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“At that time, the sons of Israel walked away from that place, every man to his tribe and his family. And they went out from there, every man to his inheritance. In those days there was no king in Israel. A man did what was right according to his own vision.” (Judges 21:24-25)
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His Name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
NATIVITY OF THE LORD 2016
To the Reverend Clergy and Faithful of the Diocese of the West
Dearly beloved:
Christ is Born! Glorify Him!
The haunting last verses of the Book of Judges sum up the state of creation. All went to their own tribes; all went to their own inheritances. There was no king in Israel, because they had forgotten the only King they had ever known. So every person did what was right according to his own vision. Paradise was gone. The inheritance promised to Abraham and his descendants was no more real to them than a lottery jackpot is to us.
But God did not abandon His creation or His people. For a Child is born, a Son is given, and the government was placed upon the shoulders of the King who came to reclaim what was His from before time began. In the quiet of a cave, surrounded only by animals and shepherds, the One who is without beginning begins to be. The One who cannot be contained comes forth from the Virgin’s womb, which is more spacious than the heavens. And the only Gift the world has ever needed has been given.
Ashland, OR (DOW) - Thanks to the generosity of kind benefactors, we are pleased to announce a dollar-for-dollar matching grant, up to $20,000. From now until Pascha, every donation to the building fund of Archangel Gabriel Orthodox Church will be matched! Don’t miss this opportunity. Your $50 donation becomes a $100 donation. Your $500 donation becomes a $1,000 donation!
The best way to give is by sending a check to the church. Kindly make the check out to “Archangel Gabriel Orthodox Church,” and be sure to write “Building Fund” on the memo line.
You may send the check to: Archangel Gabriel Orthodox Church, PO Box 823, Ashland, OR 97540.
You may also give online, although be aware that a percentage of your donation will be taken out for administration fees.
UPDATE! VERY GOOD NEWS: The matching grant between now and Pascha (for our Building Fund) has increased by $10,000, bringing it to a total of $30,000! As of right now we have received $13,858 of that. Thank you for all your generous donations. May God bless you!
The Orthodox Monastery of All Celtic Saints (www.mullmonastery.com) is sponsoring a pilgrimage to the Celtic Islas of Scotland anbd Northumberland July 23-August 1, 2017. The cost is $1,600.00 per person.
The week of the pilgrimage we are spending in the Scottish Isles costs 1600 dollars per person. This includes:
- accommodation on the Isle of Mull for the entire period;
- three rented cars for our use on Mull (which we shall have to drive);
- this also covers the transport from Glasgow to Oban, as well as gettig from Scotland to Northumbria.
- all food (breakfasts, dinners and packed lunches);
- entries to all visited places;
- three ferries (one to to Mull; two to Iona);
- a private-hire motor boat (to take us to St Brendan’s Isle);
- a private-hire sailing boat (to take us to St Kenneth’s Isle).
The cost is built on the assumption that there will be eight paying pilgrims (two families, sharing double-bed rooms; and four singles, sharing rooms with two single beds).
On October 29, 2016, St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Portland, Oregon held a workshop entitled "A Christian Ending to Our Life." The Pan-Orthodox event was designed to provide participants with an opportunity to discuss end-of-life care planning and learn about various resources to help them make their wishes known. This included providing everyone with cards from the Go Wish Game in addition to utilizing the Conversation Starter Kit.
The workshop emphasized the importance of including family members of all generations when discussing end-of-life concerns. This is because talking about death not only allows for improved healing after incurring a loss of a loved one, but it also helps avoid conflict once a family member becomes ill and is unable to communicate their wishes.
Follow the steps of Jesus from the Annunciation to the Resurrection: Nazareth, Capernaum, Sea of Galilee, Samria, Mount Tabor, Mount of Olives, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jordan River, and Jacob's Well. The tour will be led by Father Matthew Tate.
Tour cost: $3900. Tour application can be downloaded on the tour website.
Call Michael Alyas for more information or reservations: (503) 888-6117 or (503) 919-4501.
Deacon Nicholas Denysenko, assigned to Saint Innocent Church in Tarzana, California, and associate professor of theological studies at Loyola Marymount University, announced the publication of his new book, Theology and Form: Contemporary Orthodox Architecture in America by Notre Dame Press.
From UNDPress: How do space and architecture shape liturgical celebrations within a parish? In Theology and Form: Contemporary Orthodox Architecture in America, Nicholas Denysenko profiles seven contemporary Eastern Orthodox communities in the United States and analyzes how their ecclesiastical identities are affected by their physical space and architecture. He begins with an overview of the Orthodox architectural heritage and its relation to liturgy and ecclesiology, including topics such as stational liturgy, mobility of the assembly, the symbiosis between celebrants and assembly, placement of musicians, and festal processions representative of the Orthodox liturgy....
On October 12-13, 2016 His Eminence, Archbishop Benjamin, and His Grace, Bishop Daniel, gathered together with faithful clergy and laity from throughout the Diocese of The West at Holy Virgin Mary Cathedral in Los Angeles for the annual Diocesan Assembly. The Diocesan Council met on Tuesday, October 11, to finalize the agenda of the assembly and address any last minute business. Vespers was served for those who had already arrived.
On Wednesday morning, the Assembly began with the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, presided over by Archbishop Benjamin, with Bishop Daniel, the Diocesan Chancellor, Archpriest Ian MacKinnon, the Deans of the diocesan deaneries and Archpriest Nazari Polataiko, Dean of the Cathedral. Present during the whole assembly was the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God “Abbess of the Mount Athos” and holy relics of St. Gabriel of Mt. Athos accompanied by Archpriest Volodymyr Solomaha and Mr. Volodymyr Telizhenko from Ukraine. An Akathist to the Mother of God of Mt. Athos was served on Wednesday evening.
Tempe, AZ (OCA)
This Nativity season, all are invited to enter more deeply into the “great mystery” of the relationship between Christ and His Church (Eph 5:30) as reflected in the high calling of God for husbands and wives in Christian marriage. The webinar retreat will be based on Fr. Josiah’s lecture series, “The Good Husband and the Good Wife: Five Lectures on the Christian Ideal.” The event will take place Saturday, November 19th, 2016 from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm Arizona Time.
Fr. Josiah, an archpriest in the Antiochian Archdiocese, is an internationally sought after speaker and champion of marriage and family life. He is the founder and director of Patristic Nectar Publications, an organization dedicated to "nourishing the spiritually thirsty with the sweet teachings of the Holy Fathers." Fr. Josiah is the author of numerous articles and books such as “Marriage and Virginity According to St. John Chrysostom” and “Rock and Sand: An Orthodox Appraisal of the Protestant Reformers and Their Theology.” Fr. Josiah's weekly homilies and theological reflections are listened to by thousands around the world on The Arena podcast on Ancient Faith Radio.
With the blessing of His Eminence, Archbishop Benjamin, a practicum for deacons and subdeacons — and those aspiring to serve in those ministries — has been scheduled for January 13-15, 2017. The divine services and workshops will be held at Ss. Peter & Paul Church, Phoenix AZ. His Grace, Bishop Daniel and Archdeacon Kirill Sokolov will lead the sessions. Registration is required and more information is available on the registration form here.
A longer annual Diaconal Liturgical Practicum is scheduled every summer by the Orthodox Church in America. Shorter weekend practicums such as this year’s are scheduled almost every other year at the initiative of His Eminence in the Diocese of the West. These workshops facilitate the celebration of the divine services in good order and create opportunities for deacons and subdeacons to work together and get to know one another and the hierarchs.
For questions, please contact Archdeacon Kirill Sokolov at dvp@oca.org.
Protodeacon Alexis Washington, who was attached to Saints Peter and Paul Church in Phoenix, fell asleep in the Lord on Sunday, October 2, 2016 following a lengthy battle with cancer.
Born in Chicago, IL on July 26, 1948, he completed the Orthodox Church in America’s Late Vocation Program in 1997, after which he was ordained to the diaconate on January 31, 1998 by His Grace, Bishop [later Archbishop] Job at Holy Trinity Cathedral, Chicago, IL. He was elevated to the dignity of Protodeacon by the Holy Synod of Bishops in 2004. He faithfully served the cathedral community until December 2005, when he was attached to Saints Peter and Paul Church.
Visitation will begin at Saints Peter and Paul Church, 1614 East Monte Vista Road, Phoenix, AZ at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, October 7. The Funeral service will be celebrated at 7:00 p.m. On Saturday, October 8, the Divine Liturgy and Panikhida will be celebrated at 9:00 a.m., followed by interment at Holy Redeemer Cemetery. A luncheon will be served at the parish hall after the interment.
Additional information will be posted as received. May Protodeacon Alexis’ memory be eternal!
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.
