Local Church History
Spring 2008
Vol. 7, Issue 3: Local Church History $4.95
Holy Apostles Peter and Paul In this icon, St. Peter and St. Paul stand together holding a model of church between them. This reminds us that both Apostles are considered founders of the Church. In chapter 2 of the Acts of the Apostles, following Pentecost, St. Peter preached to the multitudes, leading to the baptism of more than 3,000 people that day. It was St. Paul who took the Gospel beyond the Middle East, traveling to Asia Minor, Greece, and to Rome to preach and establish Christian communities. Both Peter and Paul wrote letters (epistles), contained in the New Testament, that we read in church today. Both Apostles became martyrs for Christ, being killed by the Roman authorities in Rome. A tradition states that the St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, the seat of the Roman Catholic Church, is built on the saint’s burial site.
Wisdom, Ancient and Modern For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. Romans 12:3–8 Love for God begins to manifest itself, and to act in us, when we begin to love our neighbor as ourselves, and not to spare ourselves or anything belonging to us for him, as he is the image of God: “For he who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.” St. John of Kronstadt For where two or three are gathered together in My name, am I there in the midst of them. Matthew 18:20 Where Christ is, there is His Church.
St. Ignatius of Antioch
Death may take loved ones out of sight but it certainly does not take them out of mind, or out of heart. We continue to love them and think of them as we believe they continue to love and think of us. In Christ, all are living. Fr. Anthony Coniaris Pray not only for yourself, but for all the faithful, for the whole body of the Church without separating yourself from other believers, pray in a state of union with them as a member of Christ’s Church. . . . Prayer for others is beneficial for the one who prays: it purifies the heart, strengthens faith and hope in God, and stimulates love for God and neighbor. St. John of Kronstadt The church is for us an earthly heaven, where God Himself abides and looks upon those standing there. Therefore, we must stand orderly in church, with great reverence. Let us love the church and be zealous towards it. It is a comfort and consolation for us in times of sorrow and of joy. St. Hilarion of Optina The will of man is an essential condition, for without it God does nothing. St. Macarius of Egypt In the Church are found all our blessings, our hopes and expectations, our peace, our joy, together with cleansing and sanctification. It is there that the truth of the future resurrection, of the victory over death, is so often announced. Who that lives a blessed life would not love the Church with all his heart! Everything that is best, most exalted, most precious, holy, wise, and blessed is found in the Church. St. John of Kronstadt
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This issue of PRAXIS, an enlightening publication of our Department of Religious Education, features as its main topic “local church history.” As the many articles included in this issue suggest, the history of our local churches is often under-examined, and its importance is often under-appreciated. This issue of PRAXIS serves as a step toward addressing these deficiencies. It also serves as a quite timely publication, for it coincides with our coming together this summer in Washington, DC, for our 39th Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress. The theme for our Congress is “Gather My People to My Home.” It is a theme that is rich in substance, with many applications for our Church life. One of these applications is the concept of history, and therefore this issue of PRAXIS speaks quite pertinently to the theme of our Congress. It is critical to remember that as we engage in the process of archiving documents, gathering old photographs, and discovering forgotten facts about our local parishes, we are interacting with a living history. In a very real sense, we are interacting with the eternal memories of our relatives and people of our past who, like us today, called the very same local church that we now attend their home, and God’s home. In documenting the living history of our local churches as genuine “homes,” or houses of God, we gather both the living and those who have fallen asleep. Together, we constitute the very same Body of Christ. In this process, we acknowledge the fact that the local church is not only our home; it is ultimately the home of God. Viewed from this perspective, our work of documenting the history of our local churches takes on an even greater significance, for it is the very home of God that we are seeking to understand through comprehensive and more deliberate means. In the articles that follow, we will be introduced to projects that some of our parishes are actively using in furtherance of these means. It is hoped that these projects may serve as model examples for many other parishes throughout our country, which are homes wherein all are invited, and which possess a rich and living history. I conclude by commending to your special attention an important article in this issue of PRAXIS written by Dr. Anton Vrame. This article chronicles the life and legacy of the late Archbishop Michael, of blessed memory, who served as Archbishop of the then Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America from 1949–1958. This year marks the 50th anniversary of his falling asleep in the Lord, and Dr. Vrame’s article in tribute to Archbishop Michael is an effective way of illustrating the living influence of history upon our Archdiocese today, which itself is both our home and the home of God. As always, I am thankful for this publication of our Department of Religious Education, which I pray may promote your educational and spiritual edification on a topic that is both important and enlightening.
† DEMETRIOS Archbishop of America
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Why We Should Be Interested in Our Local Church History By Metropolitan Methodios of Boston
The English word “history” comes from the Greek historia, which originally means “learning” and by implication “understanding.” Learning and understanding are distinctly human activities. As human beings we learn and come to understand ourselves. Our self-understanding has to do with our birth and growth, and all those events which shape our life and distinctive personality. These events belong to our past but are always present. All this constitutes our personal history which is expanded as we live and act and experience new events in our life. Obviously our personal history in the first instance is connected with our home and family context, i.e., the persons who brought us into existence and helped us in our first growth. Family history, then, is a primary factor in our own personal history. This is why every human being is naturally interested in this area. The more we know our family history, the more we understand ourselves. Our life, however, is determined not only by our family, but also by the wider human environment because human beings are born and raised in society. The human society to which we ourselves and our family belong represents several important factors which play an important role in shaping our own history and the history of our fellow human beings. These factors of the wider social context include our church, our school, our country, our culture, etc. It is obvious that the more we understand these factors and the influence they exert on us, the more we understand our history. The more we understand our history, the more we learn and grow to be responsible participants in shaping our life, but also the life of others. In other words, we become responsible human beings in the ongoing social history of humanity. Our experience tells us that the role the Church plays in this history is crucial, because the Church upholds us from the beginning and sustains us throughout our life. The Church regenerates us through baptism and sustains us through the holy sacraments. It also opens up our life by helping us to understand its ultimate origin, meaning and destiny, because it enlightens us about God our Creator, who has also become our Father through the Lord Jesus Christ, His incarnate Son. It teaches us about God’s care and eternal plans for us and our important place in creation. It helps us to understand and to cope with the problems we experience as human beings in our everyday life individually and socially: problems of sickness in body and soul, of life and death, of good and evil. In short, it offers salvation and guides us so that we can receive it. None of this would have been available to us had it not been for the establishment and maintenance of our local church, our parish. The local church is the place that expands our self understanding and life. Our parish gives us a sense of self-esteem which entails our relation to our fellow human beings and to God. It challenges us to become responsible and creative; to be not only passive recipients, but also active players in life. It is the local church that helps us to acquire maturity and become full participants in the common affairs of humanity to which we belong. Although all the blessings we enjoy and receive in the local church are gifts of God, the local church itself is also a gift of the community which established it and maintains it. It is a gift to us and to all our fellow human beings who belong to it. This makes it all the more necessary for us to seek to understand its history, i.e., when it was established, how it has been maintained, who were the people who labored in it and how it was passed on from generation to generation. Obviously our local church is our spiritual home, the home of the community to which we belong as members and in which we grow up as spiritual beings in communion with God and one another. It is our responsibility then, to know about continued on page 7
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SUBMISSION GUIDELINES Submissions should be 1,000–2,000 words in length and directly discuss education in the theology and tradition of the Orthodox Christian churches. Lesson aids or graphic enhancements may accompany the articles submitted. We also encourage the submission of photographs relevant to parish life (praxis). Please also provide a biographical sketch of the author not exceeding fifty words. PRAXIS Magazine is seeking submissions of lesson plans based on articles from previous or current issues of PRAXIS. Submissions should use the article as the text/background of the lesson plan. Lesson plans are welcome for any or several age groups. Please send submissions in a Word document with a length of 1,000–2,000 words to tvrame@goarch.org. Material previously published or under consideration for publication elsewhere will not be considered without prior consent of the editor. We reserve the right to edit for usage and style; all accepted manuscripts are subject to editorial modification. Articles sent by mail should be accompanied by an electronic version on CD-ROM in Microsoft Word for Windows or for Macintosh. Articles in Microsoft Word may also be e-mailed as an attachment to tvrame@goarch.org. Address submissions to: Anton C. Vrame, PhD, and/or Elizabeth Borch.
CREDITS Executive Editor: Managing Editor: Design and Layout: Copyeditor: Front Cover
Inside Cover: Back Inside Cover:
Back Cover: Printing:
Anton C. Vrame, PhD Elizabeth Borch Maria Diamantopoulos-Arizi Aimee Cox Ehrs Archbishop Michael at Saint Basil’s Academy, Image courtesy of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Department of Archives Sts. Peter and Paul Tom Clark, iconographer Archbishop Iakovos and Dr. Martin Luther King, Image courtesy of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Department of Archives His Eminence XXX, Image courtesy of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Department of Archives Atlantic Graphic Services, Inc., Clinton, MA
Special thanks to Mary Mousalimas, Marilyn Rouvelas, Nikie Calles, and Carol Jensen for providing many of the photographs appearing in this issue of PRAXIS. Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible containing the Old and New Testaments with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical books, New King James Version. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily the views of the Department of Religious Education. © 2008, Department of Religious Education of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. ISSN 1530-0595.
A publication of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, PRAXIS magazine is published three times a year. The subscription rate is $15 per year. Checks, payable to the Department of Religious Education, should be sent to: PRAXIS Circulation 50 Goddard Avenue Brookline, MA 02445 (617) 850-1218
Volume 7, Issue 3: Local Church History
Features
8 Preserving and Sharing a Local History
Mary K. Mousalimas
14 T he Saint Paul Mission at Byron Hot Springs
Carol A. Jensen
17 A rchbishop Michael A 7 merica
of
North and South
8
Dr. Anton Vrame
22 Digitization at the Department of Archives Nikie Calles
23
T he Turn-Around Church Fr. Luke A. Veronis
26 The Feast of the Holy Mandylion
Bishop John of Amorion
28 From Classroom to Conversation
Seraphim Danckaert
14
Reviews 30
L istening Is an Act of Love Dr. Anton Vrame
31 Blessed Is the K ingdom
Mindi Armatas
Articles 33 Orthodox Action for Our Brothers and Sisters in Need
Amal E. Morcos
35 T he Differences among Charter, Parochial Independent Schools
17
and
Susanna Athans, MEd
40 Agape Circle: A New Small-Group Program for Adults Dcn. Markos Nickolas
41 Growing Together in Koinonia and A gape Angela Ferreira
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Letters I am e-mailing to thank the Department of Religious Education for producing this new publication, Journey through Holy Week for our youth. It is wonderful! We have had a wonderful response and reaction from both our kids as well as our parents upon receiving it! As a Sunday School teacher in our Parish as well as an Orthodox parent, I am personally thrilled and we continue to thumb back and forth through it every day this week as we experience each day of Holy Week. It is not an overwhelming number of pages—just right! And yet the information is excellent—plenty of meat; the icons and photographs are combined for excellent richness. Thank you again and again! I hope the Department is considering more of these type publications—especially for Christmas! It would be an excellent tool for the Advent fast, the Feast of the Nativity as well as a unit study on St. Nicholas—all in one. Thank you and I hope you all experience a wonderful and blessed Pascha. Christ is Risen! Yours in Christ, Harriette K. Jacobs Warrenton, GA Dear Tony & Beth, Today I received your PRAXIS magazine. I felt very honored to be a part of it, since I have always felt the magazine contained a great deal of information. Whenever I can help again, let me know. With Love in Christ, Presbytera Georget Photos Winter Haven, FL Happy New Year! What a wonderful way to start the new year with this winter issue of PRAXIS ! This is an excellent issue. Thank you for devoting the magazine to “The Church at Home.” As you know, our Center for Family Care has been working on these issues for a long time, and it is extremely gratifying to see some of our work in such a respected publication. The resources you have provided are so helpful. I pray many families will use them. I plan to give a number of issues away.
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And thank you for your editorial guidance, attention to detail and beautiful design. The issue is professional and appealing. Our family is thrilled that our granddaughter Eleni is on the cover and that grandson Buddy (Vasili) is pictured inside. For Phyllis Onest’s article on name days, may I add another thing to do? Send iconograms to friends and family from the goarch.org Web site. Love to you all, Marilyn Rouvelas Arlington, VA
This life-long Orthodox and retired Milwaukee Sentinel sportswriter feels your magazine did a huge disservice to Christianity by publishing Eleni Poulos’ article extolling Harry Potter. Her article even had an Orthodox bishop, Bishop Auxentios of Photiki, offering praise for Harry Potter. The Harry Potter books are all about wizards, witchcraft, etc. There is nothing Godly about sorcery, witchcraft, etc., and books about witchcraft are a complete antithesis of what is taught by God Himself directly in the Old and New Testaments. Instead of standing up for moral and theological Christian concepts, Bishop Auxentios and Poulos are placating liberal groups and pop culture. We want to show the whole world that we (Orthodox) too can be in with the politically correct groups. Father Eusebius Stephanou of Destin, FL, a Greek Orthodox priest for over 54 years and son and grandson of Greek Orthodox priests, told me, “I can find a lot better ways to search for God rather than in Harry Potter. It’s like looking for food in a trash can.” Father Anthony Good, an Orthodox hieromonk of Richwood, WI, told me, “there is no such thing as a good witch. Witchcraft is an abomination to God. The Bible clearly teaches us to avoid witchcraft as do the writings of the early Church Fathers.” Poulos’ article didn’t quote a single Orthodox prelate condemning Harry Potter, a grave sin of omission. Mike Christopulos Brown Deer, WI
continued from page 3 this home and to take care of it in order to be worthy recipients of its blessings. Learning about the history of our local church helps us to understand better and to appreciate to a greater extent the spiritual heritage which we have received. This helps us to grow spiritually and inspires us to be spiritually responsible church members, worthy contributors to the fulfillment of human destiny. The history of each local church is like a treasury which enriches everyone who tries to understand it. It is a record of the spiritual life of the community which has sustained it. The church building and all that is contained and housed in it bear the personal imprints of the activities and life of relatives, friends and all those who labored in faith and in response to God’s grace. The inner structure of the building and the sacred icons which beautify it reveal to us the pattern of our human being, and those human beings who throughout history have been the models for others. Christ, the Incarnate Son of God and Savior of the world, His holy (human) mother, the Theotokos, and the Saints make present the history of salvation to which we also belong. In the history of the parishes that exist in each Metropolis, we also find an amazing record of divine blessings and human achievements. Delving into this history enriches us personally and communally, and also supplies us with new perspectives for the future. This is so, because it helps us not only to count the divine blessings, but also to assess the human achievements that have been bequeathed to us through the local church. How this community home was set up; what sacrifices were made; who donated the sacred icons and the rest of its spiritual treasures that point to the mystery and glories of our human spirituality. It motivates us to appreciate what has been achieved and bequeathed to us, and to strive to become achievers too; to renew, to expand and to transmit it to the future generations as the invaluable heritage of life and truth. To be ignorant of our history—our personal history in our family home and our spiritual history in our spiritual home of the local church—means to risk our life and our salvation, because we let ourselves sail in the ocean of history without a safe compass and clear direction.
Christ at Work:
Orthodox Christian Perspectives on Vocation Ann Mitsakos Bezzerides, editor
In this volume, theologians steeped in Eastern and Orthodox traditions of Christianity write expressly on the topic of vocation and offer wisdom for those who seek Christ at work in the world and in their lives. A great book for high school students, collegians and those interested in discovering or exploring their own vocations. 238 pages. AR050
$19.95
Please call the Department of Religious Education at 800-566-1088 to place orders.
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Local Church History
Preserving and Sharing a Local History The Ascension Historical Society By Mary K. Mousalimas
O
ur collective roots in this country are assuredly connected to our Orthodox faith because our history here is inextricably linked to our parishes. As soon as the earliest Greek immigrants had established themselves in this new land, they built churches. Those churches became the centers of their communities, where they shared a common language, worshipped together and socialized, and where their children were baptized and learned to read and write the Greek language. As the children of those immigrants matured, they established Sunday schools, youth groups, choirs and athletic teams. A prime example is the Oakland, CA, Church of the Assumption, that is, the Dormition (Koimisis) of the Mother of God. It served as a gathering place in the lives of the early Greek settlers. They built a church with an architecture that reflected their heritage. Its Byzantine dome and neoclassical facade, as well as the solid construction, are of such interest that the building readily met the criteria to be registered as a historical landmark in both the State of California and at the national level.
Saving the Original Church Building Greeks began to settle in the Oakland vicinity in the 1890s. When their numbers had increased sufficiently, they raised the money to both build their church on Oakland’s Brush Street and support their clergy.1 The Church of the Assumption was the only Greek Orthodox Church in the entire East Bay area until the mid-1940s. By 1960, having outgrown the original page 8
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facilities in downtown Oakland, the Hellenic community sold the church buildings in order to finance a new, larger church complex in the Oakland hills. The parish also renamed itself “Ascension.” The California Department of Transportation eventually acquired the original property, and in 1976, it scheduled the demolition of the building because it stood directly in the path of two major highways. California State Senator Nicholas C. Petris in Sacramento learned about the imminent demolition and alerted two women—my daughter Eugenia Ahlas and me. We met with individuals of the Department of Transportation, who told us that an “elder of the Greek community in Oakland” had already been contacted about the disposition but that he had dismissed it by saying, “Who wants that piece of junk?” Hearing this, we took the task upon ourselves, creating the Committee to Save the Brush Street Church. We petitioned the Oakland Landmarks Board to declare the building a landmark. The church building was listed as a historical landmark first by the City of Oakland and then by the State of California, and finally it was put on the National Register of Historical Landmarks in 1978. The Department of Transportation was
Local Church History
but that the lay leadership records prior to 1954 were missing: the proceedings of General Assemblies, the minutes of board of directors meetings, the parish bulletins, and the vital financial records. We presumed they had been removed for safekeeping. However, those primary source materials have not surfaced, and we believe they have been destroyed. During our search for the missing records, we encountered an astonishing degree of indifference from many quarters: from clergy who had neither concern nor sensitivity for our early community histories; from second-generation laity who chose not to be reminded of their parents’ and their own struggles; and from third- and fourth-generation younger people who were unaware of their rich legacy and who saw no merit in recalling the past. On too many occasions we were told, “Who cares?” This made us even more intent on preserving as much of the primary source material as we could, not only against the normal process of decay but also against neglect and wanton destruction.
thereby obligated to relocate the building—to literally pick it up and move it to a new location!2 The old church building is still a Christian place of worship today, although it is owned by a different church group. Formation and Development of the Historical Society About a decade later, in 1989, realizing we were the last link with my parents’ pioneer generation, I organized a few other individuals to form the Ascension Historical Committee (AHC). In January 2007, we changed our name from “committee” to “society” in order to reflect our growth. Now we are known as the Ascension Historical Society (AHS). With the support of our parish priest, Rev. Fr. Tom Paris, our parish council honored the committee’s requests in 1989 and gave us a furnished classroom in the church complex, a dead bolt lock, and a fireproof filing cabinet. Soon after the committee’s formation, while meeting weekly to discuss objectives and progress and to share our research, our members discovered that the community’s ecclesiastical records of births, baptisms, marriages and funerals were intact,
Collections With neither formal training nor expert mentoring, we combed through the following primary source materials: • Public library city directories from the 1880s through the 1930s (documenting on file cards the names, spouses, children, addresses, and places of employment of the early Greeks) • Old newspapers for relevant articles, especially the Greek newspaper Kalifornia (printed in San Francisco), which carried information about the Greeks from around the area and nation, and which ran advertising from Greek-owned businesses, published obituaries, and announced social events • Our own personal memorabilia, from which we contributed church bulletins, announcements of social and artistic events, programs of dramatic performances, obituaries, newspaper articles, photographs, and early Greek-language schoolbooks as well as out-of-print early publications (we have quite a collection of valuable old books now) We have amassed a paper trail and other artifacts, now filling an impressive 250 linear feet and seven filing cabinets. All of this is stored in the single classroom and in an overflowing closet. Our archives also hold the following: recent lay leadership records; clergy records; records from Philoptochos, choirs, youth groups, dance groups, Sunday School and Greek School; PRAXIS
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immigration records, applications for American citizenship, and veteran records dating from the Spanish-American War; lists of businesses; volumes of hundreds of photographs (identified, documented and categorized); oral histories; obituaries; original workbooks and monographs; out-of-print publications, and more. We even have the original baptismal font from 1922, part of the iconostasis with the “All-Seeing Eye” from the original church building, as well as old icons. Recently, we had the Ascension Cathedral Monthly Bulletins from 1971 through 2000 bound in hardcover. Over the years, we have mounted exhibits of photographs and artifacts for our parish in particular and for our city. In November 2007, we celebrated the ninetieth anniversary of the Greek community. More than five hundred visitors attended in four hours. Throughout the years, we have invited guest speakers to deliver lectures on relevant topics, particularly to provide insights into aspects of our history or to provide advice about collection and preservation.
• Availability and location of research materials • Procedures for cataloguing retrieved archival materials • Archival storage and care of artifacts • Genesis and fruition of both existing and newly formed local history groups • Urgency and importance for preserving our community histories, with specific instances of materials discarded and other instances of “accidental discoveries” • Fundamentals of conducting oral histories, with materials for novice and experienced interviewers • Prosopography (investigation of the common background characteristics of a historical group) • Technical terms of the historian’s paradigm • History methodology, including outlines for organizing the research of community histories • Critical problems nationwide and how to overcome them
Symposia and Workshops Having experienced the loss of so many valuable records, we felt the urgency of informing others about the importance of safeguarding their own community history sources. At the same time, we recognized the need to provide instruction for neophyte preservationists such as ourselves.
Procedures for the Preservation of Parish History With the support and encouragement of His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony of San Francisco, of blessed memory, we presented our concerns and provided direction on a national level through workshops entitled “Procedures for the Preservation of Parish History” at the Clergy-Laity Congress in Los Angeles (2002).4 Encouragingly, the participants represented sixty-four cities from twenty states. Furthermore, a “Resolution for the Preservation of Community Histories,” presented by our committee to the San Francisco Metropolis Assembly earlier that same year, was sent from our metropolis to the Clergy-Laity Congress as a nationwide proposal.5 The congress adopted the resolution that recommended that every parish should create a historical preservation committee to collect, itemize and store carefully any and all items pertaining to the history of the founders, their
Regional Symposia On February 20, 1998, we held the first-ever symposium for the “Preservation of Our History: Past, Present, and Future.”3 It was convened by the Ascension Historical Committee (as we were then known) of Oakland, California; the Hellenic Cultural Association of Salt Lake City, Utah; and the Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute of Berkeley, California. Later, two more symposia were convened: Phoenix, Arizona, 1999; and Stockton, California, 2001. These symposia included the following topics: page 10
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descendants, and successive generations of communicants. Wherever possible, these historic objects should be stored in a specific, dedicated area in the community facilities. Symposia for the Historical Societies of the Metropolis of San Francisco At the suggestion of His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco in 2005, a “Symposium for the Historical Societies of the Metropolis of San Francisco” was convened at Oakland’s Ascension Cathedral complex in April 2006 by the Metropolis of San Francisco, the Ascension Historical Committee of Oakland, and the Holy Trinity Historical Society of San Francisco. As a result, new local groups have been formed and more local symposia are being organized. For instance, one participant became so enthused that she convinced the St. Barbara Parish in Santa Barbara, California, to form the St. Barbara Hellenic Cultural Museum. These symposia are now being held annually. The Holy
Trinity Historical Society of San Francisco convened a 2007 symposium, and one is scheduled for May 2008. Web site The Ascension Historical Committee and the Hellenic Cultural Association of Salt Lake City, Utah, launched the Preservation of American Hellenic History Web site (www.pahh.com) in March 2002 to address our concerns for communication and dissemination of information among local history groups. Currently, the Web site describes twenty-three separate regional preservation groups, and it has grown beyond its original aims through (a) a compilation of lists of resources for history research and (b) the publication of original memoirs online. Interested persons have come to us through the Web site from all over the world—those seeking advice about forming regional groups, those sharing their own insights into our mutual history, others searching for insights into their
individual family histories, historians seeking contacts and data, and history students looking for resources. Greek Independence Day Annual Run and Other Activities Our historical society has celebrated Greek Independence Day since 1994 with a 10K/5K run and 5K walk around the shores of Oakland’s scenic Lake Merritt. We do this to celebrate the American and Greek traditions of democracy, freedom and athletic excellence and to raise funds for our committee. Through the years, we have organized various other events to promote our community history. For instance, we organized Founders Day commemorations from 1994 to 1996. Each one consisted of a memorial service for the departed founders of our community as well as an artoklasia (blessing of loaves) service for our Ascension Historical Committee. Members of the West Oakland Senior Altar Boys Association (senior citizens who had served as altar boys in their youth) served again in the Divine Liturgy. There, invited speakers addressed issues about
our history and its preservation. We also took the opportunity to display photographs from our archives. For our third Founders Day commemoration in 1996, we honored those in their ninetieth decade of age. During a luncheon, each honoree was introduced and presented with a commemorative program. This particular event highlighted the dedication and sacrifices made by their generation in establishing our community. We have also honored our veterans, both men and women, of all of the military services of the United States and its allied countries. In November 2000, we sponsored a memorial service and an exhibit of archival photographs of veterans from the Civil War to the present. Our second Veterans Commemoration took place in November 2002, which was preceded by an appeal for veterans’ records. During this second event, we displayed the Soldier Statue sculpted by artist Andrew Saffas, which was destined to be erected in 2005 in Greece.6 PRAXIS
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Regular Meetings Today, the Ascension Historical Society has forty-five members. We meet monthly to review our work and assess our plans. Our Wednesday Workshop Crew meets throughout the year to organize, identify, document and store our collections. This crew is comprised of a few dedicated members who volunteer a monthly aggregate of more than two hundred hours of work. Into the Future Currently, we are concentrating on digitizing our collections. We have begun with our volumes of photographs, identifying and encoding each one with location, date, names and so on, and organizing them into categories of events. Once in the databases, the information will be readily available for future research. We also plan to initiate an intern program for students who (we hope) may continue and develop our work, taking it to new levels of accomplishment. Looking to the future, we are facing some problems. Although many people in our community enjoy our exhibits and events, and although the younger people are glad to participate in them, we are having trouble recruiting younger people to become members of the history society. Moreover, we are having difficulty persuading our parish leaders about the importance of preserving and displaying our archival material. Despite endorsements from metropolitans, Clergy-Laity assemblies and congresses, and clergy, our collections remain peripheral in the cathedral complex; their security is tenuous. Our burgeoning archives are packed into a single classroom. Presently, we do not have any prospect for a more adequate home for our collection. Certain questions arise as we look to the future. Who will continue our work? Who will safeguard the collections? Will they need to be dispersed, to resurface later in private collections? Although we want to keep our collections in our community, will we have to disperse them into various city and state archives in order to assure their preservation? Optimism in Conclusion We are optimistic, nevertheless. Whenever we review our progress, we see how much has been achieved in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Two women obliged the State of California to stop work on a highway in order to lift a whole church building and move it to safety. One of them organized a few people into a history committee, which has since developed to enrich our community life with
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so many activities and symposia, workshops, and a Web site with national and some international influence. A humble Wednesday Work Crew has been collecting, documenting and developing our history archives to overflowing. So much really has been achieved by the initiative of just a very few dedicated individuals. It is true that passion is contagious, and I feel certain that individuals will emerge with the knowledge and passion to continue the work we have begun.
Mary Mousalimas is a founding member of the Ascension Historical Society and lives in Oakland, CA. 1. The first resident Greek Orthodox priest arrived in San Francisco in May 1903. Greeks living in Oakland would travel to him by ferry across the San Francisco Bay. Before then, there is some documentary evidence of Greeks in the area going from time to time to the Russian Orthodox Church in San Francisco for sacraments such as Holy Matrimony. By 1914, Greeks were celebrating the Divine Liturgy with Syrians and Lebanese in a rented hall in Oakland. A Greek Orthodox priest would visit to officiate at their invitation and their expense. On February 16, 1917, the “Hellenic Community of Oakland and Vicinity” was formally chartered with the State of California so that the Greek settlers could collect funds for a local Greek Orthodox Church. Within four years, they had constructed the church. It was consecrated on May 21, 1921. This is the church that has been saved as a national landmark. The history indicates the loyalty of the Greek settlers to their ancestral faith and the importance of their local church for them. 2. For documentation about the landmark status, see Historic American Buildings Survey, “Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption, 920 Bush Street, Oakland, Alameda County, CA,” survey no. HABS CA-2055, Library of Congress, Prints and Photograph Division, Washington, DC (1978–79), available at http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.ca0012 3. The proceedings of the first symposium, “Preservation of Our History: Past, Present, and Future,” are published as Mary Kumarelas Mousalimas, and the Ascension Historical Committee, eds., “A Case Study in GreekAmerican Orthodoxy: The Ascension Cathedral of Oakland, California,” The Greek Orthodox Theological Review 45, no. 1–4 (2000): 345–425.
Local Church History
4. Ascension Historical Committee, ed., “Procedures for the Preservation of Parish Histories,” 36th Biennial ClergyLaity Congress Workshops, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, July 1–2, 2002: Reports On-line (PAHH, 2002), available at www.pahh.com/symposia/workshops2002/ contents.html 5. “San Francisco Diocese Resolution, February 4, 2002, to be sent as a Proposal to the Archdiocese for the Preservation of Community Histories,” available at www.pahh.com/ news/000.html
6. See Christos Malaspinas, “The Greek Battalion’s Valor Cited as Statue Is Unveiled,” The National Herald (June 4, 2005; reprint PAHH, 2005), available at www.pahh.com/ remembrance/reprints/soldier-monument.html. Also see Andrew S. Mousalimas, “The Greek / American Operational Groups’ Valor Cited as Statue is Unveiled in Athens, Greece” (PAHH.com, 2005), addendum in “Greek / American Operational Group Office of Strategic Services (OSS): Memoirs of World War 2” (PAHH.com, 2004), available at www.pahh.com/oss/addendum/indesx.html
Children’s Bible Reader
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
This Children’s Bible Reader handsomely brings to life the central stories of the Old Testament and the New Testament and makes them accessible to children. Translated from the Greek Bible Society’s acclaimed work, this English edition with its easyto-understand text and excellent iconographic illustrations will certainly illumine the hearts and minds of our children and strengthen their faith as they read these inspiring stories from our sacred Scriptures. (Ages 7-11) B120 $19.95
10 or more $15.95 ea.
Please call the Department of Religious Education at 800-566-1088 to place orders.
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Local Church History
The Saint Paul Mission at Byron Hot Springs Part of California History
By Carol A. Jensen
The Byron Hot Springs The marshy area about fifty miles east of Oakland, CA, has been well known for centuries. Native Americans camped there, and the area was part of the Spanish land grant when California was still under Mexican control. In 1840, the property was purchased by an American. By 1900, Byron Hot Springs was a world-famous destination resort called the “West’s Wonderful Spa,” “The Home of Health,” “The Resort World Famous,” and “The Carlsbad of California.” The nobility of Europe, movie stars and society elite arrived by stagecoach and later by rail for the curative powers of the fifty mineral hot springs. The guests also enjoyed swimming, croquet, lawn tennis, shuffleboard, buggy rides and horseback riding. Development began with the first hotel on the property, a wooden structure accommodating fifty guests. After it burned in 1901, it was replaced in 1902 by a grand hotel built by the architect James Reed in the Spanish-Moorish style, at a cost of $150,000. The three-story hotel accommodated 200 guests. After a fire destroyed that second building, a fireproof reinforced concrete and brick hotel opened in 1914. The beautiful structure is still standing. With the coming of the Depression, the springs went
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into decline as an attraction, and World War II finished off the springs as a resort. During the war, the federal government leased the Byron Hot Springs property for use as an interrogation center for high-ranking German, Italian, and later Japanese prisoners of war, as many as ninety at a time. The resort, hidden behind rolling hills, was ideal for this purpose. The camp was closely patrolled by armed sentries to keep the proceedings secret from the public. Prisoners were brought in only at night, daytime visits of army personnel were prohibited, and guards remained out of sight. When the war ended, the acreage was left sadly neglected. Acquisition and Creation of the Mission Saint Paul (1948) Early in 1946, ownership of the Byron Hot Springs transferred from its original owners, the Lewis R. Mead family, to the Greek Archdiocese of North and South America, reportedly for $105,000. Stock certificates were issued to parishioners who invested substantial cash amounts for its purchase. Archbishop Athenagoras considered the property acquisition to be his lasting gift to the Church. Mission St. Paul was envisioned as a bishop’s see, a spiritual retreat, and center of Greek Orthodox Church activity for the western United States. Expectations were high for the 238-acre parcel
Local Church History
and its projected improvements as a retreat and mission. Dedication On Wednesday, December 8, 1948, Athenagoras, assisted by members of the clergy, numerous dignitaries, and parishioners, dedicated the Byron Hot Springs property as Mission St. Paul. Reverend Benedict Pappagiannacopoulos (also known as Reverend George Paulson), formerly pastor of the Holy Trinity Church in San Francisco, was consecrated abbot of the new mission. Father Benedict and a Father Naoum resided at the property. Several local parishioners served on committees and boards of the time. They kept detailed notes of their meetings, and an effort is under way to locate them. Physical improvements to the property began. The Lewis R. Mead Memorial, also known as the “Liver and Kidney Springs Building,” was dedicated as the “Life-Giving Spring” (Zodochos Peghe). An altar and icon were installed beside the two springs within the spring building. Finally, a cemetery, “Memory Park,” was consecrated near the western edge of the property. Equipment and furnishing to enhance the property were supplied by parishioners from San Francisco and the East Bay parishioners through donations of cash (in $10,000 and $20,000 increments), goods, and services. One Salinas, CA, family provided china, silver, furnishings and linens valued at $20,000. Christopher Dairy Farms provided dairy products. Its owner, George Christopher, then San Francisco city supervisor, later gained prominence as mayor of San Francisco.
Byron Hot Springs Hotel, est. circa 1914 (James Reid, architect).
Swimming pool at Byron Hot Springs, also known as the “gas plunge” and the “salt plunge,” est. circa 1920.
An Active Mission A robust religious and social calendar enlivened Mission St. Paul. The swimming pool was a favorite destination. Religious services and retreats were conducted. Father George Paulson established a summer camp for boys, St. Paul’s Boy’s Town.” Gregory G. Kosmos, a returning World War II veteran, served as camp director. In October 1949, 100 boys from all over California, as well as two from Wyoming, camped at the mission for twentyfive days. The boys lived in tents and spent their days hiking, fishing, taking swimming lessons, playing baseball, and receiving religious education. The summer concluded with a well-attended Labor Day picnic. End of a Vision (1956) Regrettably, the monastery never realized the full vision, and the property was sold in 1956. Icons and equipment used at the monastery scattered to other properties owned by the
Palm Court at Byron Hot Springs, est. circa 1900, where in 1948 the Mission St. Paul was dedicated and a cross was erected.
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Local Church History
Dedication participants.
Church. The icon prominently displayed next to the springs now adorns the convent of Zodochos Peghe at St. Nicholas Ranch, outside of Fresno. Epilogue: Memory Park Several members of the Greek Orthodox Church were interred at Byron Hot Springs’ Memory Park during its tenure as Mission St. Paul. These interments took place between 1948 and 1953. The Delta Genealogy Interest Group prepared an inventory of old burial records in East Contra Costa County in 1987. Research of the Ascension Greek Orthodox Cathedral (Oakland) funeral records amplifies the information. In 1977, two gravestones remained, marking the cemetery site. The photos of the gravestones can be found at Bancroft Library Collection at the University of California, Berkeley. As recently as 1987, two individuals were still at rest at Memorial Park. Others who were originally interred were removed sometime before that date. The Ascension Historical
Society believes those two graves may yet exist on the property: one is identified as a “bachelor” and the as “unknown.” Efforts are underway to identify these remaining individuals. The Ascension Historical Society is eager to learn the names or existence of any remaining individuals believed still resting at the Byron Hot Springs/Mission St. Paul site. Any further information, documentation, photographs, or reminiscences about the Mission St. Paul would be gratefully accepted for oral history recording or duplication into the archives.
Carol Jensen has been fascinated with Byron Hot Springs since the early 1960s. A native of eastern Contra Costa County, Carol is a history graduate of UC Santa Barbara. The fruits of the historical search are found at the Ascension Church, Oakland, CA, and the East Contra Costa County Historical Society, Brentwood, CA. She can be contacted at Historian@ByronHotSprings.com.
The Service of the Small Paraklesis Holy Cross Orthodox Press
A Greek and English text. The translation of the English is set to the meter of the original Byzantine hymns. Softcover AR945
Please call the Department of Religious Education at 800-566-1088 to place orders.
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$7.50
Local Church History
Archbishop Michael of North and South America (1949–1958) Fifty Years Later
S
ix archbishops have led the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America in its eighty-six year history: Archbishop Alexander (1922–1930), Archbishop Athenagoras (1931–1948), Archbishop Michael (1949–1958), Archbishop Iakovos (1959–1996); Archbishop Spyridon (1996–1999); and since 1999, Archbishop Demetrios. Squeezed between two giant personalities and longserving archbishops—Archbishop, then Ecumenical Patriarch, Athenagoras and Archbishop Iakovos—Archbishop Michael (1949–1958) might easily be overlooked. However, his influence *
By Anton C. Vrame, PhD
on the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese has been long-lasting. On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of his falling asleep, this piece of local history is worth revisiting. Archbishop Michael: His Life Archbishop Michael Constantinides was born May 27, 1892, in Maronia in Western Thrace.* In September 1906, he began his studies at the Theological School of Halki, from which he graduated in 1914. During his final year, he was ordained a deacon. In 1915, he was sent by Patriarch Germanos V to Russia for post-graduate studies in the Theological Schools of
The biographical material on Archbishop Michael is taken from Rev. Michael Constantinides, The Greek Orthodox Church in London (Oxford
University Press, 1933), in which the future archbishop provides autobiographical information. The remaining information is taken from George Papaioannou, The Odyssey of Hellenism in America (Thessaloniki: Patriarchal Institute for Patristic Studies, 1985), from throughout the volume but largely from Chapter 4.
Local Church History
Kiev and St. Petersburg, where he remained until 1919. Like all in his era, he witnessed events that changed the world: the devastation of World War I, the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, and the effects of the Paris Peace Conference at Versailles, which led to the rise of modern Greece and Turkey. Because of his experience in Russia, we can see that the future archbishop knew the Russian language and witnessed first-hand the Bolshevik Revolution and the devastating effects it had on the Church in Russia. In June 1919, Michael was ordained a presbyter and served in the Diocese of Maronia as the locum tenens (since a diocese cannot remain vacant upon the loss of its bishop, a locum tenens [in Greek, topotiretes] stands “in the place of ” a bishop until a new bishop is elected) of the metropolis. When the new metropolitan was elected, in 1923 Fr. Michael received a new assignment in Athens and began serving first as Secretary and then as Vicar-General to the Archbishop of Athens. This was a time of great turmoil in the Church of Greece, with the controversy between the Royalists and Venizelists in full strength, and there was frequent change in the leadership of the Church. We can presume that America’s two future archbishops, Athenagoras and Michael, witnessed this, because both were working at the Archdiocese of Athens in various positions during this time. On April 1, 1927, Fr. Michael moved to England to serve as Dean of the St. Sophia Cathedral in London, a position he held until 1939. In London, Fr. Michael became involved in ecumenical dialogue, attending the historic Lausanne meeting of the Faith and Order Commission in 1927 and participating in discussions between the Orthodox Church and the Anglican Church at Lambeth Palace from 1930–1931. page 18
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Fr. Michael was held in high esteem by the Church in Greece, and upon the election of Damaskinos of Corinth (interestingly, Damaskinos had spent time in America in the late 1920s, working to settle controversy in the archdiocese, prior to the election of Athenagoras as archbishop) as Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, Michael was elected to succeed Damaskinos as metropolitan in Corinth. Metropolitan Michael served the faithful of Corinth admirably during the Nazi occupation of Greece and in the immediate postwar years. Metropolitan Michael held the position until his election as Archbishop of North and South America in 1949, following the election of Archbishop Athenagoras as Ecumenical Patriarch in 1948. Archbishop Michael was enthroned on December 15, 1949, finding the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in good order, with a new archdiocese headquarters in New York on East 79th Street. Although his ministry was cut short by his death at the Clergy-Laity Congress of 1958, in nine years Archbishop Michael made significant steps. GOYA and Religious Education Archbishop Michael receives a great deal of credit for his work with young people, especially forming the Greek Orthodox Youth of America (GOYA) organization. Always under the guidance of the Archbishop, GOYA became a vital dimension of church life, with chapters being formed in almost all parishes. When GOYA was created, Archbishop Michael wrote, “Indifference to this organization is indifference to our Church itself; to the contrary, cooperation and effort, willingly and enthusiastically given to our youth organization shows factually our interest in the Church.” By the time of Archbishop Michael’s death in 1958, GOYA claimed 30,000 members.
Local Church History
At the 1950 Clergy-Laity Congress (held in St. Louis, MO, from November 26 to December 1), Archbishop Michael made the courageous distinction between Greek language instruction and Christian education, allowing and encouraging the use of English in Sunday Church Schools. According to Bishop George Papaioannou, “This very learned man, with a great affection for the Greek language but also with Christian convictions, realized that English could and should be used as a vehicle to bring about the return of the young people to the Church and upgrade the spirituality of his Greek Orthodox flock. . . . This decision [to use English in Christian education] led to the establishment of the youth movement, GOYA, which used English as its official language; and to the granting of permission to the priests to deliver their sermons in both languages, Greek and English.” Dekadollarion One important change that Archbishop Michael instituted was the way in which the archdiocese was financed. In 1942, during the ministry of Archbishop Athenagoras, the monodollarion system of support for the archdiocese was established: each parish contributed one dollar per parishioner per year. At the 1950 Clergy-Laity Congress, Archbishop Michael proposed, and the Congress approved, that parishes increase their contribution to the Archdiocese from one dollar per person to ten dollars in a system called the dekadollarion. This significantly increased the ability of the archdiocese to meet the growing needs of the Church. The dekadollarion system remained in place until 1972, when the Clergy-Laity Congress approved an increase from ten to twenty dollars per person, plus an assessment of five percent of the gross income of each parish. Improving Educational Standards at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology Archbishop Athenagoras founded Holy Cross Theological School in 1937 because, as he wrote, “Our priests and teachers of tomorrow must come from our young generation here.” By the time Athenagoras became Ecumenical Patriarch, more than seventy graduates of Holy Cross were serving in parishes of the
archdiocese, where they were being enthusiastically received and transforming parish life. Under the leadership of Archbishop Michael, himself a well-educated person, Holy Cross began to transform, steadily raising its academic standards. In 1954, Holy Cross received a license from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to confer the degree of Bachelor of Arts. In 1956, Holy Cross could also award the Bachelor of Divinity and Master’s of Divinity degrees. In short, Archbishop Michael began the process of ensuring that Holy Cross met the standards of American higher education, a process that continues today with the continued accreditation of Hellenic College–Holy Cross by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and the Association of Theological Schools. Other Areas In the 1940s, Orthodox Christians in America began to work cooperatively to have their faith recognized as a “major faith” in the United States. The chief reason behind this was military. Orthodox Christians in the United States military could not receive Selective Service benefits because the Orthodox Church was not considered a “regular church” by the government. Archbishop Athenagoras, working with hierarchs of the Orthodox jurisdictions, began the process in 1943, and Archbishop Michael continued the work throughout his ministry. Michael lobbied to have resolutions adopted in twenty-six states to have Eastern Orthodoxy recognized as a “major faith.” Active ecumenically, Michael also led the delegation of Orthodox to the General Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Evanston, IL, in 1954. Archbishop Michael was also elected one of the six presidents of the WCC. Because of the growing presence of the Greek Orthodox Church on a national scene, on January 20, 1953, Archbishop Michael became the first Orthodox hierarch to deliver a prayer at the inauguration of an American president, Dwight D. Eisenhower. Archbishop Michael in nine years built significantly upon the foundations of his predecessors. After his death, his successor, Archbishop Iakovos, would continue Michael’s work of building and advancing the life of the Greek Orthodox Church in America. Dr. Anton C. Vrame is the Director of Religious Education of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
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For more information call (800) 566-1088
New for 2008
Morning and Afternoon Prayer Services
Vacation Church School
Church School
My Travel Journal
Traveling on the Ark of Salvation NAME
The Department of Religious Education announces the first of three Orthodox Christian Vacation Church School programs as part of a curriculum written and field-tested by Rhonda Webb, Laura Morton, and Barbara Harris. VCS is structured as a five-session, half-day program for children ages five to eleven (kindergarten to 5th grade). The authors also provide suggestions for adapting VCS to a parish’s needs, such as alternative schedules and age groupings. The VCS Master Toolkit gives each church—of any size, on any budget—the resources and flexibility to plan, set up, and implement a successful program. The Director and Teacher Binders contain program manuals and reproducible forms and worksheets. Each binder also includes two CDs. The Data CD has printable publicity, classroom, and worship materials, along with logos and clip art for creating unique supplementary materials. The Music CD contains a variety of English hymns (in the Greek tradition) and original songs, in both vocal and instrumental sing-along versions.
This year, VCS explores the four Great Feasts of the Church dedicated to the Theotokos, focusing on the theme of “Traveling on the Ark of Salvation.” The robust program keeps children moving and engaged with the following components: • Classroom lessons, activities, Hymns and Original songs and memory verse Crafts • Recreation and snack time Puppet theater • Daily full-group assemblies and Morning and afternoon a closing program prayer services • Spotlights on missions • Worship lessons • • • •
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VCS Master Toolkit $79.95
Teacher Binder (with 1 Data CD and 1 Music CD)
THE TWELVE GREAT FEASTS CURRICULUM VOLUME I: FEASTS OF THE THEOTOKOS
This curriculum is designed to be a comprehensive vacation church school (VCS) curriculum in three themed volumes with two academic levels. A vacation church school can teach the Twelve Great Feasts curriculum in three summers of half-day, week-long programs. The three volumes of the Twelve Great Feasts curriculum can also be adapted for use in traditional church school settings.
GOAL Our goal is to provide a quality Orthodox Christian elementary educational curriculum that enhances the spiritual lives of the children in our community in a fun, memorable, engaging, and theologically sound manner. To that end, we have provided lessons, worship, activities, crafts, assemblies, and music. We also have lay leaders and teachers in mind, so we have included a comprehensive administrative framework to ensure that the program can be readily implemented.
Objectives......................................................................................... Following the completion of each of the three units, students should be able to
• Contains all academic lessons, classroom activities, memory verses, crafts instructions, and music
1. Identify the names of the feasts studied 2. Identify the icons of the feasts 3. Summarize each feast day in 1–2 sentences 4. Recognize and sing hymns of the church 5. Sing catchy fun songs relating to the theme 6. Recite the unit’s Bible verse from memory 7. Actively participate in daily worship 8. Display memorable craft projects that they have created 9. Discuss other countries where Orthodox Christian missionaries are at work 10. Recall many enjoyable and fun interactions they have experienced with
other children and with staff
Supplementary Materials available from the DRE • • • • • •
Prayer Service Booklets (pack of 10) $11.95 Student Classroom Booklets (pack of 10) $12.95 Extra Director Binder (includes 1 Data CD and 1 Music CD) $49.95 Extra Teacher Binder (includes 1 Data CD and 1 Music CD) $29.95 Extra Music CD $10.95 Extra Data CD $10.95
Extras available for order from the VCS online store at CafePress
VCS TRAVELING ON THE
ARK OF SALVATION DATE DATE Dear Vacation Church School Volunteer: Greetings! We want to confirm in writing what we have already discussed Dear Vacation Church School Volunteer: concerning your involvement in our upcoming Vacation Church School program. As usual, we have aWe great stafftolined up, beginning to comediscussed in. Greetings! want confi rmand in registrations writing whatarewe have already concerning your involvement upcomingform. Vacation School program. We’ve attached a flyer withinaour registration If youChurch have children who will As be usual, we haveinathe great staff lined up,send and registrations are beginning to come in. note participating program, please in your registration & fee today! Please
the We’ve deadline for receiving registrations. Afterform. that Ifdate, attached a flyer with a registration you registrations have childrenwill whoonly will be received if space is available. you have children whom&you to have participating in the program, Ifplease send older in your registration fee would today! like Please note assist you or another staff member, pleaseAfter contact director with thosewill details. the deadline for receiving registrations. thatthedate, registrations only be received if space is available. If you Our havetraining older children whom you wouldfor like to have Mark your calendars: workshop is scheduled assist you or another staff member, please contact the director with those details. ___________________. Mark your calendars: Our training workshop is scheduled for This is our only chance to come together, get acquainted with one another and with ___________________. this year’s program, and start our final preparations. All staff and teachers must This is our only chance to come together, get acquainted with one another and with attend! The general orientation, which includes all staff, will take about one hour. this year’s program, and start our final preparations. All staff and teachers must Teachers should plan to stay an extra hour and a half for more intensive classroom attend! The general orientation, which includes all staff, will take about one hour. training. Teachers should plan to stay an extra hour and a half for more intensive classroom training. You have been asked to: Serve as a classroom teacher for grade(s) Your co-teacher is Serve on the VCS staff as Your team coordinator is
• • •
Adult and child shirts in a variety of colors and styles Tote bags Buttons
• • • •
Stickers Certificates Posters Signs
We are looking forward to a great program. See you at our Training Workshop! Please call us if you have any questions or concerns. Sincerely in Christ,
Yours in Christ,
VCS Director
Parish Priest
PHONE NUMBER E-MAIL ADDRESS
INTRODUCTION
Director Binder (with 1 Data CD and 2 copies of the Music CD) • Contains all materials for program planning, publicity, registration, staff selection and training, job descriptions, daily and weekly schedules, and curriculum implementation, as well as suggestions for decorations and craft suppliers • Also includes all program-wide materials, such as group assembly outlines, puppet theater scripts, and music
Local Church History
Digitization at the Department of Archives By Nikie Calles
T
he Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (GOA) has undertaken a long-term project to digitize documents, photographs, resources and valuable collections from its historical archives. The Department of Archives believes it is essential to create a digital archive for the twenty-first century that accurately reflects the rich history of the Archdiocese and the Greek-American community. The historical archives will be accessible by database on an internal network and, for designated individuals, via the Internet. This unique project has been in existence for three years. Eventually, this digital archive will house more than two million documents and more than 50,000 photographs in digital format. This multiyear, multiphase project was made possible by the generosity of the Niarchos Foundation, Archbishop Iakovos Leadership 100, and the Catherine Pappas Foundation. Since the establishment of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America in 1922, the historical development of the Greek-American community has been of primary interest to the leadership of the Church. To address this concern, His Eminence Archbishop Iakovos created the Department of Archives in 1964 to better serve as the repository of Orthodoxy and Hellenism in America. The mission is to systematically collect, categorize and organize the vast collection of historical materials accumulated by the GOA over the years. The GOA’s archival collection also records the growth of the Church and progress of its various institutions as well as the social, cultural and educational organizations of GreekAmerican communities. The Department of Archives preserves the past and chronicles the present, contributing a valuable resource center to the Church. Its members can appreciate the struggle and triumph of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese since its inception. Future generations will be able to discover the unique heritage and history of the Greek Orthodox Church in America. The digital archive will make these historical archives accessible to a much wider audience in a user-friendly format, while maintaining strict control over confidential and copyrighted materials. The sophisticated search and cross-
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reference capabilities will assist researchers and scholars from around the world. The digital archive successfully communicates the rich history of the Greek Orthodox Church. Current State of the Collection The Department of Archives chronicles all aspects of the Church, including: • Archdiocesan encyclicals • Archdiocesan and diocesan council records • Clergy-Laity congresses • Diocesan congresses • Clergy records and correspondence • Parish records and correspondence • Ecumenical Patriarchate correspondence • Orthodox Patriarchates • Autocephalous Churches • Autonomous Churches • Orthodox Churches in America • Orthodox Churches of the Diaspora • Oriental Orthodox Churches • Non-Canonical Orthodox Churches • Monasteries • SCOBA • Consultations • World Council of Churches • National Council of Churches • Institutions • U.S. government • Greek government • Correspondence with American, Greek and international political leaders and figures The historical archives also include a vast collection chronicling the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, an impressive library on Hellenism in America, and information on various cultural organizations and societies within the national and international landscape. Nikie Calles is the Director of Archives for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
Local Church History
T he Turn-Around Church By Fr. Luke A. Veronis
O
ver a two-year period, a parish goes from having an average of 40 to 120 parishioners on Sunday. The budget increases from $60,000 to $155,000. The Sunday school grows from 5 to 35 students enrolled. Most importantly, though, a spirit of familial love becomes tangible throughout the community; the faithful begin to understand the beauty of worship and the power of prayer; a thirst for spiritual knowledge and growth develops; an interest in sharing one’s faith with others takes root; and people catch a healthy vision of what it truly means to be the Church. This is a story of hope for churches that are on the decline. The road surely isn’t easy, and it takes much patience, time and effort, but by the grace of God, churches can turn around from a path of decline and the threat of closed doors, to healthy, vibrant, and even growing communities. Now, I know that some readers will think, “You don’t know the history of my particular parish. You don’t know our unique problems and challenges. You don’t know our people.” Maybe so. But I do know that the parish described above has had 42 priests in its 90-year history. Its previous priest, after serving in the community for a total of three months, informed the parish council that he was going on vacation to Greece and simply never returned. And after getting hurt in such a manner, the parish council became wary of searching for another priest. This, combined with some financial concerns, led them to save money by not bringing in a full-time priest for six months. Instead, they paid a substitute priest to come two Sundays a month.
Unfortunately, over the years many people did not see this parish as a place of love, of healing, of spiritual growth, and ultimately, of good news. Divisiveness and petty infighting led many to leave. A lack of vision allowed the parish to go in no particular direction. A misunderstanding of stewardship kept the church on a “dues system,” with each member paying $150 per year. Of course, portions of the older generations stayed faithful to the church and the traditions of their parents, whereas the younger generations, especially those forty-five and under, simply disappeared. So how did this parish turn itself around in two years? How can other parishes revitalize their own communities? There is no single solution and no easy formula. Of course, such renewal comes from the Holy Spirit. Church leadership, however, needs to become a honed instrument ready to be used by the Holy Spirit. Church leadership also needs to cultivate a healthy spirit that guides the Church in the right direction. In our Saints Constantine and Helen Church, renewal began with a vision. We asked ourselves the following questions: • What does it mean to be the Church? • How should a healthy, vibrant and dynamic parish look? • What are key elements of such a parish, and what spirit should permeate it? One of our primary goals during the first year of renewal was to educate our people to understand what it means to actually be the Church. Parishioners needed to see the Church PRAXIS
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as their beloved home and our community as a loving family of God. This term, “loving family of God,” had not necessarily been equated to people’s understanding of this Church. Thus, we initially focused on the issue of unity. Unity in the Church should never be taken for granted. We are a Body made up of many different members. A Church must consciously foster a spirit of love, forgiveness, acceptance and fellowship that nourishes Christ-centered unity. A key factor in this issue of unity was cultivating a welcoming spirit toward all people. Too many churches are cold and unfriendly. During our first year of renewal, we tried to make everyone feel at home. When old members and people who had not been to church in many years came back, we enthusiastically welcomed them. When new members, and some who had never been involved in any church, joined our community, we made them feel special. Today, our Church family includes people of Greek, Albanian, Romanian, Russian, Polish, Italian and German backgrounds, along with those of a typical American melting-pot heritage. The Church is home to all, and all feel welcome. Over the last several years, numerous people have commented how our parish has gone from being known as a cold and unfriendly community to a warm and welcoming family. What else is central to a vibrant, healthy parish? If we look at the early Church, we can clearly see five integral characteristics: worship, fellowship, witness/missions, spiritual growth and service. The Apostolic Church spent time in prayer and worship daily. A loving fellowship took care of all its members, and even offered an attractive witness to the world around it. The entire Body of Christ had a passion to share its faith with others. The people of God longed to learn and grow in their knowledge of and relationship with divine Truth. And even outsiders offered witness to the willingness of the first Christians not only to serve one another, but also to serve those outside of their community. Using this understanding of the Church, our “Family of God” developed a clear vision of who we are. Only with a clear vision will we know how to proceed. So we created the following church mission statement: The mission of Saints Constantine and Helen Church is to proclaim the Good News of Salvation through the Orthodox Christian Faith for the glory of our Triune God— Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We are a loving community of believers who journey towards our Lord Jesus Christ and page 24
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towards one another through our worship, fellowship, education/spiritual growth, witness, and service. We invite all people to join us on this journey towards the Kingdom of Heaven. Using this mission statement, we began to focus on and develop each of the five core characteristics of our parish. So in our worship, we try to make the liturgical services more understandable, vibrant and alive for everyone. Early on we had a “teaching liturgy,” which we continue to offer at least once or twice a year. In this teaching service, we interrupt the Divine Liturgy seven times to explain what exactly is happening and what is expected of the people. We encourage our faithful to wholeheartedly participate in singing, saying various prayers aloud as a community, offering the kiss of peace to one another, and partaking frequently in Holy Communion. And our regular cycle of worship services increased to include, along with our Sunday Divine Liturgy, weekday liturgies for major feasts and saints, Saturday Vespers, and a monthly Paraklesis Service. During Lenten periods, more services were added, including a week of our 24-Hour Prayer Chain. For the first seven days of Great Lent and Advent, twenty-four parishioners commit to praying for one hour each day, so that someone in our community is praying at every minute and hour throughout the first week of Lent. This year, thirty-five parishioners participated in our prayer chain! In the area of Christian fellowship, we promote events that celebrate a spirit of unity and love that nourish and bless our people. Thus, we introduced new times of gatherings, celebrations, and meals, including Godparents and Grandparents Sunday, potluck dinners with our Presanctified Liturgies, Lazarus Saturday brunch, Palm Sunday fish meal, Mother’s Day luncheon, Church feast day celebrations, a fall festival, a St. Nicholas day celebration, and Family Outreach Sunday brunch. We also offer various educational, spiritual, and fun excursions and special trips. Another important aspect of fellowship, especially for me as a pastor, is visiting the home of every parishioner in our community. Typically, throughout the month of January, I visit 160 homes and bring in the blessing of the holy waters of Epiphany. I publish a schedule of the general areas where my parishioners live, and then go to all the homes uninvited. Sometimes I offer an “unexpected” visit. At times, I visit people who have not been to church for years. Reaching out to those who have drifted away—or who have even left the parish—is important to show the
Local Church History
interest that the Church has in all of her people. Spiritual growth for parish members of all ages is an essential part of a healthy, vibrant, growing community. Thus, we offer a variety of opportunities for all interested to learn more about our Orthodox Faith in a practical manner. We placed special emphasis on our children. In a parish with few children, we became creative. We introduced Grandparents Sunday to get the grandparents to bring their grandchildren who had left the church long ago. We developed a puppet ministry to attract the children, and for the first six months of our renewal, we actually had more puppets than children! But, thank God, that is no longer true. We developed a wonderful weeklong summer Vacation Church Camp, and we encourage our youth to invite their non-Church friends to participate. In adult education, we focused on a weekly Bible study group, while also offering an “Introduction to Orthodoxy” catechism group and a small Agape Circle prayer group. We bring in great speakers for Lenten retreats twice a year. Our monthly bulletin, The Light, became a twenty-four-page plethora of spiritual education, inspiring meditations and general information about our faith. And our weekly bulletin summarizes well-prepared sermons. An extremely important step of our spiritual growth has occurred in the adoption of our stewardship program, which replaced the antiquated dues system. Twice in its history, this parish had rejected implementing a stewardship program, but following a year of education through monthly bulletins, sermons and slideshows, we not only adopted stewardship, but also saw our budget increased 250 percent. One of the harder aspects to fulfill of our mission statement has been in the areas of witness and service. Too often, declining churches hold on to a parochial spirit. “Charity begins at home” is a common mantra, and too often these churches reject reaching beyond themselves. Of course, a clear sign of a healthy parish is how much it is reaching beyond itself, sharing God’s love with others, and understanding that it is more blessed to give than to receive. As a Church, our focus should never be solely inward, only on ourselves, but
must always be outward, imitating God’s love for the world! During our first year of renewal, our budget committee accepted to put three line items of $1,000 each to support missions and outreach on local, national and global levels. Much explaining and convincing was necessary because our people too easily forget the Great Commission, our Lord’s command to “go to all nations.” We heard more than once, “Father, how can we give globally when we’re not sure if we can pay our bills?” Yet, our parish council learned an important lesson: the more faithfully we learn to follow God’s commandments, the more richly He will bless us. And He has, abundantly! And three years after the beginning of our renewal, our parish is actually sending its first mission team to Project Mexico. Not only will eight of our parishioners represent our parish on this mission, but our parishioners will also participate in raising $10,000 for this trip! The road to renewal is not always so easy and does not always happen as quickly as it did at Saints Constantine and Helen. Many communities have to overcome the dangerous attitude of “We can’t do that, because we’ve always done it this way!” But with patience, love, wisdom and discernment, combined with much prayer and a willingness to educate, positive change can occur! Of course, our Saints Constantine and Helen family still has a long road ahead in fulfilling our potential and becoming the parish God wants us to be. Thank God, though, that we are going in the right direction! And we pray that our example of turning around can offer hope to other churches and inspire parish leaders that such a change can happen in their communities as well!
Fr. Luke A. Veronis presently pastors the Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church in Webster, MA. He served as an Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) missionary for twelve years in Albania and parts of Africa. He teaches as an adjunct instructor at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology and Hellenic College, and he serves as a consultant for the OCMC.
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Local Church History
The Feast of the Holy Mandylion By Bishop John of Amorion
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he Feast of the Holy Mandylion, according to the Orthodox liturgical Synaxarion, is observed on August 16. Because it follows the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, for the most part it goes unobserved by Orthodox parishes and Christians. The history of this holy relic and its use as a symbol began during the life of Christ. Legend has it King Abgar V of Edessa (located in southeastern Turkey and now called Urfa) was ill with leprosy. Having heard of the miracles of Christ, he sent Ananias to invite Jesus to Edessa so that Jesus could heal the king. Jesus declined the invitation, but is said to have wiped His face with a napkin, which He gave to Ananias, who took the napkin with the image of Christ imprinted on it to the ailing King Abgar. As soon as he gazed on the napkin, King Abgar was cured of leprosy. Thus, this napkin became known as the “Image of Edessa,” and later as the “Image Not Made by the Hands of Man” (Acheiropoietis), and finally as the Holy Mandylion. King Abgar’s first son, Mannu V, reverted to paganism and persecuted Edessa’s Christians. The Holy Mandylion vanished but its memory was preserved, especially after Christianity was reestablished in Edessa around the end of the second century. In 525, nearly 500 years later, this napkin with the image of Christ’s face was found hidden in a niche above Edessa’s west gate while the city walls were being rebuilt. Following its reappearance, this holy image was once again revered. Byzantine Emperor Justinian I built a cathedral and shrine for this Image of Edessa. In 944, the Image of Edessa came to Constantinople because of a decision by Byzantine Emperor Romanus Lecapenus, who believed that this famous relic would protect the “city of cities” from Muslim invasion. He sent his imperial army, under the command of General John Curcuas, to capture Edessa for the sole purpose of bargaining with its Muslim rulers to deliver the Image of Edessa. General Curcuas offered the emir of Edessa 12,000 pieces of silver, the release of 200 Muslim prisoners, and the sparing of the city—all for the delivery of the holy relic. The emir agreed page 26
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to the terms, and Bishop Abraham, who was designated by the Byzantine emperor, received the Image of Edessa. The bishop delivered it to Constantinople, where it became known as the Holy Mandylion. The next day (August 16, 944), the Holy Mandylion was enclosed in a case and taken around the city walls in solemn procession. Ecumenical Patriarch Theophylaktos then placed it in the cathedral of Hagia Sophia so that the faithful could venerate it. Later, it was relocated to the chapel of Pharos in the Bucoleon Palace, a part of the Great Palace in the southeastern corner of Constantinople flanked by the Sea of Marmara. In 945, Byzantine Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitos commissioned the writing of the Synaxarion for the feast day, recounting the full history of the Holy Mandylion from the time of its origin to the day of its arrival in Constantinople. In
Local Church History
honor of the relic, the emperor issued a gold coin with his head engraved on the one side and that of Christ on the other side. The emperor also had a special sermon written, “The Story of the Image of Edessa,” which was delivered at Hagia Sophia on August 16, 945. From 944, the Holy Mandylion remained in the Pharos Chapel until 1204, when it disappeared while Constantinople was being sacked by the armies of the Fourth Crusade. After the fall of Constantinople, the Holy Mandylion was not seen again, and no one knew what had happened to it. However, it was portrayed in icons, mosaics, and so on, especially in Russia after the country converted to Orthodox Christianity in the tenth century. Tsar Ivan the Terrible, when battling the tartars in Kozan in 1532, used the symbol of the Holy Mandylion as his imperial standard. Likewise, palace doorways had the Holy
Mandylion overhead. Later, when the Russian troops entered Thessaloniki during World War I, their regimental banner depicted the Holy Mandylion. Such is the story of the Holy Mandylion, which today is especially venerated by the Russian and Slavic peoples. Let us take time to reflect on the Orthodox sacred relic and to acquire icons of the Holy Mandylion for our homes, our parish churches, and ourselves. You will discover that the Holy Mandylion fosters a spiritual experience that manifests itself as an act of faith and reverence to that which is holy.
Bishop John of Amorion is the author of What About the Holy Mandylion and the Turin Shroud? and the five-volume series Glory to God. PRAXIS
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Local Church History
From Classroom to Conversation New Ways to Supplement Your Parish’s Religious Education Programs By Seraphim Danckaert
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he numbers are astounding. According to various surveys conducted over the last few years, the average American teenager spends more than seventytwo hours per week using “electronic media.” That’s a total of three full days! Although that alone should catch the attention of any clergyman or religious educator, the numbers themselves don’t tell the full story of teenage media usage, most especially when it comes to the Internet, cell phones, iPods and video games. All of these new forms of media are actually forums: they are electronic means for teens to interact, form friendships, meet new people, exchange ideas and—yes!—learn about their faith. According to the Barna Research Group, teens in particular use the Internet as a way to explore their own faith and different faith traditions in a private, nonthreatening environment. In other words, there’s never been more reason for Orthodox Christian religious education to move beyond the confines of classroom walls. Not only are teens ready to learn if we reach out to them in familiar online venues, but they are also often in need of an Orthodox presence in their lives beyond the relatively short amount of time spent in Church School or GOYA. But it’s not enough to simply speak to (or at!) young people, even if we’re putting our message on the Internet. In today’s online world, teens are attracted to forms of media that emphasize participation and community. Teens don’t just want to watch or listen; they want to join the conversation, comment on the topic and create their own show! According to a 2007 survey from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, “64 percent of online teenagers ages 12 to 17 engage in at least one type of content creation.” That means they are writing their own blogs, making and posting their own videos, creating their own photo albums and so page 28
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forth. And, even more significantly, they are looking to be included. The survey discovered that “content creation is not just about sharing creative output; it is also about participating in conversations fueled by that content.” That means that teens are looking for online communities that reflect and produce real-life patterns of interaction. The virtual world of Internet media is distinct from the face-to-face interaction of friends, family, teachers, fellow parishioners and priests. But it’s not entirely separate. In fact, the two can be complementary. By introducing the iPod to the Orthodox classroom and the Orthodox classroom to the online world, we can create a more dynamic and more penetrating forum for learning. Most important of all, by transforming the typical classroom into a multimedia conversation that teens can create online and in person, we challenge teens to take ownership of their faith. That’s why the Orthodox Christian Network (OCN), a media ministry of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas, has partnered with the Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and the equivalent department in the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese to produce two new, user-driven online programs for Orthodox Christian teenagers and young adults. Both programs can easily be included in any parish’s religious education or youth ministry program. And, of course, they would make excellent programs for parents and teens to listen to together.
Local Church History
OTTO (Orthodox Teen Talk Online) The first program is OTTO (Orthodox Teen Talk Online), a biweekly podcast that features a pan-Orthodox group of teens from around the country. On the show, the teens discuss reallife issues in an open and honest manner with at least one Orthodox priest. Recent topics have included drugs, drinking, abortion, dating and peer pressure. Future episodes will cover faith and doubt; prayer; and movies, music and MTV. The teens themselves develop the topics for discussion, contribute their own opinions and share their own life experiences related to the discussion. This allows Orthodox young people to find their own voices and to develop their own Orthodox Christian response to some of the most pressing issues of the day. Given today’s online culture, that’s critical. OTTO could be a powerful addition to your religious education program, provided you carry the online conversation into classroom interaction. Then the power of modern, user-driven media complements the Church’s faceto-face community. And, in accordance with the Internet’s tradition of inclusion, all Orthodox Christian teens are welcome to participate in OTTO! If a young person in your parish would like to join the conversation, just ask; if the members of your GOYA would like to produce their own episode, it can be arranged. Get Wisdom: The Orthodox Bible Study Program for Teens The second program is Get Wisdom: The Orthodox Bible
Study Program for Teens. Several parishes are already starting to use this show in Church Schools or youth groups with great success. The show made comes with a study guide that can be printed, read and discussed in the classroom. The feel of the show, as well as the appearance of the study guide, are teen-friendly, with upbeat music and pictures of young people. However, the content itself is thoroughly Orthodox. In fact, the show even introduces teens to some easy-to-understand quotes from the Church Fathers. Currently, Get Wisdom is working through one chapter of the Bible at a time. The series has just concluded its study of St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians and has started a sequential study of the Gospel of St. Mark. As host Jason Barker looks at the Scripture, he draws out salient points, explains the text, and applies the lesson to real life. Jason also includes a short segment with food for thought, usually drawn from the life of a saint or the saying of a Church Father. Jason has set it up so that parishes, teachers, advisers and kids can easily access all of the shows and study guides on one site: http://feeds.feedburner.com/GetWisdom. From this one location, teens and teachers can stream or download everything to the device of their choice, such as a computer, iPod or mobile phone. When it comes to teenage media consumption, the numbers are astounding—but so too is the opportunity to engage teens in the life of the Church. All we have to do is sign online and join the conversation. Seraphim Danckaert, a staff member at the Orthodox Christian Network, holds an MDiv with highest distinction from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. He can be reached at seraphim@ myocn.net. For more information about OCN and to listen to episodes of OTTO or Get Wisdom, visit www.MyOCN.net.
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Listening Is an Act of Love:
A Celebration of American Life from the StoryCorps Project Reviewed by Anton C. Vrame, PhD
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y definition, each of us has a unique personal story. Our individual lives and experiences matter and contribute in ways great and small to the fabric of the society we call “America.” On this point, the Church is no different. Church historians will usually focus on the great figures, patriarchs, archbishops, saints and other leaders, but each member of the Body of Christ has contributed no less to the development of the Church. As Listening Is an Act of Love points out, the task of each generation is to record these stories. Its opening lines say it all: StoryCorps is built on a few basic ideas: That our stories—the stories of everyday people—are as interesting and important as the celebrity stories we’re bombarded with by the media every minute of the day. That if we take the time to listen, we’ll find wisdom, wonder, and poetry in the lives and stories of the people all around us. That we all want to know our lives have mattered and we won’t ever be forgotten. That listening is an act of love. (p. 1) Since 2003, the StoryCorps project (www.storycorps.net) has recorded tens of thousands of individual stories in interview booths at Grand Central Station and near Ground Zero in New page 30
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York (to record the stories of 9/11), and in recording vans that travel around the United States. Every Friday on “Morning Edition,” National Public Radio broadcasts one of those stories. Listening Is an Act of Love, the book, and the accompanying CD collect many of them in one place. The stories contained in the volume are organized around five themes: Home and Family; Work and Dedication; Journeys; History and Struggle; Fire and Water. A birth mother tells the story of giving up her child for adoption to that child, now twenty-eight year old (pp. 33–36). A bus driver tells a tale of stopping his bus at every restaurant on a particular block and looking for the friends of an elderly passenger who is searching for them (pp. 86–87). A man watches as the World Trade Center is attacked, where his fiancée is working on the 101st floor (pp. 207–215). Each parish is filled with stories. Certainly there are dramatic stories of immigrants, the Great Depression, wars, the social movements of the 1960s. There are the stories of how the parish was formed, those who worked with its clergy, and those who built the buildings and developed the programs. And there are the day-to-day lives of the members of the parish, family members learning about one another. Collecting “oral history,” as it is called, requires a time commitment and some recording equipment, either audio (StoryCorps can help with audio equipment, if you desire) or video. With the many parishes celebrating hundred-year anniversaries these days, we ought to become more aware of these stories and the great loss to our community if these stories are not collected. Imagine creating a recording booth at your parish festival, encouraging people to record their stories. As an ongoing activity during a parish’s anniversary celebration, consider beginning an oral history project, recording the stories from those who founded the parish (or their children), the clergy, the hierarchs, down to the parishioners of today, so that future generations can hear the voices of the Church in the twenty-first century. Listening Is an Act of Love provides inspiration and some guidelines for those desiring to collect the stories of their community. Book Author: Dave Isay Publisher: Penguin Press, 2007 Dr. Anton C. Vrame is the Director of Religious Education of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
Blessed Is the Kingdom: An Interactive Orthodox Catechism
Reviewed by Mindi Armatas each craft. As if the student text were not beautiful enough, each teacher presentation touches the soul of the child. Each lesson is a stepping stone, taking both student and teacher on a journey to Paradise. The journey begins, not surprisingly, with creation. The retelling of the creation story for children in this book expands on the Bible by highlighting important concepts that children could not infer on their own:
I
have been teaching religious education in my parish for more than twelve years now. I began as a convert with the idea that I would learn more about my faith if I were teaching it, a tried-and-true teacher’s philosophy. What I did not know as I headed into the classroom was that there are few curriculum choices available for those who do not teach in a conventional way. Recently, I was browsing online and came across a curriculum written by Elizabeth Jacobs, Blessed Is the Kingdom. I felt a flicker of hope swell inside my heart, and, on a whim, I ordered it. The mere title drew me in: Blessed Is the Kingdom: An Interactive Orthodox Catechism. The curriculum is for children six to twelve years old, and its theme is Holy Baptism. The second you begin to thumb through the student book and teacher’s manual, you see that it is truly an interactive curriculum. The student book is not at all a workbook. It is instead a poetically written text complemented by iconic illustrations. Each student book contains its own pouch with some specially selected craft supplies. Also included in the student book is an index, containing the necessary instructions and pictures to complete each craft. Each craft project has a specific purpose to draw on the lesson and further develop the message, making each lesson an active experience. These craft projects are not time fillers but essential pieces of the curriculum. The teacher’s manual lays out each lesson’s presentation and gives instructions for
After God lovingly fashioned Adam’s body, He breathed the breath of life into him, and Adam became alive, and possessed a living soul. Adam was made in the image and likeness of God. God’s splendor and radiant breath of life was to constantly renew Adam and to give Him a personal relationship with God. This closeness to God by sharing in His divine energies, His breath of life, is called communion with God. (p. 3) To further this concept of the breath of life, students are asked to fashion a candle out of earth-like clay for further use later in the journey. Besides building important concepts to develop the young soul, many events are paralleled. When we get to the lesson on free will, we not only hear about Adam and Eve’s difficult choice, but we are also presented with the choices of our saints using the example of the Three Holy Youths. This presentation brings the introduction of deification: “to grow into God’s likeness and to open one’s soul to God, so that His divine energies will live as holy light within” (p. 8). Throughout the curriculum, Bible stories, parts of hymns, quotes from Church Fathers and prayers from the sacraments and liturgy are woven into the text, helping children to connect all the pieces of the puzzle. The author constantly demonstrates how the Old Testament and the New Testament are interconnected. One example, while learning about Holy Baptism and the baptismal waters, the student book recounts the story of Moses and the parting of the Red Sea. “And then God said, ‘I am the Lord that healeth thee.’ Now in the fullness of the New Testament Church, the waters of Baptism are purified and made sweet for the healing of our soul and body” (p. 41). The examples allow the students to understand the sources of the traditions of our Church. Students get to take a close look at this special and vital sacrament that they were probably too young to remember. The lessons are presented in a way that each student gets to relive their own Baptism, PRAXIS
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carefully examining prayers of the sacrament. Next he says, “Yoke unto his or her life a radiant Angel, who shall deliver him or her from every snare of the adversary, and from encounter with evil…” What a blessed moment. You are given a radiant Angel, who will always remain with you. This, your guardian angel, will help you in your struggle to overcome the spirit of error. (p. 39) By reliving their own Baptism, children find the desire to fulfill their responsibilities as a Christian: “we can keep the flame of God burning in our lives if we learn to pray and fast in humility and love of God.” (p. 59) Each lesson is written for a wide range of ages. The younger ages can read these lessons very literally, while the older children have opportunities to further discuss and understand the traditions of their faith at a higher level. The student text is
full of rich language that exemplifies God’s love for us, building the students’ desire to be in communion with God. My hat is off to Elizabeth Jacobs, master craftswoman of a truly enlightening and empowering curriculum for our young Orthodox children. We have before us a true gem of a curriculum through which children can fully experience God’s love and grace. Students of this curriculum will further develop a personal connection and personal commitment to their faith. Mrs. Jacobs says it best: “We have begun a journey. We are no longer lost and far from God our Father…” (p. 70). So, if you, like me, are feeling lost in teaching religious education, Blessed Is the Kingdom is the answer to your prayers. Author: Elizabeth Jacobs Publisher: St. Simeon Press, 2003 Mindi Armatas is an elementary educator currently focusing on raising two beautiful daughters. She lives in Denver, CO, with her husband and family.
The Orthodox Study Bible:
Old and New Testament (Hard Cover) The Orthodox Study Bible is the fruit of more than twenty years of labor by many of the best Orthodox Christian theologians of our time. This long-awaited single volume brings together an original translation of the Old Testament from the Septuagint with the classic Orthodox Study Bible: New Testament and Psalms. Here, by the grace of God, you will find the living water of His Word with comprehensive study guides and teachings that bring to our modern world the mind of the ancient Christian Church. It is the first ever full-length Orthodox Study Bible in English. B07-2 $49.95 Quantity discount for 12 or more: 25% off
Please call the Department of Religious Education at 800-566-1088 to place orders.
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Orthodox Action for Our Brothers and Sisters in Need By Amal E. Morcos
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n a recent visit to Damascus, Syria, for my work with International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), I met many Iraqi refugees who had fled the recent conflict. I visited some homes where seven people live in one room. IOCC is assisting thousands of Iraqi refugees in Syria by paying for children’s school tuition, providing vocational training, and delivering emergency supplies. One family especially stands out. Brothers Hamza and Ali and their little sister Lulu live in a one-room apartment with their mother, Souad. They lost their father when he returned to Iraq to settle his property. Ironically, it was not the war that killed him, but his own brother who wanted the family’s property. Souad struggles every day to make ends meet. Can you imagine? You flee your home because of war, only to lose your husband and father to a family dispute. I heard many tragic stories on that visit, each one almost outdoing the last. As Americans, we rarely come into contact with such suffering, and yet there are individuals all over the world whose daily lives are marked by poverty, disease, natural disaster and armed conflict. How can we reach out to Hamza, Ali, Lulu and others like them? Our mission and mandate to serve the poor is clear from the Scriptures, as well as the teachings of the Fathers. The Christian virtues of compassion and generosity towards the poor are intricately tied to our faith and worship of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christian service projects with IOCC can help our children put this lesson into practice. We Serve Others Because All People Are Made in the Image of God As Orthodox Christians, we have a foundational belief that all people are created in the image of God, and that our salvation depends on the love and mercy we demonstrate to those who are in distress. St. Gregory of Nazianzus, “the Theologian,” writes, “For we are all one in the Lord, rich and poor; bond or free, sound or sick; and one is the Head of all, He from Whom are all things, namely Christ. . . . We should fix in our minds
the thought that the salvation of our bodies and souls depends on this: that we should love and show humanity to these.” Even the Lord Jesus Christ emphasized in His ministry that the two greatest commands—to love God and to love one’s neighbor—were inseparable. The Apostle Paul confirms this in his letter to the Galatians: “Through love be servants of one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself’ ” (5:13–14). Identification of Christ with the Poor Mother Teresa of Calcutta is often quoted as saying, “I serve Christ in his distressing disguise.” In other words, she consciously saw Christ in every poor and suffering person that she encountered. This is based on the teachings of Matthew 25:31–46, when the Lord Jesus Christ speaks of the last judgment and how he is sacramentally present in the stranger, the hungry and the sick. St. Gregory of Nyssa further identifies the poor as having a special place in the Church: “Do not despise these men in their objection; do not think them of no account. Reflect what they are and you will understand their dignity; they have taken up on them the person of our PRAXIS
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The following service project is just one practical way we can show the evidence of our Orthodox Christian faith.
Savior: For He, the compassionate, has lent them His own person wherewith to abash the unmerciful and the haters of the poor.” The Liturgy after the Liturgy Our Orthodox faith is marked by deeply symbolic ritual and liturgy. Metropolitan George (Khodr) of Mount Lebanon warns, though, that “Christ can be lost in all that imperial decor.” Metropolitan Emilianos (Timiadis) of Sylibria (who recently passed away) says, “there is an intimate relationship between the sharing and offering of the Eucharist and of every act of diakonia.” Or, as others have put it, “the liturgy after the liturgy”: the continuation of all the inspiration of worship to the service of others. St. John Chrysostom sees the poor in the liturgical instruments in Orthodox worship: “Do you really wish to pay homage to Christ’s body? Then do not neglect Him when He is naked. At the same time that you honor Him here with hangings made of silk, do not ignore Him outside when He perishes from cold and nakedness. . . . For is there any point in His table being laden with golden cups while He himself is perishing from hunger? . . . Don’t neglect your brother in his distress while you decorate His house. Your brother is more truly His temple than any Church building.” Three Ways to Be in Communion with God Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Clapsis writes that our union and communion with God is “sustained, nourished, and actualized in history by three distinct but equally important and inseparable sacramental ways: hearing and proclaiming God’s Word; the celebration of the Holy Eucharist; and a life of active compassion and care towards the poor and the needy.” He further writes that whenever one of these areas is not properly pursued, the entire “life and witness” of the Orthodox Church is compromised. It is clear that to have feelings of pity for the poor and for those who suffer is not enough. We must match these sentiments with practical works of service, actively doing something that will help to alleviate the suffering of others. page 34
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Assemble an IOCC School Kit to Help Needy Children Worldwide Can you imagine going to school without a pencil or a notebook? Well, in most of the countries where IOCC works, there are children who do not have even these basic school supplies. IOCC, in collaboration with its longtime partner, Church World Service (CWS), makes it possible to send school kits to needy children through the CWS service kits program. By putting together a CWS service kit, you can give a less fortunate child the tools needed to do well in school. Kits are sent directly to a warehouse facility and prepared for shipping. IOCC then ensures that the kits reach these children when needed. 1. Buy a 12 × 14” or 14 × 16” cloth bag with cloth handles and a closure (Velcro, snap, or button) and fill it with the following items: o One pair of blunt scissors (rounded tip) o Three 70-count spiral or tape-bound pads of 8 × 10.5” ruled paper or pads with 200–210 sheets (please do not provide loose-leaf or filler paper) o One 30-centimeter ruler (12”) o One handheld pencil sharpener o Six new pencils with erasers o One 2.5” eraser o One box of 24 crayons (only 24) 2. Secure the bag and pack it in a box. Secure the box with packing tape. 3. Clearly mark the outside of the box with the words “school kit—IOCC,” apply the correct amount of postage and mail the box to the following address: IOCC / Church World Service Brethren Service Center Annex 601 Main St. PO Box 188 New Windsor, MD 21776-0188 Amal E. Morcos is the Director of Communications for IOCC. This article is adapted from “The Image of Christ in the Poor” by Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Clapsis (published by IOCC). IOCC, founded in 1992 as the official humanitarian aid agency of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA), has implemented more than $250 million in relief and development programs in thirty-three countries around the world. For more information, go to www.iocc.org or call (877) 803-IOCC.
The Differences among Charter, Parochial and Independent Schools For Orthodox Parishes Considering Establishing a Religious-Based School By Susanna Athans, MEd
T
his document was created at the request of Orthodox parishioners considering establishing Orthodox day schools in several different cities across the United States. Although I am by no means an expert on federal laws governing the establishment of schools, for the purposes of this report, I have attempted to contact those people in positions of authority who could give correct and definitive information. Schools in the United States are regulated by each state. Thus, regulations can vary widely among states and among cities. There are also regional accrediting agencies for schools. Recently, an Orthodox Christian agency for schools (Orthodox Schools) was created as well. Any parish considering the establishment of a school should contact the local department of education, school board, regional accrediting bodies (e.g., Western Association of Schools and Colleges, New England Association of Schools and Colleges), and any other relevant agencies for current local legislation and regulation. In fact, staying informed of the regulations for schools in your area will be an important task of any future school administration. I am happy to receive any amendments or adjustments to the information presented here so that this document may be a correct and nonbiased presentation enabling parishioners to choose which school format best suits their educational mission and needs as a parish. The document has been written with the parish school committee in mind, thus the focus is on religious education. Recommendations Upon completing this study, it is the author’s opinion that parishes must ask themselves several important questions upon considering establishing a school. These might include: • Why do we want to establish an Orthodox school? • What do we hope children will attain? • What population will be served by the establishment of this school? • What do we envision the daily life of the school to be like? • Where can the school be located immediately and in the future?
• What monies are available to us to found and run the school? • Is our parish interested in and able to financially support a school as an either short- or long-term as a ministry of the Church? • Would our families be committed to fundraising to make an Orthodox education possible? If your committee determines... • to establish a small school as an alternative to your local public school • to offer a curriculum similar to the local public school curriculum but likely more advanced • that parishioners will need free tuition in order to attend the school • that it is not important that religion or religious studies be mentioned by the school or by its faculty or by any religious facility that may house the school • that it is not important to have visual manifestations of religion in the school building • that persons independent of the school may offer optional religion classes before/after school • that parishioners will be committed to fundraising to support the school • that teachers of any religious or sexual preference are acceptable to the mission of the school ...then you would perhaps consider a charter school. If your committee determines... • to establish a small school as an alternative to other Christian (for example, Roman Catholic) and private schools • to offer a specialized curriculum that can be designed to fit the mission of the school • that parishioners will need reduced tuition in order to attend the school • that your parish is willing and able to financially assist and support the school as a ministry • that your parish can offer a free or highly subsidized facility for the school PRAXIS
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• that religious education and spiritual formation throughout the school day is part of your mission • that parishioners will be committed to fundraising to support the school • that hiring of faculty must align with the school mission ...then you would perhaps consider a parochial school. If your committee determines... • to establish a small school as an alternative to other Christian and private schools • to offer a specialized curriculum that can be designed to fit the mission of the school • that the school board will be committed to offering financial assistance to families • that your parish is not able to financially assist or significantly support the school as a ministry • that your parish cannot offer a free or highly subsidized facility for the school • that a pan-Orthodox environment and approach would best guarantee your success • that religious education and spiritual formation throughout the school day is part of your mission • that parishioners will be committed to fundraising to support the school • that hiring of faculty must align with the school mission ...then you would perhaps consider an independent school. Note: Charter schools are public schools; parochial and independent schools are private schools. For the purposes of this study, “parochial schools” will refer to Roman Catholic parochial schools because the Roman Catholic Church has established more than 8,000 such schools in the United States, by far outnumbering their Protestant, Jewish and Muslim counterparts. Protestant schools lead in independent school foundation (roughly 20,000 of the 30,000 private schools in the United States are Protestant). “Independent school” is often used interchangeably with “private school.” Some Roman Catholic schools are private and do not receive monies from their local diocese or archdiocese. For Abbreviations CS = charter school PS = parochial school IS = independent school
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the purposes of this study, such schools are grouped with independent schools. All three of these school models will involve fundraising at all levels at all times.
Susanna Athans is a member of the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Seattle, WA, and is leading the committee to establish an Orthodox Christian elementary school there. Susanna can be e-mailed at susanna@post.harvard.edu. Works Cited Archdiocese of Chicago, Office of Catholic Schools. “Genesis: A New Beginning for Catholic Schools.” September 2005. Accessed at www.archdiocese-chgo.org/pdf/genesis.pdf Center for Education Reform. “Charter Law” Web page: www.edreform.com/index.cfm?fuseAction=cLaw Cotherman, Audrey. “Charter Schools: Motivators or Barriers.” Comprehensive Center IV Newsletter 5, no. 1 (Spring 2000): 9-13, accessed at www.wcer.wisc.edu/archive/ccvi/pub/ newsletter/Spring2000_CharterSch/4.htm Fraundheim, Marty. Office of the Superintendent Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. Hornung, Kara. Associate Director of Public Affairs, Center for Educational Reform. Washington, DC. McConaghy, Jeff. “Starting an Independent School.” National Association of Independent Schools. 2006. Terbochia, Karen. Parochial Schools Business Office, Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle. Thayer, Meade. Director, Pacific Northwest Chapter National Association of Independent Schools. “Tuition and Salary Survey.” Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools. 2006–2007. U.S. Department of Education. No Child Left Behind, Title V, Part B, Non-Regulatory Guidance: “Charter Schools Program.” July 2004. Accessed at www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/ guid/cspguidance03.doc
Bd = board AD = archdiocese SB = school board
CA = California AZ = Arizona DC = Washington, DC
Governance
Charter Schools
Parochial Schools
Independent Schools
Established per state. Can be governed as part of a local school district or as an independent public school or as a nonprofit.
AD schools have a principal and a priest on the board for each school. School must have blessing of AD.
Day-to-day operations are governed by a head of school (or principal). SB is responsible for fiscal viability and strategy. SB is self-perpetuating. School is blessed by all bishops of participating parishes.
Funded by taxpayer dollars and fundraising efforts. “One of most oft cited barriers to CS success is inadequate funding.”1 In some states, such as AZ, schools can apply for a start-up grant of up to $100K. CA offers a revolving loan fund to start-ups. Per pupil spending dollars follow student to the school; $6,771 per pupil in AZ (authorized by local SB), $7,600 in CA. Funds in AZ pass from district to school (if district is authorizer for school) or from state to school (if state is authorizer). Funds in CA pass from state to district. “There is evidence that, in many cases, even when the allocation is comparable to the district per-pupil allocation, overhead costs (rent, equipment, bookkeeping, for example) may be taken out before the funds are transferred to the charter school. Furthermore, state per-pupil allocations do not adequately cover personnel salary and benefits, maintenance, insurance, recruitment, books, other educational materials, professional development, and development of curriculum, instruction, and assessments.”2
Order-run: Religious orders provide some subsidy, orders provide some teachers, tuition is income, fundraising, endowments.
Independent schools are funded through: endowments, tuition, annual funds, capital campaigns, and/or planned giving. Schools can receive federal “Title” monies for such programs as free/reduced lunch, etc. Tuition never fully covers the operating budget; all independent schools maintain a development office and ongoing fundraising. These schools can apply for grant monies from private corporations provided their admissions policies are not exclusive to children of a particular religion. Fundraising is a continual effort of any IS.
Charter schools cannot charge tuition. Students receive a voucher in some states which enables the per-pupil spending (average of $7,000) to follow the child to the charter school of his or her choice.
Tuition is on a tiered program with Catholic stewards receiving a reduced rate; tuition established by AD. Average tuition in Seattle is $3,827 for elementary and $7,406 for high school.
Tuition is established by the school board and reviewed annually. The mission of the school will usually affect the rate at which tuition is set. Most schools offer reduced tuition for multiple children enrolled from the same family. Tuition will be the highest for these schools because they receive no government or church monies. Average tuition in National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) West region is $16,000 for grades 1–12.
N/A
Yes. Scales and guidelines established by AD.
Yes. Scales and guidelines set by SB.
Written by establishing body. Usually involves superior academic goals or a target student group (e.g., gifted, children with autism). Cannot be in any way religious in nature.
Faith formation of children and families is the reason Catholic schools exist. Main component of mission is to make a religious education available to every family who wants one. Academic excellence is expected within the context of spiritual formation. “Catholic schools are essential to the educational mission of the Church.”4
Mission is written by founding SB. Usually involves academic excellence and small class sizes. Can be explicitly religious in nature and purpose.
CA: CSs can be authorized by Local SB, County Bd, or State Bd of Ed. AZ: CSs can be authorized by AZ CS Bd, State Bd, or Local SB.
Funding
AD schools: Parish schools are physically located next to a parish, Catholic stewards receive reduced tuition, fundraising, parish provides school subsidy (amount varies parish to parish). Fundraising efforts increased due to “now-heightened understanding of the financial plight of Catholic schools.”3
Tuition
Financial Aid
Mission
1. Cotherman, “Charter Schools,” p. 2. Charter schools experience the same financial burden as parochial and independent schools because many of the services typically offered by a public school (such as bookkeeping and facilities management) are not offered to charter schools or are offered for a fee. In addition, charter schools, like independent schools, must lease or purchase their own facilities. Parochial schools are housed at the expense/investment of the host parish. 2. Cotherman, “Charter Schools,” p. 3. 3. “Genesis,” p. 2. Francis Cardinal George cites the fundraising efforts of Catholic families to secure the future of the schools. The Archdiocese of Chicago spends $550 million per year to run its schools; “parents who give money for tuition pay almost $450 million of that sum. The remaining $100 million is raised through special events and fundraisers.” The Catholic schools are committed to providing a Catholic education to all interested parishioners regardless of their ability to pay tuition. 4. Francis Cardinal George, OMI, Archdiocese of Chicago, quoted in “Genesis,” p. 1.
Religious Education
Hiring Practices
Teacher Credentials
Admissions
Charter Schools
Parochial Schools
Independent Schools
“As public schools, charter schools must be non-religious in their programs, admissions policies, governance, employment practices and all other operations, and the charter school’s curriculum must be completely secular. As with other public schools, CS may not provide religious instruction, but they may teach about religion from a secular perspective. And though CSs must be neutral with respect to religion, they may play an active role in teaching civic values (D-1). All activities of a CS must be non-religious, as is the case for all public schools. Public funds may not be used for religious purposes or to encourage religious activity. In addition, even if funded by non-public sources, religious activity may not be conducted, promoted, or encouraged during CS activities by CS employees or by other persons working with CS. However, to the extent that their involvement promotes academic learning and the mission of the CS, religious organizations may partner with and be involved with CSs so long as the CS’s decision to partner with the religious organization is made without regard to the religious character or affiliation of the organization and is not otherwise reasonably perceived as an endorsement of religion (D-2).”5
“The program must be recognizably Catholic, with an AD approved religion curriculum at all grade levels. Religion permeates how we work with children throughout the day; it is the lens through which we teach everything.”6
Established by the head of school and faculty. Religious private schools typically incorporate prayer into the school day, hold a weekly all-school chapel during the school day, require religious courses of all students at all grade levels, and require that teachers integrate faith and learning. Students are encouraged to question and wrestle with their faith, especially as it pertains to their education. Teachers encourage dialogue whereby students take ownership of their faith. Students are taught to view the world from the viewpoint of their faith. Religion is integrated throughout the day and the school year, as the school body celebrates religious holidays together. Spiritual retreats and speakers can be organized and promoted by the teachers and staff. In religious-based schools, students are encouraged to pray for one another, and to study the Bible and Tradition on a daily basis and throughout the school day. Teachers model the faith on a daily basis and live the liturgical calendar with the students.
As a public school, CS must be an Equal Opportunity Employer, considering all applicants regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religious preference or age.
Catholic faculty are attracted to teaching in such a faith-based environment. Will hire nonCatholics.
Can establish own hiring guidelines. Religious schools attract teachers of the same faith, and many schools require a signed statement of faith and/or a reference from a priest or spiritual father.
Requirements vary from state to state.
Teachers are not required to be certified. Experience is preferred but not mandatory.
Teachers are not required to be certified. Most independent schools seek teachers who have degrees in their fields. The more competitive schools will require advanced degrees for faculty.
Admissions process is arranged by each school. Catholic students given preference.
Admissions guidelines are established by each school. Some schools require an entrance exam, whereas others will accept all students as part of their mission. Many schools have waiting lists.
AZ: teachers are not required to be certified.
“The Church conducts schools because Jesus was a teacher….Catholic schools provide an environment, along with the family, in which faith is not only taught but lived.7 “The Bishops have stated repeatedly that Catholic schools are the best means that the Church has to educate young people in our faith.”8 Catholic schools have religious art in the classrooms and integrate religion throughout the curriculum. Prayer during the school day is a normal occurrence and mass is held weekly. Spiritual retreats are organized, and spiritual guest speakers and programs are advertised for families to benefit from. Catholic teachers can identify with and encourage the students to grow in their faith. Catholic teachers model the Faith on a daily basis and throughout every conversation.
CA: teachers must be certified.
Must be open to all students as a public school. Cannot have any selection system. If the CS is converting from a private school, the existing pupils have preference.
5. “No Child Left Behind,” sections D-1 and D-2, Some persons have discussed the option of offering religious education courses before or after school at charter school locations. Although the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago initially considered this option because it would have allowed it to receive federal monies, the archdiocese ultimately decided that offering religious education before/after school did not allow it to support its main mission, which is spiritual formation to nurture the future of the Church. The archdiocese felt that without spiritual formation integrated throughout the school day in ways both visible and verbal, there was really no reason for the schools to exist (Fraundheim conversation, March 16, 2007). The Center for Educational Reform (CER), which directly sponsors the charter school movement in the United States, was not aware that religious persons discussed such an option for religious course offerings, and it maintained that charter schools, as public schools, must not have any religious association whatsoever in their programs; persons wholly independent of the school staff or facility staff can choose to hold religious meetings before or after school, but according to CER the school cannot legally sponsor, endorse or mention such events (Hornung conversation, March 16, 2007). 6. Fraundheim conversation, March 16, 2007. 7. Francis Cardinal George, OMI, Archdiocese of Chicago, quoted in “Genesis,” p. 1. 8. Nicholas M. Wolsonovich, PhD, Superintendent of Catholic Schools, quoted in “Genesis,” p. 3.
Charter Schools
Parochial Schools
Independent Schools
CS must lease or buy its own facility. This involves fundraising organized by the SB. “CS may lease space from a religious organization so long as the CS remains nonreligious in all its programs and operations. Most importantly, a landlord affiliated with a religion may not exercise any control over what is taught in the CS.9
Facilities owned and maintained by parishes or orders, at no (or very little) cost to the school. Facility provision is considered as a main component of the parish ministry. Most Catholic parishes operate a school or have a school within easy driving distance. Renovations can be costly and require additional fundraising.
IS must lease or buy its own facility. Capital campaigns are held for this purpose. Established schools update and renovate as needed. In urban areas the procurement of a facility can be one of the most difficult obstacles an IS will face.
Transportation
Students can utilize public school transport, as a public school monies expense (thus free to the students and the CS).
Some schools have transport, some use public transit. Many parents carpool.
Some schools have transport, some use public transit. Many parents carpool.
School Schedule
Set by school. Must meet for a minimum of 180 days per year in most states.
Set by school. Must meet for a minimum of 180 days per year in most states.
Set by school. Must meet for a minimum of 180 days per year in most states.
The authorizing agent is accountable to the public to make sure the entire curricular selection process is transparent.10 “CS curriculum must be completely secular.”11 Must meet state minimum standards. Most CSs cite academic excellence as a driving factor behind their inception. Some serve special needs groups.
The AD implements standards that are based upon state requirements. AD committee reviews standards and practices at each school.
Established by head of school and faculty, thus the focus on faculty education. Many private schools have a college prep emphasis and use small class sizes to exceed state standards. Curricula must be continually reviewed and aligned for scope and sequence and effectiveness. This is a main focus for faculty, and the school is only as strong as its curriculum and teachers. Teachers spend much time and energy creating curriculum; this also fosters ownership and enthusiasm, but does consume much time.12
Accountable to local public SB. CS has a performance-based contract that holds the school accountable for student achievement. Charters can be revoked if the school does not meet the requirements, but this does not happen often because the parameters surrounding school assessments vary from state to state and are often ambiguous to allow schools academic freedom.
Schools are under the authority of a bishop. Religious education is approved by the cardinal. Schools must be identifiably Catholic in nature.
Faculty are accountable to the head of school. The head of school hires and evaluates faculty. The head of school handles the day to day maintenance of the school, and is accountable to the Bd of Directors. The Bd of Directors hires and evaluates the head of school. The entire school is accountable to the accreditation agency and to the state superintendent of public schools’ office of private school education. Schools must at least meet state standards, and to maintain accreditation they must pass thorough selfstudies regularly.
Accreditation
As independent public schools the CS can pursue accreditation in several ways, one of the most common is through the American Academy for Liberal Education. CS must demonstrate performance standards have been met in order to maintain charter.
Catholic schools are accredited by the regional branch of the Catholic Educational Association (CEA). Schools must demonstrate performance to maintain accreditation.
Two-thirds of ISs in the U.S. are accredited by NAIS. The standards to maintain accreditation are rigorous and increase in scope and breadth according to the number of years a school is in operation.
Establishing Body
Founders of school apply to state agency with mission statement for school. Can be run by groups with religious affiliation.
Can be started by a private religious group, a monastic order or a parish. AD approves policies. New schools must be approved by archbishop.
Can be established by any group of people, for any mission and targeted toward any type of students and faculty.
Facility
Curriculum
Accountability
9. “No Child Left Behind,” section D-4. 10. Hornung conversation, March 16, 2007. 11. “No Child Left Behind,” section D-1. 12. McConaghy, “Starting an Independent School.”
Agape Circle A New Small-Group Program for Adults by Dcn. Markos Nickolas
Where two or three are gathered in my Name, I am in their midst. Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 18:20)
Daily Prayers for Orthodox Christians Holy Cross Orthodox Press
This small volume provides Orthodox Christians with a set of prayers (taken from the Synekdemos) to guide them throughout the day, along with prayers for Holy Communion. Includes morning prayers, prayers for mealtime, prayers before sleep, the Small Compline, Service of Preparation for Holy Communion, Thanksgiving following Holy Communion, and the Six Psalms. In English and Greek. E781
$9.95
Please call the Department of Religious Education at 800-566-1088 to place orders.
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I
n the fall of 2007, more than 200 Greek Orthodox adults participated in more than thirty small groups called “Agape Circles” across the United States, including the following locations: Tacoma, WA, Seattle, WA, Shoreline, WA, Sacramento, CA, San Francisco, CA, Los Angeles, CA, Redondo Beach, CA, Watkinsville, GA, Birmingham, AL, Greenville, SC, Randolph, NJ, Hunterdon County, NJ, Hempstead, NY, Cranston, RI, Mansfield, MA, Brookline, MA, Dover, NH, Lancaster, PA, Broomall, PA, Akron, OH, Columbus, OH, Racine, WI, Palos Hills, IL, Swansea, IL, and St. Louis, MO. The Circles met at churches and in private homes for seven consecutive weeks. They prayed together, read Scripture and spiritual texts together, and, above all, shared their personal stories. Their purpose was to support each other as Christians in the world, called to grow in koinonia (fellowship) and agape (love). The following article is a statement from one Agape Circle facilitator.
Dcn. Markos Nickolas is a PhD candidate in pastoral psychology at Boston University. He is an adjunct instructor at Hellenic College– Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. For additional information on Agape Circle, go to www.agapecircle.com.
Growing Together in Koinonia and Agape By Angela Ferreira
J
esus Christ said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself ” (Luke 10:27). The Greek word for “love” is agape, and koinonia is the Greek word for “fellowship” and “communion.” Fellowship in love, the love of the Holy Trinity, is the inspiration for an exciting new small-group program for adults, Agape Circle. In the summer of 2007, I received an e-mail from Deacon Markos Nickolas, a field education instructor at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. He was putting together a project for his doctoral dissertation in pastoral psychology at Boston University. The aim of his project was to enable Orthodox Christian adults to build deeper bonds of fellowship and to help each other grow in love. He believed that small, local, face-toface discussion groups could help participants grow closer together in Christ. He believed that this type of intimate Christian fellowship would provide a good supplement to the weekly Divine Liturgy and other parish activities. The goal was simply to help participants experience and live more fully the Orthodox Christian values of koinonia and agape in daily life. Specifically, Dcn. Markos was looking for volunteers throughout the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese to participate in small groups of five to seven adults to meet locally for seven consecutive weeks and follow the format he designed. This curriculum included prayer, sacred readings, introspective reflection, interactive exercises and interpersonal sharing on the topic of God’s love in our lives. Each Agape Circle would be led by a facilitator, who needed to receive the blessing of the parish priest. Attendance at all sessions would be critical to allow the group to build trust and relate to each other on a deeper, more personal level than we usually do at Sunday
coffee hour or even at Bible studies. To fulfill the requirements for dissertation research, surveys would be filled out before and after the seven-week program to assess the impact in our level of social support, spiritual support and compassionate love. Because I actively look for opportunities to grow in my faith, when I received the e-mail, I was very excited about the wonderful opportunity. My family and I had recently joined a newly formed parish in Hunterdon County, NJ, that is in the process of purchasing land to build our own Byzantinestyle church. In the meantime, God has graciously provided us with a hospitable site at the Allerton Methodist Church. Due to limitations of space and access, however, many of our parish programs are still in the early stages. The Agape Circle program promised to fulfill a spiritual need in our parish without depleting limited resources. Because it is a ready-made program, it was apparent to me that Agape Circle could easily be implemented. With the blessing of our priest and Metropolis Chancellor Fr. George Nikas, I contacted Dcn. Markos and volunteered to serve as an Agape Circle facilitator. I began advertising the program in our Sunday bulletin and talked to many parishioners. In spite of busy fall schedules, by the grace of God, a group of ten interested parishioners was formed. Since our group was a bit larger than the desired size, Dcn. Markos worked with us to adapt the program to meet our needs. We simply divided the group into two for the dialogue portion of our meetings. This allowed everyone to have more time to share with the group each week. In the fall of 2007, we began Agape Circle with great enthusiasm. We were very curious about how it would work. Initially, the firm structure seemed a little awkward. We were required to pause for moments of silence between speaking, to allow us time to assimilate what had been shared and to pray for the person who had spoken. Each person was to be PRAXIS
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given equal time, and it was up to each of us to decide whether we wished to receive feedback from the group. Although it took some getting used to, we gradually realized that this very structure allowed us the freedom to delve much more deeply into our personal spiritual journeys than we otherwise would have done. Somehow, knowing that there were boundaries and time limits made it easier for us to share and confide in one another without ever feeling unsafe or “over-exposed.” During the sessions we looked into our hearts, examined our faith and opened up to one another and to God. Through this process, we developed a much closer bond with one other and learned new ways to increase agape in our relationships within and outside our Circle. Each week we would laugh, cry, break bread and share our struggles and triumphs on the journey with Christ and one another to salvation. For me Agape Circle began as a thirst to grow and learn more about Orthodoxy, but the reality of what it became was far more than I anticipated. It provided the opportunity for all of us to relate in a way we never had before. Unlike on Sundays when we put on our “Sunday best,” Agape Circle allowed us to let our hair down and reveal our vulnerabilities, hopes and dreams to one another and to ourselves. I realized that we are not always as “put together” as we typically present ourselves on Sundays. The truth is, we all struggle in our walk with the Lord through the peaks and valleys of life. Paradoxically, strength does not come from putting on appearances but from acknowledging our weakness, leaning on the Lord’s strength and relying on one another in honest fellowship and mutual spiritual support. The Lord has provided us with the Body of Christ—the Church—so that we can encourage, support and help each other grow in agape as our Lord commanded. It really brought home the Orthodox teaching that we are not saved alone, but in communion. Agape Circle provided the opportunity for a couple of hours a week to break away from our daily busyness and reconnect with the deeper meaning of it all: eternal life in Christ. Just as we all plug in our cell phones regularly to recharge them, Agape Circle let us plug our hearts into the Source of Life, our heavenly Father. Together with the Divine Liturgy, which we all participate in weekly, the small-group meetings
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strengthened our faith and spiritual support for one another as we pressed forward in our respective challenges in life. It nudged us to move beyond our normal comfort zone, calling us to reach out to someone in need, to forgive someone who has hurt us, to ask forgiveness from someone whom we have wronged. Occasionally, these prescribed weekly challenges might have been a bit more than we were ready for, and that was OK. Everything in Agape Circle was optional and voluntary. To put it simply, Agape Circle was a life-changing experience! We were all sad as the program came to a close. We all knew, though, that we would never lose the ground we had covered together. We had shared our hearts and created memories that would last; we had grown in koinonia and agape. A few weeks after the fall course ended, we were all thrilled to learn that Dcn. Markos was to begin working with Dr. Anton Vrame, the director of the Department of Religious Education of the Archdiocese, to develop a Pre-Lenten Agape Circle Course. This course would incorporate all the great features of the fall course—prayer, readings, dialogue questions—plus “homework” readings from two Lenten books, The Lenten Spring by Fr. Thomas Hopko and Great Lent by Fr. Alexander Schmemann, as well as weekly online video presentations by Fr. Alkiviadis Calivas. Additionally, we had an opportunity to chat online with other participants in other parishes of the Archdiocese. So, after the winter holidays, our Agape Circle resumed with the majority of the original members, plus two new participants. Once again, the curriculum proved to be wonderful. We met for five weeks and again grew in koinonia and agape as we prepared for the special season of Great Lent and, ultimately, Holy Week and Pascha. I am thankful to God, to Dcn. Markos, and to the Department of Religious Education for bringing the Agape Circle small groups and the Adult Religious Education Distance Learning Program to fruition. I look forward to the upcoming Agape Circle courses.
Angela Ferreira is a member and Agape Circle group leader at the Greek Orthodox parish of Hunterdon County, Flemington, NJ.
Winter 20 08
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o Clergy o Teacher/Superintendent o Youth Worker o Other Please fax or mail to: Department of Religious Education - Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America 50 Goddard Ave., Brookline, MA 02445 Fax: (617) 850-1489 Thank you!
From the Director
Local Church History Dear R eader, Not too long ago, I gave a talk that included slides of Archbishop Athenagoras with President Truman, Archbishop Michael on the steps of the Capitol at Dwight Eisenhower’s inauguration, Archbishop Iakovos with Martin Luther King, and Archbishop Demetrios at Ground Zero (these images are scattered throughout this issue of PRAXIS ) . Most of the audience had no idea that the leaders of the Greek Orthodox Church had these experiences. If I had been asked to include the leaders of other Orthodox communities in America, I could have named many, including Archbishop, later Patriarch, now Saint Tikhon of Russia, Saint Nikolai Velimirovic of Serbia, or Archbishop Antony Bashir—all of whom played significant roles in America. As Orthodox Christians, we love to point out that we are the heirs of the Church of the first nine centuries: the era of the Ecumenical Councils, the Church Fathers and Mothers, the Byzantine Empire, and more. As Orthodox Christians in America, we have been just as, if not more, influenced by the last nine decades: the waves of immigration, the establishment of the various Archdioceses (the jurisdictions), establishing our lives and churches in America, and the events of the twentieth and still young twenty-first centuries. A worrisome trend is that we are forgetting our history. The story of Orthodoxy in America is in the basements and attics of parishes, institutions and homes throughout the United States. It is in pictures, official documents and letters, minutes of meetings, and programs and program books, and much more. Most of these “primary sources” are unnoticed, unstudied, and definitely underappreciated. These sources are in danger of being discarded and destroyed.
Just as significant, though, is the living history of Orthodoxy in America, which is stored in the memories and experiences of the people themselves—the people in the photos and the writers of the documents, letters and minutes. The founders of many parishes are still alive, but they are aging and dying. With each passing year, we are losing the stories of their experiences, struggles and successes—the inside story that lies behind the photos. If we forget where we have been or where we have come from, we can become enamored of our accomplishments, believing that they are ours alone and not the harvested fruit from seeds first sown by others. We stand on the shoulders of giants, and there are saints among us. There is work to be done in the United States, accumulating, archiving, recording, preserving and studying the history of Orthodoxy in America. Every parish can create a parish history committee and appoint a parish historian. Properly store and catalog documents instead of shredding them. Identify the people in the pictures. Begin an oral history project using a video camera. Bring the young together with the old to tell their stories. Ask the simple questions: “Tell me your story” and “Tell me the story of this community.” Quickly! Before we forget!
Anton C. Vrame, PhD Director Note: In this issue of PRAXIS, there is an article about the differences between private, independent, parochial, and charter schools that we hope you find helpful. In future issues, we hope to begin profiling the development of schools by Orthodox communities.
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