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On October 16th Bishop Benjamin ordained Subdeacon George Berni to the holy Diaconate. Deacon George has been studying for this day for over the past two years in the Late Vocations Diaconal Program under the direction of Archdeacon Kirill Sokolov, and the tutelage of Fr. Gabriel Seamore, rector of Saint George the Great Martyr Church. The church was filled with almost all of the parishioner's present. The ordination service was filled with beauty and joy thanks to the new choir that was finally formed several months ago.
The sisterhood of the Monastery of the Protection of the Theotokos in Lake George, Colorado, was honored this year to be joined by Archpriest Anthony Karbo, Dean of the Rocky Mountain Deanery of the Diocese of the West, together with three other deanery priests: Fr. Lawrence Gaudreau from St. Mary Church in Calhan, Fr. Zacharias Lynch from St. Michael Church in Pueblo, and Fr. Alexander Valens, who is attached to Holy Transfiguration Cathedral in Denver, who all came to the Monastery to celebrate the Patronal Feast Day.
One more update to Delegate Book 2 has been posted; if you have already printed the full document, simply print the link labeled 17 Oct Change Pages.
Delegates are required to review the material PRIOR to the start of the Assembly; no hard copies of these books will be provided onsite at the Assembly.
On Wednesday, September 28, Maria and Demitra Sideris from St. Peter the Aleut Orthodox Christian Mission led the Kalamatiano Greek dance during an “Evening in Greece” celebration at the Prestige Assisted Living facility. St. Peter the Aleut Mission was contacted by the facility to help create the event for the residents and their guests. The Sideris family assisted with the planning of the all Greek menu and taught the crowd some Greek words. Father Peter and Mary Lynn Henry along with other parishoners dined and visited with the residents for the evening. A return visit has been schedule for a slide show of Greece. Opa!
On Sunday, September 4, the faithful of St. Paul the Apostle Church in
Las Vegas witnessed a miracle with the visit of the myrrh-streaming
Iveron Icon of the Theotokos of Hawai'i. Reader Nectarios and his wife
Ia, caretakers of the icon, were visiting Las Vegas on personal business
and wanted to know if the parish "was interested in hosting the icon."
Were we?!?
Day Four – Sunday, August 28, 2011
His Beatitude, Metropolitan KRISTOF, and the members of the OCA delegation celebrated the Feast of the Dormition on the porch of the Church dedicated to the Dormition which is located in a cemetery within the city limits of Prague. There were about 1,000 people present, mostly Czech and Russian, but it was a very pan-Orthodox gathering with Greeks, Macedonians, Serbs and others as well. At least in the urban centers, the local autocephalous Church, which embraces the Czech Republic and Slovakia, ministers to a multi-national flock. It is also noteworthy that this same cemetery is the final resting place for a number of American soldiers who perished in Czechoslovakia during WWII. Their sacrifice is remembered and appreciated to this day. Several members of a local Cossack organization were honored with medals at the conclusion of the liturgy. The Cossacks not only form an honor guard for the metropolitan, but also provide a level of security and order at large celebrations.
Wilkeson, Washington is a coal-mining town founded in the late 1870’s that lies in the western foothills of Mount Rainier. The earliest known Orthodox Christian activity in Wilkeson is linked to visits by the noted Orthodox evangelist, Archimandrite Sebastian Dabovich. Father Sebastian was born and raised in San Francisco, the son of pious Serbian parents. He was the first Orthodox priest born in the United States as well as the first one ordained in this country.
Day 3 - August 27, 2011
His Grace, Bishop BENJAMIN, and Archpriest Eric Tosi met with His Beatitude, Metropolitan KRISTOF of the Czech Lands and Slovakia and His Grace, Archbishop JURAJ of Michalovce and Košice. The hierarchs discussed the challenges and ambiguities both Orthodox Churches face in the modern world. The hour-long discussion touched upon issues in financing, education, immigration and shifts both sister churches are experiencing in the movement of Orthodox populations between rural and urban settings. It was apparent to all the hierarchs and senior clergy present that relations between the two Churches are important and necessary. At the close of their meeting, Bishop BENJAMIN presented His Beatitude, Metropolitan KRISTOF with the gift of an iPad 2 on behalf of the Orthodox Church in America.
His Eminence, the Most Reverend Dmitri, 87, retired Archbishop of Dallas and the Diocese of the South, fell asleep in the Lord at his home in Dallas, TX at 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning, August 28, 2011. His Grace, Bishop Benjamin received news of His Eminence's falling asleep during his visit to the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia.
His Eminence began his episcopal ministry in 1969 as Bishop of Berkeley, CA, auxiliary to His Eminence, Archbishop John (Shahovskoy) of San Francisco.
He served several dioceses of the Orthodox Church in America and was the first bishop of Dallas and the South. Funeral services will be celebrated at Dallas’ Saint Seraphim Cathedral.
A full biography can be read at http://www.oca.org
May Archbishop Dmitri's 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.
