In isolated parishes far from the “centers” of Orthodoxy, one can develop a sense of “functional congregationalism” even while consciously affirming the hierarchical structure of the Church.  Then the Holy Synod comes to Liturgy, and you remember who you are.

The clergy of the Rocky Mountain Deanery recently received such a blessing, holding their regular meeting in concurrence with a retreat attended by our holy masters.  Merely seeing our bishops standing together in a local temple for Liturgy was tremendous reassurance that we’re part of something greater than ourselves.

Coffee hour was likewise rewarding, if more subtly.  Even priests can find bishops intimidating.  So when you take your plate to a table far from where the hierarchs are eating, you don’t expect your primate to sit down across from you, much less strike up a conversation.  Ordinary gestures can sometimes be the most revealing.

Before departing for their retreat, Metropolitan Jonah and Bishop Benjamin spent a few moments with our deanery brotherhood.  His Beatitude spoke of the tremendous growth in the South and West, the difficulties facing our brethren in demographically and economically declining areas of the country, and the impending North American Episcopal Assembly.

Strengthened by their faith in the Holy Spirit’s perpetual guidance of the Church, we proceed after their departure to reflect on a number of quotes from St. John of Kronstadt’s On the Priesthood.

Particularly meaningful for us were his admonition to avoid even a shadow of anger or wounded feelings towards anyone, and his reminder that our priesthood is actually the priesthood of Christ ministering through us.  There can be no competition among clergy, except over better allowing Christ’s ministry to manifest itself in our own.

In this fraternal spirit, we formally welcomed our new brother, Archpriest David Lowell, to his first, official deanery meeting.  Father David introduced himself by sharing the abridged version of his autobiography, including his conversion.

He was attracted to the mysticism of Orthodoxy, which he found in the former Holy Order of MANS, the precursor to the Christ the Savior Brotherhood that entered canonical Orthodoxy roughly a decade ago.  After initially working on a mission in Georgia, Fr. David’s aptitude for social work led to his trading places with the priest then serving San Francisco’s Raphael House.

With Fr. David soon stepping down from the helm of that shelter to serve full time as rector of Denver’s Transfiguration Cathedral, the brethren were curious what would become of the Orthodox influence at Raphael House.

Having encountered this concern before, Fr. David responded by placing the onus of responsibility back on us.  Any attempt to maintain institutional “control” over a Church-affiliated entity through mere policies will ultimately prove unfruitful.  No such mechanisms can substitute for the only effective influence – active involvement in the work being done.

Archpriest Daniel Jones then spoke in characteristically mellifluous manner on the topic of life and death in light of Pascha.  As demonstrated in the writings of St. Ephrem the Syrian, theology is often better expressed in poetry than prose.  Father Daniel’s words were testimony to that.

He reminded us of the once foreboding specter of Sheol/Hades, a netherworld characterized more by regret than fear.  Sheol once swallowed all who left this life, saint and sinner alike, yet what troubles us about our departure isn’t so much the pain of death as the pain of leaving life.

Like a skeletal tree with one green branch clinging tenuously to life, or a wounded animal struck by a car and quivering to regain its feet, we have an innate thirst to stay here.  Yet if Sheol was a shadow of our own world, this life itself pales in comparison with the life to come.

Priest Barnabas Powell spoke about parish history, focusing more on the importance of the discipline than on specific anecdotes.  After a century of “laboring in the mines and mills,” as the hymns of All Saints of North America remind us, the Orthodox community in Colorado has surely produced some of those “saints known only to God.”  Their story is our direct link to sacred history.

With the aid of a Russian parishioner, Fr. Barnabas has overseen the translation and cataloguing of his parish’s 4,000+ metrical records, and he emphasized the many uses of these artifacts.  An expression of the Church’s vocation to “remember,” they help maintain accurate commemoration lists for memorial services, meet requests for genealogical research, and can assist in formulating funeral homilies for long lost Orthodox (by linking their story to the Church’s).

At a future meeting, Fr. Barnabas may share some articles about the early years of Colorado Orthodoxy that he’s discovered in the archives of Pueblo’s Chieftain newspaper.

Given his Baptist background and zeal for evangelism, Priest John Armstrong was a logical choice to share some thoughts on witness.  Keeping in mind that we are always providing some form of witness, for good or ill, Fr. John emphasized the importance of relationships.

Studies have shown that regardless of all the outreach “techniques” out there – programs, food booths, newspaper adds, etc. – the overwhelming majority of people who visit and join a church do so because of a relationship; because a friend or relative invites them.

If we can energize the faithful to take seriously the scores of opportunities they have within their circles of friends and family, their simple yet dynamic invitations would be infinitely more effective than any prepackaged initiatives we might create.

Priest Lawrence Gaudreau closed the afternoon with a review of the new book, Dragon’s Wine and Angel’s Bread: The Teaching of Evagrius Ponticus on Anger and Meekness, by Gabriel Bunge.  To anyone familiar with the writings of St. John Cassian or St. John Climacus, much of Evagrius’ teaching – as distilled by the Benedictine Bunge – will be familiar.  That’s ironic, given that Evagrius preceded them and was foundational in their own works before posthumously falling from favor due to his association with Origen.

Father Lawrence’s review was thorough, but equally memorable was the disclaimer that preceded and concluded his talk: “As Father Hopko once said to me, ‘You can’t say you’ve read a book until you’ve read it three times.’  Since I’ve only read this book twice, I can’t actually say I’ve read it.”

With Syosset and even San Francisco sometimes seeming worlds away, one can indeed feel “out on the frontier” in the Rockies.  It helps when the Holy Synod comes for Liturgy, but on second thought, perhaps the deanery – an underappreciated unit of the Church – is itself a source of sufficient support.