Orthodox Observer - August 1997

1922

VOL. 62 NO. 1132

19 9 7

AUGUST 1997

http://www.goarch.org/goa/observer E-mail: observer@goarch.org

Administrative Changes at Hellenic College/Holy Cross Bishop Methodios Speaks out for the School BROOKLINE, Mass. Hellenic Col- lenic College/Holy Cross over the past sev- also offered their support to the Archbishop lege-Holy Cross School of Theology has ex- eral years were presented to the group in a by Rev. Christopher Metropoulos, President perienced a decisive transition over the past thorough and clear way. Past presidents of of the APC, on behalf of constituent memmonth with the naming of a new president the School, Bishop Iakovos of Chicago, and bers. and the reassigning of several noted admin- Bishop Methodios of Boston, offered their A separate communication was reistrators and faculty members in keeping reflections on past administrative problems ceived from the His Grace Bishop Nicholas with Archbishop Spyridon s goal to re-in- which they had encountered during their of Amissos, of the Carpatho-Russian Orthovigorate the school s mission by placing respective administrations. dox Diocese of the Ecumenical Throne in greater emphasis on priestly vocations and Bishop Methodios expressed his feel- America (see related article). In his letter to the pastoral need of the Church in America ings about these changes to the Observer Archbishop Spyridon, Bishop Nicholas The appointment of Bishop Isaiah of as being in the best interests of the School. wrote: Like Your Eminence, I too head up Denver, a graduate and former administraHe added, the Archbishop s vision and a theological school, Christ the Savior Semitor of the School, as president, has brought plans for the Church and the development nary, which is nearly as old as Holy Cross. to a conclusion a number of chronic inter- of our parishes depend greatly on the abil- Although our school is smaller, serving the nal administrative difficulties. needs of a smaller population, its His Eminence, after receiving purpose is the same as Holy Cross: ... my main concentration will be scores of requests from clergy, facto train and produce faithful, loyal, ulty, administrators and students, competent, pious priests to serve on stressing the original mission of consulted with the Members of the the people of God. We are well Holy Synod and clergy before initiaware that Holy Cross has been the school which is the preparation ating action to resolve the problems. plagued with all kinds of difficulties of priests for the parishes of our His Eminence Archbishop for some time now. We know that Spyridon invited Bishops, trustees of you have acted not only in the inArchdiocese in the United States.

Hellenic College-Holy Cross, current terests of the School, but in the inBishop Isaiah of Denver school officials, two former presiterests of the future of Orthodoxy President of Hellenic College/Holy Cross dents, and members of the Archdioin America. We stand on the verge cese Legal Committee to the Archof an Orthodox spiritual re-awakSchool of Theology diocese headquarters in New York ening in America, but only if we are on July 19 to discuss and outline the faithful to the patristic, canonical changes. ity of Hellenic College/Holy Cross School and traditional path which our Holy EcuAdministrative changes include: of Theology to offer the very best possible menical Patriarch Bartholomew is leading us Bishop Isaiah has succeeded the Rev. preparation, academic and spiritual, to on. We know that Your Eminence is directAlkiviadis Calivas as president. Father tomorrow s priests and lay leaders. Addi- ing your every effort towards bringing all the Calivas will continue as professor of litur- tionally, commenting on the decisive action American flock into that path and way of gics at the Seminary. of Archbishop Spyridon in an interview with salvation. Under the leadership of Your The Rev. John Chrysavgis, has suc- the daily newspaper Proini (see other col- Eminence as the Exarch of His All Holiness, ceeded the Rev. George Dragas as the dean umn) Bishop Methodios responded: The we will cut a swath wide enough for all our of the theological school. Fr. Dragas will president of the Board of Trustees of the faithful. remain at the school as a professor.

Also at the meeting on the 19th, a deInstitution is each successive Archbishop of Frs. George Papademetriou, Emmanuel the Church. As president of the Board he tailed description of the situation at the Clapsis, and Theodore Stylianopoulos have has the responsibility to care for the good School, together with future plans and opbeen reassigned to parish ministry. operation of the School where the clergy of portunities, were offered by the current At the meeting on July 19, the adminis- tomorrow are being formed.

President, Bishop Isaiah and the Rev. John trative problems which have plagued HelThe Archdiocesan Presbyters Council See HC/HC, on page 4

Young Adults Hold 15th Conference

MINNEAPOLIS Archbishop Spyridon experienced his first meaningful encounter with nearly 800 young adults who gathered at the 15th annual Greek Orthodox Young Adult Conference, July 3-7.

Reported by Anastasia Tasoulis and James C. Canelake Bishop Iakovos of Chicago, the host bishop, also took part in the program.

The conference theme was Cultivating Our Talents for the Glory of God. The Rev. Anthony M. Coniaris, retired pastor of St. Mary s Church in Minneapolis, and a renowned author set the tone for the conference in his keynote address, relating the message of Christ s gospel to the development and use of one s God-given talents.

Numerous seminars, workshops and discussions highlighted the five-day conference.

The discussion at the first seminar centered on the individual s purpose in life might be. Its aim was to bring participants closer to discovering God s plan for their lives.

Lecture topics included a variety of Christ-centered ministries - including youth

YOUNG ADULT League Conference organizers with Archbishop Spyridon in Minneapolis.

work, monasticism, mission work and iconography.

His Eminence joined the young adults in an outing at Cedar Lake, and also celebrated Divine Liturgy and personally giving the antidoron to every member of the congregation.

At a Hierarchical forum, he answered numerous candid questions about the Church s future and other key issues.

He discussed his vision for the Church - reaching out to all Greek Orthodox, improving the quality of religious education,

accommodating the growing need for English in the services without sacrificing ethnic heritage, coping with the shortage of priests and for the equitable distribution of church funds.

The Archbishop also participated in some of the recreational events with the young adults.

Bishop Iakovos, in a speech at the grand banquet, reminded the participants of the upcoming visit to America by His All Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew, who will attend a youth rally at the Naval Pier in Chicago.

Bishop Methodios of Boston was recently interviewed by the Greek-language newspaper Proini, based in Astoria, N.Y., on the administrative situation at Hellenic College-Holy Cross School of Theology and the controversy generated by the reassignment of several administrators and faculty members. The interview appeared in the newspaper s July 19-20 weekend edition.

Following is an English adaptation.

PROINI: Your Grace, as former President of Holy Cross and, moreover, as Boston Diocese bishop, what is your opinion of this controversy at the School?

METHODIOS: I am deeply pained over the situation, as are the Greek Orthodox faithful of New England. The reports in the Greek press and, most especially, in the American press bring us no honor. Our people are scandalized and this is not to our advantage. It is unacceptable that a School official who has benefited greatly from this institution and from the Church, should take it upon herself to denigrate the School not only in the papers, but with the educational authorities and with the Attorney General of Massachusetts. I believe that the Omogenia, the Archdiocese and Ecumenical Patriarchate are in a position to face the School s problems and solve them. At one time, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew characterized this unique institution of higher education as the backbone which holds the Body of our Church upright.

Consequently, it is an institution of the Church whose purpose is to prepare spiritual leaders for the communities of the Holy Archdiocese of America. The Archbishop serves as president of the Board of Trustees and has responsibility for the School s efficient operation, so that it can prepare the clergy of tomorrow.

PROINI: Do you know if the reports of the alleged sexual episode involving certain students were accurate?

METHODIOS: I will not engage the rumors and complaints you raise in your question about a so-called sexual episode because I believe that slander, or as we say, koutsobolio (vicious gossip) has taken up

See INTERVIEW, on page 4

ORTHODOX OBSERVER

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A R C H D I O C E S E

AUGUST 1997

N E W S

National Youth Office Responds to Archbishop s Vision for Youth In his first Youth Ministry Summit meeting on May 29, His Eminence Archbishop Spyridon called all involved in Youth Ministry to unite and work together in a spirit of unity and cooperation aimed at strengthening and developing youth programs and ministry across the country. With the assistance of

By Fr. Anastasios Bourantas priests, diocesan and parish Youth Directors, the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry is beginning to lay the necessary groundwork which will enable the Archbishop s vision to unfold and materialize.

Currently under works and nearing completion is the Orthodox daily organizer and calendar, The Planner. The 1997-1998 Planner is focusing on the visit of His All Holiness Patriarch Bartholemew in October/ November. Coinciding with the visit of His All Holiness, the theme of The Holy Wisdom of God has been chosen as a means

Inside Archdiocese News 2-5 Challenge 19 Classified Ads 20 Diocese News 21 Ecum. Patriarchate 6-7 Glory of Orthodoxy 24 Greek Section 11-14 Leadership 100 5 National & World Review 22 Obituary 5 Of Special Interest 17 Opinions 8 Orthodoxy Worldwide 16 Parish Profile 17 Relating to the Faith 18 Tell Me Father 9

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of spiritual enlightenment as well as a vehicle to educate Orthodox Christians about the rich history and wisdom of the Holy Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and the church of the Hagia Sophia.

In addition, the Youth Ministry Challenge section of the Orthodox Observer is taking on new form focusing on the spiritual growth and education of its readers. The Youth Ministry Challenge will feature monthly headlines relevant to youth, parents and youth workers such as Saints & Feasts , Living the Liturgy , Raising Your Children in Christ , and For those who are Called...

Youth Ministry Resource.

Also being planned by the Youth Office is an annual Lenten/Pascha Retreat packet which will be distributed to all parishes by February of 1998 to help assist and facilitate J.O.Y., G.O.Y.A. and Y.A.L. retreats.

Convening on September 22-23, 1997, in Chicago, Illinois, there will be a followup Youth Ministry Summit meeting with the Chancellor of the Archdiocese, Fr. George Passias, the Archdiocesan Youth Director, Fr. Anastasios Bourantas, and all the diocesan youth directors whose objective will be to discuss the implementation of the following: Camping programs which will function based on a common theme across the country.

Re-evaluate the program guidelines for G.O.Y.A. and J.O.Y. which will foster spiritual as well as athletic and social growth.

This will include providing suggested topics and activities focusing on a specific spiritual theme to be discussed and developed with young people throughout the course of the year s program.

Compile data base of all youth and youth ministry workers in the Archdiocese for future correspondence and mailings from His Eminence Archbishop SPYRIDON and the National Youth Office. These names will be provided by the local parish priests and Diocesan and Parish Youth Directors.

Provide Youth training resources and opportunities to all parishes to assist all youth workers in their ministry with young people.

Provide opportunities for college students to become involved in Young Adullt activities as well as local parish functions, through mailings and the internet.

Based on the guidance and vision of His Eminence Archbishop SPYRIDON, the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry is working to provide structure to the Church s youth programs. Its main concern is to offer all those involved in Youth Ministry the resources necessary in implementing programs which will allow our young people to learn about and grow in their faith, thus, encouraging them to become active and vibrant members of the Church. Through prayer, unity, and hard work we are confident that the Archbishop s vision will soon become a reality. * Fr. Anastasios Bourantas is the National Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries.

WELCOME TO THE

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Presents proclamation New York Gov. George Pataki presents His Eminence with a proclamation at a reception in his honor in late June.

(D. Panagos photo)

At Tomb of Unknown Soldier Archbishop Spyridon prepares to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery during a June visit to the Washington area. He was in the Washington area the weekend of June 28-29 in connection with the convention of the Pan-Cretan Federation of America.

(D. Panagos photo)

Archdiocese Chancellor Requests More Names for Observer List

In his efforts to reach out to all Greek Orthodox Christians, Archbishop Spyridon recently asked Fr. George Passias to send the following letter to all parish priests requesting that they send the names of all lapsed Greek Orthodox and former parishioners in their communities so that they may be added to the mailing list of the Orthodox Observer.

My dear Brother in Christ, Praying that you are enjoying the blessings which come to us from above in your priestly ministry, I greet you in the name of the Lord.

As priests, we all share in the call to spread the Gospel to all people everywhere.

It is our holy duty to use every available means and resource to preach the truth of Christ and His Church to a world which thirsts for righteousness. It is the desire of the Archdiocese to communicate with as many faithful as possible throughout this country whether or not they are officially enrolled in the membership lists of our parishes It is incumbent on us as a church to reach out to every soul, whether they have strayed from the Church, or possibly, if the Church over the years has not outreached sufficiently to them. Therefore, in an ever increasing effort to embrace the entire flock, His Eminence Archbishop Spyridon has directed me to ask all clergy to forward to the Archdiocese all lists of names of Greek Orthodox Christians who are not officially inscribed on parish rosters. As an example, if

your parish has 400 contributing stewards whose names and addresses you forward to the Archdiocese, yet you have another 150 names of people who at one time or another were stewards of your parish but are not currently active, I ask that you please, as soon as possible, forward to my office the list of these 50 names.

We, at the Archdiocese are attempting to reach through the Orthodox Observer as many people and families as possible in order to bring closer together the families of the Church and begin an outreach to as many souls as we can. Let us together contribute to informing and edifying as many people as we can, so that we may strengthen the Church and actively proclaim the message of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Thanking you in advance for your cooperation and extending to you the love and blessings of His Eminence, I remain, With brotherly affection, Rev. George G. Passias Chancellor

Correction

A photo in the Diocese News column on June 5 titled, Atlanta Clergy-Laity Conference Held in Boca Raton in Mid-May, misidentified the Boca Raton parish president and his wife. He is Mr. George S. Regas and wife Anna.

AUGUST 1997

ORTHODOX OBSERVER

A R C H D I O C E S E

Archbishop Visits Carpatho-Russian Diocese

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. The majestic strains of Dostojin Jest echoed once again through the halls of Christ the Savior Cathedral as more than 500 persons greeted His Eminence Archbishop Spyridon, Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, as he entered the church.

By Fr. Lawrence Barriger This was the first time an Exarch of the Patriarchate made a formal visit to the Diocese since Archbishop Iakovos in 1983 for the installation of diocesan Archons, in 1984, for the funeral of Bishop John of blessed memory and for the enthronement on April 19, 1985, of His Grace Bishop Nicholas.

It is a great blessing to be here since this marks the first time as the Archepiscopal representative of His All Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, I come to visit my beloved brother Bishop, His Grace Nicholas and the faithful Christians under his spiritual care. It is a blessing because this gathering with Carpatho-Russians, Greeks, all of us Americans, truly reflects the Ecumenical Church of which His All Holiness is the head.

Different cultures, different liturgical rubrics and customs, different languages, but the same Orthodox faith, the same Christian witness, the same spiritual father and thus one and only one ecclesia. Since my

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N E W S

The Legacy of Athenagoras I ON

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his year the Greek Orthodox of America are observing several an niversaries and milestones: The 75th Anniversary of the granting of the first charter by the Ecumenical Patriarchate through which the Greek Orthodox Church in North and South America was proclaimed an Archdiocese (1922); the 65th Anniversary of the Founding of the Philoptochos Society (1932); and the 60th Anniversary of the Founding of the Holy Cross School of Theology (1937).

By Fr. George Papaioannou, Th.D.

ARCHBISHOP SPYRIDON, flanked by the Very Rev. John Heropoulos (l), and His Grace Bishop Nicholas of Amissos, celebrate Vespers at the Carpatho-Russian Cathedral.

At the vestibule, Bishop Nicholas presented Archbishop Spyridon with the Cathedral handcross as a sign of recognition of His Eminence s office as Exarch of the Mother Church.

The traditional bread and salt, symbols of hospitality and welcome, were presented by the lay trustees of the Cathedral and Diocese.

At the conclusion of the vespers, Bishop Nicholas addressed the Archbishop, saying, Today, the joy of the Carpatho-Russian faithful of the Ecumenical Throne is made complete, because for the first time in over 12 years, we behold the Exarch of our Holy Mother, the Great Church of Christ, standing in our midst ... I entreat you, Your Eminence to look around this great cathedral and behold the exaltation, the delight, the happiness, that your presence has brought into our midst today.

His Grace mentioned that it was from the Great Church of Constantinople that the Carpatho-Russian people had received the Orthodox faith of the Apostles through the hands of Sts. Cyril and Methodios.

Following Bishop Nicholas address, Archbishop Spyridon spoke to the gathering.

enthronement , His Grace Bishop Nicholas has been a faithful supporter and friend; always ready to come to my assistance as I learn the ropes, as they say, in my new assignment.

I am appreciative of that support and friendship. Together, we have built upon the good relationship of our two communities and strengthened our bond so that when our beloved Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew arrives in the fall, he will see not two communities, but with all the other dioceses under his spiritual jurisdiction, one community thriving under its cultural diversity. I thank you all for adding to this oneness; I thank you all for the steadfastness of your faith; I thank you for this welcome that you have given to me. Indeed, having been here this evening, I look forward with more anticipation to our visit here in November with His All Holiness, who tonight sends his blessings and greetings to you through me; but who nevertheless is eager to be among you.

At the conclusion of his message, Archbishop Spyridon, Bishop Nicholas and the other hierarchs proceeded to the site of the new diocesan chancery building for a ground-breaking ceremony.

NCC official visits Archbishop Spyridon received a visit in late June from Mr. Gabriel Habib, presently a consultant on International affairs to the National Council of Churches, and former Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches.

(Orthodox Observer photo)

The entire Church life in America, however, and especially the last two observances the Founding of the Philoptochos Society and the Holy Cross School of Theology are interwoven with the life of one man: Patriarch Athenagoras, who before being elevated to the Ecumenical Throne (1949), served for eighteen years as Archbishop of North and South America.

This year we observe the 25th Anniversary of his return to God. It was Thursday evening the 6th of July, 1972, during the Grand Banquet of the Clergy Laity Congress in Houston, Texas, when former Archbishop Iakovos announced the heartbreaking news: Patriarch Athenagoras is not with us anymore; he returned to his Creator. On hearing this, the delegates were stunned and began to cry. The emotion was so spontaneous and the sadness was justifiable because although 24 years had passed since he left America, in reality his heart never left the church and the people of America.

He was the person who led the church out of chaos created by the political and other divisions, to great heights of success, unity, and progress. He continues even to this day to be a guiding force, to be the great reformer and visionary leader.

What were the unique attributes of this man and what is the legacy he left to all of us, particularly to his successors, Archbishops, and Bishops in America.

Many people who knew him and writers who wrote about him agree Athenagoras possessed that charisma which is defined in Webster s Dictionary as a divinely inspired gift, and a special inspiring quality of leadership.

What is special about Athenagoras charisma is that he put it to use not for his personal gain and glorification, but for the benefit of his people. His expressive and caressing eyes and the eloquence of his conversation and the sweetness of his deep voice and all of the other gifts that made up his superb personality, wrote the late Archbishop of Great Britain, Athenagoras Kokkinakis, all were in the service of every individual and of the Church. And indeed Athenagoras personality played a most important role in his successful ministry in America.

His humility, a characteristic of a truly charismatic man, his moral strength and understanding of the problems of man and his church, gained him not only the respect and admiration of his communicants, but also their love and willingness

OF

HIS PASSING

to set aside petty problems and jealousies within their communities, and to work towards goals that he had set for them.

Perhaps the greatest secret of Athenagoras success was his pastoral visitations. He felt that it was the best way to strengthen the institution of the Archdiocese.

He traveled throughout America, seeking to reconcile political factions in the congregations. In dealing with the unity of the Church he was not merrily seeking a majority.

Athenagoras believed in an inclusive church, Archdiocese, and local community. He succeeded because he had patience, love, and complete self-denial. All these qualities impressed our people and made them to follow him.

He worked hard to raise the prestige of his clergy which at the time of his arrival was very low. He showed great concern not only for the work of the priest but also for his personal and family s wellbeing.

He believed that his priests needed to be guided, encouraged and remembered by their Archpastor. He missed no opportunity to render his support when they were abused by the lay leadership of the parish.

Athenagoras believed and worked hard for the preservation of the Greek Orthodox family. From the very beginning of his tenure he began a campaign to have every Church form a choir of young men and women.

It is to his credit that this campaign helped upgrade the services and make them more inspiring. The choir also brought together the Greek-American young people in an atmosphere of Greek Orthodox fellowship.

Thanks to his efforts, the young people were made to appreciate the Greek Orthodox traditions and help advance the mission of Greek Orthodoxy in America.

Athenagoras made wise us of the sacred funds that the people made available to him.

When he arrived in America to assume the leadership of the Church in 1931, the Archdiocese was situated in an antiquated frame house in Astoria, N.Y. with two mortgages totaling $35,000.

When he left in 1949, the Greek Archdiocese had moved into the present location in Manhattan, had acquired the magnificent property of 450 acres along the eastern bank of the Hudson River in Garrison, N.Y., where an orphanage and a teachers academy were established, and had secured a bright future for the Church in American by having founded the Holy Cross School of Theology (1937).

The legacy of Athenagoras is based on the two basic Christian virtues: love and sacrifice, and that legacy will live forever.

No other contemporary Orthodox leader has been so greatly identified with the present, past, and future of a Church as was, and still is, Athenagoras with the Archdiocese of America.

May his spirit guide our Archbishop and Bishops as well as all of us, clergy and laity alike, to pursue with the same dedication and perseverance the mission of Greek Orthodoxy in America.

ORTHODOX OBSERVER

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AUGUST 1997

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Administrative Changes Bishop Methodios Speaks out for the School at Hellenic College/Holy Cross from page 1 I

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too much of our time. It is a spiritual cancer that destroys us. It is not possible for me, as the Bishop of Boston, to closely follow all the developments at the School. Moreover, I am not involved with the School s governance. After my term as president ended, I assured the Ecumenical Patriarch that I would not be involved with School matters.

I give my moral and financial support and I encourage the communities to respond generously with contributions. I reiterate that I know nothing related to the so-called sexual episode. I am sure, however, that behavior of this sort is not accepted and is severely punished.

PROINI: How true are rumors that the Archbishop decided to transfer the professors who were members of the disciplinary committee, because they did not accept a directive from higher up to conceal the whole matter?

METHODIOS: By no means was a directive from higher up - to use your expression - issued in order to conceal such an episode. Priests serve the Church wherever they are assigned, according to the Church s needs. Some of the professors are assigned to communities where they receive some extra salary. During my presidency and afterwards, priests came from Greece to study. And these men served the needs of the communities of the Diocese where they were needed. From experience, I counsel you to be patient and the truth will soon become known.

PROINI: Your Grace, why was the school president, Father Calivas, replaced with the Bishop Isaiah of Denver?

METHODIOS: I suppose that he wanted a Bishop as president to represent the interests of our Holy Synod on a daily basis. It is to be expected that a new Archbishop would have his own vision and his own plans for the future course of the School. To put his new plans into operation, the Archbishop made some decisions after great deliberation. Some people reacted negatively. They obviously have forgotten that the clergy must obey the authority of their superior. Obedience, respect, Chris-

Archons: We Stand United for the Church

NEW YORK. Dr. Chris Philip, National Commander of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, a body consisting of distinguished laymen across the Archdiocese of America, stated July 22 that unity and harmony must be maintained in the Church under all circumstances. His remarks were prompted by the recent developments at Hellenic College/Holy Cross publicized in news accounts and on the internet over the past several days.

The unity of the Greek Orthodox Church in the United States has been the object of attack many times before, but it has withstood them all, Philip said. The current situation at Hellenic College/Holy Cross, has received much attention in the secular press, but will not succeed in undermining the sanctity of the Church, its sacred mission, and vision for the millennium.

His Eminence, Archbishop Spyridon, Philip continued, is determined to resolve this problem in an equitable manner by working with the appropriate people and committees. As defenders of the Faith, it is the Archons duty to stand united with His Eminence, as our Archbishop and Primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and as Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

W

tian humility are fundamental teachings of the Orthodox spiritual life. Either we are Orthodox, or we are not.

PROINI: According to certain legal opinions, the replacement of these professors can be ruled as an illegal and irregular act by the civil courts, if someone should seek recourse for justice. How do you view such a possibility?

METHODIOS: The Church s decisions are not overseen by civil courts. From what I know, the letter sent to the state Attorney General was not sent by a clergyman, but by a layperson on the School staff. I would be very sad, indeed, if a clergyman sought recourse to the civil courts in order to find justice. The clergy who are professors at the School are clergymen first, then academicians. They became priests first and professors afterwards.

PROINI: In your opinion, have the latest developments at the School affected the Ecumenical Patriarchate? It is said that Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is vulnerable to this through Archbishop Spyridon. Is this true?

METHODIOS: The Holy Archdiocese of America is an eparchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and, consequently, what happens in America has repercussions at the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Throughout the Omogenia, there exist some people who have systematically sown the seeds of dissension to promote themselves. They have tried to divide the Archdiocese according to Patriarchal and anti-Patriarchal. They have failed with a resounding crash and are now attempting to shoot down Archbishop Spyridon and, therefore, the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Holy Synod that elected him. I have no doubt that they will fail.

from page 1

Chrysavgis, acting dean of HC/HC. These changes reflect a re-orientation and re-invigoration of the School as principle source for priests in America. The unique and familial bond between Bishop and priest is essential to the mission of Hellenic College/Holy Cross.

For Bishop Isaiah, this will be his second hitch at the school. In the 1970s, he served as director of student life from 1971 to 1976, then was named dean of administrative affairs.

The new President has some definite ideas about the direction that the school needs to take.

Some of his immediate goals will center on defining a clear distinction between the administrative and academic spheres of the school, and on focusing more intensely on educating candidates for the priesthood.

As an alumnus of the school, my main concentration will be on stressing the original mission of the school which is the preparation of priests for the parishes of our Archdiocese in the United States, Bishop Isaiah told the Observer.

Since His Grace graduated in 1960, the role of Holy Cross has grown to encompass not only the preparation of priests, but also the preparation of candidates for lay ministries of the Church.

Different ministries have been established here for both men and women who have been preparing themselves for other services to the Church, he said. That will still be foremost in my mind.

Bishop Isaiah expressed his commit-

SEVENTY-FIFTH

ment to fulfilling the mission of the Archdiocese, articulated by His Eminence, that HC/HC provide the highest spiritual and academic standards to the students, in order to insure a spiritually oriented, well-educated and pastorally mature rank of clergy for the future needs of America.

He also said he perceives his role strictly as administrative, not as academic, and wants to emphasize the separation of the two functions at the school. As far as any changes, he said, I believe strongly there should be a separation of the administration and academic leadership at the school. My purpose is to define the administrative responsibilities and to keep them separate from the academic responsibilities that are in the hands of others.

His Grace went on to say that the institution is under the hierarchical and canonical supervision of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and the Archbishop has the responsibility of re-assigning clergy as he deems necessary. These decisions have been most difficult for him, but he believes they are in the best interests of Hellenic College and Holy Cross and of the Church.

Along with his new duties at the helm of HC/HC, Bishop Isaiah will continue to lead the Diocese of Denver. For him, it is a matter of taking more extended trips, something which he has become very accustomed to doing.

I ve traveled several hundred thousand miles (as Bishop of the Denver Diocese, which has the largest land mass of any Diocese) and, as far as I see it, this is one more of my many trips, with the intention of staying longer each time I come here.

ANNIVERSARY

Glory Be To God

During the 55th Commencement of our Holy Cross Seminary I was invited to deliver the baccalaureate address. Viewing and walking on part of the campus, and seeing so many students of the Hellenic College and Holy Cross Seminary walking about, my mind switched to that inspiring atmosphere of Pomfret Center, Conn., where I had enrolled

By Fr. George Papadeas as a charter student in 1937.

What an antithesis in numbers I thought to myself! In that vast estate at Pomfret, we were only 12 in the charter class in Pomfret, a number so symbolic.

In retrospect I would say, that 1937 was the beginning of constructing the bridge of our faithful; those, who had migrated from Greece, and those of generations born, and to be born in America. The bridge-builders were Archbishop Athenagoras and his Chancellor, Fr. Athenagoras Cavadas, both of blessed memory.

I firmly believe, that it was Divine Providence, which inspired these two great visionaries, to take the very bold step to announce the opening of our seminary in the face of so many adversities.

Our seminary did open its doors in 1937. It was a dismal period, when America was still suffering from the Great Depression, and the breadlines were not an uncommon sight. Yet, these two giants of Orthodoxy took the firm decision to commence preparing American-born young men to become the priests for the future. Had they not taken the decision when they did, it is doubtful as to what the future of our Church in America would have been.

Only two years after the seminary commenced functioning, the catastrophic World War II closed the doors of America for the

priests, who were steadily coming from Greece. As a result, when our aging priests were passing on, there were no replacements, and so many churches already were without priests.

In 1945, when the war ended, Pomfret had already graduated three classes, most of whom were ordained priests; but the need for more priests still existed. More priests were invited from Greece to fill the existing vacancies. Can one imagine what the case would have been, if Pomfret didn t commence when it did? That is why I stated, that it was truly the guiding hand of Divine Providence, which led the way, when the doors of Pomfret opened.

But, it wasn t an easy task by far. The unforeseen and the many difficulties faced by the first dean of our seminary, the newly consecrated Bishop Cavadas, were almost indescribable. The anticipated economic support from our constituency in America, was but a mere trickle, mainly because of the Great Depression.

An equal, if not a greater hindrance to his effort, were the systematic and militant editorials of the largest Greek daily the Atlantis, which for our people then, was gospel.

The Atlantis kept emphasizing, that it was a folly to think, that young Greek-American high school graduates would enroll in a monastic atmosphere, which Pomfret really was, to study for five years in Greek, and then to be ordained in the Holy Priesthood.

The only antidote to this barrage, were the editorials of the National Herald, of which Fr. Demetrios Kallimachos, a scholarly priest was its editor. His faith and optimism, regarding the promised benefits of the newly

instituted seminary, produced many positive articles, which edified those, who believed.

However, the support of our people was lacking, and it was a real struggle during the first year to continue operating. It is generally not known, but my classmates and I are witnesses of Bishop Athenagoras altruism and self sacrifice. His salary as Bishop of New England and dean of our seminary was $300 monthly, and each month he re-deposited his check in the school account, so that there would be food on our Spartan table.

In addition, the first professors, like the late Fr. Basil Efthimiou and a few others, contributed their services, which in itself was a major factor. It could be said that the overhead for such an operation was practically nil. That is the way the Seminary got under way, and for my thinking, the words of St. John the Evangelist so aptly apply: For whatever is born of God, overcomes the world; and this is the victory, that overcomes the world, faith. (1 John 5;4) It was the steadfast faith and perseverance of that unique hierarch Bishop Athenagoras Cavadas, which edified the seminary for all time. His guidance, inspiration, dedication and self-sacrifice solidified and insured the complete success of the seminary with very limited means. He was able to instill in his students all those qualities and attributes that would fortify and qualify them to be the shepherds of their flock.

Most notably he taught by example and with love. All priests, who were blessed to have been his students will attest to this. He is truly the unsung hero of our Holy Church in America, and unfortunately not known to many.

It is a reality, and I state this unequivocally, as having lived the experience of the first year; that, had it not been for Bishop

See GLORY, on page 23

AUGUST 1997

ORTHODOX OBSERVER

A R C H D I O C E S E

N E W S

Chancellor Urges Support for St. Basil s

The following is a letter written by the Archdiocese Chancellor Fr. George Passias to all clergy in the parishes on the need to support St. Basil Academy.

July 17, 1997

St. Marina

Most Beloved Brothers in Christ: Suffer the little children to come unto me; for of such does the Kingdom of Heaven belong. Matt. 19:14 It is with a joyous heart and a great deal of happiness that I come to you, my brothers in Christ, through this letter.

Please allow me to enter into the chamber of your heart for a few moments while I share with you some of our latest and most significant developments. I am a firm believer that when you and your parishioners have the information and what is best for the Church in your hearts, you will join ranks and support the mission upon which we have embarked.

One of the critical issues facing the Church has certainly been the undeveloped potential of the St. Basil s Academy. Although many thoughts and ideas existed and surfaced, it was clear that this institution was hardly being used to its fullest potential and capability. It is then, with this mind-set, that the Archbishop acted, redirecting the academy and its programs.

His Eminence Archbishop Spyridon led a reevaluation team to analyze the present state of the academy, from many standpoints, and then sought to find ways which could enrich and expand the ministry offered by this precious and most revered institution of our Church. You must note that, although it is always good to evaluate, it is also painful in that reality is not usually what we would like it to be.

This past year there were thirty-eight (38 students). Twenty were genuinely qualified to be part of the academy. By this it is meant that there were cases where both parents were alive and enjoyed financially flourishing businesses, while at the same time were not members of the Church and did not offer any stipend to offset the expenses of clothing, feeding, boarding, and educating their children.

Providing for needy children and dysfunctional families is certainly our mission.

Providing a free ride for those who choose not to be responsible for their own children, at the expense of others who need this help and support, is not our mission

but rather our mistake.

Staffing has been reorganized so as to reduce the number of paid employees from thirty-five (35) to twelve (12). The academy s buildings and grounds are not in the best condition and are at best time and weather beaten. These structures require serious repairs in order to bring back into usefulness.

Only thirteen (13) confirmed students who are truly qualified from a financial standpoint or from other private standpoints are currently registered for the academy this fall.

What should we do? What could we do? CLOSING IS NOT AN OPTION!!! Conducting a school with so few students was not prudent either. Therefore, His Eminence felt that the children should take advantage of the fine educational facilities in the area which can provide a much better education than the academy presently can offer. The academy will then provide otherwise for all of the children s needs, not the least of which is feeding, clothing, boarding, religious and Greek language education, and LOVE. After all, that is what they need the most!

As one can see, we need and have the capability of caring for more students. This is now my beloved brother what we need from you and your ministry. We want you to have confidence in this institution that it will provide everything that a child could possibly need and much of what they would desire.

Won t you please consider seeking students and families who could benefit from our beloved jewel. The more students we have, the more we can do about providing everything in-house. Please include often in your Sunday bulletins and monthly periodicals advertisements for our beloved Saint Basil s Academy not only for its needs but also for its desires to serve more of our people. I trust that you will make this a priority. There are children out there who are in need of what we can provide for them just short of their own loving family home.

And what can we ultimately say about Saint Basil s Academy? It is the Church s expression of the loving and practical Gospel given to us by the Son of God, our Lord, who himself called the children to come close to Him and be embraced by Him. In His Love, Very Rev. George G. Passias, Chancellor

OBITUARY

George Morfogen

George Paul Morfogen, 75, died Saturday, June 21, at Northwest Covenant Medical Center in Denville, N.J. The cause of death was cancer.

Born in New York City, Mr. Morfogen lived in the Boonton-Boonton Township area of New Jersey for much of his life and was a member of St. Andrews Greek Orthodox Church in Randolph Township. He had also been a long-time resident of Brooklyn, N.Y., and an active member of Three Hierarchs Church.

Mr. Morfogen had owned and operated Pappas Restaurant in New York City, and for many years was associated with the Grand Central Oyster Bar as a buyer and consultant.

He received his BA degree from Albright College in Reading, Pa., in 1947, and served in the U.S. Army during World War II.

His wife, Georgia, died in 1986. He is survived by his daughters, Ann of New York City, Karen Reilly of Boonton Township, three grandchildren, Kaitlin, Georgia and Jack Reilly; a brother, Zachary P. Morfogen of Boonton Township; a sister, Vivian Geaneas of Boonton; his mother Anna Morfogen of Boonton, and his mother-in-law, Calliope Pappas of St. Michael s Home for the Aged in Yonkers.

The funeral was held on Tuesday, June 24 at St. Andrews Church.

For those who wish, contributions in his memory may be made to the George and Georgia Morfogen Memorial Scholarship Fund, Albright College, PO Box 15234, Reading, Pa. 19612, or The Morfogen Library Endowment Fund, Rockaway Valley School, 11 Valley Road, Boonton Township, N. J. 07005.

PAGE 5

Leadership 100

LEADERSHIP 100 GRANT AWARDS FOR 1997

This year, Leadership 100 is proud to have been able to make over $600,000 in grant awards to various programs that fall under the National Ministries of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. As much as this amount represents a substantial funding of the National Ministries from the permanent and restricted Endowment Fund of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, the need was in fact greater than our ability to meet it.

As Leadership 100 becomes more and more successful in providing the extra boost to local ministries nationwide and of national significance, we fully expect that requests will outstrip the ability of the Fund to meet the expectations of all the grant requests. In fact, this year, due to extraordinary expenditures of the Fund in the year

By Fr. Mark Arey 1996, listed below, some recommended programs had to be put aside. The good news of course is that around the Archdiocese, both clergy and lay people are taking exciting initiatives for creating new ways of advancing the work of the Church and the preaching of the Gospel of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ.

As a result of special appeals in February of 1996, Leadership 100 expended $250,000 for the following programs: $100,000 for the Emmy-award winning film documentary, Iakovos: A Legacy . This film presentation was premiered at the 1996 Clergy-Laity Congress in New York City. The New York Emmy was awarded in 1997 for Outstanding Religious Programming . $100,000 was provided for funding to Hellenic College - Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology for married student housing. $50,000 was provided for funding to IOCC (International Orthodox Christian Charities).

In addition, in September of 1996, $22,000 was granted as an emergency contribution to the fund for retired clergy, who retired before the Archdiocese pension program was in place. This supplemental income was most gratefully received by the Retired Clergy Association, under the pastoral guidance and encouragement of his Eminence Archbishop Spyridon, who has engaged a process which will protect the needs of this pioneering group of priests who well deserve the support and gratitude of their Church. Archbishop Spyridon and Leadership 100 have formed a partnership, so to speak, in order to provide a safety net for these clergy who did so much to build the foundations of the Greek Orthodox Church in America.

These total expenditures in 1996 of $272,000 of the 1997 Net Distributable Income diminished the ability of Leadership 100 to grant in 1997 all of the recommended programs. However, it should be observed that over 1.5 million dollars was requested. This is the first time such an extraordinary sum has been asked for in a single year. As a result, not only should every member of the Archdiocese rejoice that from coast to coast individuals are planning and preparing programs and initiatives to enhance the life of the Church in America, but they are doing it in numbers never seen before!

For Leadership 100, this means an even more intensive campaign to develop the Endowment, which is for all Greek Orthodox Christians in America, by not only

fund-raising but by a continuous review of investment policies and strategies. To this end, the Fund is now over 31 million dollars, a mark attained not only by the extraordinary generosity of your fellowparishioners who make up the membership of Leadership 100, but by the dedication, devotion and hard work of the Board of Trustees and most especially the Executive Committee under the leadership of Mr. George P. Kokalis.

The grants which have been distributed in 1997, upon the recommendation of the Executive Committee and the authorization of His Eminence Archbishop Spyridon are as follows:

Orthodox Ministry ACCESS,$125,500 This funding is being used to augment the Computer and INTERNET Ministries of the Archdiocese, through the newly created Department of Internet Ministries.

The consistent support of Leadership 100 through the years has brought this ministry to fruition in our Archdiocese.

GOTelecom Interview with the Archbishop, $12,000 This funding will provide an opportunity to prepare for broadcast an interview with his Eminence Archbishop Spyridon, in time for the one year anniversary of his Election by the Holy and Sacred Synod of our Holy Mother Church, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. In addition, this format presents an ideal opportunity to educate the public about the upcoming visit of His All Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Look for the program soon on the ODYSSEY network as well as in a video cassette which will be sent to each and every parish, generously supplied

by Leadership 100.

Holy Cross Prison Ministry, $19,000 For over a decade, the Rev. Presbyter Nick Lassios, assisted by other local clergy in the upstate region of New York and western Connecticut have pioneered a prison ministry program unlike any other in the country for the Orthodox Church.

This ministry is an example for the rest of the country to follow and Leadership 100 is very proud to be supporting it.

Orthodox Christian Mission Center, $143,160 Responding to the concerns of the missionary programs throughout the world, His Eminence Archbishop Spyridon restored an additional $18,000 to the original recommendation by the Executive Committee, thus fulfilling a pressing need for the Orthodox Christian Mission Center. These monies are only part of the general donations which come in from around the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America for missionary work under the auspices of the OCMC.

Archbishop Iakovos Library at Holy Cross, $100,000 In 1997, the 1996 payment of $100,000 to the building fund for the new seminary Library was made. This leaves $800,000 to be paid by the year 2004 on the commitment of one million dollars made by Leadership 100 in February of 1995, to construct this new facility.

So you can see that in total, $671,660 has been distributed for the year 1997, a remarkable achievement for the Greek Orthodox Church in America and as a result ofthe generosity, love and vision of the members of Leadership 100, who continue to offer their blessings to the Church.

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p a t r i a r c h a t e

Ecumenical Patriarchate Abstains from Vatican Throne Celebration CONSTANTINOPLE, (ANA) - The Ecumenical Patriarchate did not participate this year in the Vatican s celebration of the feast day of the Apostles Peter and Paul.

The move underlines the dissatisfaction at the Patriarchate over the Vatican s recent position, which led to the cancellation of the Ecumenical Patriarch s participation in the second European Ecumenical Assembly in Graz, Austria, and the subsequent cancellation of the Patriarch s official visit to Austria.

The Phanar made no comment over the development which, however, the Ecumenical Patriarchate s Synod had indirectly referred to when it announced the cancellation of the Patriarch s visits to Graz and Vienna in late May. The Vatican insisted on organizing a meeting between Pope John Paul II and the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy in Vienna, at the same time Ecumenical Patri-

arch Bartholomew was scheduled to be in Austria, a departure in the protocol anticipated in such cases.

The meeting between the Pope and Alexy was canceled at the last moment, while the Catholic press criticized Pope John Paul II over his handling of the issue and the ensuing crisis.

The reasons for which they canceled the meeting (between the pope and Alexy) concern the way with which Roman popism understands its role, according to the newspaper Il Manifesto (June 6, 1997), while Republica (June 23, 1997) spoke of a considerable cooling in relations between Rome and the other churches.

The exchange of visits on the throne celebrations of the two churches, Peter and Paul for Rome and Andrew for Constantinople (Istanbul), were among measures decided when the anathemas between the two churches were lifted and dialogue began.

HIS ALL HOLINESS Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew with the new Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa Petros VII during a brief cruise on the Bosporous, with Aghia Sophia in the background. It was the newly elected Patriarch s first visit abroad. (N. Manginas photo)

Bartholomew Addresses Greek-Turkish Forum

CONSTANTINOPLE - During his address at the third meeting of the GreekTurkish Forum, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew stated that the inability of Greece and Turkey to get rid of the past events has given other countries the opportunity to improve themselves and leave these two countries behind.

Attributing fault to each of the two neighbors, the Patriarch advised Greece and Turkey to release the sensational knot of the past in order to embrace the future. Our children should not be raised with hate that has poisoned our bilateral relations for generations.

Moreover, His All Holiness stated that free trade and cultural exchange between the countries would guarantee tolerance and

understanding between religions and traditions. Let us see ships of fertility and welfare passing through the Straits instead of ships full of soldiers, he advised.

His All Holiness To Aid Reforestation

THESSALONIKI - The Organisation of Cultural Capital of Europe Thessaloniki 1997, has requested the aid of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the efforts to restore Thessaloniki s Seikh Sou forest which was burned in a two-day fire that erupted last month.

The Ecumenical Patriarch has responded that he will gladly plant the first tree in the forest, when he will be in Thessaloniki in September, on the invitation of the Organization, in order to attend the vast Environmental conference that will be held then.

His All Holiness to Visit Chios and Thessaloniki CONSTANTINOPLE - Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew will visit the island of Chios on August 16 -17 following an invitation by the island s Union of Mastic Producers.

The Patriarchate said the spiritual leader of the Orthodox Church would visit the island to express his gratitude and give his blessing to the populace of Chios, especially those who cultivate the trees of mastic, which is the basic ingredient in the

preparation of the Holy Myrrh.

It was also announced that the Ecumenical Patriarch will visit Thessaloniki on September 28 following the International Symposium Religion and Environment. It is the first time in 35 years that the head of the Christian Orthodox Church will visit the city.

During his visit the Ecumenical Patriarch will be named professor emeritus of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew surrounded by specialists and participants of the Summer Seminar on Halki 97: The Environment and Justice.

(N. Manginas photo)

Summer Seminar on Halki 97: The Environment and Justice

CONSTANTINOPLE - His All Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew hosted a four-day international environmental seminar titled The Environment and Justice, at the Agia Triada Monastery on the island of Halki on June 30.

The summer seminar, whose aim was to promote environmental awareness and social responsibility, was under the aegis of Patriarch Bartholomew and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and honorary president of the World Wildlife Fund.

The Patriarch called together theologians from various faiths, environmentalists, scientists, economists and special legal advisers from east and west Europe, the United States, Africa, the Middle East and Australia, the Orthodox Churches, many Christian churches and the local Religious Communities of Istanbul to address the issue of environmental justice.

Gathered on the historical and environmentally protected island of Heybeliada, in the Sea of Marmara, Turkey, specialists and participants grappled with a series of critical problems such as global warming, the depletion of natural resources, and the contention among legal and policy-making bodies, the Church, and environmental agencies and organizations, particularly with regard to poverty and social injustice, all within the framework of the environment and its increasing degradation and destruction.

Distinguished speakers from the United States and Europe included His Eminence Metropolitan John of Pergamon of The Ecumenical Patriarchate; The Hon. Leon G. Billings, Delegate of the Maryland Legislature; The Hon. Ioannis Palaiokrassas, Former Commissioner of the European Commission; Dr. Lee Breckenridge, Northeastern University School of Law; Dr. Raymond Van Erman, Exec. Dir. European Partners for the Environment; Prof. Dr. Ata Sakmar, Galatasaray University, Istanbul; Mr. George Kremlis, Head of DGXI Unit, Dept. of Environment of the European Commission; and Mr. Peter Maxson, Director, Institute for European Policy.

In his opening address, His All Holiness

emphasized that care for the ecological human environment is an urgent global concern and that the grave ecological problem has at its roots the lack of justice, the lack of the most inclusive of all the virtues.

At the opening ceremony, messages from various dignitaries were read, including that of HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The earth s environment is the common heritage of all life on this planet. It is an injustice for any group or organization to over-exploit the earth s natural resources or to so mistreat the environment that it affects the quality of life of any human or natural communities, wrote Prince Philip. I am quite certain that everyone who appreciates the vital importance of maintaining a healthy environment welcomes the very special attention that the Christian Orthodox Church gives to this issue.

In his message to the seminar attendees, US President Bill Clinton wrote, As we prepare for the 21st century, the careful protection of our environment remains one of our most vital missions. This year s theme demonstrates your continuing commitment to environmental rights that will in turn ensure a better future for our global community.

Other messages included those of European Commission President Jacques Santer; the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. George Carey; and the Secretary General of the World Council of Churches Rev. Dr. Konrad Raiser, among others.

2nd World Inter-Religion Symposium in September CONSTANTINOPLE The Ecumenical Patriarchate is to organize the second international inter-religion symposium in September, whose topic will be The Black Sea at Risk.

The President of the European Commission Jacques Santer is to participate at the event, where 250 religious leaders and scientists will examine together the ecological dangers the region of the Black Sea is subjected to.

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AUGUST 1997

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Ecumenical Patriarch Interviewed

by Christian History Magazine The spiritual leader of Orthodoxy recently gave an interview to the Christian History magazine and spoke some frank words to Protestants. Following are excerpts from the interview: CHRISTIAN HISTORY: What is the purpose of your upcoming visit?

ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH: The occasion for our visit to the United States is the 75th anniversary of the founding, in 1922, of our Archdiocese of North and South America by the visionary Patriarch Meletios (Metaxakis). Patriarch Meletios, equipped with a first-hand understanding of the American milieu, undertook the task of organizing the canonical structure of the Church for the Greek Orthodox immigrants in the New World.

The nature of my prospective visit to the United States is clearly pastoral. The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople has both the privilege and responsibility of being the Protothronos, the First Throne, of the Church. As such, it is a visible symbol of unity for Orthodox of every land and nation and a source of unceasing intercession for them all. Therefore, it is self-evident that the coming visit will have a pan-Orthodox character.

C.H.: To many Western Protestants, Orthodoxy feels dated, a quaint relic of a previous age. To others, it feels as if one has to become Eastern before becoming Orthodox. How do you respond to such perceptions?

E.P.: You portray what is unfortunately an accurate picture, i.e., that the Protestant world (and not only it) is largely ignorant of Orthodoxy. Even theologians of great credibility have passed on rather demeaning misconceptions about Orthodoxy, as if it were a liturgical, or better yet, some ritualistic fossil.

Another mistaken perception is contained in the very way you pose the question about the East and Orthodoxy. It is true that Orthodoxy has had an enormous impact on Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean basin. But let us not forget that Orthodoxy has had an historic and vibrant presence in the West since the middle of the eighteenth century, including the Greek colony in New Smyrna (modern day St. Augustine, Florida), the missions to Alaska, and the first parish founded in the continental United States in New Orleans (1864), which embraced Orthodox from every ethnic background.

C.H.: Can Orthodoxy become popular in the West? If so, how?

E.P.: The mission of the Church is not to become popular, but to preach the authentic Gospel of salvation and bear witness to the Resurrection of Christ. The 2,000-year experience of the Church confirms that wherever the grace of God accomplishes her prophetic mission in truth and love, the Church gathers together the scattered children of God, and as a tender-hearted mother loves and, in return, is loved.

C.H.: Orthodoxy has experienced some of the most severe persecution in church history, both from Islam and Communism.

How has that affected Orthodoxy, for good and for ill?

E.P.: The Church has been persecuted since the Day of Pentecost. The persecutors have been many, then and now. Christ has always been and continues to be a sign of contradiction (St. Luke 2:34), and with him, his Church. If there were no persecution, that would indeed be strange!

The Church always emerges from these trials spiritually fortified and confirmed in the knowledge of her true path.

C.H.: What are the greatest challenges facing Orthodoxy today?

E.P.: The same challenges which all

Christians and religions face: unbelief, secularism, decrease of spirituality, loss of hope.

In particular, Orthodoxy faces the consequences of a long domination by atheistic regimes in lands which were by long-held traditional Orthodox, and the resulting cultural discontinuity and spiritual vacuum.

Orthodoxy is confronted with the zeal of many Western Christians, especially from America, who, hastily attempting to fill that vacuum, are spiritually pilfering the house of their brethren. It would have been better for these zealots, their sponsors and supporters, to have spent some time studying Orthodoxy and to learn from real life experience, rather than only in theory, what it means to be a disciple of Christ and to wit-

See INTERVIEW, on page 23

His All Holiness Bartholomew escorts Carey Cavanaugh, director of Southern European Affairs at the State Department, on a tour of the Halki School of Theology during a recent visit to the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Accompanying them were (from left) Metropolitan Dimitrios of Sevasteia, Patriarchal Deacon Fr. Tarasios and the U.S. Consul General Carolyn Huggins in Istanbul.

(N.Manginas photo)

UNBEATABLE FARES From JFK to

ATHENS

ONE WAY SPECIALS

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AUGUST 1997

O P I N I O N S GUEST EDITORIAL

A New Beginning

Archbishop Spyridon, as the recently elected leader of our Archdiocese, has charted a new course for our Church in America. His vision and plans for the Church and the development of our parishes depend greatly on the ability of Hellenic College/Holy Cross School of Theology to offer the very best possible preparation, academically and spiritually, to tomorrow s priests and lay leaders.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew once described Hellenic College/Holy Cross as the spinal column which holds aright the Archdiocese of America. Indeed it does.

To assume the awesome responsibility of the leadership for our School during this difficult time of transition, the Church has turned to one of its graduates who has served the School in the past in a variety of capacities. He is Bishop Isaiah of Denver who assumes the helm of this most important educational institution as the Archdiocese celebrates its 75th and our School its 60th anniversary.

A much loved and respected hierarch, Bishop Isaiah brings magnanimity, sobriety, discretion, discernment, dignity and insight to his position. Bishop Isaiah loves the Church and has served her well. He is a good soldier who has risen in the ranks of the Church by manifesting the same discipline that he learned as a soldier in the U.S. Marine Corps. Bishop Isaiah will provide a good example to tomorrow s priests who will preach and live St. Paul s admonition, Obey your leaders and submit to them; for they are keeping watch over your souls, as men who will have to give account. Let them do this joyfully, and not sadly, for that would be of no advantage to you. (Hebrews 13:17) As the new leader of our School, Bishop Isaiah will do well to reacquaint

LL EE TT TT EE RR SS Liturgical translation committee Editor, The May 20 issue of the Orthodox Observer reported the formation of the Archdiocesan Council Standing Committee on Liturgical Translation.

Congratulations to the Council and the Archbishop. It is an overdue step in the right direction, but only a step. The task of translation is a very important and difficult one which should be a joint effort of all the Orthodox churches in the Americas. It is a common issue, and all the Orthodox churches should have something to contribute to the effort.

The credentials of the appointed committee notwithstanding, the task is very large and should be to produce a translation that is credible and acceptable to all the churches, should involve not only priests, but scholars from the academy, hymnologists, historians, and the Orthodox seminaries in the Americas, and should have a duration of many years, because beyond the liturgy, we have the rest of the works of the Church Fathers. By comparison the liturgical translation portion may be the easier.

George Kouroupas Bethesda, Md.

Persecution of Christians Editor, Knowing of our Church s concern about the persecution of Christians presently taking place around the world, I have been very impressed with the columns Abe Rosenthal has been writing in the Op-Ed page of the

himself with the history of this noble institution. He will find that each epoch had its luminary leaders hierarchs, priests, trustees, students. He will familiarize himself with the tenures of Cavadas, Kokkinakis, Garmatis, Contos, Lelon, among others. He will learn of their experiences, the competence with which they lead the School, and the dignity with which they left.

He will take pride in reading about our School s many achievements, but also be pained remembering its moments of trial and tribulation. Today is not the first time the Church has felt the need for change. In one decade alone six Presidents of the Institution were installed within the span of only five years. And again on one memorable autumn day four professors of great and international stature were reassigned (Fr. Florovsky, Fr. Romanides, Fr. Rodopoulos and Fr. Mavrakis).

In those times, not unlike today, there were those who thought the School was doomed to close because of financial reasons or personal strife. Not only did it survive, but it has continued to fulfill its primary purpose to provide dedicated priests who serve our Archdiocese.

Bishop Isaiah, build upon the inheritance you have received and invest your time in being a visionary leader, a spiritual marine. Clergy and laity throughout America respect you and love the School.

They pray that God inspires your leadership and that you leave an indelible mark upon the future of our Archdiocese through the committed priests and lay-people who will pass through our beloved School.

Bishop Methodios of Boston, Past President of Hellenic College/ Holy Cross School of Theology.

New York Times about this matter.

So much so, that I have written him personally to thank him for his efforts and the huge contribution he is making toward bringing this matter to the attention of the public.

For your information, I am enclosing a copy of my letter to him - along with a subsequent letter I wrote to my Congressman regarding legislation that is being presented to Congress to put an end to this persecution - legislation that I would not have known about if I had not read about it in Mr. Rosenthal s column.

As a result, this led me to discuss the matter at a recent General Assembly meeting at St. Sophia Cathedral here in Los Angeles where I am a member. I offered to prepare duplicate copies of my letter to distribute to our parishioners to send to their Congressmen, too, in an attempt to lend support to the passage of this very important legislation. It would also encourage the Greek Orthodox community to not only register their protest, but also begin to take action toward the resolution of this horrible and intolerable persecution of our Christian brothers and sisters.

Our Dean, Father John Bakas, has endorsed my suggestion and offered to work with me to implement this effort to inform our members.

Knowing of Archbishop Spyridon s concern about this matter, I have taken the liberty of sending him copies, also, for his information.

Dimitra Arlys, Los Angeles

Dilemmas of Mixed Marriages Editor, A few years ago I read in Father George Papaioannou s column, Tell Me Father, the

COMMENTARY

Âelieving in flying saucers

I don t see any reason for not believing in flying saucers. We believe in a lot of other odd things, many of which make the folks in Roswell, N.M., look like everyday backpage news.

For instance, this vast universe of ours, stretching out maybe 15 billion light years, just happens to operate on principles that fit mathematical formulas. Someone must

By Andrew M. Greeley Religion News Service be kidding! How could the cosmos be designed according to elaborate math principles that we humans can understand?

Well, that a few of us can understand.

I d sooner believe in flying saucers than that coincidence.

Moreover, scientists tell us, it s altogether possible that our cosmos may be just one of many billions of cosmos floating around somewhere or other. Come on, give me a break! Little E.T.s are much more plausible than that! And, they add, at least 90 percent of the universe is comprised of dark matter we know it s there but no one can see it. Isn t it easier to believe there are Martians among us?

Scientists also say a ton of galaxies like ours are sliding off in a direction other than the usual motion of galaxies, being pulled by something called the Great Attractor, which no one is quite sure what it is. (No point in worrying about the Great Attractor, though, we re still a long way from it.)

Then there s the chaos theory, which means, among other things, that when the Eastern Pacific Ocean heats up, it upsets weather all over the world. So when a butterfly flaps its wings in the Congo, it causes a snow storm here. You gotta be kidding!

But that s not all.

There s also an inflation theory no, heartrending letter of a woman whose deceased sister had been refused Church burial for having been married, outside the Church to a non-Christian while during her life the deceased was allowed to continue attending her church and remain a member in good standing.

The wisdom, the compassion, and Christian charity in Fr. Papaioannou s response so impressed me that I never missed reading his column since.

It saddened me deeply to see the castigation in the Orthodox Observer, June 5, by another priest, Fr. John Rallis, regarding Father Papaioannou s stand in these matters.

Today the Orthodox church is gaining many converts. Perhaps more than any time in modern history. My husband is one of them, and is proud and happy to be Orthodox. I believe that priests like Fr. Papaioannou are more likely to win more converts without much effort than any fanatic traditionalist.

Despina Foster Falls Church, Va. Editor, Bravo Father George!

In my own family, when a nephew married a non-Christian some years ago he was ex-communicated and the Church lost not only this young couple but the angry and humiliated parents! Incidentally, the young nephew became a renown medical doctor and he, his family and his parents are still unchurched today!

Hopefully the Church hierarchy can summon the courage to right a canonical wrong which is going to continue to cost our Orthodox Church more and more members in the future.

George Kosalos, Milwaukee

not the economic kind. In space lingo, inflation means that when the universe was about 10 to 27 seconds old, it blew up from a tiny speck to something the size of a basketball. If inflation hadn t happened, the big bang would have been a big bust. How do they know? Were they there?

And I haven t even gotten to black holes, quarks, worm holes, and suns that eat each other up.

And we re supposed to believe all this stuff!

Science tells us that if given a chance, it can explain everything. But each time it comes up with a new discovery about our cosmos, the cosmos becomes curiouser and curiouser.

Science keeps peeling off the layers, like an onion, only to find more layers. Or more cosmos. Or more mystery.

Don t get me wrong. I m not making fun of scientists or cosmology, the edges of which I just barely understand. Quite the contrary. I think scientists are quite extraordinary and have discovered some truly amazing things.

My point, rather, is that their findings which are just tentative models subject to revision and, perhaps, rejection are far more astonishing and incomprehensible than believing in little green men with fancy guns and space ships.

The appeal of flying saucers is that they represent wonder and surprise. Fair enough; we humans take our surprise where we can find them.

But I doubt we are alone in the universe.

And whether or not you believe we are alone, one thing is for sure: Our cosmos is alive with surprises. In all probability, our brightest minds have only begun to scratch the galactic surface.

The best and the most unlikely may be yet to come.

Editor, Fr. Rallis response refers to the observance of Truth and Truths of our Faith, as he justifies the withholding of Holy Communion and burial rights from those who have married non-Christians.

No mention is made that the Truth is Jesus and Jesus is the head of Christian Churches. He died on the Cross with words of love and forgiveness offering the gift of salvation for all.

Actually, the real confusion occurs when Sacraments are not only refused to an Orthodox married to a non-Christian but also to those who married a Christian in a nonOrthodox church, proclaiming that a nonOrthodox is not a true Christian. It is a them and us mind-set.

Is this an example of Christ-like shepherding that will help bring the lost, for whatever reason, into the Church family and meet their spiritual needs?

Margaret Andrews Park Ridge, Ill.

Remember Holocaust Editor, As September will mark the 75th anniversary of the holocaust of Asia Minor, I am certain that numerous services will be held wherever Orthodox Christian communities exist throughout the world to commemorate the millions who were slaughtered or debased at the hands of the Turk.

In honor of these fallen heroes and in an effort to enlighten more of the citizens of the United States, especially our lawmakers who govern the purse strings of federal foreign aid programs, it is hoped that our Archdiocese will fund a second printing of the Blight of Asia. This book was written by George Horton, the 30-year consul and con-

AUGUST 1997

ORTHODOX OBSERVER

PAGE 9

Tell Me Father

How the Church Views the Roman Catholic Teaching on Purgatory

Q

Fr. George, I am a convert to Orthodoxy and after 15 years in my new faith, I am still learning. Sometimes I confuse the Orthodox beliefs with those of my previous faith, Roman Catholicism. In my catechism, I had learned about purgatory. Do we Orthodox believe in the same doctrine? If not, what do we believe about the state of the soul after death before the Second Coming of the Lord and the last judgment?

K.L. Pittsburgh

A

No, we do not believe in purgatory, and the Orthodox Church has rejected this Roman Catholic belief because it has no biblical foundation. In fact, similar teachings have been condemned by the Fifth Ecumenical Council, of which Catholicism was then a part. But what is this Doctrine of Purgatory we hear mentioned?

Purgatory, or purgatorial fire, is a state which the soul enters right after death for moral purification which is achieved by temporary punishments. After that purification has been completed the soul is transferred to a place of blessedness reserved for the souls of the righteous.

By Fr. George Papaioannou Do all souls go through this state of purgatory? No! According to this Roman Catholic teaching, there are those who have committed moral sins and died unrepentant.

Their souls go to eternal punishment.

On the other hand, there are those who have committed pardonable sins who did not have the opportunity to repent before they died, and those who have been forgiven through repentance but did not have the opportunity to undergo the penance imposed on them by the Church.

Purgatory, like fire, purifies the soul of the sinner, cleans the soul from the stain of sin and opens the entry to the state of blessedness.

The Roman Catholic doctrine of purgatory was debated between the Western (Roman Catholic) and the Eastern (Orthodox) Churches during the Council of Ferrara-Florence (1438-1449). St. Mark of Ephesus opposed it rather successfully and called it blasphemous.

Petros Mogilas reaffirmed this Orthodox position in his famous Confession of the Orthodox Faith in 1638, in which he wrote that we Orthodox do not accept there is a purgatorial fire which punishes the departed before the last and general judgment that will take place at the Second Coming of Christ, because there is no scriptural reference that speaks about purgatorial fire after death.

To be sure, the Roman Catholics are not the first to talk about such a state of the soul after death. The first to espouse such a teach-

LETTERS

sul-general of the United States in the Near East, who was present during the destruction of Smyrna.

It is a well-documented account of the events leading to the persecution and systematic extermination of Christians by Mohammedans.

I was horrified as I read vivid descriptions of the atrocities witnessed and suffered by so many during those black days of September, 1922. They brought to mind some of the painful memories that our late mother had relayed to us when her family fled from

ing were the pagan Chaldeans before Christ who believed in a purifying fire that that recasts, like gold, the souls of those who died.

In the second century AD, a brilliant Christian writer, Origen, expressed a similar idea that was also rejected and condemned by the Fifth Ecumenical Council.

St. Gregory of Nyssa talked about the restoration of all things to God. According to this theory, God s mercy and love for his creation will make Him at the end forgive everyone and restore the harmony that existed in Paradise before the Fall of Adam and Eve. This teaching of St. Gregory also was rejected by the Church.

The Roman Catholic theory of purgatory goes too far to be considered a Christian teaching because, among other things, it suspends the meaning of repentance and renders it powerless.

The so-called doctrine of purgatory led the Western Church to other false teachings that caused the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century.

Strongly connected with the doctrine of purgatory was the teaching of indulgences.

According to this teaching, the Saints had accumulated more merits than they needed to be saved. The surplus of credits was placed at the disposal of the Church and could be used by her for the forgiveness of sinners who had died and were being purified in purgatory.

Relatives and friends of the deceased could assist their deliverance from purgatory to the place of the righteous.

In 1517, Pope Leo X, while building St. Peter s in Rome, was in need of funds. To help raise money he authorized the sale of indulgences which created such furor in Germany that it ended in the Protestant Reformation and the tragic schism in the Western Church.

We Orthodox, believe that when the appointed time comes all human beings will die, but death will be followed by judgment, as the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews writes (Heb.9:27).

After death, there is no repentance. And, then, in whatever state death shall find us, we shall be in that condition until the General Judgment that shall take place at the Second Coming of Christ.

Until then the soul of the righteous foretastes and experiences the beneficience of heaven and Paradise, writes Father Athanasios S. Frangopoulos in his comprehensive book Our Orthodox Christian Faith, and the soul of the sinner foretastes and experiences the fearful sufferings of Hell.

Do we exclude God s love and mercy in dealing with sinners after death? I can answer the question this way: God s mercy and love endure forever but we should not depend on God s love and mercy alone. We owe it to ourselves to spend every day of our lives in goodness and in doing the works of the Lord, believing in His mercy, but also in His attribute of justice.

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Magnesia (Manisa) to Smyrna during that terror-ridden week. (My father s family had been ousted twice from Alatsata by the Turks.

Horton portrays the cultural, religious, and political climate of the eastern Mediterranean with objectivity and details the culpability of certain countries.

Seventy-five years later, Turkey is still the favored recipient of US funds; for 23 years, Cyprus has not been a land of the free; and Greek Christians are still being threatened in the northern regions of Greece.

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ÅÔÏÓ 62

ÁÕÃÏÕÓÔÏÓ 1997

Óýííåöá õðåñÜíù ôïõ Graz

Ãåíåýç. Äåí õðÞñîå, íïìßæù, åêêëçóéáóôéêüò çãÝôçò ôïõ åõñùðáúêïý ÷þñïõ, ðïõ íá õðïóôÞñéîå ìå ôüóï Ýíèåñìï åíèïõóéáóìü ôçí åðéêåßìåíç ´ ÐáíåõñùðáúêÞ ÏéêïõìåíéêÞ Óýíáîç ôïõ Graz, üóï ï Ïéêïõìåíéêüò ÐáôñéÜñ÷çò Âáñèïëïìáßïò, ï ïðïßïò, ôçí ôåëåõôáßá äéåôßá óå ãñÜììáôá, ëüãïõò êáé ìçíýìáôÜ ôïõ äéáñêþò åöéóôïýóå ôçí ðñïóï÷Þ ôïõ ïñèïäüîïõ ðëçñþìáôïò êáé ãåíéêÜ ôùí ÷ñéóôéáíþí, óôï üíôùò óçìáíôéêü ôïýôï åêêëçóéáóôéêü ãåãïíüò, ðñïôñÝðïíôÜò ôïõò üðùò äþóïõí ó áõôü ôçí åíäåéêíõüìåíç ðñïóï÷Þ.

Ôïõ Ì. ÐñùôïðñåóâõôÝñïõ Ãåùñãßïõ ÔóÝôóç Ôåëåõôáßï ðáñÜäåéãìá, ç öåôéíÞ Ðáó÷áëéíÞ Ðáôñéáñ÷éêÞ Áðüäåéîç, ç ïðïßá êáëïýóå ôïõò ðéóôïýò üðùò óõíïäåýóïõí «íïåñþò êáé åí ðñïóåõ÷Þ åíèÝñìù ôçí óõãêáëïõìÝíçí ôïí ðñïóå÷Þ Éïýíéïí ´ ÐáíåõñùðáúêÞí ÏéêïõìåíéêÞí ÓõíÝëåõóéí åéò ôçí ðüëéí ÃêñÜôò ôçò Áõóôñßáò». Óôï áíáóôÜóéìï áõôü ìÞíõìÜ ôïõ, ï ÐáôñéÜñ÷çò õðåíèõìßæïíôáò üôé èÝìá ôçò åí ëüãù ÓõíÜîåùò Þôáí ç «ÊáôáëëáãÞ - Äþñï Èåïý êáé ðçãÞ íÝáò æùÞò», ôüíéæå üôé «åéò åêðëÞñùóéí ôçò äïèåßóçò çìßí õðü ôïõ Èåïý äéáêïíßáò ôçò êáôáëëáãÞò», ïé ÷ñéóôéáíïß ïöåßëïõí íá óõìöéëéùèïýí ìå ôïí Èåü, ìå ôïí ßäéï ôïí åáõôü ôïõò, áëëÜ «êáé ìåôÜ ðÜíôùí ôùí ëïéðþí áíèñþðùí... äéÜ íá ëåßøåé ôï Üã÷ïò êáé ç áãùíßá åê ôçò æùÞò çìþí, äéÜ íá åéóÝëèùìåí åéò ôçí åê ôïõ ôÜöïõ ôïõ ×ñéóôïý ðñïåëèïýóáí íÝáí æùÞí». Åßíáé ãíùóôü üôé ï Ïéêïõìåíéêüò ÐáôñéÜñ÷çò, Ý÷ïíôáò ðñïãñáììáôßóåé, áðü ôïí ðåñáóìÝíï Þäç ÍïÝìâñéï, åðßóçìç åðßóêåøç óôçí Áõóôñßá, ðïõ óõíÝðéðôå ìå ôéò ðáñáìïíÝò ôçò ÓõíÜîåùò ôïõ Graz, åß÷å áðïöáóßóåé íá ðáñåõñåèåß êáé óôçí Ýíáñîç ôùí åñãáóéþí ôçò, ðñïêåéìÝíïõ üðùò êïìßóåé ôïí ÷áéñåôéóìü ôçò Åêêëçóßáò Êùíóôáíôéíïõðüëåùò óôïõò ÷ñéóôéáíïýò ôçò Åõñþðçò, êçñýôôïíôáò áãÜðç êáé êáôáëëáãÞ ìåôáîý ôùí ÷ñéóôéáíþí êáé üëùí ôùí áíèñþðùí êáëÞò èåëÞóåùò. Áðü ôçí Üëëç äå ðëåõñÜ, ç ôáõôü÷ñïíç ðáñïõóßá óôï Graz êáé ôïõ ÐáôñéÜñ÷ïõ Ìüó÷áò Áëåîßïõ ´ ï ïðïßïò, óçìåéùôÝïí, åß÷å ðñïóêëçèåß õðü ôçí éäéüôçôá ôïõ ÓõìðñïÝäñïõ ôçò Á´ ÐáíåõñùðáúêÞò ÓõíÜîåùò ôçò Âáóéëåßáò (1989) , áðïôåëïýóå åõôõ÷Þ óõãêõñßá ãéÜ ìéÜ óõíÜíôçóç ôùí äýï Ðáôñéáñ÷þí, ðïõ áíáìößâïëá èá óõíÝâáëå óôçí áíáèÝñìáíóç ôùí ó÷Ýóåùí ôùí äýï áäåëöþí Åêêëçóéþí ìåôÜ ôçí ðåñõóéíÞ ÅóèïíéêÞ êñßóç. Ôá ðñÜãìáôá üìùò ðåñéåðëÜêçóáí, ùò ìç üöåéëå, Ýðåéôá áðü Ýíá áðñïóäüêçôï åëéãìü ôïõ Âáôéêáíïý, ôï ïðïßï öÜíçêå íá ìåèïäåýåé ìéÜ óõíÜíôçóç ôïõ ÐÜðá ÉùÜííïõ - Ðáýëïõ ôïõ ´ ìå ôïí ÐáôñéÜñ÷ç Ìüó÷áò ÁëÝîéï ´ óôçí áõóôñéáêÞ ðñùôåýïõóá, ëßãåò ìÝñåò ðñïôïý áñ÷ßóïõí ïé åñãáóßåò ôçò ÓõíÜîåùò ôïõ Graz. ÓõíÜíôçóç ôçí ïðïßá, ùò ãíùóôü, åðéèõìåß áðü ÷ñüíéá ôþñá ï Ñùìáßïò Ðïíôßöéî, ü÷é ìüíï ãéÜ íá áìâëýíåé ôá ðñïâëÞìáôá ðïõ õðÜñ÷ïõí óåë. 13

ÊÏÉÌÇÓÇ ÔÇÓ ÈÅÏÔÏÊÏÕ:

Ç ÄÏÎÁ ÔÇÓ ÅÊÊËÇÓÉÁÓ

«...Áñáôå ðýëáò êáé ôáýôçí õðåñêïóìßùò õðïäÝîáóèå, ôçí ôïõ áåíÜïõ öùôüò ÌçôÝñá... » Ìå áõôÝò ôéò õðÝñï÷åò ëÝîåéò ìáò êáëåß ï èåóðÝóéïò õìíùäüò ôçò Åêêëçóßáò ìáò óôï Äïîáóôéêü ôïõ ÌåãÜëïõ Åóðåñéíïý ôçò «Ðáíáãßáò» íá õðïäå÷èïýìå ôïí åïñôáóìü ôçò ÊïéìÞóåùò ôçò ÐáíÜãíïõ êáé Ìáêáñßáò Ìç-

ôïõ êáè. Ãåùñãßïõ ÌðåìðÞ * ôñüò ôïõ Êõñßïõ çìþí Éçóïý ×ñéóôïý ôïõ ÓùôÞñïò çìþí, êáé ï åõóåâÞò Ïñèüäïîïò ëáüò ïíüìáóå ôçí åïñôÞ áõôÞ ôï «Êáëïêáéñéíü ÐÜó÷á», Þ áêüìç ìå ìéá áðëÞ, áëëÜ, áðüëõôá èåïëïãéêÞ Ýêöñáóç, <ôçò Ðáíáãßáò>. ÐñÜãìáôé êáé ìüíïí ç ëÝîç «Ðáíáãßá» ðåñéÝ÷åé êáé åêöñÜæåé üëç ôçí ðßóôç ôçò Åêêëçóßáò ãéá ôç Èåïôüêï Ìáñßá. Åßíáé ç Ðáíáãßá ÌçôÝñá ôïõ ×ñéóôïý ìáò, êáé áõôü ôá ëÝãåé üëá... ÂÝâáéá ï åïñôáóìüò êáé ç åéêïíïãñÜöçóç ôçò Êïßìçóçò ôçò Èåïôüêïõ áíÜãåôáé éóôïñéêÜ óôïõ ðáíÜñ÷áéïõò ÷ñéóôéáíéêïýò ÷ñüíïõò, üôáí áóåâåßò êëçñéêïß êáé ëáúêïß èÝëçóáí íá ðñïóâÜëïõí ôï óåðôü ðñüóùðï ôçò ÁåéðáñèÝíïõ Ìáñßáò êáé ôçí êáôáëÜìðïõóá èÝóç ôçò óôç öéëÜíèñùðç ÅíóÜñêùóç ôïõ Êõñßïõ, ãéá ôç Óùôçñßá ôïõ áíèñþðéíïõ ãÝíïõò. Ãé áõôü, ç Åêêëçóßá äåí äßóôáóå íá êáôáäéêÜóåé êáé ôïí ÐáôñéÜñ÷ç Íåóôüñéï êáôÜ ôçí ô ÏéêïõìåíéêÞ Óýíïäï ôçò ÅöÝóïõ ôï 431 ì.×. ÌÝóá óôá ðëáßóéá ôçò éóôïñéêÞò áõôÞò ðñáãìáôéêüôçôáò, ç Åêêëçóßá ôßìçóå êáé ôéìÜ ôçí Êïßìçóç ôçò Èåïôüêïõ, âáóéæüìåíç ìÝóá êáé ðÜíù óôá èåüðíåõóôá óðëÜ÷íá ôçò ìõóôéêÞò, Üãñáöçò êáé ãñáðôÞò ÐáñÜäïóÞò ôçò. Åôóé, ìßá óýíôïìç, áëëÜ åõëáâÞò ìåëÝôç ôùí áñ÷áßùí äïãìáôéêþí ðçãþí, ôùí ðáëáéþí åïñôïëïãßùí êáé ôçò Ïñèüäïîçò Åéêïíïãñáößáò, èá äåßîåé áðïöáóéóôéêÜ êáé ðåñßôñáíá, üôé ç Êïßìçóç ôçò Èåïôüêïõ áðïôåëïýóå ïëïæþíôáíç êáé ïëüöùôç ðáíçãõñéêÞ äéáôñÜíùóç êáé åðéâåâáßùóç, üôé üíôùò ç Èåïôüêïò Ìáñßá åêïéìÞèç, üôé êáôÜ ôçí èåßá áõôÞò Êïßìçóç «åê ðåñÜôùí óõíÝäñáìïí áðïóôüëùí ïé ðñüêñéôïé» ãéá ôçí ðÜíóåðôç áõôÞò êçäåßá êáé áêïëïýèçóå «ç ìåôÜóôáóéò ôïõ á÷ñÜíôïõ óêÞíïõò» ôçò êáôÜ ôçí ïðïßá «ç ôçí æùÞí êõÞóáóá ðñïò æùÞí ìåôáâÝâçêåí» äïñõöïñåßôáé õðü ôùí áããÝëùí, áñ÷þí êáé äõíÜìåùí, áðïóôüëùí, ðñïöçôþí êáé áðÜóçò ôçò êôßóåùò êáôÜ ôçí ùñáéïôÜôç ðåñéãñáöÞ ôïõ èåßïõ õìíùäïý.

Åßíáé áëÞèåéá, üôé ôüóï ç åðïõñÜíéá üóï êáé ç åðßãåéá Åêêëçóßá, ìå Üöèáóôç óåìíüôçôá áíôéêñýæåé êáé åîáßñåé «ôï èáýìá» ôçò Êïßìçóçò ôçò Èåïôüêïõ. Ãé áõôü ï Üãéïò Èåüäùñïò, ï Óôïõäßôçò, äéêáéïëïãçìÝíá ãñÜöåé: «ÑéãÜ áðü óõãêßíçóç ëïéðüí ôï ðíåýìá ìïõ üôáí åíäüìõ÷á óêÝðôïìáé ôï ìåãáëåßï ôçò áíá÷þñçóÞò óïõ ÐáñèÝíå. ÊáôáðëÞóóåôáé ï íïõò ìïõ, üôáí áíáëïãßæïìáé ôï èáýìá ôçò êïéìÞóåþò óïõ. Áäõíáôåß ç ãëþóóá ìïõ íá ìéëÞóåé, üôáí äéçãåßôáé ôï ìõóôÞñéï ôçò åðáíüäïõ óïõ óôç æùÞ... (Áðü ôçí Ýêäïóç ôïõ «Áêñßôá» Êïßìçóç ó.101) ÁëëÜ êáé ï ðåñßöçìïò éåñïêÞñõî ôïõ 17ïõ áéþíá, ï Çëßáò ÌçíéÜôçò, ðåñéãñÜöåé áõôü ôï áóýëëçðôï èáýìá ôçò Êïßìçóçò ôçò Èåïôüêïõ, ùò êÜôé ðïõ îåðåñíÜ ôçí áíèñþðéíç íüçóç. ÃñÜöåé: «Åéò ôçí ÁãéùôÜôçí ÐáñèÝíïí üëá åóôÜèçóáí õðÝñ Üíèñùðïí. Åéò ôïýôï ìüíïí Ýäåéîå ðùò Þôï öýóåùò áíèñùðßíçò äéáôß óÞìåñïí öáßíåôáé ðùò Þôï öýóåùò èíçôÞò. ÁëëÜ êáé åéò ôïýôï åöÜíçóáí ôá ðñïíüìéá ôçò èåßáò ÷Üñéôïò. Äéüôé êáèþò üôáí ç ðáíÜìùìïò Ìáñßá óõíÝëáâåí, ç óýëëçøéò åóôÜèç Üóðïñïò, êáé üôáí åãÝííçóåí, ç êýçóéò åóôÜèç áäéÜöèïñïò, Ýôóé üôáí áðÝèáíåí, ç íÝêñùóéò åóôÜèç áèÜíáôïò». (áõôüèé, ó.123-124). Åôóé, ìáæß ìå ôçí Êïßìçóç ôçò ÁåéðáñèÝíïõ Ìáñßáò, ìáæß ìå ôç ìåôÜóôáóç ôïõ ðáíá÷ñÜíôïõ êáé æùáñ÷éêïý ôçò óêÞíïõò, åïñôÜæïõìå êáé äéáêçñýóóïõìå ôç äüîá êáé ôç íßêç ôçò Åêêëçóßáò Ýíáíôé ôùí ðïëåìßùí ôçò, üëùí ôùí ðïëåìßùí, üëùí ôùí åðï÷þí. Êáé «ëáìðáäïõ÷ïýìåíïé» êáé «ãåñáßñïíôåò» êáé «åõöñáéíüìåíïé» ðñïóåõ÷üìåèá ðñïò áõôÞ, üðùò ï Çëßáò ï ÌçíéÜôçò. «Íáé, Ðáíáãßá ÐáñèÝíå Ìáñßá, üíïìá üðïõ åßíáé ç ÷áñÜ, ç ðáñçãïñßá, ôï êáý÷çìá ôùí ÷ñéóôéáíþí. ÄÝîáé ôçí íçóôåßáí êáé ðáñÜêëçóéí ôùí áãßùí ôïýôùí çìåñþí, üðïõ åêÜìáìåí åéò ôéìÞí óïõ, ùò èõìßáìá åõðñüóäåêôïí. Êáé áîßùóüí ìáò êáèþò åäþ åéò ôçí Åêêëçóßáí åõëáâþò áóðáæüìåèá ôçí áãßáí êáé èáõìáôïõñãüí åéêüíá Ýôóé êáé åêåß åéò ôïí ÐáñÜäåéóïí íá éäïýìå áõôü ôï ìáêÜñéïí óïõ ðñüóùðïí ôï ïðïßïí íá ðñïóêõíïýìåí, óõí ôþ Ðáôñß, êáé ôþ Õéþ êáé ôþ Áãßù Ðíåýìáôé, åéò ôïõò áðåñÜíôïõò áéþíáò. ÁìÞí (áõôüèé, ó.131) Ï Ãåþñãéïò Ó. ÌðåìðÞò åßíáé ÊáèçãçôÞò ôçò Ðáôñïëïãßáò óôçí ÅëëçíéêÞ Ïñèüäïîç ÈåïëïãéêÞ Ó÷ïëÞ ôïõ Ôéìßïõ Óôáõñïý.

ÁÑÉÈÌÏÓ 1132

Åêêëçóç åíßó÷õóçò êïéíïôéêïý ó÷ïëåßïõ

ÍÅÁ ÕÏÑÊÇ.- Åêêëçóç ðñïò ôïõò áðïöïßôïõò ôïõ ó÷ïëåßïõ «ÃïõëáíäñÞò Ôóïëáúíüò» ôçò êïéíüôçôáò ôïõ Áãßïõ Óðõñßäùíá, óôï Ìðñïíî ÍÝáò Õüñêçò, Ýêáíå ï Óåâ. Áñ÷éåðßóêïðïò ÁìåñéêÞò ê. Óðõñßäùí, ðñïôñÝðïíôÜò ôïõò íá óõìâÜëïõí óôçí ðñïóðÜèåéá íá óõíå÷ßóåé áðñüóêïðôá ç ëåéôïõñãßá ôïõ, ðáñÜ ôçí ðñüóöáôç áðüöáóç ôçò êïéíïôéêÞò óõíÝëåõóçò ãéá ôï êëåßóéìü ôïõ. Óôçí åðéóôïëÞ ôïõ, ï Óåâáóìéüôáôïò êÜíåé áíáöïñÜ óôïí èåìåëéþäç åêðáéäåõôéêü óôü÷ï ôçò É. Áñ÷éåðéóêïðÞò, íá åìöõóÞóåé óôïõò íÝïõò ìáò ôéò ðíåõìáôéêÝò, çèéêÝò êáé ðïëéôéóôéêÝò áîßåò ôçò åëëçíïñèüäïîçò êëçñïíïìéÜò ìáò, åíþ ðáñÜëëçëá åðéêáëåßôáé ôéò Üïêíåò ðñïóðÜèåéåò ôùí ðáëáéüôåñùí ãéá ôçí åýñõèìç ëåéôïõñãßá ôïõ ó÷ïëåßïõ óôï ïðïßï åêåßíïé öïßôçóáí. Õðïãñáììßæïíôáò ôá ïöÝëç ðïõ èá ðñïêýøïõí ãéá ôéò åðüìåíåò ãåíéÝò áðü ôçí áðñüóêïðôç ëåéôïõñãßá ôïõ ó÷ïëåßïõ, ï Áñ÷éåðßóêïðïò ÁìåñéêÞò æçôÜ ôçí ïéêïíïìéêÞ óõìðáñÜóôáóÞ ôïõò ãéá ôï óõãêåêñéìÝíï áõôü óêïðü.

Ï Áñ÷éåðßóêïðïò óôï óõíÝäñéï Íåïëáßáò

ÌÉÍÅÁÐÏËÇ. Óôï åôÞóéï óõíÝäñéï ôçò Åëëçíïñèüäïîçò Íåïëáßáò (Young Adult League) ðáñÝóôç ï Óåâ. Áñ÷éåðßóêïðïò ÁìåñéêÞò ê. Óðõñßäùí, ï ïðïßïò ìåôÝâç ãéá ôï óêïðü áõôü óôç ÌéíåÜðïëç ôçò Ìéíåóüôá, ôï äéÞìåñï 5-6 Éïõëßïõ. ÁìÝóùò ìåôÜ ôçí ÜöéîÞ ôïõ, ï Óåâáóìéüôáôïò ìåôÝâç óôï ðñïÜóôéï Cedar Lake Farms, ãéá ôç äéåîáãùãÞ óåéñÜò óõíåäñéÜóåùí åñãáóßáò, ðÞñå ìÝñïò óå ðáôñïðáñÜäïôï õðáßèñéï ãåýìá ãéá ôçí ÇìÝñá ôçò ÁìåñéêáíéêÞò Áíåîáñôçóßáò, åíþ ôï áðüãåõìá ôÝëåóå ôïí Åóðåñéíü. Ôçí åðïìÝíç, ÊõñéáêÞ 6 Éïõëßïõ, ðëáéóéïýìåíïò áðü ðïëëïýò êëçñéêïýò ôçò É. Áñ÷éåðéóêïðÞò, ôÝëåóå ôç Èåßá Ëåéôïõñãßá êáé óôç óõíÝ÷åéá ðÞñå ìÝñïò ìå ôá ìÝëç ôçò ÅèíéêÞò ÏñãÜíùóçò Íåïëáßáò óå áíïéêôü äéÜëïãï, óôá ðëáßóéá Çìåñßäáò.

Ï Áñ÷éåðßóêïðïò óôï Ìßóéãêáí Ôñüé. Ôçí êïéíüôçôá ôïõ Áãßïõ ÍéêïëÜïõ, óôçí ðüëç Ôñüú ôïõ Ìßóéãêáí åðéóêÝöèçêå ôï Óáââáôïêýñéáêï 19 êáé 20 Éïõëßïõ ï Áñ÷éåðßóêïðïò Óðõñßäùí, ìå ôçí åõêáéñßá ôçò 50Þò åðåôåßïõ ôçò Oìïóðïíäßáò Åëëçíïñèüäïîùí ×ïñùäéþí ôùí Ìåóï-áíáôïëéêþí ðïëéôåéþí. Ôï ÓÜââáôï, ï Óåâáóìéüôáôïò óõíáíôÞèçêå ìå ôïõò éåñåßò ôçò ðåñéï÷Þò ôïõ Íôéôñüéô, óôïí éåñü íáü ôïõ Áãßïõ ÍéêïëÜïõ êáé åß÷å óõíÜíôçóç ìå ôçí åðéêåöáëÞò ôïõ åèíéêïý öüñïõì Åëëçíïñèüäïîùí Ìïõóéêþí êáé ìå ôçí ðñüåäñï ôïõ óõëëüãïõ ôùí ðñåóâõôÝñùí ôïõ Íôéôñüéô. Ôï âñÜäõ ôïõ ÓáââÜôïõ ðñïÝóôç ôïõ Åóðåñéíïý óôï íáü ôïõ Áãßïõ ÍéêïëÜïõ êáé óôçí óõíÝ÷åéá ðáñÝóôç óôï åðßóçìï äåßðíï ôçò Oìïóðïíäßáò ×ïñùäéþí óôï îåíïäï÷åßï ÌÜñéïô. Ôçí ÊõñéáêÞ, ÷ùñïóôÜôçóå óôç Èåßá Ëåéôïõñãßá.

ÓÅËÉÄÁ 12

ÏÑÈÏÄÏÎÏÓ ÐÁÑÁÔÇÑÇÔÇÓ

ÁÕÃÏÕÓÔÏÓ 1997

Å ð ß ó ê ï ð ï ò Ì å è ü ä é ï ò : Äéáóýñïõí ôçí ÈåïëïãéêÞ Ó÷ïëÞ Óêáíäáëßæïõí ôïí ëáü ìáò ïé åõåñãåôçèÝíôåò

ÍÅÁ ÕOÑÊÇ - Óå óõíÝíôåõîç ðïõ ðáñá÷þñçóå óôçí çìåñÞóéá åöçìåñßäá ôçò ÍÝáò Õüñêçò «ÐñùéíÞ», ï Åðßóêïðïò Âïóôþíçò ê. Ìåèüäéïò êáôáäéêÜæåé ôéò «óêáíäáëïëïãßåò» ãýñù áðü ôï Åëëçíéêü ÊïëÝãéï êáé ôç ÈåïëïãéêÞ Ó÷ïëÞ Ôéìßïõ Óôáõñïý, êáõôçñéÜæïíôáò üóïõò «óêáíäáëßæïõí ôï ÷ñéóôåðþíõìï ðëÞèïò» êáé ôá Üôïìá «ðïõ óõóôçìáôéêÜ Ýóðåéñáí ôïí óðüñï ôçò äé÷üíïéáò ãéá íá ðñïâÜëïõí ôïí åáõôü ôïõò» êáé ðñïóðÜèçóáí íá äéáéñÝóïõí ôçí É. Áñ÷éåðéóêïðÞ óå «Ðáôñéáñ÷éêïýò» êáé «áíôé-Ðáôñéáñ÷éêïýò». Ìéëþíôáò óôïí óõíôÜêôç ôçò åöçìåñßäáò ÁíäñÝá Áíáãíþóôïõ, ï Åðßóêïðïò Âïóôþíçò, ðïõ óôï ðáñåëèüí äéáôÝëåóå êáé ðñüåäñïò ôçò ÈåïëïãéêÞò Ó÷ïëÞò, õðïãñÜììéóå üôé ïõóéáóôéêüò óôü÷ïò ôïõò åßíáé ôï Ïéêïõìåíéêü Ðáôñéáñ÷åßï êáé ðñïóùðéêÜ ï Ïéêïõìåíéêüò ìáò ÐáôñéÜñ÷çò ê. Âáñèïëïìáßïò, åö üóïí üðùò óçìåéþíåé «ç É. Áñ÷éåðéóêïðÞ ÁìåñéêÞò áðïôåëåß Åðáñ÷ßá ôïõ Oéêïõìåíéêïý Ðáôñéáñ÷åßïõ êáé åðïìÝíùò, ü,ôé ãßíåôáé óôçí ÁìåñéêÞ Ý÷åé áíôßêôõðï óôï Oéêïõìåíéêü Ðáôñéáñ÷åßï». Ðñïâáßíåé óôçí åêôßìçóç üôé ïé ôåëåõôáßåò åîåëßîåéò (âëÝðå áíáóêüðçóç óôçí ðñþôç óåëßäá) åßíáé áðïôÝëåóìá ôïõ ãåãïíüôïò üôé ïé óõãêåêñéìÝíïé êýêëïé «áðÝôõ÷áí ðáôáãùäþò íá åðéôý÷ïõí ôçí åí ëüãù äéáßñåóç» êáé «ðñïóðáèïýí ôþñá íá ðëÞîïõí ôïí Áñ÷éåðßóêïðï Óðõñßäùíá êáé êáôÜ óõíÝðåéá ôïí Oéêïõìåíéêü ÐáôñéÜñ÷ç êáé ôçí ÉåñÜ Óýíïäï ç ïðïßá ôïí åîÝëåîå». Ðéóôåýåé áêñÜäáíôá üôé ç ðñïóðÜèåéá áõôÞ åßíáé êáôáäéêáóìÝíç, ëÝãïíôáò ÷áñáêôçñéóôéêÜ ãéá ôïõò êýê-

ëïõò ðïõ åðéäéþêïõí ôç äéáßñåóç: «Äåí Ðéóôåýù üôé ç OìïãÝíåéá, ç Áñ÷éåðéóêïðÞ êáé ôï Oéêïõìåíéêü Ðáôñéáñ÷åßï åßíáé óå áìöéâÜëëù üôé èá áðïôý÷ïõí». Ç óõíÝíôåõîç ôïõ ÈåïöéëÝóôáôïõ èÝóç íá áó÷ïëçèïýí ìå ôá ðñïâëÞìáôá Åðéóêüðïõ Âïóôþíçò Ìåèüäéïõ, óôïí ôçò Ó÷ïëÞò ìáò êáé íá ôá ëýóïõí. Êáèþò åßðáôå, åßìáé ðñþçí ðñüåäñïò ÁíäñÝá Áíáãíþóôïõ, Ý÷åé ùò áêïëïýèùò: ÐÑÙÉÍÇ: ÈåïöéëÝóôáôå, ùò ðñþçí ôïõ éäñýìáôïò áõôïý, áðï ôï ïðïßï êáé Ðñüåäñïò ôçò ÈåïëïãéêÞò Ó÷ïëÞò ôïõ áðïöïßôçóá. ÊÜðïôå, ï Oéêïõìåíéêüò ìáò Ôéìßïõ Óôáõñïý óôï ÌðñïõêëÜéí Ìáóá- ÐáôñéÜñ÷çò ê. Âáñèïëïìáßïò ÷áñáêôÞñéóå ÷ïõóÝôçò, áëëÜ êáé ìå ôçí éäéüôçôá ôïõ ôï ìïíáäéêü áõôü ßäñõìá áíþôáôçò Åðéóêüðïõ ôçò ðåñéï÷Þò, ðþò ó÷ïëéÜæåôå ðáéäåßáò ùò ôçí óðïíäõëéêÞ óôÞëç ðïõ ôïí èüñõâï ðïõ Ý÷åé äçìéïõñãçèåß ôåëåõ- êñáôÜåé üñèéï ôï Óþìá ôçò Åêêëçóßáò ìáò. ôáßá óôï åí ëüãù åêêëçóéáóôéêü-åêðáé- Åßíáé åðïìÝíùò Üíåõ áìöéâïëßáò ßäñõìá ôçò Åêêëçóßáò, ï óêïðüò ôïõ ïðïßïõ åßíáé äåõôéêü ßäñõìá; ÌÅÈÏÄÉÏÓ: Ôüóïí åãþ üóï êáé íá åôïéìÜóåé ôïõò ðíåõìáôéêïýò çãÝôåò ôùí êïéíïôÞôùí ôçò ïëüêëçñç ç OìïÉåñÜò Áñ÷éåðéóêïãÝíåéá ôçò ÍÝáò Áããëßáò ëõðçèÞÇ êáôáëáëéÜ, äçëáäÞ ôï ðÞò ÁìåñéêÞò. O Ðñüåäñïò ôçò Åöïêáìå ðïëý ãéá ôï êïõôóïìðïëéü, åßíáé ï ñßáò åßíáé ï åêÜèüñõâï, ùò ìç óôïôå Áñ÷éåðßóêïüöåéëå, ãýñù áðü ðíåõìáôéêüò êáñêßíïò ðïò ôçò Åêêëçóßáò. ôï Åëëçíéêü ÊïëÝãéï êáé ôç ÈåïëïãéêÞ ðïõ ìáò êáôáóôñÝöåé... Óáí ðñüåäñïò ôçò Åöïñßáò Ý÷åé ôçí Ó÷ïëÞ ôïõ Ôéìßïõ åõèýíç íá öñïíôßÓôáõñïý. Ôá äçìïóéåýìáôá óôïí åëëçíéêü Ôýðï áëëÜ üëùò óåé ãéá ôçí êáëýôåñç äõíáôÞ ëåéôïõñãßá éäéáéôÝñùò åéò ôïí áìåñéêáíéêü Ôýðï, äåí ôçò ó÷ïëÞò üðïõ ìïñöþíïíôáé ïé áõñéáíïß ìáò ôéìïýí. Óêáíäáëßæåôáé ï ëáüò ìáò. êëçñéêïß. ÐÑÙÉÍÇ: Åßóôå óå èÝóç íá ãíùñßæåôå Åßíáé áðáñÜäåêôï üôé õðÜëëçëïò ôçò Ó÷ïëÞò, åõåñãåôçèåßóá ôá ìÝãéóôá áðü áí üíôùò óçìåéþèçêå ðåñéóôáôéêü áíÜñôçí Ó÷ïëÞ êáé ôçí Åêêëçóßá, åðÝôñåøå ìïóôçò óåîïõáëéêÞò óõìðåñéöïñÜò ìå óôïí åáõôü ôçò íá äéáóýñåé ôï üíïìá ôçò ðñùôáãùíéóôÝò öïéôçôÝò ôçò ó÷ïëÞò, Ó÷ïëÞò ü÷é ìüíï óôéò åöçìåñßäåò áëëÜ êáé üðùò áíáöÝñïõí öÞìåò êáé êáôáããåëßåò; Áëçèåýïõí ïé öÞìåò üôé ï Áñ÷éåðßóôéò åêðáéäåõôéêÝò áñ÷Ýò ôçò ÷þñáò êáé óôïí åéóáããåëÝá ôçò Ìáóá÷ïõóÝôçò. óêïðïò áðïöÜóéóå íá ìåôáèÝóåé áðï ôç ó÷ïëÞ ôïõò êáèçãçôÝò-ìÝëç ôçò ðåéèáñ÷éêÞò åðéôñïðÞò, åðåéäÞ ïé ôåëåõôáßïé äåí áðïäÝ÷ôçêáí ôçí «Üíùèåí åíôïëÞ» ãéá óõãêÜëõøç ôïõ üëïõ æçôÞìáôïò; ÌÅÈÏÄÉÏÓ: Äåí èá áó÷ïëçèþ ìå ôéò öÞìåò êáé êáôáããåëßåò ðïõ áíáöÝñåôå ãéá äÞèåí «óåîïõáëéêü åðåéóüäéï» äéüôé ðéóôåýù üôé ç êáôáëáëéÜ, Þ üðùò ëÝìå, êïõôóïìðïëéü, Ý÷åé ãßíåé ðëÝïí êáèçìåñéíÞ ìáò áðáó÷üëçóç. Åßíáé ï ðíåõìáôéêüò êáñêßíïò ðïõ ìáò êáôáóôñÝöåé. Äåí åßíáé äõíáôüí óáí Åðßóêïðïò Âïóôþíçò íá ìçí áêïýù ãéá ôéò åîåëßîåéò óôç Ó÷ïëÞ. Äåí áó÷ïëïýìáé üìùò ìå ôç äéïßêçóç ôçò Ó÷ïëÞò. ÌåôÜ áðü ç èçôåßá ìïõ ùò Ðñüåäñïò, âåâáßùóá ôïí Oéêïõìåíéêü ÐáôñéÜñ÷ç üôé äåí èá áó÷ïëçèþ ìå ôá ðñÜãìáôá ôçò Ó÷ïëÞò. Ôçí õðïóôçñßæù ROUND TRIP FROM çèéêþò êáé ïéêïíïìéêþò êáé åíèáññýíù ôéò +TAX êïéíüôçôåò íá áíôáðïêñßíïíôáé ãåííáéüäùñá óôïõò åñÜíïõò ôçò ó÷ïëÞò. Áîßæåé CHILDREN 2-12 YEARS OLD 25% OFF íá óçìåéùèåß üôé êáèçãçôÝò ôçò Ó÷ïëÞò CORPORATE ACCOUNTS 20% OFF DOMESTIC & INT L åßíáé äéïñéóìÝíïé óå êïéíüôçôåò üðïõ ëáìâÜíïõí êáé åðß ðëÝïí ìéóèü.

LOW &EASY CONNECTIONS FROM ANYWHERE IN THE USA Åðß ôçò ðñïåäñßáò ìïõ êáé ìåôÜ, Þëèáí áðï ôçí ÅëëÜäá éåñåßò íá öïéôÞóïõí ADD ON AIRFARE CHART TO ATHENS óôç Ó÷ïëÞ ìáò. Êáé áõôïß õðçñåôïýí ôéò áíÜãêåò ôùí êïéíïôÞôùí ôçò ÅðéóêïðÞò, üðïõ ÷ñåéÜæïíôáé. ÅðáíáëáìâÜíù üôé äåí ãíùñßæù ôßðïôá ó÷åôéêü ìå ôï äÞèåí «óåîïõáëéêü åðåéóüäéï». Åßìáé âÝâáéïò üìùò, ãíùñßæïíôáò ôç ãñáììÞ ôçò Åêêëçóßáò, üôé ôÝôïéïõ åßäïõò äéáãùãÞ åßíáé áðáñÜäåêôç êáé áõóôçñþò ôéìùñçôÝá. Åð ïõäåíß ëüãù èá åäßäåôï «Üíùèåí åíôïëÞ» ãéá íá ÷ñçóéìïðïéÞóù äéêÞ óáò Ýêöñáóç ãéá íá êáëõöèåß Ýíá ôÝôïéï åðåéóüäéï. Åê ðåßñáò óáò óõìâïõëåýù íá êÜíåôå õðïìïíÞ êáé ç áëÞèåéá èá ãßíåé óýíôïìá ãíùóôÞ. ÐÑÙÉÍÇ: ÈåïöéëÝóôáôå, ðïéïò Þôáí ï ëüãïò áíôéêáôÜóôáóçò ôïõ ÐñïÝäñïõ ôçò ó÷ïëÞò ðáôñüò Êáëýâá, áðï ôïí Åðßóêïðï ÍôÝíâåñ ÇóáÀá; ÌÅÈÏÄÉÏÓ: Êáëü èá Þôáí íá ñùôÞóåôå åõèÝùò ôïí Áñ÷éåðßóêïðï ìáò. ÕðïèÝôù üìùò üôé Þèåëå íá ôïðïèåôÞóåé Åðßóêïðï óôçí ðñïåäñßá ôçò Ó÷ïëÞò ãéá íá åêöñÜæåé êáèçìåñéíÜ ôï áìÝñéóôï åíäéáöÝñïí êáé ç ðáñïõóßá ôçò ÉåñÜò Åðáñ÷éáêÞò Óõíüäïõ. Åßíáé åðüìåíï Ýíáò êáéíïýñéïò Áñ÷éåðßóêïðïò íá Ý÷åé äéêïýò ôïõ ïñáìáôéóìïýò êáé äéêÜ ôïõ ó÷Ýäéá ãéá

ÊÁËÏÊÁÉÑÉ - ÖÈÉÍÏÐÙÑÏ

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ôç ìåëëïíôéêÞ ðïñåßá ôçò Ó÷ïëÞò. Ãéá íá èÝóåé óå åöáñìïãÞ ôç íÝá áõôÞ ãñáììÞ, ï Áñ÷éåðßóêïðïò ðÞñå ìåñéêÝò áðïöÜóåéò ìåôÜ áðü ðïëëÞ óêÝøç, ãéá ôéò ïðïßåò áíôÝäñáóáí ìåñéêïß. Ëçóìüíçóáí ðñïöáíþò üôé åßíáé êëçñéêïß êáé ïöåßëïõí íá õðáêïýóïõí óôçí åíôïëÞ ôçò ðñïúóôáìÝíçò ôùí áñ÷Þò. Ç õðáêïÞ êáé ï óåâáóìüò, ç ×ñéóôéáíéêÞ ôáðåéíïöñïóýíç åßíáé âáóéêÜ äéäÜãìáôá ôçò Oñèüäïîçò ðíåõìáôéêÞò æùÞò. ¹ åßìáóôå Oñèüäïîïé, Þ äåí åßìáóôå. ÐÑÙÉÍÇ: Óýìöùíá ìå ïñéóìÝíïõò íïìéêïýò êýêëïõò, ç ìåôÜèåóç ôùí êáèçãçôþí ôçò ó÷ïëÞò ðéèáíþò äýíáôáé íá êñéèåß ðáñÜíïìç êáé êáôá÷ñçóôéêÞ ðñÜîç áðï ïðïéïäÞðïôå ðïëéôåéáêü äéêáóôÞñéï, åöüóïí êÜðïéïò áðü áõôïýò ðñïóöýãåé óôç äéêáéïóýíç. Ðùò ó÷ïëéÜæåôå ìéá ôÝôïéá åîÝëéîç; ÌÅÈÏÄÉÏÓ: Oé áðïöÜóåéò ôçò Åêêëçóßáò äåí åëÝã÷ïíôáé áðü ðïëéôåéáêÜ äéêáóôÞñéá. Áðü üôé ãíùñßæù, ôï ãñÜììá ðïõ óôÜëèçêå óôïí åéóáããåëÝá, äåí óôÜëèçêå áðü êëçñéêü, áëëÜ áðü ëáúêü ìÝëïò ôïõ ðñïóùðéêïý ôçò ó÷ïëÞò. Èá ëõðçèþ ðÜñá ðïëý åÜí êëçñéêüò ôçò Åêêëçóßáò ðñïóöýãåé óôá ðïëéôéêÜ äéêáóôÞñéá ãéá íá âñåé äéêáéïóýíç. Oé êëçñéêïß êáèçãçôÝò ôçò Ó÷ïëÞò åßíáé êëçñéêïß ðñþôá êáé ìåôÜ áêáäçìáúêïß. Ðñþôá Ýãéíáí éåñåßò êáé Ýðåéôá êáèçãçôÝò. ÐñïóùðéêÜ èá ìïõ Þôáí áäýíáôï íá äéáíïçèþ êÜôé ôÝôïéï. ÐÑÙÉÍÇ: ÊáôÜ ôç ãíþìç óáò ïé ôåëåõôáßåò åîåëßîåéò óõíäÝïíôáé êáé ìå ôï Oéêïõìåíéêü Ðáôñéáñ÷åßï; ËÝãåôáé üôé óôï ðñüóùðï ôïõ Áñ÷éåðéóêüðïõ Óðõñßäùíá ïõóéáóôéêÜ âÜëëåôáé ï Oéêïõìåíéêüò ÐáôñéÜñ÷çò Âáñèïëïìáßïò. Å÷åôå äéáðéóôþóåé êÜôé ôÝôïéï; ÌÅÈÏÄÉÏÓ: Ç ÉåñÜ Áñ÷éåðéóêïðÞ ÁìåñéêÞò åßíáé åðáñ÷ßá ôïõ Oéêïõìåíéêïý Ðáôñéáñ÷åßïõ êáé åðïìÝíùò üôé ãßíåôáé óôçí ÁìåñéêÞ Ý÷åé áíôßêôõðï óôï Oéêïõìåíéêü Ðáôñéáñ÷åßï. Ðéóôåýù üôé Ý÷åé äéáðéóôùèåß áðü üëç ôçí OìïãÝíåéá ðëÝïí, üôé õðÜñ÷ïõí ìåñéêïß áíÜìåóÜ ìáò ïé ïðïßïé óõóôçìáôéêÜ Ýóðåéñáí ôïí óðüñï ôçò äé÷üíïéáò ãéá íá ðñïâÜëïõí ôïí åáõôü ôïõò. ÐñïóðÜèçóáí íá äéáéñÝóïõí ôçí Áñ÷éåðéóêïðÞ óå «ðáôñéáñ÷éêïýò» êáé «áíôé-ðáôñéáñ÷éêïýò». ÅðåéäÞ áðÝôõ÷áí ðáôáãùäþò, ðñïóðáèïýí ôþñá íá ôïîåýóïõí ôïí Áñ÷éåðßóêïðï Óðõñßäùíá êáé êáôÜ óõíÝðåéá ôïí Oéêïõìåíéêü ÐáôñéÜñ÷ç êáé ôçí ÉåñÜ Óýíïäï ç ïðïßá ôïí åîÝëåîå. Äåí áìöéâÜëù üôé èá áðïôý÷ïõí.

ÁóöáëÞò ç ÅëëÜäá êáé ìå êáëÞ æùÞ

ÏÕÁÓÉÃÊÔÏÍ. Ç ÅëëÜäá åßíáé ÷þñá ìå åîáéñåôéêÜ ÷áìçëü äåßêôç åãêëçìáôéêüôçôáò êáé óôáèåñÞ äéáêõâÝñíçóç, ëÝåé ôï áìåñéêáíéêü õðïõñãåßï Åîùôåñéêþí, óôéò «ôáîéäéùôéêÝò ïäçãßåò» ðïõ ðáñÝ÷åé ôçëåöùíéêÜ óôïõò åíäéáöåñüìåíïõò. Ðáñüìïéá äéáðßóôùóç êÜíåé êáé ç åöçìåñßäá ÔÜéìò ôïõ Ëïò Áíôæåëåò, ôïíßæïíôáò ôçí êáëÞ áóôõíïìéêÞ ðñïóôáóßá êáé ôçí éäéáßôåñç áóöÜëåéá ôùí ôïõñéóôéêþí ðåñéï÷þí. Åî Üëëïõ, óå Ýêèåóç ôïõ Ï.Ç.Å. ç ÅëëÜäá êáôáãñÜöåôáé ùò 20ç óôïí êüóìï ÷þñá óå ðïéüôçôá æùÞò, ìå ðñþôåò ôïí ÊáíáäÜ, ôç Ãáëëßá, ôç Íïñâçãßá êáé ôéò ÇíùìÝíåò Ðïëéôåßåò. ÌÝôñï óýãêñéóçò Þôáí ôï êáôÜ êåöáëÞ åéóüäçìá, ç ìÝóç äéÜñêåéá æùÞò êáé ôï ìïñöùôéêü åðßðåäï. Ùò ðñïò ôç öôþ÷åéá, ç êáôÜóôáóç åðéäåéíþíåôáé óôçí Áõóôñáëßá, ÂÝëãéï, Öéëáíäßá, Ãåñìáíßá, Ïëëáíäßá, Íïñâçãßá, Âñåôáíßá êáé ÇÐÁ, üðïõ ðáñÜ ôï õøçëüôåñï êáôÜ êåöáëÞ åéóüäçìá óôïí êüóìï ($26.397), ïé öôù÷ïß áðïôåëïýí ôï 19% ôïõ ðëçèõóìïý, óå óýãêñéóç ìå 16% ðñéí åßêïóé ÷ñüíéá.

ÁÕÃÏÕÓÔÏÓ 1997

ÏÑÈÏÄÏÎÏÓ ÐÁÑÁÔÇÑÇÔÇÓ

ÓÅËÉÄÁ 13

Óýííåöá õðåñÜíù ôïõ Ãêñáôò óåë. 11

óÞìåñá ìåôáîý Ìüó÷áò êáé Ñþìçò, áëëÜ êáé ðñïöáíþò ãéá íá ðñïëåéÜíåé ôï Ýäáöïò ìéáò ðéèáíÞò åðéóêÝøåþò ôïõ óôç Ñùóßá. Ôßðïôá ôï óõãêåêñéìÝíï äåí äéÝññåõóå ó÷åôéêÜ ìå ôç óõíÜíôçóç áõôÞ. Áíôßèåôá ïñãßáóáí öáéäñÜ êáé ðáñáðëáíçôéêÜ äçìïóéåýìáôá, ñùìáéïêáèïëéêþí êõñßùò ðñáêôïñåßùí åéäÞóåùí, óýìöùíá ìå ôá ïðïßá «ôç óõíÜíôçóç ÐÜðá ÐáôñéÜñ÷ïõ Ìüó÷áò åß÷å ìåèïäåýóåé ï Ïéêïõìåíéêüò ÐáôñéÜñ÷çò»^ üôé «ï ÐÜðáò èá Ýöåñå åðß ôï áõôü ôïõò ÐáôñéÜñ÷åò Êùíóôáíôéíïõðüëåùò êáé Ìüó÷áò ðñïêåéìÝíïõ üðùò ôïõò óõìöéëéþóåé»^ Þ áêüìç üôé ðñïåâëÝðåôï óõíÜíôçóç êïñõöÞò ôïõ ÐÜðá, ü÷é ìüíï ìå ôïõò Êùíóôáíôéíïõðüëåùò êáé Ìüó÷áò, áëëÜ êáé ìå ôïõò ëïéðïýò ïñèïäüîïõò ÐñïêáèçìÝíïõò ôçò Åõñþðçò êáé ôçò Åããýò ÁíáôïëÞò. Ôç óýã÷õóç áõôÞ åíßó÷õóáí áêüìç ðåñéóóüôåñï áíôéêñïõüìåíåò äçëþóåéò áíùôÜôùí ðáñáãüíôùí ôïõ Âáôéêáíïý. ¸ôóé, åíþ ï Ðñüåäñïò ôïõ Ðïíôéöéêïý Óõìâïõëßïõ ÐñïùèÞóåùò ôçò ×ñéóôéáíéêÞò Åíüôçôïò, ÊáñäéíÜëéïò Cassidy äéåôåßíåôï üôé ç óõíÜíôçóç ôïõ ÐÜðá ìå ôïí Ìüó÷áò Þôáí áíÝöéêôç ëüãù åëëåßøåùò ÷ñïíéêþí ðåñéèùñßùí, áëëÜ êáé åî áéôßáò ôùí ôåôáìÝíùí ó÷Ýóåùí ìåôáîý ôùí äýï Åêêëçóéþí, ï Ðñüåäñïò ôïõ Ðïíôéöéêïý Óõìâïõëßïõ åðß ôùí Áíáôïëéêþí Åêêëçóéþí, ÊáñäéíÜëéïò Silvestrini Ýðåéôá áðü ìåñéêÝò ìÝñåò åðéâåâáßùíå ôç óõíÜíôçóç, åíþ ï åðß ôïõ Ôýðïõ áñìüäéïò ôçò Áãßáò ¸äñáò, Éùáêåßì Navarro Valls, äÞëùíå ôçí åðïìÝíç üôé äåí ìðïñïýóå ôüôå íá äéáøåýóåé, ïýôå üìùò êáé íá åðéâåâáéþóåé ôï åíäå÷üìåíï ìéáò ôÝôïéáò óõíáíôÞóåùò êïñõöÞò. ÌðñïóôÜ óôç óõãêå÷õìÝíç áõôÞ êáôÜóôáóç êáé ôçí Ýëëåéøç äéáöÜíåéáò, öñïíþíôáò äå üôé ïé áíùôÝñù åíÝñãåéåò ðñüäéäáí ôÜóåéò ðñïò õðïäÞëùóç õðåñï÷Þò, üôé äåí óõìðïñåýïíôáí ðñïò ôïò ðíåýìá ôçò êáôáëëáãÞò, êáé üôé èá ìðïñïýóáí íá åñìçíåõèïýí ùò áðïóêïðïýóåò óôçí åêìåôÜëëåõóç ôçò ÏéêïõìåíéêÞò ÓõíÜîåùò ôïõ GRAZ ðñïò ßäéïí üöåëïò, ï Ïéêïõìåíéêüò ÐáôñéÜñ÷çò, Ýêñéíå áíáãêáßï üðùò «åðß ôù êïéíþ áãáèþ», áíáâÜëåé ôçí åðßóçìç åðßóêåøÞ

ÐáñÜôáóç óôç «Äüîá» ÍÅÁ ÕOÑÊÇ (ÁÍÁ) Ç ÍÝá Õüñêç äåí ìðïñåß íá áðï÷ùñéóôåß åýêïëá ôï ÂõæÜíôéï. ÔåëéêÜ, ôá äÝêá áñéóôïõñãÞìáôá áðü ôï ÌïíáóôÞñé ôçò Áãßáò Áéêáôåñßíçò ôïõ ÓéíÜ, ðïõ ðïëëïß êñéôéêïß áðïêÜëåóáí ôï «óôÝììá» ôçò Ýêèåóçò ç «Äüîá ôïõ Âõæáíôßïõ», èá ðáñáìåßíïõí óôï Ìçôñïðïëéôéêü Ìïõóåßï ôçò ÍÝáò Õüñêçò ïëüêëçñï ôï êáëïêáßñé, áðñüóìåíï äþñï ãéá ôïõò ãçãåíåßò êáé ôïõò åðéóêÝðôåò, áðü ôéò ôÝóóåñéò ãùíéÝò ôçò ÁìåñéêÞò êáé ôçò Õäñïãåßïõ, ðïõ äåí ðñüëáâáí, Þ ëá÷ôáñïýí íá îáíáäïýí êÜðïéïõò, Ýóôù, áðü ôïõò èçóáõñïýò ôçò ìïíáäéêÞò óå åðéôõ÷ßá êáé êïóìïóõññïÞ Ýêèåóçò. Ãéá Ýîé åðéðëÝïí åâäïìÜäåò, ìÝ÷ñé ôÝëïò Áõãïýóôïõ, ôá åêèáìâùôéêÞò ïìïñöéÜò êáé ôÝ÷íçò áõôÜ Ýñãá èá ðáñáìåßíïõí óôï Ìïõóåßï ÔÝ÷íçò ôçò ÍÝáò Õüñêçò, ðåñéìÝíïíôáò ôçí ìåôáöïñÜ ôïõò óôçí ÁèÞíá, ãéá ôá åãêáßíéá ôçò íÝáò ðôÝñõãáò ôïõ Ìïõóåßïõ ÌðåíÜêç ôïí ÓåðôÝìâñéï. Ðñüêåéôáé ãéá ìéá áêüìá ðñïóöïñÜ ôçò ÔñÜðåæáò Áëöá Ðßóôåùò, âáóéêïý ÷ïñçãïý ôçò Ýêèåóçò ôïõ Ìåôñïðüëéôáí, ç ïðïßá êáé «Ýðåéóå ôï ÌïíáóôÞñé ôçò Áãßáò Áéêáôåñßíçò íá ðñïóöÝñåé óôçí Oñèüäïîç Êïéíüôçôá ôçò ÅëëÜäáò ôçí ìïíáäéêÞ åõêáéñßá, íá ðñïóêõíÞóåé ôá ðïëýôéìá áõôÜ èñçóêåõôéêÜ êåéìÞëéá, ðïõ ãéá ðñþôç öïñÜ ðÝñáóáí ôéò ðýëåò ôéò ìïíÞò».

ôïõ óôçí Áõóôñßá, áêõñþíïíôáò ôáõôü÷ñïíá êáé ôç óõììåôï÷Þ ôïõ óôç ´ ÐáíåõñùðáúêÞ ÏéêïõìåíéêÞ Óýíáîç. Áñìüäéïé åêêëçóéáóôéêïß êýêëïé ôçò Åõñþðçò, áíåîáñôÞôùò ðñïåëåýóåùò, äåí áðïêñýðôïõí ôïí åñåèéóìü ôïõò ìå ôéò åîåëßîåéò áõôÝò, öñïíïýíôåò üôé ç áéöíßäéá êßíçóç ôçò Áãßáò ¸äñáò ãéá ôçí ðñáãìáôïðïßçóç ìéáò óõíáíôÞóåùò ôïõ ÐÜðá ìå ôïí Ìüó÷áò ÁëÝîéï óôç ÂéÝííç, óõóóþñåõóå óýííåöá óôïí ìÝ÷ñé ôþñá áßèñéï ïõñáíü ôïõ Graz ìå êßíäõíï íá åðéóêéáóèåß ç ìå ìåãÜëåò ðñïóäïêßåò áíáìåíüìåíç ´ ÐáíåõñùðáúêÞ ÏéêïõìåíéêÞ Óýíáîç. ÌÜëéóôá äå ïé ïñãáíùôÝò ôçò ÓõíÜîåùò, ôïõôÝóôé ôï Óõìâïýëéï ôùí Êáèïëéêþí Åðéóêïðéêþí Óõíüäùí ôçò Åõñþðçò, ùò êáé ïé ñùìáéïêáèïëéêïß ðáñÜãïíôåò ôçò Óôõñßáò, áíçóõ÷ïýí ìå ôç óêÝøç üôé ôï êÝíôñï âÜñïõò ìðïñåß íá ìåôáôïðéóèåß áðü ôï GRAZ óôç ÂéÝííç. Áíçóõ÷ßá åõíüçôç êáé äéêáéïëïãçìÝíç áí ëçöèåß õð üøç ï ðÜôáãïò ï ïðïßïò äçìéïõñãåßôáé áðü ôá ÌÝóá ÌáæéêÞò Åíçìåñþóåùò Ýðåéôá êáé áðü ôçí ðáñáìéêñüôåñç áêüìç ðáðéêÞ ìåôáêßíçóç. ÁíôéëáìâÜíåôáé âÝâáéá êáíåßò ôçí åðéèõìßá ôïõ ÐÜðá üðùò óôéò äõóìÝò ôïõ âßïõ ôïõ, åêðëçñþóåé Ýíá ìáêñï÷ñüíéï üíåéñï, ôçí åðßóêåøÞ ôïõ óôç Ñùóßá. Åðéèõìßá ôçí ïðïßá åîÝöñáóå ó÷åäüí áðñïêÜëõðôá, ëßãï ìåôÜ ôçí áíÜññçóÞ ôïõ óôïí Èñüíï ôçò Ñþìçò, óå ëüãï ðïõ åß÷å åêöùíÞóåé ôçí ÊõñéáêÞ ôçò ÐåíôçêïóôÞò ôï 1979, óôï Gniezno ôçò Ðïëùíßáò, ôïíßæïíôáò ÷ùñßò ðåñéóôñïöÝò üôé «ï ðñþôïò ÓëÜâïò ÐÜðáò ôçò éóôïñßáò äåí ìðïñåß íá ìÞ áêïýåé, ðáñÜëëçëá ìå ôçí ðïëùíéêÞ ãëþóóá, êáé ôéò ëïéðÝò óëáâéêÝò ãëþóóåò, ìÝóù ôùí ïðïßùí Üñ÷éóå íá ìéëåß ôï õðåñþï ôçò éóôïñßáò» êáé ðñïóèÝôïíôáò ìå Ýìöáóç üôé «èÝëçìá ôïõ ×ñéóôïý åßíáé üðùò ï Ðïëùíüò áõôüò ÐÜðáò, ï óëÜâïò áõôüò ÐÜðáò åðéâåâáéþóåé ôçí ðíåõìáôéêÞ åíüôçôá ôçò ÷ñéóôéáíéêÞò Åõñþðçò, ç ïðïßá, ïöåéëÝôéò ôõã÷Üíïõóá ôùí äýï ìåãÜëùí ðáñáäüóåùí ôçò Äýóåùò êáé ôçò ÁíáôïëÞò, ïìïëïãåß ìßáí ðßóôéí, åí âÜðôéóìá, Ýíá Èåüí êáé ÐáôÝñá ðÜíôùí». Ðñüêåéôáé ãéÜ ôç ãíùóôÞ ðëÝïí ôïðïèÝôçóç ôïõ ÐÜðá üóïí áöïñÜ óôïí åðáíåõáããåëéóìü ôçò Åõñþðçò. Ôçò Åõñþðçò åêåßíçò ç ïðïßá, óýìöùíá ìå ôçí áíôßëçøÞ ôïõ, åðåêôåßíåôáé áðü ôç ÌÜã÷ç ùò ôá ÏõñÜëéá. Ôï åñþôçìá üìùò åßíáé åÜí êáé êáôÜ ðüóï ïé óëáâéêïß ëáïß ðïõ äéáâéïýí óôá áíáôïëéêÜ äéáìåñßóìáôá ôçò Åõñþðçò, åßíáé Ýôïéìïé Þ äéáôåèåéìÝíïé íá áêïýóïõí ôïí ðñþôï ÓëÜâï ÐÜðá ôçò éóôïñßáò. ¼ðùò êáé íá Ý÷åé ôï ðñÜãìá, ç áðüðåéñá ãéá óõíÜíôçóç ôïõ ÐÜðá ìå ôïí Ñþóï ÐáôñéÜñ÷ç ôéò ðáñáìïíÝò ôçò ÓõíÜîåùò ôïõ Graz, êáé åðß ðëÝïí ðáñÜëëçëá ðñïò ôçí åðßóçìç åðßóêåøç ôïõ Ïéêïõìåíéêïý ÐáôñéÜñ÷ïõ óôçí Áõóôñßá, Þôáí êßíçóç áøõ÷ïëüãçôç, áí ü÷é áäÝîéá. ÌÜëéóôá äå ÷ùñßò íá õðÜñ÷ïõí åããõçìÝíá ãéá ôç Ñþìç áðïôåëÝóìáôá áðü ìéÜ ôÝôïéá óõíÜíôçóç êïñõöÞò. Êáé äéåñùôÜôáé êáíåßò ðþò ç êáôÜ ôá Üëëá ðñïóåêôéêÞ êáé ëåðôïëüãïò äéðëùìáôßá ôçò Áãßáò Åäñáò êéíÞèçêå óôçí ðåñßðôùóç áõôÞ ìå ôüóç áöÝëåéá. Åêôüò áí ðñüêåéôáé ðåñß çèåëçìÝíçò åíÝñãåéáò. Ïðüôå ôï æÞôçìá ðáßñíåé åíôåëþò äéáöïñåôéêÝò äéáóôÜóåéò. Ï ÌÝãáò Ðñùôïðñåóâýôåñïò Ãåþñãéïò ÔóÝôóçò åßíáé ìüíéìïò åêðñüóùðïò ôïõ Ïéêïõìåíéêïý Ðáôñéáñ÷åßïõ, óôçí Ýäñá ôïõ Ðáãêïóìßïõ Óõìâïõëßïõ Åêêëçóéþí, óôç Ãåíåýç ôçò Åëâåôßáò. Ôï áíùôÝñù ó÷üëéï ðñùôïäçìïóéåýèçêå óôï Äåëôßï ÏéêïõìåíéêÞò Åðéêáéñüôçôáò «ÅíçìÝñùóéò» ðïõ åêäßäåôáé áðü ôç Ìüíéìç Áíôéðñïóùðåßá.

ÍÅÁ ÕÏÑÊÇ. (åðÜíù) Ç øõ÷Þ ôùí çìåñçóßùí êáé áðïãåõìáôéêþí ó÷ïëåßùí ôçò É. Áñ÷éåðéóêïðÞò, ôï äéäáóêáëéêü ðñïóùðéêü, åðéóêÝöèçêáí ðñüóöáôá ôïí Óåâ. Áñ÷éåðßóêïðï ÁìåñéêÞò ãéá íá óõæçôÞóïõí èÝìáôá Ðáéäåßáò, ìå êýñéï Üîùíá ôçí êáëýôåñç ìüñöùóç ôùí ðáéäéþí ôçò ÏìïãÝíåéáò êáé ôç äéáéþíéóç ôçò åëëçíéêÞò ãëþóóáò êáé êëçñïíïìéÜò. (äåîéÜ) Ï êáèçãçôÞò ôïõ Ðáíåðéóôçìßïõ Èåóóáëïíßêçò ê. Áèáí. Áããåëüðïõëïò, ðñüåäñïò ôïõ éäñýìáôïò Åèíéêþí êáé Èñçóêåõôéêþí Ðñïâëçìáôéóìþí Èåóóáëïíßêçò, êáèþò êáé ï ê. Óôáýñïò Ðáíáãüðïõëïò, ðñüåäñïò ôçò «ÅëëçíéêÞò ÅèíéêÞò ÃñáììÞò», åßíáé ïé Üîïíåò åðéôõ÷ßáò ôïõ ðñïãñÜììáôïò «Ïéêïõìåíéêüò Åëëçíéóìüò» êáé ôçò óåéñÜò åêäçëþóåùí ðïõ ðñïãñáììáôßæïíôáé óôéò ÇíùìÝíåò Ðïëéôåßåò, õðü ôçí åðßôéìç ðñïåäñåßá ôïõ Áñ÷éåðéóêüðïõ ÁìåñéêÞò. (öùô. Ïñèüäïîïõ ÐáñáôçñçôÞ)

A major tour operator, CLOUD TOURS has been assisting the GreekAmerican Community in the U.S.A. with their travel plans for 28 exceptional years. starting at

689

788

s light d f t c e Dire chedul on s irlines, prus to/from Athens to/from Larnaca a Cy e or RS c e e E r T Seven, four and three day cruises to the Greek to G CHAR Isles on Royal Olympic Cruises.

NO Island hopping to the fabulous Aegean and Ionian Islands.

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Customized Group and individual tours specifically geared to the Greek Orthodox to the Holyland and our Patriarchate in Constantinople.

This year, we proudly introduce TYING THE KNOT IN GREECE

Complete wedding arrangements are made: Obtaining the marriage license, reserving the Church, brides s flowers, photos, videos etc.

Call us for details on the traditional Santorini Wedding complete with all the custom, traditions and rituals that will ensure this day to be an unforgettable experience.

Call us and you will see why our exceptional service makes us the leader in travel to Greece and beyond. Ask us for our two very special brochures:

The Magic of Greece and Beyond Greece...a Paradise for Honeymooners and Jet-setters

CLOUD TOURS, INC. Olympic Tower, 645 Fifth Avenue New York, N.Y. l0022 Phones: (2l2) 753-6104, (800) 223-7880 Fax: (2l2) 980-6941 E mail: cloudtours@aol.com

THE NUMBER ONE TOUR OPERATOR FOR HONEYMOONS TO GREECE

ÓÅËÉÄÁ 14

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ÁÕÃÏÕÓÔÏÓ 1997

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Ï Ïéêïõìåíéêüò ìáò ÐáôñéÜñ÷çò óôçí ÁìåñéêÞ

WASHINGTON, DC ÊõñéáêÞ, 19 Ïêôùâñßïõ,1997 2 ì.ì. Áöéîç ôçò Áõôïý Ðáíáãéüôçôïò óôç óôñáôéùôéêÞ áåñïðïñéêÞ âÜóç Andrew A. F. Base, Camp Spring, Maryland.

3:30 ì.ì. Åõ÷áñéóôÞñéá Äïîïëïãßá óôïí Éåñü Íáü Áãßïõ Êùíóôáíôßíïõ êáé ÅëÝíçò, 4115 Sixteenth St., NW, Washington. Ôñßôç, 21 Ïêôùâñßïõ, 1997 7:30 ì.ì.- 10:30 ì.ì. Äåßðíï ôçò Á×ÅÐÁ ðñïò ôéìÞ ôïõ ÐáíáãéïôÜôïõ, ìå ôçí åõêáéñßá ôçò åðåôåßïõ ôùí 75 ÷ñüíùí ôçò ïñãÜíùóçò, East Room, Union Station, 50 Massachusetts Avenue. ÔåôÜñôç, 22 Ïêôùâñßïõ, 1997 (Åêôç åðÝôåéïò áðü ôçí åêëïãÞ ôçò Áõôïý ÈåéïôÜôçò Ðáíáãéüôçôïò, Âáñèïëïìáßïõ ôïõ Á´) 10:30 ð.ì.- 11:30 ð.ì. Èåßá Ëåéôïõñãßá óôïí Êáèåäñéêü Íáü ôçò Áãßáò Óïößáò, 36th Street and Mass. Ave., NW 4:30-6 ì.ì. ÏéêïõìåíéêÞ Äïîïëïãßá, Washington National Cathedral, Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues, NW BALTIMORE, MD ÐÝìðôç, 23 Ïêôùâñßïõ, 1997 10:30 ð.ì.- 11:15 ð.ì. Ðáíïñèüäïîç Äïîïëïãßá êáé Äåîßùóç óôïí Êáèåäñéêü Íáü Åõáããåëéóìïý, 24 West Preston Street.

1:30 ì.ì.- 3:00 ì.ì. Äåîßùóç êáé ãåýìá ðñïò ôéìÞ ôïõ ÐáíáãéïôÜôïõ, Baltimore Convention Center, 1 West Pratt Street.

5 ì.ì.-6 ì.ì. Åðßóêåøç óôç ÂáóéëéêÞ ôïõ Åèíéêïý ÐñïóêõíÞìáôïò ôçò ÊïéìÞóåùò ôçò ÕðåñåõëïãçìÝíçò ÐáñèÝíïõ Ìáñßáò, Cathedral and Mulberry Streets.

NEW YORK CITY, NY ÐÝìðôç, 23 Ïêôùâñßïõ, 1997 10 ì.ì. Áöéîç óôïí áåñïëéìÝíá LaGuardia, Marine Air Terminal Building. ÐáñáóêåõÞ, 24 Ïêôùâñßïõ, 1997 8:30-9:30 ð.ì. Ðñüãåõìá ìå ôç Nåïëáßá (Young Adult League): Tavern on the Green, Central Park.

10-11 ð.ì. ÁðïêáëõðôÞñéá ðëÜêáò óôï êôßñéï ôçò É. Áñ÷éåðéóêïðÞò, ìå ôçí åõêáéñßá ôçò åðåôåßïõ ôùí 75 ÷ñüíùí ôçò êáé êáèéÝñùóç ôçò íÝáò Áñ÷éåðéóêïðÞò ÁìåñéêÞò.

4-6 ì.ì. Áêñüáóç êáé óõíåäñßá ìå üëïõò ôïõò Ïñèïäüîïõò ÉåñÜñ÷åò óôïí É. Áñ÷éåðéóêïðéêü Êáèåäñéêü Íáü ôçò Áãßáò ÔñéÜäáò, 319 East 74th Street. ÓÜââáôï, 25 Ïêôùâñßïõ, 1997 Äïîïëïãßá, ïìéëßá, êáé áðïäï÷Þ ôéìçôéêïý äéðëþìáôïò, St. Vladimir s Seminary, 575 Scarsdale Rd, Crestwood, NY 3:30-4:45 ì.ì. ÅïñôáóôéêÞ åêäÞëùóç ÅëëçíéêÞò Ðáéäåßáò êáé Íåïëáßáò ôçò É. Áñ÷éåðéóêïðÞò ÁìåñéêÞò, Éåñüò Íáüò Áãßïõ Äçìçôñßïõ, 84-35 152 St., Jamaica, Queens.

DES MOINES, IOWA Ôñßôç, 4 Íïåìâñßïõ, 1997 10:30- 11:45 ð.ì. Ìéêñüò Áãéáóìüò, É. Íáüò Áãßïõ Ãåùñãßïõ, 35th and Cottage Ave. ÌåóçìÝñé- 1 ì.ì. ÏéêïõìåíéêÞ Äïîïëïãßá, Civic Center of Greater Des Moines, 221 Walnut Street.

öùô. Í.Ìáããßíáò

é ïñèüäïîïé ðéóôïß ôùí Çíù ìÝíùí Ðïëéôåéþí èá Ý÷ïõí ôçí åõêáéñßá íá ìåôÜó÷ïõí óôçí éóôïñéêÞ åðßóêåøç ôïõ Ïéêïõìåíéêïý ÐáôñéÜñ÷ç ê. Âáñèïëïìáßïõ ðïõ Ýñ÷åôáé óôçí ÁìåñéêÞ ìå ôçí åõêáéñßá ôçò åðåôåßïõ ôùí 75 ÷ñüíùí áðü ôçí ßäñõóç ôçò ÅëëçíéêÞò Ïñèüäïîçò Áñ÷éåðéóêïðÞò. Áí êáé óôï ðñüãñáììá ôïõ ÐáíáãéïôÜôïõ ðåñéëáìâÜíïíôáé êëåéóôÝò åêäçëþóåéò, ð.÷. óõíÜíôçóç ìå ôïí Ðñüåäñï Êëßíôïí, äåîßùóç óôï Êáðéôþëéï, ãåýìá åê ìÝñïõò ôçò õðïõñãïý ôùí Åîùôåñéêþí Madeleine Albright óôï ÁìåñéêÜíéêï Êïéíïâïýëéï, êáèþò êáé ïìéëßá ôïõ óôïí ÏÇÅ, õðÜñ÷åé óåéñÜ ïëüêëçñç åêäçëþóåùí óôéò ïðïßåò üëïé ïé ðéóôïß ìðïñïýí êáé ðñÝðåé íá óõììåôÜó÷ïõí. Ôá êõñéüôåñá óçìåßá ôçò åðßóêåøçò ôïõ Ïéêïõìåíéêïý ÐáôñéÜñ÷ç óôéò ÇíùìÝíåò Ðïëéôåßåò (19 Ïêôùâñßïõ17 Íïåìâñßïõ) Ý÷ïõí ùò åîÞò:

5-6 ì.ì. Åóðåñéíüò óôïí Éåñü Íáü ôïõ Áãßïõ Äçìçôñßïõ, Jamaica, Queens.

7-8:30 ì.ì. Óõíáõëßá ÍÜíáò Ìïýó÷ïõñç, ðñïóöïñÜ ôùí Áñ÷üíôùí ôïõ ÔÜãìáôïò Áã. ÁíäñÝá ôïõ Ïéêïõìåíéêïý Ðáôñéáñ÷åßïõ: St. John the Divine, Riverside Drive, Manhattan. ÊõñéáêÞ, 26 Ïêôùâñßïõ, 1997 8:30 ð.ì.- 1:00 ì.ì. Oñèñïò êáé Ðáôñéáñ÷éêÞ Èåßá Ëåéôïõñãßá óôï Madison Square Garden. Ìíçìüóõíï ãéá ôïí ÐáôñéÜñ÷ç ÄçìÞôñéï êáé ôïõò éäñõôÝò êëçñéêïýò êáé ëáúêïýò ôçò ÅëëçíéêÞò Ïñèüäïîçò Áñ÷éåðéóêïðÞò ÁìåñéêÞò, ìå ôçí åõêáéñßá ôçò 75çò åðåôåßïõ. ÄåõôÝñá, 27 Ïêôùâñßïõ, 1997 5-9:00 ì.ì. ÏõêñáíéêÞ Ïñèüäïîç Åêêëçóßá ôçò ÁìåñéêÞò, South Bound Brook, NJ

ATLANTA, GA ÐÝìðôç, 30 Ïêôùâñßïõ, 1997 6:30- 7:30 ì.ì. Äïîïëïãßá óôïí Êáèåäñéêü Íáü Åõáããåëéóìïý, 2500 Clairmont Rd., NE 8-10:30 ì.ì. Äåßðíï ðñïò ôéìÞ ôïõ Ðáíáãéüôáôïõ, ìå ôçí åõêáéñßá ôçò 65çò åðåôåßïõ ôçò ÅèíéêÞò Öéëïðôþ÷ïõ Áäåëöüôçôïò. ÐáñáóêåõÞ, 31 Ïêôùâñßïõ, 1997 10:30- 11:30 ð.ì. Ðñïóåõ÷Þ óôï ÊÝíôñï ÊïéíùíéêÞò ÁëëáãÞò Martin Luther King, 449 Áuburn Ave., NE 8-10:30 ì.ì. Äåßðíï åðßóçìï ðñïò ôéìÞ ôçò Áõôïý ÈåéïôÜôçò Ðáíáãéüôçôïò, áðü ôïí ÈåïöéëÝóôáôï Åðßóêïðï ÁëÝîéï êáé ôçí ÅðéóêïðÞ ÁôëÜíôáò, Ritz Carlton Hotel, Atlanta.

BOSTON, MA Ôñßôç, 28 Ïêôùâñßïõ, 1997 5-6:15 ì.ì. ÓõíÜíôçóç ìå ôïí ÁñìÝíéï ðñïêáèÞìåíï (Catholicos), Ðñïóåõ÷Þ Åõ÷áñéóôßáò óôï íáü St. Stephen s Armenian Apostolic Church, 38 Elton Ave., Watertown. ÔåôÜñôç, 29 Ïêôùâñßïõ, 1997 10:30- 11:30 ð.ì. Ðáíïñèüäïîç äÝçóç óôïí Êáèåäñéêü Íáü ôïõ Åõáããåëéóìïý, Parker and Ruggles Street.

12-4 ì.ì. ÅêäÞëùóç êáé ãåýìá ðáñáôéèÝìåíï áðü ôïí Ðñüåäñï ôïõ Ðáíåðéóôçìßïõ Tufts, áðïíïìÞ ôéìçôéêïý äéðëþìáôïò óôïí Ðáíáãéüôáôï êáé ïìéëßá ôïõ, óôç Ó÷ïëÞ Äéðëùìáôßáò Fletcher.

7-10:30 ì.ì. Äåßðíï ôçò ÅðéóêïðÞò Âïóôþíçò, óôï îåíïäï÷åßï Park Plaza, 64 Arlington St. ÐÝìðôç, 30 Ïêôùâñßïõ, 1997 10:30 ð.ì.- 1:00 ì.ì. ÅêäÞëùóç óôï Åëëçíéêü ÊïëÝãéï-É. ÈåïëïãéêÞ Ó÷ïëÞ Ôéìßïõ Óôáõñïý êáé áðïíïìÞ ôéìçôéêïý ðôõ÷ßïõ óôïí Ðáíáãéüôáôï, ìå ôçí 60ç åðÝôåéï ôçò èåïëïãéêÞò ó÷ïëÞò, 50 Goddard Avenue.

CHICAGO, IL ÓÜââáôï, 1 Íïåìâñßïõ, 1997 11:30 ð.ì.- 12:30 ì.ì. Äïîïëïãßá, óôïí Êáèåäñéêü Íáü ôïõ Åõáããåëéóìïý, 1017 Í. La Salle Drive.

2:30-4:30 ì.ì. Ðáíïñèüäïîç óõíÜèñïéóç Íåïëáßáò, Navy Pier, 600 East Grand Avenue. Áñôïêëáóßá êáé äÝçóç ãéá üëïõò ôïõò Ïñèüäïîïõò ðéóôïýò ôçò ÁìåñéêÞò, ìå ôçí åõêáéñßá ôçò 75çò åðåôåßïõ ôçò É. Áñ÷éåðéóêïðÞò. ÊõñéáêÞ, 2 Íïåìâñßïõ, 1997 (Åêôç åðÝôåéïò Åíèñüíéóçò ôçò Áõôïý ÈåéïôÜôçò Ðáíáãéüôçôïò Âáñèïëïìáßïõ ôïõ Á´) 10ð.ì.- 12:30 ì.ì. Ðáíïñèüäïîç Èåßá Ëåéôïõñãßá, Navy Pier.

7-10:30 ì.ì. Äåßðíï óôï Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers. ÄåõôÝñá, 3 Íïåìâñßïõ, 1997 7-10 ì.ì. Åóðåñéíüò, äåîßùóç ìåôÜ äåßðíïõ ìå ôïõò êëçñéêïýò êáé ôéò ðñåóâõôÝñåò, óôïí Éåñü Íáü Áãßùí Êùíóôáíôßíïõ êáé ÅëÝíçò, 11025-45 S. Roberts Road.

San Francisco Stocton

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DALLAS, TX Ôñßôç, 4 Íïåìâñßïõ, 1997 6:30- 7:30 ì.ì. Ðáôñéáñ÷éêüò ÌåãÜëïò Åóðåñéíüò, óôïí Éåñü Íáü Áãßáò ÔñéÜäïò, 13555 Hillcrest Road.

7:30- 8:45 ì.ì. Äåîßùóç áðü ôçí Íåïëáßá ôçò ÅðéóêïðÞò Denver, A. L. Sarris Center.

9:05- 11:00 ì.ì. Äåßðíï ðñïò ôéìÞ ôïõ ÐáíáãéïôÜôïõ, ðáñáôéèÝìåíï áðü ôïí ÄÞìáñ÷ï Ron Kirk, óôï êôßñéï Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, 1717 N. Harwood St. ÔåôÜñôç, 5 Íïåìâñßïõ, 1997 9-10 ð.ì. ÏéêïõìåíéêÞ Ðñïóåõ÷Þ êáé ðñùéíü ðáñáôéèÝìåíï áðü ôï Thanksgiving Square Foundation, 1627 Pacific St. 7:45 ð.ì. Äåßðíï åðßóçìï ôçò ÅðéóêïðÞò, Fairmont Hotel, 1717 N. Akard Street.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA ÐÝìðôç, 6 Íïåìâñßïõ, 1997 ÌåóçìÝñé- Áöéîç óôïí Êáèåäñéêü Íáü ôïõ Åõáããåëéóìïý.

7:30- 10:30 ì.ì. Äåßðíï Åðßóçìï óôï St. Francis Hotel. ÐáñáóêåõÞ, 7 Íïåìâñßïõ, 1997 9:00 ð.ì. Ðñùéíü óôïí Éåñü Íáü ôçò Áã. ÔñéÜäïò ìå ôïõò éåñåßò êáé ôéò ïéêïãÝíåéÝò ôïõò.

LOS ANGELES, CA ÐáñáóêåõÞ, 7 Íïåìâñßïõ, 1997 12-2 ì.ì. Ïìéëßá óôï World Affairs Council, Regency Beverly Wilshire Hotel.

7:00 ì.ì. Ïéêïõìåíéêüò Åóðåñéíüò óôïí Êáèåäñéêü Íáü Áãßáò Óïößáò, L.Á. ÓÜââáôï, 8 Íïåìâñßïõ, 1997 10:00 ð.ì.- 2:00 ì.ì. Ðåñéâáëëïíôïëïãéêü Óõìðüóéï, óôïí Éåñü Íáü Áãßáò ÂáñâÜñáò, 1205 San Antonio Creek Road, Santa Barbara.

7:00 ì.ì. Åðßóçìï Äåßðíï, Bonaventure Hotel. ÊõñéáêÞ, 9 Íïåìâñßïõ, 1997 10:00 ð.ì. Ðáôñéáñ÷éêÞ Èåßá Ëåéôïõñãßá, ÅïñôÞ Áãßïõ Íåêôáñßïõ. ÄåõôÝñá, 10 Íïåìâñßïõ, 1997 10:30 ð.ì.- 12:00 ÌïíáóôÞñé Áãßïõ Áíôùíßïõ, 4784 N. Joseph Way, Florence, Arizona 5:30- 6:30 ì.ì. Åõ÷áñéóôÞñéá ÏéêïõìåíéêÞ Äïîïëïãßá, Íáüò Áã. Âáóéëåßïõ, 920 March Lane, Stockton, California.

PITTSBURGH, PA ÓÜââáôï, 15 Íïåìâñßïõ, 1997 7-10 ì.ì. Äåîßùóç êáé åðßóçìï äåßðíï óôï David Lawrence Convention Center, 1001 Penn Ave. ÊõñéáêÞ, 16 Íïåìâñßïõ, 1997 10 ð.ì. Ðáôñéáñ÷éêÞ Èåßá Ëåéôïõñãßá óôï Lawrence Convention Center.

1 ì.ì. Äåßðíï ôçò ÅðéóêïðÞò, Duquesne Club, 325 Sixth Ave. JOHNSTOWN, PA ÊõñéáêÞ, 16 Íïåìâñßïõ, 1997 5:00 ì.ì. Áöéîç êáé åðßóçìç õðïäï÷Þ áðü ôïí Åðßóêïðï Íéêüëáï ôçò Áìåñéêáíï-Êáñðáèï-ÑùóéêÞò Ïñèüäïîçò ÅðéóêïðÞò ÇíùìÝíùí Ðïëéôåéþí ÁìåñéêÞò.

5:30 ì.ì. Êáèáãéáóìüò èåìÝëéïõ ëßèïõ ôïõ íÝïõ êôéñßïõ ôçò ÅðéóêïðÞò.

6-6:45 ì.ì. Äïîïëïãßá óôïí Êáèåäñéêü Íáü ôïõ ÓùôÞñïò ×ñéóôïý, 312 Garfield Str. 7- 9:15 ì.ì. ÁíïéêôÞ äåîßùóç êáé äåßðíï óôçí áßèïõóá ôïõ Êáèåäñéêïý.

AUGUST 1997

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ORTHODOX OBSERVER

Rare Manuscript to be Returned to Athos SOFIA, Bulgaria - The stolen rare 18th century manuscript, Slavo-Bulgarian History, written by Paissios Hiliendarios in the St. George Zographos Monastery on Mt. Athos was recently located in Bulgaria.

Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov pledged the return of the 1762 manuscript which was stolen from the monastery in the 1980 s and has been displayed at the National Historical Museum of Sofia since September 1996.

Stoyanov visited Mt. Athos last month, on the final leg of his three-day official visit to Greece. He was received with the full honors afforded by the holy community to a leader of an Orthodox country.

The rare manuscript was stolen from the monastery in the 1980's but replaced with a copy, delaying the discovery of the theft. Efforts had been under way to retrieve the manuscript since it turned up in Sofia a few years ago.

AUGUST 1997

Greece s Archbishop Upset with Intense Succession Campaign

PRESIDENT Kostis Stephanopoulos, (near right), on a tour of the long-awaited Mt. Athos exhibition at Thessaloniki s Byzantine Museum moments after he officiated at the opening last month. Also pictured is Prime Minister of Greece Costas Simitis, (center), leading a delegation of ministers, deputies and local officials, including Minister of Culture Evangelos Venizelos and Minister of Macedonia-Thrace Mr. Philippos Petsalnikos, (far left). (Refer to feature story on back cover).

(N. Manginas photo)

ATHENS - Archbishop Serapheim, the aging Primate of the Church of Greece, is reportedly furious with the quiet but intense campaigning by senior Metropolitans to succeed him. Is this what I taught them all these years?, the 84-year-old Serapheim was quoted as saying last month. This reminds me of the battle of the successors of Alexander the Great...they are carrying on as if I am already dead.

Serapheim, a fiery former resistance guerrilla in World War II, has apparently stayed out of all the negotiations and has not officially favored any would-be candidate.

There are six metropolitans considered front-runners in the succession battle, who are already pulling out all the stops in their effort to secure an advantage.

Greek-Cypriot Church Russian Patriarch Yeltsin Refuses to Approve New Religion Law Celebrates Anniversary Collapses from Exhaustion

VIENNA - The patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Alexy II, briefly collapsed during a religious service last month but recovered.

Alexy, 68, fainted near the end of a three-hour service at the Russian Orthodox cathedral in Vienna, where he was attending the Graz Conference. He recovered after 45 minutes and later took part in an ecumenical vesper service.

Religious Education in Belarus Schools

MINSK, Belarus - More than 250 representatives of the clergy, teachers, and artists from Belarus and Lithuania participated in the fourth annual Saint Evfrosiny Pedagogical Readings held at Minsk in late May. The theme was: The Religious, Moral and Cultural Significance of Orthodoxy in the Renewal of Education.

In his welcoming address, Metropolitan Filaret of Minsk and Slutsk asked the participants to welcome the idea of introducing classes that will teach the fundamentals of Orthodoxy and its history into the school curriculum. He hoped that Belarus becomes the first state among the former soviet republics where religious and secular education would be united.

MOSCOW, (ENI) President Boris Yeltsin ignored a last-minute plea by Moscow Patriarch Alexy and declined to add his signature to the Bill on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Association, which would have strengthened protection for Russia s traditional religions and created major difficulties for foreign religious groups.

The Bill would have imposed rigorous restrictions on all foreign religious groups, requiring them to apply for official registration with the government, and forbidding them from owning property or holding public worship for 15 years after initial registration.

President Yeltsin sent the controversial legislation back to the Russian parliament, the State Duma, only a month after the Duma s lower chamber overwhelmingly approved it by 337 - 5 votes. The proposed law required the signature of President Yeltsin in order to be enforced.

According to press reports, the US Senate threatened to cut aid to Russia if the legislation was passed.

In a letter sent to President Yeltsin in July, Patriarch Alexy appealed to the president on behalf of the millions-strong Orthodox flock to enforce the new law. Rejection of the law, the patriarch said, would lead to further spiritual and moral destabilization in Russia. He added that the law combined respect for traditional Russian religious associations and consideration for the rights of religious minorities who will fully preserve an opportunity to confess their

faith freely. The Orthodox Church, designated in the Bill as an inalienable part of Russia s historical, spiritual and cultural heritage, had given strong support to the legislation.

The Vatican also expressed doubts about the Bill, fearing it would affect Catholics in Russia who have been rapidly reestablishing their church since the fall of communism. The law was described as posing a threat to the pastoral activities of the Catholic Church in Russia and to its very survival. Earlier last month, European Union representatives presented the Russian Foreign Ministry with a formal diplomatic note expressing concern that the legislation would severely restrict the religious freedom which now exists in Russia and which is guaranteed by the constitution.

In a statement released the day following his rejection of the Bill, President Yeltsin said: This was a very difficult decision. He pointed out that the Bill had the support of the Duma and the Russian Orthodox Church. But many provisions of the law infringe on constitutional rights and freedoms of individuals and citizens, establish inequality between different confessions, and violate Russia s international obligations, President Yeltsin said. We can t have a democratic society if we violate the constitution, and fail to defend the interests of any minority of our citizens.

The Duma can now rewrite the legislation or simply abandon it.

JERUSALEM, (ENI) The Russian Church recruited the support of the Palestinian Authority to regain control of a monastery in the West Bank city of Hebron, held by a rival Russian Church in exile since the 1920's. According to news agencies, Palestinian police, allegedly acting on the orders of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, entered the monastery on July 5 and forcefully evicted several monks and nuns belonging to the rival Church. In a statement, the Patriarchate of Moscow said that it had regained control of the monastery and claimed to be the lawful owner of the property.

The eviction is presented as a victory for Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II, who is trying to recover church properties across the world to offshoot churches-in-exile known as White Russian.

Last month Patriarch Alexy visited the region and requested Arafat to recognize Moscow s claim to church properties on territory controlled by the Palestinian Authority.

According to news agency reports, two nuns were injured during the eviction and had to receive hospital treatment. One of the nuns said she was grabbed by five police officers who pushed her against a wall and hit her in the stomach.

Hieromonk Golovkov, a priest with Moscow Patriarchate s Mission in Jerusalem, told ENI that the exile church controlled another Russian monastery on Palestinian territory- in Jericho - inhabited by just one monk. He was unable to say whether it would also be regained by the Moscow Patriarchate.

NICOSIA, Cyprus - Paphos celebrated with all the reverence befitting the occasion, the founding of its Church, 1951 years ago on June 30.

Celebrations peaked with a vespers service and a procession of the icon of St. Paul and St. Barnabas around the pillar where St. Paul is believed to have been lashed by the then Roman governor of Cyprus Paulus Sergius. St. Barnabas, a native of Salamis, is considered to be the founder of the Church of Cyprus.

Christianity was introduced in Cyprus in 46 AD by St. Paul and St. Barnabas, when Cyprus was under the Roman Empire.

This year s event comes one year after the Pan-Orthodox Assembly of Paphos in celebration of the 1,950 years since the Church s founding. Last year s week-long celebrations were attended by the Primates from the Orthodox churches of Europe, Asia and Africa, as well as representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Pope.

Apostle Paul s Contribution to Europe s Culture

VERIA, Greece - The contribution made

by Apostle Paul to Europe s culture was the topic of discussion at an international conference held last month in the city of Veria, in central Macedonia.

Veria is the city where the podium, from where Apostle Paul preached the Word of God, is displayed, according to archeologists.

A score of local and foreign experts attended the four-day conference, which concluded with a liturgy.

New Super Catamaran Provides Russian Church Reclaims Monastery Holy Synod Re-Establishes Coastal Tours of Mt. Athos Independence from State

ATHENS, (ANA) - Women, traditionally barred from entering the Mt. Athos allmale monastic community in northern Greece, will now be able to get a closer glimpse aboard a super catamaran to be launched in late August.

The 45-meter Platytera ton Ouranon, named after the famous Byzantine icon of the Virgin Mother, to whom Mt. Athos is dedicated, will be making coastal tours around Mt. Athos throughout the summer months, starting from Ouranoupolis, the stopping point for women visitors.

The ultra-modern vessel, which develops a speed of 25 knots per hour was designed as a floating congress center and can accommodate up to 1,300 passengers.

SOFIA, Bulgaria - The Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church formally reestablished its independence from the state recently. The synod met for the first time in 44 years and was headed by Patriarch Maxim, whose foes criticize him for cooperating with the Communists.

The synod decided to meet every four years and annulled the regulation imposed by the Communists whereby the patriarch had to be approved by the government.

Maxim s opponents, headed by Metropolitan Pymen, boycotted the meeting. In 1996, Pymen declared himself patriarch and set up his own Holy Synod. He was subsequently excommunicated and anathematized.

AUGUST 1997

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In t e r e s t

Why Venerate Saints Relics?

The relics of saints belong to the very fabric of the divine beliefs, tradition, liturgical practice and scripture of the early Church the One, Holy, Catholic (Universal) and Apostolic Church of Christ, God. The term relics refers to the physical remains of a saint (martyr) after death, as well as to the sacred objects that have been in contact with his body.

By Fr. Constantine Christofis Relics are treasures that contain innumerable goods for human beings to harvest.

They are symbols of Christ s bodily and perfect Resurrection from the Dead, of the future age and of the unwaning day of the Kingdom. They serve as means of transforming corrupt human nature into the image and likeness of Christ.

How does God sanctify saints relics?

The grace and holiness of the Spirit of God moves from the martyrs souls to their bodies and then to their clothing. From their clothing it spreads to their shoes and, finally, it moves into the very shadows they cast.

For example, the shadow of St. Peter the Apostle, once it passed over a human corpse, raised the deceased back to life.

The veneration of relics by the faithful stemmed from the martyrs imitation of Christ s baptism in death, suffering and sacrifice, and their subsequent emigration into heaven, call to a better and more spiritual life, change from corruptibility to incorruptibility, and spiritual wedding to Christ the Master.

Resulting from a martyrdom by death, or a baptism in blood, a martyr became a channel for the power of God and an intercessor between God and human beings.

The martyr s holy relics served as the visible and concrete manifestation of all this to the early Church.

Holy relics, adorned with the stigmata of Christ, become vehicles revealing God s power and love toward mankind in several ways. First, they thwart the devil s attack upon Christians and endlessly wound him, as they remind him of Christ s saving death and resurrection that the holy martyrs imitated. Second, the relics impart great benefits to the Christians who honor them at special shrines and seek the assistance of the martyrs to whom they belong. The benefits given include: God s compassion and forgiveness of any sin committed, restoration of physical and mental health to the ill and preservation of the healthy, great boldness before God, instruction about Christ s Gospel, leadership towards virtue (or excellence), and, cleansing from the unclean spirits that are exorcised. Even the dead may be brought back to life. Third, martyrs relics function as Altars for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, and thus grant great benefits to the faithful throughout Salvation History (i.e., both in the Old and New Testaments), because they are imbued with invisible power, dominion and the grace of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, the power of the relics of the glorified saints in heaven is the nobility of the Christians and the crown of the Church. Therefore, unlike material treasures, relics are neither diminished nor dangerous when divided. Since they are spiritual things, they increase in value when they are partitioned and multiply when they are divided.

Furthermore, someone who has venerated a saint s relics is readily recognized

See RELICS, on page 23

ORTHODOX OBSERVER

PAGE 17

A Church with Standing Room Only (almost) PARISH

profile

Name: St. Elias the Prophet Greek Orthodox Church Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico Size: 70 families Diocese: Denver Founded: 1990 Priest: Very Rev. Gabriel Nicholas (State University of New York - Stony Brook, M.A. in comparative literature) Noteworthy: church has no pews, no organ

F

or most of us, this part of the South west conjures traditional images of Spanish-style architecture of adobe construction, of Pueblo Indians and their ancient cliff dwellings, a predominantly Hispanic culture, and turquoise jewelry.

But that s only part of the picture.

In this arid land of snowy peaked mountains, mesas and vast ranchlands, there s also a touch of the Greek village.

On a hillside near the southern edge of New Mexico s capital, within view of Interstate 25, stands a gleaming white, classic Byzantine-style church topped by a cross, looking as if it was transported from a Greek island.

St. Elias Church was built only four years ago, not long after the small Greek Orthodox community established itself as a parish.

However, Orthodox Christians have lived in Santa Fe and the surrounding region of northern New Mexico for many decades. Greeks who first arrived started businesses in the city or in one of the smaller towns of the area. According to Fr. Nicholas, most came from the island of Mytilene. Others immigrated from the villages near Sparta. A few are from Athens, Greece.

For several years before its establishment as a parish, St. Elias was a mission church. Visiting priests officiated at Divine Liturgies and other services at St. Bede s Episcopal Church in Santa Fe. Within the past 10 years there has been an influx of arrivals from other parts of the country, including Chicago. Two of the founding parishioners, Chicago transplants Dr. Alex Constantaras and Frank Carris, donated land for the new church in a subdivision they developed called Dos Griegos (Two Greeks).

A local architect, Jorge DeLaTorre, donated the plans for the building. Construction took about six months and the first service was held in April 1993.

Fr. Dimitri Callozzo was the community s first priest. He was succeeded in 1994 by Fr. Nicholas, a native of Astoria, N.Y. For 19 years, he was in a Greek Orthodox monastery under the Jerusalem Patriarchate in Setauket, N.Y., on Long Island where he acquired his theological training, but was ordained by Metropolitan Andre of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Fr. Nicholas came to Santa Fe at the invitation of

ST. ELIAS, THE PROPHET GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH Bishop Isaiah.

According to Fr. Nicholas, parishioners wanted traditional services resembling those in Greece and purposely chose not to have pews in their church. However, for the elderly and infirm, there are some benches along the walls and a few stasithia (those seats with high arm rests usually occupied by very old men).

They also wanted no organ. A cappella Congregational singing is led by a musical director, Peter Michaelides, and a handful of musically inclined parishioners who form the nucleus of a choir.

Though the community is tiny, there are several programs, including small Sunday and Greek schools, adult Greek education, Orthodox study worship and Bible study.

There is no Young Adult League, as most of the youth are age 12 and under. A women s group exists, but as yet the parish has no Philoptochos chapter.

While most parishioners are Greek immigrants or American born, there also are some converts, including two Hispanics, and other Orthodox. Fr. Nicholas performs the Liturgy mostly in Greek and English, but adds

Santa Fe

some Slavonic, Romanian and at least one litany in Spanish.

Most parishioners live in the Santa Fe metropolitan area, but one family commutes two hours each way to attend church. Others live as much as an hour away by car.

Meeting the spiritual needs of his congregation spread over a wide area is one of the challenges Fr. Nicholas faces, especially the old-timers who have been living in isolation for many years before there was a Greek Orthodox church in the area.

The priest describes his community in glowing terms as extremely warm, pleasant, friendly people. The atmosphere is very much like a family. His enthusiasm extends to the city. Santa Fe is a beautiful place. It s an extremely pleasant place to be, he says.

It is no surprise, then, that tourism is the chief industry in Santa Fe (population about 65,000), which is the oldest seat of government in the United States, the third largest art market in the nation and home to several museums.

Reflecting those characteristics, St. Elias parishioners include a state senator and a museum director. And hundreds of Greek Orthodox tourists to the area each year come to Divine Liturgy services and experience the community s ambience. We really enjoy having people come visit our church, said Fr. Nicholas. People who come love the Liturgy and love the community.

For a city of its size, Santa Fe has several Orthodox communities, albeit small ones. In addition to St. Elias, there are two Antiochian Orthodox, one OCA and one Russian Orthodox Church in Exile parish. They demonstrate their pan Orthodox spirit by holding Lenten retreats and other activities during the year.

We all work together very well, said Fr. Nicholas, who is a member of the New Mexico Orthodox Clergy Association, along with the priests of the other jurisdictions, and with its sister parish of St. George in Albuquerque, about 60 miles to the southwest.

As part of an outreach to the greater Santa Fe community, St. Elias parishioners donate food and clothing for local homeless shelters and Fr. Nicholas speaks to community groups. He recently spoke on Orthodox spirituality at the Institute of Spirituality at the College of Santa Fe. The parish also draws the interest of many Santa Feans during its one-day Greek festival, held around the time of the Feast of St. Elias the Prophet in late July, and during the winter at its annual Glendi. In February 1995, the local newspaper, The New Mexican, published a two-page feature on the community and its Glendi.

St. Elias Church is located at 46 Calle Electra near the Route 285 exit of I-25.

Tel. (505) 466-0015.

Compiled by Jim Golding

ORTHODOX OBSERVER

PAGE 18

R E L A T I N G I am a monastic and one of a few priestmonks serving in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, having come directly from the monastery into a parish.

So I offer my comments and critique of Father George Papaioannou s recent column with the authority of both my knowledge and experience regarding the issues he raised in answering the woman from Tennessee.

By Priest-Monk Makarios Mannos I am constantly overwhelmed by the lack of basic understanding of our faith by people who attend our churches who say they are Orthodox Christians and yet don t fully practice the faith.

In my brief (four years plus) stint serving as a parish priest, the faithful placed under my care have criticized me for trying to make monks out of us. And overheard by me at a coffee hour, why is he making stuff up for us to do?

What stuff?

More disciplined prayer life, including prayers at home when one is away from Church, prayer before beginning any task, and practice of the Jesus Prayer; more consistent attendance at all divine services; a more rounded cycle of services in the parish, Saturday evening Great Vespers; attending Great Compline and Pre-Sanctified Liturgy during Great Lent; the need for confession, reading spiritual books and developing an Orthodox Christian mind-set (Fronima).

This is the stuff I am trying to teach my parishioners. I m sure I am not alone in this.

These things are not monastic. They are only some of the fundamentals of Orthodox Christian spirituality.

AUGUST 1997

T O

F A I T H

A View of Monasticism from a Monk Where there is love there is no fear.

Monks teach the Faith Because most of the laity don t practice the things just mentioned, they criticize me and tell me I am making things up, introducing things to them which are foreign to their own practices.

Is there a place for people to resource these kinds of practices? Yes! Thank God there are Orthodox monasteries around where we can access them, and monks available who can teach the rest of us these things, and more.

I am not trying to make monastics out of my parishioners. I am merely pointing out to them what all of us should be doing. There is a story about St. Anthony of Egypt from the Paradise Of The Fathers, that I wish to use to make a point. The story goes this way: St. Anthony was told by visitors to his monastery that a layman in Alexandria was more spiritual than he. St. Anthony walked the entire distance to Alexandria, sought out the man and saw for himself the man s great spirituality. The lesson here is that lay people can be more spiritual than the monks.

St. John Climakos, in the first Chapter of The Ladder of Divine Ascent, says there are three things that ought to motivate a person towards monasticism: Remorse for sinfulness; Love for God; and, a desire to be with God in Paradise. These ought to be the goals of all pious Christians, not just the private domain of monastics. But is this so?

One early Father of our Church said, Wherever there is a Christian there ought to be an ascetic. I wish to make a clear distinc-

tion between monasticism and asceticism.

Monasticism is a lifestyle, Asceticism is the process of working out one s salvation. I would strongly emphasize the fact that asceticism is alive and well in the monasteries but is languishing in our parishes. We are all called to be ascetical. We are not all called to become monastics. Please understand the differences in the two terms.

The Fathers say if you are living as a monk in the world, then you should be in a monastery. The Fathers also say, When you and I are sleeping, the monks are praying .

Called to be saintly The spiritual/ascetical life of our Church calls us to be saintly. The word Saint - in

Greek, aghios - means, set apart. St. Paul the apostle referred in this way to the people to whom he was writing.

If we are not, set apart - somehow distinguishing ourselves from the rest of society then we are not living up to our calling to be saintly. A par excellence example of this mind-set comes to us from the time when Christianity was still in its infancy and had to find it s way in a hostile culture.

The pagans who were the enemies of Christianity would deride the Christians and said of them, See how the Christians love.

I come from a family which has produced generations of priests and monastics.

The present Abbess of the Monastery of St. John the Forerunner (Makarinou) outside of Megara in Greece, is my cousin. And, I have served parishes in Greece so I speak here

See MONASTICISM, on page 22

AUGUST ...........................B I B L E G U I D E 1 F ....... Heb. 11:33-12:2; Mt. 10:16-22 2 S .. Acts 6:8-7:5, 47-60; Mt. 21:33-42 3 SUN ......... Rom. 15:1-7; Mt. 9:27-35 4 M ............. 1 Cor. 9:13-19; Mt. 16:1-6 5 T ............ 1 Peter 1:2-10; Mt. 16:6-12 6 W ............. 2 Pet. 1:10-19; Mt. 17:1-9 7 Th ............... 2 Tim. 1:8-18; Mk. 9:2-9 8 F ......... 1 Cor. 11:8-23; Mt. 17:10-18 9 S Acts 1:12-17, 21-26; Lk. 10:16-21 10 SUN . 1 Cor. 1:10-17; Mt. 14:14-22 11 M ......... Rom. 8:28-39; Mt. 18:1-11 12 T .... 1 Cor. 12:12-26; Mt. 18:18-22, 19:1-2, 13-15 13 W .......... Eph. 6:10-17; Mt. 20:1-16 14 Th ..... 1 Cor. 14:6-19; Mt. 20:17-28 15 F Phil. 2:5-11; Lk. 10:38-42, 11:27-28 16 S ...... 1 Tim. 3:13-4:5; Lk. 9:51-57;

ST. KATHERINE S

17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

10:22-24, 13:22 SUN ....... 1 Cor. 3:9-17; Mt. 14:22-34 M ............ Col. 1:24-2:1; Mt. 21:18-22 T ......... 1 Cor. 15:29-38; Mt. 21:23-27 W ......... 1 Cor. 14:20-26; Mt. 21:28-32 Th ................ 2 Cor. 1:1-7; Mt. 3:13-21 F ............ 2 Cor. 1:12-20; Mt. 22:23-33 S ..... Phil. 2:5-11; Lk. 10:38-42, 11:27-28 SUN ........ 1 Cor. 4:9-16; Mt. 17:14-23 M .. Titus 1:1-5, 2:15, 3:1-2, 12-15; Mt. 5:14-19 T ............ Heb. 10:32-38; Mt. 23:23-28 W ............. Gal. 5:22-6:2; Mt. 23:29-39 Th ............ Gal. 5:22-6:2; Mt. 24:13-28 F ............... Acts 13:25-32; Mt. 6:14-30 S .................. 1 Cor. 1:3-9; Mt. 19:3-12 SUN ............ Heb. 9:1-7; Mt. 18:23-35

AUGUST 1997

ORTHODOX OBSERVER

Youth Ministry

challenge

As Each One Has Received A Gift...

By Maria Karalekas

Shortly after His resurrection, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ sat down and had a most significant dialogue with one of His disciples, Simon Peter. Jesus asked him three times Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me? All three times, Peter replied, Yes Lord; You know that I love You. Jesus then said to Peter, Feed My Sheep. At this very moment, Christ was commissioning Peter to go out and begin a ministry which focussed on spreading the salvific message of God s redeeming love for all who are willing to take up their cross and follow Him. In like manner, as Orthodox Christians, we too are called by Christ to feed His sheep and minister His love to all those around us.

Let us not take this commission lightly or consider ourselves exempt from such a calling. And what a calling it is! Yes, it is Jesus Christ Himself calling each one of us to use the individual talents He has so blessed us with to feed His sheep and see to it that the sanctity of His Holy Church is preserved.

To each of us who have been baptized and have put on Christ is given the manifestation of the Holy Spirit acting invisibly within us for the glory of God s name. Knowing this, how can we not be moved by Christ s calling to anything less than a sincere willingness and desire to serve our Creator and to minister as chosen vessels of His Word.

Now, there are varieties of gifts, but the same spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.

(1Cor.12:4-12:7) Our Church offers many opportunities for service that activate our God-given talents and allows each of us to minister according to our gifts. One such ministry which calls all to service and attends to the needs of those who are most precious to Him is Youth Ministry. Youth Ministry focuses on reaching the church s greatest asset, our young people. They are the present and the future of our Church and they are the ones who will be expected to uphold and safeguard its precious traditions and beliefs. Will they be successful? That is a question which should move all of us towards a greater awareness of our responsibility towards the spiritual growth and direction of our children.

Regrettably, our young people today are growing up in a society which does not reward or advocate any type of spiritual growth. Their beliefs and value systems are constantly being challenged and undermined

HOLY FATHERS SAYINGS You are not only free, but also holy; not only holy, but also just; not only just, but also sons; not only sons, but also heirs; not only heirs, but also brothers of Christ; not only brothers of Christ, but also joint heirs; not only joint heirs, but also members; not only members, but also the temple; not only the temple, but also instruments of the spirit.

-St. John Chrysostom

PAGE 19

as they are encouraged to make decisions contrary to any religious morals or beliefs.

In the process, our young people are making decisions today which will ultimately affect the rest of their lives and the future of our Church. Sounds like a crisis? It is, but luckily, you can help!

GOYA is one youth program available in all Orthodox Churches which aims to empower our young people with Orthodox Christian values so that they may be led to make the right choices in their lives and ultimately experience Christ s love and salvific message. The objective itself sounds very simple, yet Youth Ministry is a responsibility of great measure and one that requires commitment, prayer and much love. It calls all Orthodox Christians to its service of young people with the only prerequisite being a sincere love for kids! Furthermore, the ability to quietly provide a gentle presence in the life of a child is a hidden talent which all possess. As responsible adults, we all have the ability to impact the lives of our young people through a far-reaching medium called Relational Youth Ministry.

Spending quality time with kids, serving as positive role models and providing experiences for kids to grow in and learn about their faith is what Relational Youth Ministry is all about. It is an effective means of reaching young people today because it provides them with those elements which they are deprived of the most -- stability and unconditional love. As youth workers, this then is our task, to educate both ourselves and our children in godliness, otherwise what answer will we have before Christ s judgment seat? (St. John Chrysostom) I ask you, what answer will we have if we do not make every attempt possible to use our talents to influence the lives of our young people in order that they may one day inherit the Kingdom of Heaven!

My fellow Christians, Christ is calling us to tend to His children! Let us go forth on the road that has brought us where we are (Phil 3:16) and as each one has received a gift, minister it to one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. (1 Peter 4:10) Let us all consider how we may invest in the lives of our children and serve as positive role models so that they may, as you have, learn to walk as children of light.

Walk worthy of the calling with which you were called (Eph 4:1) and remember, you may be the only icon of Christ some children will ever know!

PATRIARCHAL YOUTH & YOUNG ADULT FESTIVAL Navy Pier CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1997 Patriarch Bartholomew Address Educational Presentations Historical & Cultural Presentation Orthodox Witness Presentation Prizes/Scholarship/Gifts, Give-Away Entertainment

All family members welcomed!

SAINTS & FEASTS

Mary is lying down, asleep in death. Her Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, appears behind the bier. His appearance is bright, and he is surrounded by a halo of glory. In his hands, he holds the soul of his mother. A mandorla is spread above Christ s head. Its presence indicates the celestial world to which Mary now belongs. The apostles, gathered around the body of the Virgin, seem distressed as they bow in sorrow. The first bishops of the Church, among them St. James, the brother of the Lord, are also present at the burial of the Mother of God. St. Peter presides at the funeral and leads the bier of the Immaculate Lady.

The composition of this icon is interesting: it has two axes, which bisect each other and form a cross. The body of Mary is the horizontal axis, which shows us her death and burial.

Christ, standing, is the vertical axis, which indicates to us the triumph over The Dormition of the Mother of God death. Christ is risen, he is the victor August 15 over death. The child he holds in his arms is Mary, newly -born in heaven. She enters into the glory of her Son. This icon expresses the hope of every Christian who waits for the hour of death as the passage into life, because of the victory of the resurrected Christ. Each death is a new and personal Pascha.

(Taken from The Incarnate God Vol.2)

You re Invited!

A Grand Banquet GIVEN BY: Jesus Christ WHERE? Your Local Orthodox Church WHEN? Every Sunday Morning DRESS: Neat and Clean RSVP: ASAP P.S. Bring a Friend!!!

TO:

Wow! You re invited to a Grand Banquet. The banquet of all banquets, the mystical and Divine Liturgy! So, are you going? I know I am.

Very often, we decline invitations given by friends or relatives because we feel that we may not know anyone there or we just don t feel like going. That s understandable, but this invitation is one which we cannot afford to decline. Why? Well, Christ is expecting you to join Him at His Mystical Supper and invites you to eat and drink with Him. There are many prayers and concepts in the Divine Liturgy which lead up to this important event which we very often remain indifferent to, not understanding their meaning and significance. Our ignorance of such knowledge becomes the obstacle to our full appreciation and understanding of the Divine Liturgy and may be what leads us to decline Christ s invitation.

You may say, how can I attend Divine Liturgy when I don t understand what s going on? This is a legitimate response but not one which will help you to grow spiritually or understand the liturgy better. So, the Challenge is here to help. You take the first step in accepting the above invitation and we will provide a monthly column entitled LIVING THE LITURGY whose purpose will be to explain and help you understand the meaning and significance behind the mystery of the Divine Liturgy. This, coupled with a sincere prayer on your part asking God for patience and enlightenment in understanding the Divine Liturgy will be an adequate and most worthy response to our Lord s invitation. ENJOY THE BANQUET!!

Diocese of San Francisco YAL Conference 97 August San

30-September

1,

Francisco, California (209) 577-0487

1997

Challenge is the youth supplement to the Orthodox Observer produced by the Department of Youth & Young Adult Ministries.

Articles reflect the opinion of the writers.

Write to the Office of Youth & Young Adult Ministries, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America 8 East 79th Street, New York, New York 10021

ORTHODOX OBSERVER

PAGE 20

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DIOCESE

Tornado Tears through the Boston Diocese Camp GREENFIELD, NH Minutes after the arrival of the campers at the Boston Diocese Camp s first session, a devastating tornado hit the grounds of Camp Union in Greenfield, New Hampshire early last month, and set a path of destruction throughout the facility.

By Fr. Ted Barbas Due to heavy rain, the over 60 campers and staff members were all in the cafeteria beginning the opening ceremonies, which were originally planned for the waterfront.

The tornado swept across the lake onto the shore, uprooting countless trees, throw-

in harmony with the town emergency response units, the staff evacuated the campers without incident to the Saint Philip Greek Orthodox Church in Nashua, NH. Early the next morning, Bishop Methodios arrived at the church to greet the campers, staff, and parents, who were all contacted. After the morning Orthros service, His Grace Bishop Methodios spoke to the young people, expressing his prayer of thanksgiving for the safety of all involved.

We witnessed a miracle last night at our camp. The hand of Almighty God protected our campers and staff as they gathered in

AN ARTIST S model of the planned Denver Diocese Center

Denver Diocese Center to be Built

DIOCESE YOUTH workers witness one result of the havoc wreaked by a tornado at the camp in New Hampshire.

ing canoes and other objects over 75 feet from the dock, and made a straight line for the dining hall. By the Grace of God, the tornado circumvented the cafeteria and continued its destruction route through the forest to the neighboring lumber yard which was destroyed. Massive trees were uprooted and crashed around the dinning hall, but not one was injured.

Jim King, the BDC Director, together with the staff, took quick action to ensure the safety of all. After conferring with Bishop Methodios on the telephone and working

the dining room, while a life-threatening tornado ripped through the camp grounds.

Immediately following his visit with the campers, the Bishop traveled to the camp site with Fr. Nicholas Krommydas, Chancellor, and this writer, to personally assess the damage. After consulting with the owners and the repair crews, the Bishop announced that the camp would reopen its doors for the second and third sessions as scheduled.

DENVER - Delegates to the Diocese of Denver Clergy-Laity Assembly, held in Omaha, Neb., on May 16-17, enthusiastically approved plans to build a Diocese Center which will be located adjacent to the Diocesan Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Denver.

Christ Kamages, a renowned architect and Orthodox Church member, presented plans and an architectural model to the delegates.

Working with the Denver Cathedral parish on their extensive iconography and renovation project, Mr. Kamages and his firm, EKONA Architecture & Planning Office in San Francisco, has also developed an overall master plan that will aesthetically and functionally unify the cathedral and diocese building to provide a landmark on a Denver promontory that is already being referred to as the Hill of Orthodoxy.

His Grace Bishop Isaiah of Denver announced that ground-breaking ceremonies are planned for May 1998. His Grace also commented that the Diocese of Denver, which encompasses 47 parishes throughout 1.3 million square miles of Western Mountain and Central Plains states, is the only Diocese with no office center.

In other remarks, the Rev. Luke Uhl,

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Diocese chancellor, described the work demands and needs for the ever-growing diocesan operations. Dr. Lou Rousallis, Diocesan Council vice president, discussed the working process undertaken by dedicated Council members from diverse backgrounds who are enthusiastic in their support of a center that will support these requirements.

Bishop Isaiah also indicated that a visible icon of Orthodoxy was vital in his Diocese which stretches from Canada to Mexico. He hopes that the center will provide a home for Orthodox Christians of all jurisdictions who live in the 14-state region.

The Diocesan Center design includes a small chapel, offices for the Bishop and Chancellor, as well as youth, education, choir and Philoptochos offices. There will also be an archive space to highlight the wide array of historical and cultural artifacts gathered from throughout the Diocese which date back to the turn of the century. Meeting rooms a multimedia library, and trapeza facilities will be included.

The fund-raising phase of this project has already begun, and the construction phase is planned to start in the summer of 1998. Occupancy is anticipated for mid1999, the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Diocese of Denver.

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NATIONAL

AUGUST 1997

& WORLD REVIEW

Supreme Court Rejects Religious Freedom Restoration Act

WASHINGTON (RNS) To the dismay of many of the country s religious leaders, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in late June by a 6-3 vote, saying Congress unconstitutionally usurped power belonging to federal courts and the states when it passed the measure.

The 4-year-old law supported by a broad swath of religious groups forced the government to show a compelling interest before it could interfere with religious practices. It was passed in reaction to a 1990 Supreme Court decision that permitted government officials to overlook the compelling interest criteria.

Presbyterians Approve Unity Measure with Lutherans

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(RNS) The Presbyterian Church (USA), internally fractured over the role of gays and lesbians in the ministry, has nevertheless reached out the hand of unity and reconciliation to Lutherans and two other denominations in its own Reformed tradition.

Delegates to the 209th General Assembly approved A Formula of Agreement, a pact that would establish full communion between the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Reformed Church in America and the United Church of Christ.

The delegates also voted to remain part of the Consultation on Church Union, the effort by nine Protestant churches to forge closer bonds by establishing a covenant communion of churches.

Under the terms of the agreement, the four churches will: withdraw any historic condemnation by one side or the other as inapporpriate for the life and faith of the

churches today, continue to recognize each other s baptisms and encourage the sharing of Holy Communion among the members, make provision for the orderly exchange of ordained ministers, and recognize each other as churches in which the gospel is rightly preached and the sacraments rightly administered according to the Word of God.

Supreme Court Overturns Act

WASHINGTON (RNS) The Communications Decency Act, a legislative effort by the Congress to control pornography on the Internet, was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court on June 26.

In a 7-2 decision the court s first in the realm of cyberspace the justices ruled that portions of the act violated the freespeech rights of Americans. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist and Justice Sandra Day O Connor were the two dissenting justices.

AMA Votes for Late- Mayor Yields to Mother Teresa Term Abortion Ban

CHICAGO (RNS) The nation s most powerful organization of physicians has come out in favor of a federal ban outlawing a specific late-term abortion procedure that has galvanized the abortion debate this year.

The American Medical Associaton s 475-member House of Delegates, meeting in Chicago in late June, voted to support a controversial decision by its national board to back congressional efforts to ban what opponents of the procedure call partialbirth abortions. The stance now becomes official AMA policy.

NEW YORK (RNS) Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, scourge of United Nations diplomats who violate the city s parking regulations, recently met his match.

On June 23, he indicated to Mother Teresa and her nuns that they pretty much can park where they want to, the Associated Press reported.

On an extended visit to New York, Mother Teresa, the 86-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner, told the mayor she needed more parking spaces for her nuns. Said the mayor with the tough guy attitude, She wants parking spaces, she gets parking spaces.

Battle over Creation vs. Science SYDNEY (ENI) - A Melbourne University geology professor lost his legal fight in Sydney last month to prove that a fundamentalist Christian minister had misled people by trying to convince them that the remains of Noah s Ark are in Turkey.

Professor Ian Plimer and an American marine salvage expert, David Fasold, initiated the action against Sydney church elder Dr Allen Roberts under consumer protection laws.

Plimer alleged that Roberts had misled consumers in his Ark Search lecture tour of Australia, in which Roberts said that the remains of Noah s Ark had been found in Turkey. Fasold claimed the elder had breached copyright by stealing a drawing he had made of a site on Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey claimed by some to be the resting place of Noah s Ark. The case, whose outcome was hailed by creationists as a victory for free speech, sparked world-wide interest because it was believed to be the first time that the advocates for evolution had sued those who believe in creationism.

Plimer had invested five years in the case, working 20 to 30 hours a week, and had been forced to sell his house to cover legal costs. Though Plimer and Fasold lost the case before the Federal Court, the judge,

Ronald Sackville found that Roberts had made false representations and had in fact breached copyright.

During the trial Plimer told the court that the alleged ark site was a boat-shaped geological structure which had been exploited in a scientific fraud to raise funds from Christian fundamentalists for a university in Turkey.

Following the verdict, Plimer said, The nub of today s decision is a legal decision as to what is trade and commerce ... we always knew that this case was going to be decided on legal points, not on matters of evidence.

The issue was what is under that mud i[ n Turkey] and whether in fact it might have been a boat and if, on mature reflection and further research, it turns out to be a boat, Roberts said. Maybe it wasn t Noah s boat, maybe it isn t a boat at all - I can t be certain. ... I think it looks very much like a boat ... the jury is still out on this one. Roberts said he bore no personal antipathy towards Professor Plimer, but his defamation action against the professor was still afoot.

During a visit to Turkey in 1991 Roberts was kidnapped by Kurdish separatists who released him unharmed three weeks later. He began his Noah s Ark lecture tour a year later.

AUGUST 1997

INTERVIEW from page 5

ness the gospel in martyrdom.

C.H.: The Orthodox claim to constitute the only true Church. How should we understand this claim?

E.P.: We do not hold that exclusivity means judgment or exclusion. The idea that membership in a visible Church organization is a requisite for membership in heaven is based on a false paradigm that we somehow parallel the kingdom of God in this world.

The kingdom is not an exterior reality, rather it is interior, at least until the end of time.

While affirming that He that is not with Me is against Me (St. Luke 11:23), we also affirm that He that is not against us is for us (St. Luke 9:50). This historical antinomy is ever present in the life of the Church. But it nevertheless does not blur the definition of the faith, the canonical boundaries of the good order of the Church, or our desire to call all mankind to the knowledge of the truth. We prefer the spirit of genuine love and concern and avoid the kind of triumphalism that has caused so much alienation and division throughout the ages.

C.H.: What is the most important message you will try to get across to Western Protestants when you visit the U.S.?

E.P.: We are coming to America to bring a message of restoration and renewal through our blessed hope in the Risen Christ; we come because in America the faith that began at Jerusalem has spread out to the uttermost ends of the earth; ...we come to bring that same firm foundation, which has endured from the beginning, to share that which we have seen with our eyes, which we have heard with our ears and our very hands have touched: the mystery of God incarnate, alive forever in his people, his body, his Church.

MONASTICISM from page 18

from the point of view of knowledge and experience that those people in Greece who are most concerned about their salvation seek spiritual fulfillment from the monasteries, and wisdom and counsel from the spiritual fathers (confessors) in the monasteries, over and above what they can get from their local parish priest.

What we in America must come to understand is that the parish priest is not the only answer to everyone seeking spiritual fulfillment. That the monasteries and spiritual fathers in the monasteries, armed with the discipline of prayer and discernment, have inherited the awesome responsibility of not only safeguarding the Faith, but also to safeguard the souls of the Faithful.

Clergy have a vested interest The bishops and parish priests also have this vested interest. I don t think I am contradicting what I said earlier. Here s why: All bishops and all priests have a sacred duty to teach the faithful that confession of sins and spiritual edification are something to be elevated in importance and praxis. If the local parish is not fulfilling that expectation then the monasteries need to be there as a ready and available source to fill the void.

Finally, how or why should I, a priestmonk having come right from a monastery to serve a parish, jeopardize my spiritual life and have my spiritual discipline eroded any more than necessary by being expected to conform to the tailored look - that Father George suggested in his column - which is arguably not Orthodox.

I am proud, both as an Orthodox Christian - and a priest, to look like what I consider to be proper to and for what I believe, and to wear what I consider to be proper for me as an Orthodox clergyman. I believe it is a proper witness to a world buried in decadence, secularism, and the status quo.

The Very Rev. Mannos is a brother of the Monastery of St. Katherine of Sinai, currently serving as pastor of St. John the Baptist Church in Pueblo, Colo.

ORTHODOX OBSERVER

GLORY from page 4 Cavadas faith, perseverance and self-sacrifice, it is very doubtful if the seminary could have ever rooted so firmly, when it did.

Glory be to God for all things. As we know we are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of our Archdiocese. I can hardly believe, that for 60 of those 75 years, I have been active as part of the life of our Holy Archdiocese. The 60 years include of course my five years at Pomfret, where I was gaining a true insight in the life of the Church.

As the first graduates of our seminary, we were supercharged I would say by Bishop Cavadas, to go out and give our all for the Church. My classmates and I feel, that we justified his expectations.

There is no doubt that our Church has made great strides, and has become known to our fellow Americans because of the participation of our American-born clergy in ministerial associations, social and commu-

nity programs, which brought the Orthodox witness to our fellow Americans, and the recognition of the Faith of the most Ancient

RELICS from page 17 by his countenance, form, gait, feeling of piety and devotion, and by the collection of his thoughts. He feels all-fiery, shy, humble, sober and lively. The movements of his body and the proclamation of his philosophy distinguish him as someone who paid such homage. Scripture proves this point when it remarks: A man s attire, grinning laughter and gait show what he is (Wisdom of Solomon 19:30).

The locations where the relics of God s saints have been deposited are according solely to God s providence. God selects the location for the deposition of a saint s relics with the specific purpose of edifying the people with the truth and power of the Gos-

ANTENNA F/C 3X10 PATRIARCH

PAGE 23

Christian tradition.

Fr. Papadeas is currently pastor of St. Michael s Church, Lecanto, Fla. pel, which is clearly revealed by the saint s triumph over his executioners. At these locations or shrines He guides the pilgrim to exhibit the same zeal for the faith as the martyr who presently resides in heaven. The pilgrim s acceptance of this guidance gives God the opportunity to prepare a safe harbor for him and provide comfort for his misfortunes. The shrines become sites of refreshment and renewal as the pilgrim s consciousness is unburdened and his perspective relating to his salvation is recaptured and secured. The pilgrim then leaves the shrine as an ensouled and spiritual shrine because the saint and his achievements dwell within his thoughts and heart.

The Rev. Dr. Christofis is pastor of Holy Trinity Church, Lansing, Mich.

ORTHODOX OBSERVER

PAGE 24

F

T H E

G L O R Y

O F

AUGUST 1997

O R T H O D O X Y

or the first time in the more than millennial history of the Athonite Theocracy, the price less spiritual and artistic treasures pre served for centuries in the Ark of Orthodoxy will journey beyond the boundaries of the Holy Mount and be displayed to the public in what is probably the most important spiritual, artistic and scholarly event in framework of the Thessaloniki 97 Cultural Capital of Europe program. The exhibition Treasures from Mount Athos , was inaugurated on June 21, 1997 and will remain on view in the Museum of Byzantine Culture for six months.

This ambitious project has been designed to present the multiple facets of the historical, spiritual and artistic importance of Mount Athos across the centuries. It will lay special weight on demonstrating its uniqueness and its profound significance, not only for Greece and the Orthodox world, but for all mankind.

Its organization is the result of an unprecedented mobilization of monks, scholars, scientists, technical experts and artists who have been unsparingly putting all their efforts to achieve the optimal presentation of the exhibits.

Mount Athos: A fabled universe for the Western visitor, a place of veneration for the Orthodox faithful. And a supreme opportunity for the female public, barred from setting foot on the forbidden territory, to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Mountain and its monasteries.

The central focus is on the spirituality inherent in every manifestation of the life of the Athonite community. Monumental paintings, portable icons, manuscripts

illuminated and plain, ivories and silvercraft, embroidery, woodcarving, ceramics, ecclesiastical vessels, furniture and furnishings and craftsmen s tools: these are but a few of the material testaments to this cultural heritage. Immanent in each and every one of these are Byzantine and post Byzantine art, history, impact and influence -dogmatic and aesthetic- on the Orthodox peoples, contribution to the education of the Greek nation, participation in spiritual movements.

T

he section on Daily Life and Wor ship presents the everyday routine of monastic life, which is lived within the confines of Monastery-Skete-Cloister and which is centered on the Church (respectively, katholikonkyriakon-parekklesi, or chapel). But the monk s day also includes both private prayer and study in his own refuge as well as handicrafts, labor for the sustenance of the community, and exemplary hospitality towards the visiting pilgrim. The community of the Fathers has not lost its religious and social traditions: the underlying intent of the submission of the novice to the elder is to permit the undisturbed transmission of the familiar rules and customs from one generation to the next.

But the cultural heritage of Mount Athos is not limited to the marvels of its architecture and the artistic treasures of its churches, monasteries, sketes and cloisters: it extends to its unmatched and equally unique natural environment, the landscape which provides their physical setting. Characterized above all by the untouched naturalness of its ecosystems, at least in the quality of their composition, with their fascinating variety of plant and animal species in an aboriginal natural habitat, unaffected by grazing and by unwarranted human in-

tervention, the natural environment refreshes the visitor and causes the reclusive soul to soar.

The heart of the exhibition is the section on the Treasures of the Monasteries, not merely because Mount Athos has the largest and finest collection of Byzantine and post-Byzantine art anywhere, but more importantly because in an atmosphere of profound reverence the history, the intellectual and spiritual life, the art, and of course the objects themselves, expressive of the liturgical life of the monks, give shape and vitality to the profound meaning of the Holy Mountain.

In the section on Architecture, landscape and climatic conditions, the need for protection against attacks by marauding pirates, the nearby city of Thessaloniki (always a hotbed of artistic and technological progress) contributed to the development of Athonite Architecture which housed both coenobeotic monastic life and independent hermitages. The visitor to the exhibition will have the opportunity of seeing the historical stratification present in Athonite buildings, through visual material and scale models.

Monastic life is identified with daily worship and praying but also with daily toil and work in the monastery or the hermitage. This entity of the exhibition will acquaint the visitor with aspects of worship and ritual on Mt. Athos; at the same time it will show that monasteries were centers of technological innovation and that there were dispensaries and infirmaries, workshops for icon-painting and bookbinding, printing presses and photographic studios, all run by monks using state-of-the-art techniques.