The Latest News in the Diocese
Colorado Prison Ministry
When we hear our Lords words in Matthew 25, “I was in prison, and you came to Me,” we don’t imagine ourselves finding a prison with a large population of Orthodox Christians to visit. Well, that is exactly what Fr. John Armstrong, rector of St. Herman Orthodox Church in Littleton, CO found. Hidden in the farm fields of eastern Colorado, yet accessible to the Denver Airport, the Hudson Correctional Facility is part of the Alaska Department of Corrections. With almost 1000 prisoners it is estimated that as many as 250 of them grew up in an Orthodox Church.
Groundbreaking for Chapel at St. Barbara’s Monastery
On Lazarus Saturday, April 16th, 2011, His Grace, Bishop Benjamin, presided at the ground-breaking for a chapel dedicated to St. Barbara and St. Eugene at St. Barbara Monastery in Santa Paula, CA. For over five years, the monastic community has used the large living room of their house as a chapel. But this arrangement, while workable, is far from adequate and has always been understood to be temporary.
Southern Colorado Mission Vespers 2011
Each year the pan-Orthodox faithful throughout Colorado visit each others' parishes on the Sunday evenings of Great Lent. We begin with all parishes gathering in Denver at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation. Twenty clergy and hundreds of faithful gathered on the "Sunday of Orthodoxy" evening for prayer, worship, fellowship, and to hear Fr. Martin Ritsi of OCMC make a presentation. The rest of the Lenten Sunday evenings are participated in by "region": north, central (Denver Metro) and south. The southern parishes take an offering at each service which helps support our annual Project Mexico trip (number 16!) by sponsoring one of the local clergy to participate. Fr. Lawrence of St. Mary's in Calhan is our 2011 clergy trip leader. This video presentation is our attempt to share our life and experience with the rest of the diocese!
View video
Japan Fund Update
As we entered the time of the Great Forty Days, we learned of the terrible earthquake in Japan and the subsequent tsunami that devastated the region around Sendai. The Sendai area was a focus of the missionary work of St. Nicholas of Japan. Several Orthodox churches were damaged and one totally destroyed in the March 11 earthquake.
Bishop Benjamin asked the parishes of the Diocese of the West to take up a collection to aid the Church of Japan at this time of crisis. To date $26,934.92 has been collected from throughout the diocese. The diocesan treasurer, Mrs. Mary Caetta will be transmitting the funds to Japan this week to help the various parishes rebuild. Bishop Benjamin is grateful for the generosity of the clergy and faithful of the Diocese of the West and hopes that our small gift will help our Orthodox brethren at this critical time. We wish them a joyous Pascha and embrace them with the Paschal kiss.
MEMORY ETERNAL: Deacon Michael Savko
Deacon Michael Savko, serving at St. Herman Church in Oxford, CA, fell asleep in Lord on April 12 after a long illness. The schedule for his services, all at St. Innocent Church in Tarzana, CA, is as follows:
Thursday, April 14, 7:00 pm
Panikhida
Friday, April 15, 10:00 am
Burial Service and Interment
For more information, please call Father Paul Waisenan at (805) 901-5437.
Memory Eternal to the servant God, the Deacon Michael.
NorCal Lock-in Set
The annual "lock-in" for Northern California teens has been set for May 6-7, 2011, hosted by St. Christina's Mission in Fremont. Registration is $15 or $10 with sibling and must be in no later than April 30.
For information contact Fr. Michael Anderson at (510) 333-8814 or by email:
frmichael@stchristinaorthodox.org
Download information poster
Download registration form
Secretary of Holy Synod addresses recent Washington Post article
SYOSSET, NY [OCA] -- On behalf of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America, His Grace, Bishop Tikhon of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania, sent a letter dated March 22, 2011 to Julia Duin of the Washington Post in response to an article focusing on His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah, that appeared in print two days earlier.
Resolution on OCA Current Events
of the Diocesan Council of the Diocese of the West
Adopted March 29, 2011
Whereas, the Diocesan Council of the Diocese of the West affirms the conciliar nature and polity of the Orthodox Church as expressed in the Holy Canons and the Statute of the Orthodox Church in America; and
Canonical Bishops in the West Celebrate Sunday of Orthodoxy
His Grace, Bishop Benjamin, hosted the annual gathering of the Canonical Bishops in the West for a Sunday of Orthodoxy Liturgy at Holy Virgin Mary Cathedral in Los Angeles. Pictures are available at:
http://www.antiochianladiocese.org/news_110314_3.html
Teddy Bear Roundup
Parishioners from St. Peter the Aleut Orthodox Church in Lake Havasu City, AZ organized a “Teddy Bear Round-up” during the month of February to help benefit the local disaster relief efforts of the American Red Cross. The parish collected dozens of new, soft, cuddly stuffed animals to help the Red Cross replenish its supply of “luvies” that are given to help calm frightened children in disasters.