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"Today (December 4th), following the celebration of the first feast day of the Monastery of St. Barbara in their new chapel, a fast moving fire driven by high winds broke out within a mile of the monastery. The nuns and their neighbors have been evacuated.
+Benjamin"
UPDATE (December 6th) -- As of this morning, the fire has changed direction and the monastery grounds are reported to be safe and undamaged
UPDATE (December 7th)
"I heard from Mother Victoria this morning and was told the monastery still stands but is not out of danger. The hillside behind the monastery is burned and the monastery lavender field charred. So, the fire has come very close. The nuns have not been able to return so far. We are all grateful to the firefighters for their efforts to put down this very dangerous fire at the risk of their own lives. St. Barbara is the fourth monastery of our diocese to have escaped the threat of fire in recent years. It would seem fire is to become a regular feature of our lives in California as the climate changes. We ask the clergy and faithful to continue praying for the nuns.
+Benjamin"
UPDATE (December 9th)
"I received word this morning from Mother Victoria who believes she and the sisters will be able to return to the monastery today. While there will be no running water or heat due to the lack of electricity, they are grateful the they and their buildings were spared the destruction others have faced. They expect there will be ash and other byproducts of the fire to clean up. And, there is still considerable smoke in the air for now.
I have not heard if any others from among the clergy and parishioners in So. Cal. have been forced to evacuate or if their homes were destroyed. The weather reports indicate the Santa Ana winds will continue to drive the various fires throughout the coming week.
+BENJAMIN"
The community of St Anthony Orthodox Church in Bozeman, MT, along with friends from Montana and beyond, celebrated a blessed graduation October 28/29. Along with deans Archpriest Matthew Tate and Archpriest Anthony Karbo, the church celebrated transitioning from being a "mission" to being a "parish". After beautiful services, the Greeks roasted a lamb and the community celebrated God's faithfulness that has led a community that began with just a few meeting in a living room in the 90s to now--a parish that owns over 7 acres and a great building, with 100 plus on Sundays, and plans for continued growth and expansion in the glorious mountains of SW Montana. Come and visit anytime! www.orthodoxbozeman.org
Submitted by Father David Morrison
Registration opens for 2018 Youth/Camp Workers’ Conference
Atlanta, GA – The 17th Annual Orthodox Christian Camp and Youth Workers Conference will take place at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Atlanta, GA from Thursday, February 1 through Saturday, February 3, 2018. Online conference and hotel registration is now available.
“This is a great opportunity for anyone involved with or interested in camp and youth ministry to come together with like-minded people,” said David Lucs, Director of the Orthodox Church in America’s Department of Youth, Young Adult and Campus Ministry. “This annual event provides clergy, camp, and youth workers with opportunities for engaging conversation, making connections, and the sharing of ideas to help with their programs and specific needs in their home parishes.”
A number of OCA clergy and laity, including Father Daniel Hickman, Longwood, FL, Deacon Gabriel Aldridge, Atlanta, GA, and others, will be leading workshops and discussion groups. The OCA last hosted the 2016 gathering in Dallas, TX. The keynote address will be presented by Father Alexander Gousettis, Director of the Center for Family Care of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
“This year’s conference theme focuses on the place of gratitude in youth ministry,” said Natalie Nixon, Director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA. “We encourage camp and youth workers from all Orthodox parishes across North America to join us for enriching presentations and discussions for their benefit and application in their home parishes and camps.”
The theme will help camp and youth workers discover a key element of ministry that often eludes us: the “gratitude of Saint Paul” who, while struggling to establish and maintain churches, was in fact thankful for everyone and everything. Conference organizers hope that the theme will provide the inspiration and spiritual nourishment for youth workers to “abound in thanksgiving” [Colossians 2:7] in the midst of the beautiful, but often difficult, field of youth work.
The two-day event is being co-hosted by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA and the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of the USA, with the blessing of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America.
A discounted early bird registration rate is available until December 15, 2017, along with a discounted hotel rate. Detailed conference information is available online.
The Stewards of the Orthodox Church in America helps provide funding for the OCA Department of Youth, Young Adult and Campus Ministry. For additional information on the Stewards or to make a donation, please visit the OCA web site.
#orthodoxyouth #liveorthodoxy #iamorthodox #jesuschrist #training #campworkers #2018churchcamp #youthworkers #gratitude #youthwork #orthodoxcamp #orthodoxy #faithinaction #ycc2018
@ocayouth @ocaorg @goarch @orthodoxxcyouth
Facing Provocations, Thoughts, and Temptations: Taking Jesus as our Guide
Retreat at the Monastery of St John March 16, 17, and 18, 2018
Retreat leader: Monk Cosmas (Shartz)
"Now the men who held Jesus mocked Him and beat Him. And having blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face and asked Him, saying, “Prophesy! Who is the one who struck You?” And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him." (Luke 22:63 – 65)
Jesus faced a lot more temptations and provocations than the three that come readily to mind, when Satan tempted Him in the desert. The Gospels describe many more such situations, although they aren’t always clearly labeled as such. Clearly in the passage here, He is being provoked to give way to fear, anger, and shame — and perhaps other passions.
During Lenten times, we face temptations and provocations, too. As we know, they come at us even more forcefully during periods of additional fasting, prayer, and asceticism. Let’s face it, not only do evil spirits have more incentive to attack us at such times, but we ourselves are more vulnerable when we fast, because we are tired and cranky, and therefore more vulnerable!
In this retreat we will look at passages in the Gospel texts which recount provocations and temptations that came Christ’s way, seeing what passions those situations would tend to provoke, and see how He confronted His challenges, so that He can be our guide in facing the temptations and provocations we ourselves will meet in our own Lenten journey. We will look at a combination of narrative accounts of situations from the Gospels and Christ’s own teachings in His sermons and parables.
Registration information, as well as an informational flyer, will be posted to this website closer to the retreat dates.
St. Gabriel the Archangel Church in Ashland, Oregon, recently released a video highlighting the life of the parish and their ongoing efforts at constructing a permanent church building. Fr. Andreas Blom, Parish Rector, along with various "founders" and the architect of the project comment on the efforts. A beautiful flyover of the property and artist's rendering make the project tangible and immediate.
The video "I Love the Beauty of Thy House" may be viewed here.
The Mitred Archpriest Michael Margitich reposed on November 11, 2017, Veterans Day. He was born in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, on November 29, 1928 to William (Vasili) and Anna Margitich, emigrés from Carpatho-Russia. His father was a cantor in Uzhgorod before coming to the U.S.
A parishioner of Saint Elizabeth Church in Poulsbo, Washington, has published a collection of poems reflecting on death from an Orthodox Christian perspective. Dedicated to his recently departed mother, author Francis John Spillane initially wrote the poems as an effort to come to terms with an unexpected fear of life caused by her death. As he shared them over the course of a year with fellow parishioners and friends beyond the parish, he eventually realized that he had a collection large enough to fill a small volume.
The poems are reminiscent of C.S. Lewis’s famous reflection on death, A Grief Observed. In that work the apologist for “Mere Christianity” described grief as “a sort of invisible blanket between the world and me,” and in his volume Francis likewise explores the way that death creates a “fog” that threatens to separate the grieving from life, and even from the experience of God’s presence. But the insuppressible power of love—generated especially in memories about our loved ones—and the always active love of God prevent him from falling into despair. The experience of Orthodox worship and piety provides the lantern in a slow, modest, but ultimately victorious journey out of the fog and back into the light of life.
The book is entitled Good Mourning, Hopeful Night: Poems of Grieving, Healing, and Journeying to God.
See details and order here.
As a mother of loss myself, and as a birth doula having assisted several families in navigating the terrible terrain of miscarriage and stillbirth, I am drawn to encourage compassion and healing for fellow Orthodox parents who have experienced this, and raise awareness on the demographic of mourning parents who attend our parishes.
When I invited women from local parishes who have experienced perinatal loss (whether fifty years ago or in the last week) to join me in my home for an afternoon of remembering and honoring the babies we hold in our hearts, I wasn’t prepared for the volume of response I received. Many reached out to say they would like to come, or that they couldn't come but could we please include their babies in prayer, others asked if they may spread the word of this gathering to friends and relatives who have experienced loss so they can submit names as well. In truth, everyone knows someone who has experienced miscarriage or infant loss. They were all welcome to participate.
Women began gathering at 3:00 pm and had tea and cake until everyone was there. There were some books for people to browse, such as Naming the Child, by Jenny Schroedel, Walking the Labyrinth of my Heart, by Dianna Vagianos Armentrout, Expecting Adam, by Martha Beck, Becoming a Healing Presence, by Albert Rossi, and Intimate Death, by Marie de Hennezel. We sat in a circle and each woman was given a sprig of rosemary (rosemary is known as the herb for remembrance) tied with a thread of red yarn (symbolizing the grief that brings us together).
St. Spiridon Cathedral in Seattle was recently featured in the Seattle Times in a story around the beautiful bells rung to summon people to worship. The feature, including ten photos of various bell ringing activties can be found here.
To the Very Reverend and Reverend Clergy of the Diocese of the West:
In response to the terrible fires in the Santa Rosa area and the losses some of our people and those their neighbors have endured, Fr. Lawrence Margitich has established a fund through his parish to provide immediate help and assistance. Could I ask you to look at the link below and to encourage your flocks to contribute to it?
Thank you!
+Benjamin,
Archbishop of San Francisco
The Diocese of the West is the geographical district of the Orthodox Church in America consisting of the Western United States. The diocese has active parishes in Montana, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, California and Hawaii. San Francisco is home to the diocese’s cathedral, Holy Trinity, as well as the Chancery offices. The diocese is led by His Grace Vasily, Bishop of San Francisco and the West.
