Unique ChallengesStudies investigating inter-religious
marriages typically group most of the challenges these spouses
and couples encounter in the following categories. Moreover, these
challenges tend to impact individual, marital, family and extended
family well-being and stability. What fol-lows are a few
examples.
Individual Challenges. When com-pared to inter-Christian couples
and single faith couples, studies suggest that Chris-tians who
marry non-Christians encounter a host of unique challenges that
tend to have a negative impact on the frequency and practice of
their faith.
Marital ChallengesChristians who marry non-Christians
tend to face a host of unique challenges that can potentially
have a negative impact on marital satisfaction and religious and
spiritual well-being.
Children’s Developmental Chal-lenges
Studies also suggest that children raised in households where
parents’ reli-gious backgrounds are inherently different indicate
that some will end up identifying with one or the other parents’
religious background, others will identify with a faith background
that is different than either of their parents’ backgrounds and a
large percentage will fail to identify with any religious
background.
Extended Family ChallengesExtended family challenges tend to
also be more pronounced and more fre-quent in number due to
spouses’ cultural and religious differences. When compared to
inter-Christian couples and single faith couples, higher levels of
culture shock are commonly reported. Higher numbers of cut-offs
between one or both partners and extended family are also
reported.
Current Pastoral GuidelinesFor reasons similar to those
listed
above, the Orthodox Church does not endorse inter-religious
marriage, nor does it permit Orthodox Christians who choose to
marry non-Trinitarian Christians and non-Christians to marry in the
Orthodox Church. Moreover, the only way that a marriage of this
type can be conducted in the Orthodox Church is if the
non-Ortho-dox partner considers conversion. Should this fail to be
an option, and the Orthodox Christian chooses to marry outside of
the Orthodox Church, s/he will lose their good standing and will be
unable to actively practice their Orthodox faith.
Some Lingering Questions and Concerns
As I have indicated, I have received
page 14
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L-100 Honors Avramopoulosat 15th Annual Meeting
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. – The 15th an-nual Leadership 100 Conference
held Feb. 9-12, honored Greece’s minister of tourism and featured a
sports workshop with famed New York Yankees third baseman and power
hitter Alex (A-Rod) Rodriguez.
The conference also included a Fo-rum on Hellenism led by author
Nicholas Gage and his daughter, Eleni; a business forum conducted
by long-time Leader-ship 100 member and entrepreneur John
Catsimatidis and a women’s workshop by businesswoman and former
U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Barbara Spyridon Pope.
The Leadership 100 Award for Excel-lence presented to Mr.
Avramopoulos recognizes outstanding Greek Orthodox and Greek
American leaders who have excelled in their vocation and who are
committed to the advancement of Ortho-doxy and Hellenism in their
professions and in their lives.
(Since the award presentation, a re-structuring of the Greek
government took place and Mr. Avramopoulos was assigned the
portfolio of Minister of Health).
Mr. Avramopoulos also is a former mayor of Athens, Greece,
serving from 1994-2002. In 2004, he was elected to Parliament.
Major LeaguerSince his debut in Major League Base-
ball, Rodriguez has received many awards, shattered MLB records,
and become one of the premier baseball players in the league. In
addition to winning the 2005 American League MVP, he also won the
award in 2003. He is a nine-time All-Star, with seven Silver
Slugger and two Gold Glove awards.
Rodriguez fielded numerous ques-tions about his record-breaking
career in major league baseball, his youth, his business interests,
his values and his fam-ily life.
Accompanied by his wife, the former Cynthia Scurtis, the
granddaughter of a Greek Orthodox priest, he spoke of grow-ing up
in Miami where his mother worked at a Latin American restaurant,
his early devotion to baseball, which he uses as a metaphor for
life, and the courting of his wife and her Greek American
family.
He said that his marriage into one “of the most beautiful
families” changed his lifestyle and gave him direction and
ap-preciation of true values to live by, citing the advice of his
wife’s grandfather.
His wife reciprocated, calling him one of the most dedicated,
loyal and honest partners.
Archbishop Demetrios of America with departing L-100 chairman
John Payiavlas present Minister Demetris Avramopoulos with the
Award for Excellence.
D. PANAGOS
Hellenism forumNicholas Gage, former New York
Times reporter and author Nicholas Gage addressed the topic:
“Can Orthodoxy and Hellenism Survive in the American Melting Pot?”
He pointed to the unique identity of Greeks and Greek Americans who
carried the values paramount in an enlightened world, and gave
Western Civilization not only the gift of democracy, but also the
gift of the love of life or “pursuit of hap-piness.”
The author of the best-selling books Eleni and Greek Fire, was
joined by his daughter, Eleni Gage, who gave the per-spective of
women and youth, saying that mothers preserved and perpetuated
Or-thodoxy and Hellenism by passing on the language, values and
culture of their faith and heritage. The author of a new book,
North of Ithaka, she spoke of her experi-ence, recounted in the
book, of returning to her father’s native village, Lia, in Epirus,
Greece, to restore the ancestral home. Now living in New York and
an editor at People magazine, she said she learned that “you can go
home again,” but that the essence of Hellenism was to be neither
Greek nor American, but as Socrates said, “A citizen of the
world.”
General AssemblyEarlier, Leadership 100 held its Gen-
eral Assembly, introducing George Beh-rakis as the new chairman
and Stephen Yeonas as vice chairman, and reported on record-setting
assets at the end of 2005 in the Endowment Fund of $54.9 million,
the highest number of contributions, in the same period, since
2001, and grants allo-cated, including $2.5 million in 2006, now
exceeding $20 million since the inception of the organization in
1984.
At the traditional Leadership 100 Greek Night, guests of honor
were Avramo-poulos and Congressman Michael Bilirakis of Florida who
is retiring from Congress after several decades of service.
Leadership 100, formally named The Archbishop Iakovos Leadership
100 En-dowment Fund in recognition of the late Archbishop Iakovos’
vision, is a separately incorporated endowment fund support-ing the
priority needs of the Greek Ortho-dox Archdiocese of America, but
broadly dedicated to advancing the Orthodox faith and Hellenic
ideals in America, disbursing grants ranging from scholarship funds
for individuals studying for the priesthood, building an
information infrastructure and Internet ministries for the
Archdiocese, promoting Home Mission and providing assistance to
emergencies such as Septem-ber 11, earthquakes and medical
needs.
-
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2006�
NEW YORK – The Direct Archdiocesan District Clergy Laity
Assembly met for the first time in two years Feb. 6-7, with
par-ticipants coming from as far away as the Bahamas, Washington,
D.C., and Hartford, Conn.
Holy Trinity Church in New Rochelle, N.Y., was the host
parish.
About 90 delegates registered repre-senting 52 of the district’s
65 parishes.
Following the Divine Liturgy for the Feast Day of St. Photios,
the assembly convened in its first plenary session with Archbishop
Demetrios delivering the key-note address. His Eminence urged the
com-munities to meet their financial obligations, and to respond to
the needs of the Church, including the low response to a recent
sur-vey requested by the Archdiocese.
The Archbishop said the Archdiocesan district leads the other
Metropolises statis-tically in terms of baptisms and weddings “by a
long way,” but lack of proper financial support limits the
development of vital programs needed to serve the faithful.
“Let’s be a model church,” His Emi-nence said.
Delegates heard reports from Archdi-ocesan Chancellor Bishop
Savas, Bishop Andonios of Phasiane, director of St. Michael’s Home,
Director of Administration Jerry Dimitriou, Georgia Vlitas of the
district Philoptochos and Fr. Luke Melackrinos on the Youth and
Camping ministries.
Afterward, the delegates attended workshops on Digital Tools for
Parish Min-istry, Raising Parish Funds and Revitalizing Faith,
followed by committee meetings covering family and youth
ministries, Greek Education, outreach and evangelism, reli-gious
education and total commitment.
At the second plenary session, upon the recommendation of the
Rev. Dr. Robert Stephanopoulos, dean of Holy Trinity Arch-diocesan
Cathedral, that the nominees for
DiRECT ARCHDiOCESE DiSTRiCT HOLDS CLERGY-LAiTY CONFERENCE
the Archdiocesan District Council elected two years ago, be
reappointed, since the council did not meet since the previous
assembly in 2004.
They are: Nicholas Anagnostopoulos, Sts. Constantine and Helen,
West Nyack, N.Y.; Anthony Brigis, Resurrection Church, Old
Brookville (former located in Glen Cove) N.Y.; Stella Capiris, Holy
Trinity, Bridgeport, Conn.; Stephen Cherpelis, St. Nicholas,
Flushing, N.Y.; the Rev. Constan-tine Combitsis, St. Spyridon,
Washington Heights, N.Y.; Dr. Constantine Flokas, Prophet Elias,
Yonkers, N.Y.; Fr. Constan-tine Matthews, Annunciation, Stamford,
Conn.; Fr. James Moskovites, Annuncia-tion, New York; the Very Rev.
Eugene Pap-pas, Three Hierarchs, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Fr. Nicholas
Petropoulakos, Holy Trinity/St. Nicholas, Staten Island, N.Y.;
Vasilios Pipi-nos, Sts. Anargyroi, New York; Harry Rap-
takis, St. Paul, Hempstead, N.Y., Fr. Deme-trios Recachinas,
Holy Trinity, Bridgeport, Conn.; Constantine Rogdakis, Archangel
Michael, Roslyn Heights, N.Y.; Dr. George Saines, Holy Cross,
Middletown, N.Y.; Fr. Chris Talleos, Holy Cross, Middletown, N.Y.;
Fr. Elias Villis, Church of Our Savior, Rye, N.Y.; Dr. George
Zimmer, Church of Our Savior, Rye; and Fr. Peter Orfanakos, St.
Barbara Church, Orange, Conn.
Committee reports were presented at the third plenary session on
Tuesday.
In her report on Greek Education, Maria Makedon listed the
following rec-ommendations by the committee: that an expert on
school law and sexual harass-ment issues be invited to speak at the
schools, that sponsors and benefactors be located to help the
schools, that neighbor-ing schools should consider merging in the
face of declining enrollment and that
the Committee on Greek Education meet at least twice a year.
In the youth ministry report, recom-mendations included that
each parish offer a minimum of $500 to support the Camp St. Paul
Program for children who cannot afford the registration costs, and
that a standardized mandatory marriage prepara-tion program be
developed and required in all parishes of the district, developed
in conjunction with the Family Care Center at St. Basil
Academy.
The Outreach and Evangelism Com-mittee recommended that parishes
encour-age congregational participation in the services and that
each parish establish an outreach committee.
The Religious Education Committee urged that the St. John
Chrysostom Oratori-cal Festival be heavily promoted and that each
parish have an Oratorical Festival Sun-day where the priest meets
with students to discuss their topics.
The Total Commitment Committee recommended that the district
should have a staff for the ministries and activities throughout
the district, that a stewardship committee be established for the
Archdi-ocesan District and that testimonials be included from
parishioners and steward-ship committee members who pledge more
than the minimum to help inspire others and to bring guest speakers
to parishes to discuss stewardship and total commitment.
In a brief discussion of the upcom-ing Archdiocese Clergy-Laity
Congress in Nashville, Archbishop Demetrios said the congress “will
try to focus on things much more directly related to the life of
the Church, and with a focus on education, worship and
philanthropy.
The Archbishop said that “worship is a central issue and basic
way of attracting people from outside.”
ARCHBISHOP DEMETRIOS addresses the recent Archdiocese District
Clergy Laity Assembly at Holy Trinity Church in New Rochelle, N.Y.
Looking on are (l. to r.) Fr. Demetrios Moraitis ( stand-ing), Fr.
Nicholas Anctil, pastor of Holy Trinity; Bishop Dimitrios of
Xanthos and Bishop Andonios of Phasiane.
D. PANAGOS
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To the Most Reverend Hierarchs, the Reverend Priests and
Deacons, the Monks and Nuns, the Presidents and Members of the
Parish Councils of the Greek Orthodox Com-munities, the Day,
Afternoon, and Church Schools, the Philoptochos Sisterhoods, the
Youth, the Hellenic Organizations, and the entire Greek Orthodox
Family in America
Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,As we begin the season of
Great and Holy Lent, we embark upon a spiritual journey
replete with abundant opportunities for spiritual growth in
Christ.This forty-day period is a time for intensified prayer and
fasting. It is a time whereby
the Church invites us to seek the forgiveness of our loving and
compassionate God, to distance ourselves from sin, and to remain
steadfast along the path of righteousness toward His heavenly
Kingdom.
In the words of the hymnologist, it is a time for each of us “to
enter the inner chamber of our soul” (Hymn from Tuesday Matins,
Week One).
As a time for inner reflection, we approach Holy Lent with a
spirit of anticipation, for we look forward to our growth in Christ
that this period occasions. At the same time, we acknowledge that
the act of looking inward is a task that requires great
courage.
To look inward in a manner that is truly honest requires serious
labors of the mind, heart, and soul. It requires us to be willing
to encounter our own shortcomings, faults, and habits by which we
separate ourselves, intentionally or unintentionally, from the love
of God.
More than this, it requires us to correct our faults through our
commitment to genuine repentance, to metanoia, which is a complete
turning of our minds toward wholesomeness and union with God. We
engage upon this exercise not with feelings of grief, but rather
with feelings of reassurance, knowing that the grace of God has the
power to eliminate our every infirmity and to restore any level of
distance that we may have placed between ourselves and our loving
Creator.
Our task of approaching our shortcomings with honesty and
courage is fortified by prayer and by our exercise of fasting
throughout Holy Lent. As a discipline of spiritual askesis, fasting
accords us with the ability to offer our prayers to God with
sharpened focus and power, to probe more deeply into the inner
recesses of our hearts, and to rid ourselves of excess
entanglements that interfere with our ability to come closer to the
Lord.
Thus, fasting is a spiritual discipline aimed at abstaining not
simply from certain foods, but ultimately from sin itself, from any
obstacle that blocks our communion with God.
Additionally, Holy Lent is important for us because it prepares
us spiritually for the special period of Holy Week, when we
venerate Christ's saving passion and crucifixion, and His victory
over death through His resurrection.
As such, Holy Lent is a time to appreciate more fully the
unending love of God, which has permeated history since the dawn of
humanity and continues to work miracles within our contemporary
world.
This act of appreciating more fully God's love for us
complements our prayer, our commitment to repentance, and our
exercise of fasting. It also enables us to respond accordingly with
acts of love and philanthropy toward others, remembering that “by
lov-ing one another do all people know that we are disciples of
Jesus” (cf. John 13:35).
Viewed in this manner, the period of Holy Lent is not only a
period of quiet solici-tude to pray for our own reconciliation with
God; it is also a time to renew our Christian identity as people of
compassion, to intensify our efforts to pray for the peace of the
entire world, and to aid our brothers and sisters everywhere in
need, particularly in light of so many tragedies brought on by
natural disasters and armed conflict, which our world has painfully
witnessed in recent months and years.
My beloved Christians,As we embark upon this most sacred season
of our Holy Orthodox Church, I pray
that we may all look toward Holy Lent as an opportunity for
renewed spiritual growth in Christ.
Through increased opportunities for prayer and worship,
increased opportunities to receive the grace of God through the
Holy Sacraments, and intensified efforts at spiritual askesis and
almsgiving, we embark upon a journey for our building of faith and
our nourishing of love for one another.
May God provide you with strength during this journey of Holy
Lent, so that each and every day along it you may “grow in grace
and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter
3:18)
Great and Holy Lent
† Archbishop DEMETRIOS of America
With paternal love in Christ,
ARCHIEPISCOPAL ENCYCLICAL
-
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 200610
Archiepiscopal Reflections
by His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America
Overcoming the Stress of Modern Life
A Major Milestone EDITORIAL
The visit of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is now history,
but its impact will leave a lasting impression.
Making his fourth trip to the United States, more than any other
Ecumenical Patriarch, His All Holiness paid his first visit to the
Tampa Bay area, with its heavy concentration of Greek Orthodox
faithful, and to the devastated city of New Orleans.
He came to take part in a great milestone for the Church in
America, the 100th anniversary of the Epiphany celebration in
Tarpon Springs, the oldest and largest such event outside of
Greece.
In the process, Patriarch Bar-tholomew raised the status of the
event to an even greater height as, for the first time ever,
through satellite broadcast, more than 150 countries were able to
view the leaders of our Church cel-ebrate the Jan. 6 ceremonies
live.
From the moment he arrived Jan. 4 at the St.
Petersburg-Clearwater air-port, to his departure on the 8th
fol-lowing the Sunday Divine Liturgy and luncheon where he
personally greeted hundreds, the Patriarch was received with joy
and enthusiasm.
More importantly, at every venue he went, Patriarch Bartholomew
brought the spiritual message of Or-thodox Christianity to the area
and witnessed to Orthodox and non-Or-thodox alike.
And he brought the blessings of the Patriarchate not just to
those from the immediate area, but also to many
who traveled thousands of miles to see him – including
California, Rhode Island, New York Minnesota, Ohio and Alabama.
He also brought the message of love and caring to thousands of
others when he toured the city of New Orleans for several hours on
Jan. 7 and spoke of the feeling of pain he shared with the
residents and government leaders.
The Patriarch delivered more than 20 addresses to various groups
at several venues as he presented his message over a five-day
period.
Considering this was the first visit of the Patriarch to the
Tampa Bay area, the event was a resounding success.
Of everything seemed to flow ef-fortlessly, it was due to the
hard work of the hundreds of volunteers who deserve special thanks
for such an outstanding achievement.
Parishioners in the Tarpon Springs community, and those in the
surround-ing parishes, who gave of themselves, their time, and
their resources to help make this visit a reality and a
success.
Under the leadership of the Very Rev. Sebastian Skordallos and
Mr. Wil-liam “Bill” Planes, whose boundless energy brought together
many people who previously had not worked to-gether to move
enthusiastically toward the common goal.
They did their community and the Tampa Bay area proud.
Their accomplishment, indeed, was also a significant milestone,
in the Church’s ministry.
Prayer cardsEditor,
On opening the November issue of the Orthodox Observer I was so
pleased to see that the Archdiocese was distribut-ing prayer cards
to our parishes. However my pleasure was short lived when I read
the Lord’s Prayer and saw that a version with the word “trespasses”
was approved by our Holy Synod. That so many Greek Orthodox
parishes have been using this version was always appalling to
me.
The Greek word “ophileimata” has only one legitimate English
translation, and that is “debts.” Most major transla-tions of the
Holy Bible use debts and debtors, and in none of them does the word
trespasses appear in the Lord’s Prayer.
This version of the Lord’s Prayer was introduced to the United
States through the worship of many non-Orthodox Christians and was
uncritically adopted by our Orthodox parishes in the early years
when our clergy may not have had full understanding of the English
lan-guage.
Incidentally, 10 years ago the Ecu-menical Patriarch had
formally approved an English version of the Divine Liturgy, which
included the Lord’s Prayer contain-ing the words debts and
debtors.
Father Ephrem Lash, a noted transla-tor of Orthodox services,
had made an extensive analysis of the Lord’s Prayer for the
Archdiocese of Great Britain in which he concluded that the version
containing the word debts and debtors
is unquestionably correct.The Orthodox Study Bible speaks
clearly in explaining the true words, say-ing that “Debts refers
to spiritual debts: when we sin we ‘owe’ restitution to our
offended neighbor and to God.”
By definition all debts, both those created by sin as well as by
money, are an obligation requiring expiation unless they are
otherwise forgiven. It is in this context that our Lord Jesus
Christ spoke in teaching this prayer to His disciples.
Debts also express our obligation to correct the “sins of
omission” which Jesus eloquently presents in His account of the
separation of the goats and the sheep (Matthew 25:44-46).
Why would Jesus be quoted by both Matthew and Luke as having
used debts and debtors exclusively in this prayer, whereas in all
other places in the Scrip-tures the words “amarties” and
“parapto-mata” are used, and properly translated as sins and
trespasses?
Trespasses is a word that in English makes a very weak
statement.
Over my 80 years of existence I have seen our Orthodox hierarchs
and priests accept another early Anglo-Saxon phrase – “The Holy
Ghost” – which they used in their writings and worship in America
for many decades until, in the early 1960’s, that error was finally
corrected to “The Holy Spirit”.
By approving an incorrect transla-tion of the Lord’s Prayer our
Holy Synod is now perpetuating another erroneous expression.
For how many decades must we once again endure a liturgical
mistake introduced to us by the non-Orthodox world?
How can we explain and rational-ize to our faithful, our
children and our grandchildren why this version, which does not
appear in the Holy Bible, would be used in our worship?
Isn’t Orthodoxy the repository of Christ’s true words?
John P. Nasou. M.D.
Editor,With regards to the “Official Prayer
Cards,” it is fantastic to see an effort to standardize the
English version of our prayers, hymns and liturgical heritage.
However it is equally important that we
Silver Spring
break away from the shackles of the old English translation of
the 1600s and all their biases. For example the last word in the
Lord’s Prayer, “evil,” in the Orthodox tradition refers to the
“evil one,” the devil. Not to evil in general.
More importantly the old English translation is replete with
sexist transla-tions that we have the opportunity to make
right.
One would argue that in contempo-rary usage “men” and “brethren”
has really taken on a generic meaning and is not referring just to
men but to all humans. That may be, but given the choice and the
chance to do it right we should take every opportunity to convey
the true message of our heritage, a message of inclusiveness and
equal worth in the eyes of God and the Church for men and
women.
Demetri PapacostasBedford, N.Y.
In continuing our series of reflections, we have re-peatedly
emphasized that our Orthodox Christian faith is imbued with a
spirit of joy and reassuring hope, for we rest secure in the
knowledge that our victory over sin, evil, and death has been
secured by Christ.
Despite the spiritual comfort that comes from this
knowledge, however, we would be remiss if we were to overlook
and fail to consider the very real presence of stress, anxiety, and
depression in the lives of so many people.
Here, a pressing question arises: How is it that people who are
genuinely committed to living their lives in the Christian faith, a
faith which has the power to move mountains (Matthew 21:21), can
continue to experience considerable levels of stress and anxiety,
even to the point of being emotionally overwhelmed? Several answers
to this question may be offered.
As members of a highly advanced technological society, it is not
surprising that the hyper-saturation of stimuli available to us
through so many channels results not in feelings of satisfaction,
but rather in feelings of uneasiness. These stimuli place heavy
pressures upon us.
For example, popular magazines place strong pressures upon women
to “look a certain way” or upon men to “have a certain job” in
order to meet what society has deemed as “appropriate standards for
success.” These pressures are particularly heavy upon young adults
who live in an increasingly professional, complicated, and mobile
world.
For newly married couples, the balancing of work and family life
is a stress-ful adjustment indeed; and for all married couples, the
financial pressures associated with family expenses, child
education, or elderly care indeed carry enormous stress.
Our closer attention and appreciation of the invaluable remedies
offered by our Orthodox Christian Church may provide us with the
additional inner strength and wisdom that we need in order to
overcome pressures, to deal with all sorts of stressors, and to
ultimately arrive, in the midst of painful feelings, at a level of
tranquility that St. Paul describes as the peace of God which
surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7).
One of these remedies is our participation in the Sacraments of
the Church, especially our regular receiving of Holy Communion,
where we partake of the very Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Other means through which we may be recipients of the healing
grace of God are our encountering of His Word in reading the Holy
Scriptures, our prayer, our spiritual exercise of fasting,
especially during this period of Holy Lent now at hand, our
fellowship with our neighbors, and our expressions of love and
philanthropy to others in need.
This short reflection has attempted to deal with some of the
sources of stress, anxiety, and uneasiness in our lives. It is by
no means exhaustive.
It has, by way of offering two or three examples, tried to
explain concisely some of the remedies offered by our Orthodox
Church concerning these poten-tially debilitating feelings.
Ultimately, it is our faith in the God of peace and love that
constitutes the absolute remedy to any anxiety, stress, uneasiness,
or depression. It is in this spirit that I fervently pray that we
may remain confident in the love of our Lord for us always,
encouraged by the eternal joy and unlimited hope of our Christian
beliefs, and unbridled in our capacity to grow as human beings
fully alive and forever protected by His infinite mercy and
care.
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JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2006 11
Archiepiscopal EncyclicalThe Feast of the Three Hierarchs
† Archbishop DEMETRIOS of America
With paternal love in Christ,
To the Most Reverend Hierarchs, the Reverend Priests and
Deacons, the Monks and Nuns, the Presidents and Members of the
Parish Councils of the Greek Orthodox Com-munities, the Day,
Afternoon, and Church Schools, the Philoptochos Sisterhoods, the
Youth, the Hellenic Organizations, and the entire Greek Orthodox
Family in America.
Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,It is in following the
beautiful and blessed tradition of our Holy Orthodox Church
that we gather once again to commemorate the Three Hierarchs and
ecumenical teach-ers, St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the
Theologian, and St. John Chrysostom.
Through their legacy of faith, piety, and divine wisdom, these
holy Fathers have guided Christians down through the centuries
toward the true source of love and salva-tion, Jesus Christ.
It was their love for God, their experience of the presence of
Christ, their lives of prayer, and their deep theological
reflection that showed these great leaders of the Church to be
living images of Christ, abiding in Him as branches joined to the
“true vine” (John 15:1). Drawing from this omniscient and eternal
source of life and wisdom, the Three Hierarchs bore “fruit that
remains” (John 15:16).
Their witness of Christ and their service to Him and His Church
continue to this day through the record of their saintly lives,
their sermons, orations, and great theologi-cal treatises, and
through this annual commemoration by which we honor these three
great luminaries.
As bearers of divine fruit, St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the
Theologian, and St. John Chrysostom knew the significance of this
metaphor offered by our Lord Jesus Christ, and they each addressed
this in their sermons and writings as they called the faithful to
be joined to Christ and to bear the fruit of witness and
service.
In his homily on John 15, St. John Chrysostom emphasized the
continual presence of Christ with us, the true vine that is always
connected to the branches giving them life.
St. John states that Christ has shown his love to us in many
ways: He has made known to us what He has heard from the Father (v.
15); He calls us His friends and has chosen us for His divine work
(vv. 14-16); and He has granted us the greatest of bless-ings by
suffering for us.
Further, Christ shows His great love for us by “remaining
continually with those who shall bring forth fruit; for it is
needful to enjoy His aid, and so to bear fruit” (Homily 77 on the
Gospel of St. John).
St. John affirms that Christ in His great love for us has joined
Himself to us and is offering us all that we need to bear good
fruit that will lead us to salvation.
In his great treatise, the Hexaemeron, St. Basil the Great
refers to the vine, focusing on the importance of the Church, the
community of believers, in bearing good fruit.
He states that in establishing the Church, Christ “has planted
for us…apostles, proph-ets, and teachers…. He wishes that the
claspings of love, like the tendrils of the vine, should attach us
to our neighbors and make us rest on them, so that, in our
continual aspirations towards heaven, we may imitate these vines,
which raise themselves to the tops of the tallest trees” (Homily
6).
Here, St. Basil affirms the necessity of our life in the Church.
To grow spiritually and bear good fruit in our journey toward
eternal salvation, we need the community of faith and the guidance
of our divine services, teachings and traditions.
These offer us a witness of the lives of many who have attained
the heights of glory, and in our trust and imitation of those who
have gone before us we will experience an abiding communion with
Christ that will transform our lives and the lives of those around
us.
It is the witness of our faith to others that is addressed by
St. Gregory the Theologian in his Oration on the Holy Lights.
Speaking on the presence of Christ in our lives as a source of
strength and protec-tion against evil, he states that “having
guarded our soul with every care, and having appointed goings up in
our heart, and broken up our fallow ground, and sown unto
righteousness…let us speak of the Wisdom of God that has been hid
in a mystery, and enlighten others.
Meanwhile, let us purify ourselves, and receive the elementary
initiation of the Word, that we may do ourselves the utmost good,
making ourselves godlike, and receiv-ing the Word at His coming;
and not only so, but holding Him fast and showing Him to
others.”
While St. Gregory affirms the necessity of spiritual growth, he
acknowledges that our lives should direct others to Christ. If our
souls are initiated in Christ and secured to the true vine, then
our lives will offer a witness to the world by revealing His saving
presence and enlightening others with His truth.
These words of the Three Hierarchs offer deep insight into our
spiritual lives and the divine task we are called to do. To bear
fruit and offer a ministry of witness and ser-vice in this world we
must be joined to Christ, and we must be assured of His guiding
presence.
This assurance and experience of His divine presence comes
through our lives of prayer and our full participation in His Holy
Church. Through daily communion with Him and our spiritual growth
through the sacramental and didactic life of the Church, we will
bear enduring fruit in our own souls that will lead us to salvation
and eternal fellowship with our Lord.
We will also bear fruit in the lives of others as we cultivate
our souls in holiness and divine truth. Following the example of
the Three Hierarchs, “who have illumined all of the world and with
godly knowledge have watered all creation in clear and mighty
streams,” may we strive to bear fruit that will remain for our
families, our parishes, and for generations to come as a witness to
the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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What does the Sixth Psalm have to say to the hearts of a nation
entering the sixth year of the 21st century?
While many might consider the con-tent and message of the
Psalter irrelevant and out-dated, the hymns of David provide
valuable wisdom for those of us who look to the Holy Scriptures for
spiritual guid-ance.
by Rev. Dr. Frank Marangos
The Sixth Psalm for the Sixth Year of the 21st Century
The Book of Psalms of the Old Testa-ment is composed of songs of
praise that were originally sung in worship, accompa-nied by a
musical instrument. The time of their composition was primarily
before the time of the Babylonian exile, but probably ranges over
five centuries.
The authorship of 73 of the Psalms is attributed to David. The
numbering of Psalms often differ by one, the Hebrew Psalter being
one more than the Greek translation (Septuagint).
The Hebrew Psalms number 150, and are generally of three types:
(a) laments, both individual and communal, (b) hymns, and (c) songs
of thanksgiving.
Others are classified as royal psalms, some wisdom psalms, and
others defy classification. Beginning with Psalm Six the Psalter
also provides a series of seven penitential psalms (6, 32, 38,
51,102, 130, 143) that bring great comfort to a repen-tant
heart.
As we embark upon yet another New Year it would do us well to
consider the moral of the following story, which beau-tifully
conveys the timeless counsel of David’s Sixth Psalm.
While Niko was visiting his grandpar-ents during Christmas they
gave him his first slingshot. He practiced in the woods, but he
could never hit his target. As he came back to Grandma’s back yard,
he spied her pet duck. On an impulse he took aim and let fly. The
stone hit, and the duck fell dead. The boy panicked. Desperately he
hid the dead duck in the wood pile, only to look up and see his
sister watching. Sophia had seen it all, but she said nothing.
After lunch that day, his grandmother asked Sophia to help her wash
the dishes. But Sophia said that Niko told her that he wanted to
help in the kitchen today. “Didn’t you, Niko?” she asked, and
whispered to him, “Remember the duck!” So Niko did the dishes.
Later Niko’s grandfather asked if he and Sophia wanted to go
fishing. “I’m sorry,’ YaYa said, “but I need Sophia to help with
supper.” But Sophia smiled and said, “That’s all taken care of.
Niko wants to do it.” Again she whispered, “Remember the duck.” So
Niko stayed while his sister went fishing. After several days of
Niko do-ing his sister’s chores, he confessed to his grandmother
that he had killed the duck. “I know,” she said, giving him a hug.
“I was standing at the window and saw the whole thing. Because I
love you, I forgave you. However, I was wondered how long you would
try to hide your sin and let Sophia make a slave of you.”
The primary focus of the sixth psalm is the liberating grace of
sincere repentance. On the other hand, as illustrated in the
aforementioned anecdote, weakness, fear, pain and sadness are all
the consequences of mankind’s distorted nature - our unwill-ingness
to acknowledge personal sin and our dependence on God.
According to St. Gregory of Nyssa, “sin is the enemy” to which
David refers in his sixth psalm. The truly liberated are those who
rec-ognize and acknowledge that the spiritual and physical
distresses that we experience in this life are often “the result of
passions, greed, delusion, ambition, jealousy and the entire swarm
of human evils.”
“Our enemies,” Nyssa concludes, are not those that assail us
from the outside, but “domestic ones that proceed from the heart to
defile a person.”
The testimony of David’s Sixth Psalm reveals the fact that life
languishes when “our enemies” entice us to live it without God.
Perhaps this is the reason why many living in our contemporary
society often appear so miserable and gloomy. Yes, while many have
amassed great wealth, obtained degrees, risen to positions of power
and prominence, and appear self-dependent, one can discern an inner
poverty and spiri-tual hunger in the literature, film and music
that they simultaneously enjoy.
We need only peruse the titles of popular television shows such
as “Lost,” the “Dead Zone,” “Criminal Minds,” “Sex and the City”
and “Desperate Housewives” to detect the immense level of
humanity’s desperate attempt to either conceal or rationalize it’s
inner emptiness.
Where can we turn for guidance? What greater counsel can a
nation entering the sixth year of the 21st century receive than the
sixth testimony of a man who, as King of Israel, apparently had it
all!
And yet, without God, and without repentance, he described his
soul as “bro-ken ... languishing... and sorely troubled” (Psalm 6:
2-3). “I am withering away,” David laments, “O Lord, save me!”
In such a state, the psalmist casts him-self upon the
loving-kindness of God. He desires that his readers learn the truth
that a life lived in secret sin, or with undefeated injurious
habits will age the body at a far greater pace than any life lived
honestly.
Although un-forgiveness, bitterness, pride, and even
disappointment, have the ability to rot the very bones of a man,
St. Gregory of Nyssa stresses the pedagogical value of such
spiritual and physical broken-ness as routes for returning to
virtue and wholeness.
Like David, Nyssa insists that repen-tance is the essence of
such a journey whereby sin, mistakes and inadequacies are
acknowledged and forgiveness is in-herited.
Like David and Nyssa, St. John Chryso-stom emphasizes the great
opportunity that repentance affords the spiritually broken by
subdividing the process of their healing into three stages.
Using the Psalm Six as his template Chrysostom suggests that
repentance in-cludes: (a) sorrow, (b) supplication, and (c)
separation. He likens the entire process of repentance to the
healing relationship that exists between physician and patient
whereby the “wounds of sin are not ne-glected.”
Like David, we too are encouraged by Chrysostom to first develop
a sincere sense of sorrow (6:2-3, 6-7) for our condition. “My soul
is troubled,” laments David, “I am weary with morning... I drench
my bed with weeping.” Such contrition is the direct result of
honest evaluation and assessment of the presence and consequence of
sin in our lives.
By “imitating his sorrow,” writes Chrysostom, we, like David,
might receive the “medicine” of tears.
Only when sorrow has firmly taken hold, Chrysostom insists, we
will learn how to genuinely supplicate (6:4-5) the Divine Physician
for relief from our malady.
This is the second stage of repentance. Like David we will turn
from our respective sources of self-dependence to that of God.
Having turned from societal mirages that promise happiness, wisdom
and strength through curative self-mastery the suppli-
page 29
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NEW YORK – “ Your pain was and is our pain. It was felt by all
humanity,” said Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew during his visit
to hurricane-ravaged New Orleans on Jan. 7, which was featured
nationaly on New York Times’ front page. His All Holiness reminded
the world of the daunting task ahead as he prayed for the more than
a thousand lives lost to Katrina. “The city of New Orleans will be
rebuilt”, he said. “Damage will be restored. Life will blossom. Let
us build our personal lives according to the will of God; then we
will find happiness and be truly at peace.”
Accompanied by Archbishop Deme-trios of America, Metropolitan
Alexios of Atlanta, and several other hierarchs, clergy and laity,
His All Holiness had included the visit to Holy Trinity Cathedral
of New Orleans, the first Greek Orthodox commu-nity in America, as
a part of his historic visit to Tarpon Springs, Fla. for the
Centennial Celebration of Epiphany and St. Nicholas Cathedral.
Following Katrina, the visit was given even more urgency, “to
answer the need of our soul”, he said.
Fr. Anthony Stratis, cathedral dean, said Katrina’s impact on
the city, includ-ing a quarter of the community’s 500 families
whose homes were destroyed, only made the Ecumenical Patriarch more
determined to visit. Hurricane Katrina, one of the worst disasters
ever to strike the United States, also inflicted heavy
In New Orleans: “to answer the need of our soul”damage to
several other communities and scattered Orthodox faithful from
Texas to Florida.
Katrina Relief FundAccording to Bishop Andonios, direc-
tor of the Dept. of Philanthropy, as of Jan. 31, $937,379.49 has
been received by the Archdiocese from parish collections and
individuals to its Hurricane Katrina Fund.
To date, $567,000 has been disbursed leaving a balance of
$370.379.22. Bishop Andonios emphasized that “all funds will be
disbursed as each case comes to our attention.
Because of the displacements caused by the hurricane, it is
taking a long time to locate many of those in need and we
understand that there are still between 70-80 families who need
assistance.
To date, 60 families have received grants and funds have been
disbursed according to need. “It is noteworthy,” he continued,
“that many of the recipients had only received several hundred
dol-lars from the Red Cross, and $2,000 from FEMA, while most
grants from the Arch-diocese were for $5,000.”
Archbishop Demetrios sent an ad-ditional gift at Christmas and
wrote: “As you work to rebuild your lives, I trust that the funds
sent you from our Archdiocesan Hurricane Katrina Fund have been of
assis-tance to you in this period of recovery...”
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We need to substitute negative feelings with forgiveness,
reprieve and prayer. We should offer our beneficent actions to all
of our fellow human beings, even, and perhaps most particularly, to
the ones who hate, persecute and harm us.
When we examine ourselves to see whether we have it within us to
forgive and to love others, we will then realize that we are in
great need of good repentance, for we may be lacking in feelings of
kindness, and we need to cleanse the inner recesses of our hearts
of feelings and thoughts that, though we think they are permanently
etched into us, do not befit our Christian identity.
Christ is ready to accept our good repentance and to help us
spiritually regroup. The heavens rejoice when sinners repent;
indeed, great joy and feelings of freedom and relief overtake the
Christian who offers good repentance for what he is, and who wishes
for the increase of his love for God and other persons.
The soul of the person who clings onto feelings of aversion,
hatred and other cruel and non-benevolent feelings toward others
and God, on the other hand, is replete with grief and malevolence.
Such a person causes pain not only to his fellow human beings but
to himself.
In fact, the pain he inflicts upon himself is more than the pain
he inflicts upon others. The people he traumatizes and hurts may be
able to take comfort, to transform their pain into prayer and peace
in their hearts.
The person who envies, though, who hates and dislikes, who is
hostile, and who in general fights his fellow human beings, without
repenting, lives an internal suffering caused by feelings of this
kind.
The person who is not hostile toward others, but who is
indifferent toward God
Patriarch of Constantinople BARTHOLOMEW
Your fervent intercessor before God
Patriarchal Homily for Holy and Great Lentand his fellow human
beings and closes himself off from them, may end up in despair
before death. Life will have no meaning for him.
He may even feel helpless and miserable about the way he leads
his life, and he may see no hope. At some point, this person will
come into contact with the truth, and he will, inevitably,
encounter reality and repent, experiencing change.
Repentance will reveal itself in a different and real light than
he is used to knowing. If this is a person prepared to repent, and
if he is filled with hope toward God, and if he leads his life
toward the Father, he will be surprised by the reality he will
experience.
But, having been familiarized with this good repentance, he will
be empowered by its intensity and, he will fight all doubts and
throw himself in the bosom of the Father, as did the prodigal son.
He will partake of the Father’s love for which his soul was
craving.
If a person, however, was not leading the good path toward good
repentance, he will despair before the new reality for which he had
never prepared. He will turn his back to the embrace of the
virtuous God, and he will torment himself in the negation of the
love that is offered to him.
Unfortunately, life is filled with regretful, desperate, and
disappointed people who hesitate to return to the Father although
He waits for them with open arms.
The repentance of every person is inevitable.The time will
surely come for each one of us when we will find ourselves before
the
truth; then, we will realize how far away we were from the truth
during our lifetimes. We will change our minds; namely, we will
repent.
Blessed will be the one who repents the good repentance of the
prodigal son, replete with hope, for he will find himself in the
bosom of the Father. Miserable will be the one who will not change
his mind and will not repent, thus leaving himself without
hope.
He will resemble the one who admitted to handing an innocent man
over to be killed, but, nevertheless, did not ask for forgiveness
nor did he cry, but rather went away and hanged himself.
Let us listen carefully to the story of the pro