Diocesan Life Recent Events at St Martin’s Chapel, West Point Spring/ Summer 2015
On September 14, 2014 it was our joy to welcome His Grace Bishop Michael once again to St Martin’s Chapel at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Serving with Vladika Michael were Archpriest Joseph Frawley, Protodeacon Paul Sokol, and the subdeacons Mark Federo, Zach Sokol and Alexander Vlachos. We were also joined by the Vlachos and Brasowski families from Christ the Saviour Church in Paramus, NJ, who added their voices to our small choir, and by the Warner family, David, Cvieta, Tatijana and Elena who have been worshiping with us for about a year. In honor of Bishop Michael’s visit, a VIP parking space was reserved for him with a sign reading: “Commandant.” Also visiting from Virginia were Col. Douglas Matty, his wife Deanna, and his sons Thomas and Johnathan. Col. Matty, a former instructor at West Point, and a special part of our chapel family, made a surprise presentation of an ipad for Father Joseph so that he may keep in touch with the cadets during those times when he cannot get to a library to check email. The photo accompanying this article was, in fact, taken with the new ipad. Following the Divine Liturgy and coffee hour, we went to the Thayer Hotel for brunch. The food was a most welcome change for the cadets, who usually eat in the Mess Hall, and the experience was enhanced by the beautiful views of the Hudson River through the windows. Vladika Michael always makes it a point to ask the cadets about
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themselves and their future plans, offering words of encouragement and support, and thanking them for their service to our country. The older cadets have met Bishop Michael before, and so they welcomed him as an old friend. The newer cadets soon relaxed and felt at ease as they had the opportunity to speak with him. We know that all of them are grateful to His Grace for visiting us several times since he became the diocesan hierarch, and they appreciate the edifying spiritual counsel which he gives in his sermons. It is readily apparent that Vladika Michael also derives much pleasure and satisfaction from meeting the cadets who will become the future leaders of the Army, and they can tell that he really means it when he says that they will be in his prayers both now, and when they graduate. After three weeks off for Christmas Break, the Orthodox cadets returned to St Martin’s Chapel on January 11, 2015 for the first service of the new semester. After the Divine Liturgy we adjourned to the Fenton Room where we had the service of the Vasilopita, the special bread made in honor of St Basil the Great. The Vasilopita, which is made by the nuns of Holy Protection Greek Orthodox Monastery in PA is very popular with our Orthodox cadets. According to tradition, the person who receives the slice with the coin will have St Basil’s blessing for the year. This year we have been blessed with two catechumens who are receiving instruction in the Orthodox Faith. We are all looking forward to the day when they will be united to Christ’s one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church, and will be numbered with His chosen flock. God willing, these will be the fourth and fifth converts received by Father Joseph during his time at West Point. May it be blessed. v
bba Cassian related: “Coming from Palestine to Egypt, I and the holy Germanus visited an elder there. Having received us as his guests he was asked by us: ‘How is it that, when you are entertaining brothers from elsewhere, you do not observe our rule of fasting as we received it in Palestine?’ ‘Fasting is forever with me,’ he said in reply, ‘but I cannot keep you with myself forever. Fasting is a useful and necessary practice, but we do it by our own choice; whereas the law of God enjoins the practice of charity as obligatory. When I receive Christ in the person of you, I am obliged to care for him with full attention. When I send you on your way, I can resume the rule of fasting, for ‘the companions of the bridegroom cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them; but when he is taken away from them, then will they fast’ [Mt 9:15] legitimately.” (Give Me A Word, SVS Press, 2014, 165)
