Lay Leadership. Matushka Terri Smith Choir Director Chris Romano

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1 SAINT MARY OF EGYPT ORTHODOX CHURCH IN AMERICA Newsletter August Beaver Ruin Rd. Norcross, GA Clergy Archpriest Peter Smith Rector Hieromonk Cyprian DuRant) Deacon Lazarus Muska Archpriest Dimitri Oselinsky (attached) Priest Thomas Alessandroni (attached) Calendar Highlights Lay Leadership Matushka Terri Smith Choir Director Chris Romano Janice Douglass Co-Treasurer David DeMar Co-Treasurer Reader Thomas Hobbs Warden Taylor Hostetter Debra Peterson Michael McKinley Secretary Thou wast transfigured on the mount. 0 Christ God, revealing Thy glory to Thy disciples as they could bear it. August 1-14 August 6 August 13 August 15 August 29 Dormition Fast Feast of the Transfiguration 5 th Annual PanOrthodox Women s Retreat 9a.m. 5 p.m. at St. Mary of Egypt Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos Beheading of St. John the Baptist Let Thine everlasting light shine upon us sinners. Through the prayers of the Theotokos, O Giver of Light, glory to Thee

2 PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION ARE NEEDED FOR: The Orthodox Church in America Metropolitan Jonah; Archbishop Dmitri, Our Holy Synod, Bishop Nikon Archpriest Peter, Matushka Anastasia Hieromonk Cyprian, Priest Thomas; Matushka Angela Archpriest Dimitri; Matushka Maryanne Deacon Lazarus Archbishop Seraphim Metropolitan Theodosius; Metropolitan Herman, Our catechumens: Cameron; Margaret The infant Juliana & family David, Elizabeth and David Danielle, Elizabeth and Michael (Ralph Geeza s niece, aunt and brother) Demetrios, Tamara, Maura Faith, Caroline Hope and Thomas Reilly Pridmore; Gayle Brown, Nellie Pridmore Sasha, Natalie, Kristina and Peter Anthony Alessandroni Babylos, Tatyana,the child to be born of her, and Natalia Niphon, Thea and the child to be born of her Dawn and Mike Bloechl in Anchorage and their 4 year old daughter Ellie battling leukemia; Logan and Connor in Alaska (brothers requiring kidney transplants) Deacon Kevin, Kamilla Joy, Justin Peter, Abigail Marie, Symeon Basil and Miranda Rose Smith Lottie Sivulich; Dena Smith; Gordon and June Smith, Mary Kowalski (Fr. Peter & Mother Terri's families) Mary (Janice Douglass mother), Martin Robert and Xenia Peterson Ellen (Margaret s sister) Elaine Calugar and family, Carole; Nicodemus and Elizabeth Anna, Victor; Tanya and family - especially Veronica; Ed, Allan, Pauline; Todd, Mathew, Maggie and Kimber; Scott; Irene and Jimmy (Vilma Irene s daughter in law and son) "Baby Leo" - the son of Fr. & Matushka Tregubov. Meghan; Nick as he battles a brain tumor Millie, Ron, BJ, Gail, Dustin, Jordan, Donna and Christopher Karen Elrod Williams (sister of Curtis Elrod who is battling stage 4 ovarian cancer) Adam and Rachel Harris and their family Ruth, Henry and all of Peter Vien s family as Ruth battles Alzeheimers Devon, Matthew & Tracey Bonaker, Steve & Earlene Nesselrote All Seminary students from the Diocese of the South; All Missions and Mission Stations in the DOS All those who have suffered and/or are suffering at the hands of others or without friends or family All those who are suffering in the Middle East violence All those who are suffering in the aftermath of the storms, floods fire and drought in the US. Especially St. Peter the Aleut parish in Minot, ND. Those Who Have Fallen Asleep in the Lord All who have lost their lives through the violence and natural disasters around the world On the Feast of the Transfiguration By Fr. Tom Hopko The Orthodox Faith Worship (from the Rainbow series) The Jewish Festival of Booths was a feast of the dwelling of God with men, and the transfiguration of Christ reveals how this dwelling takes place in and through the Messiah, the Son of God in human flesh. There is little doubt that Christ's transfiguration took place at the time of the Festival of Booths, and that the celebration of the event in the Christian Church became the New Testamental fulfillment of the Old Testamental feast in a way similar to the feasts of Passover and Pentecost In the Transfiguration, the apostles see the glory of the Kingdom of God present in majesty in the person of ChriSt They see that in him, indeed, all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell," that "in him the whole fulness of deity dwells bodily" (Col 1:19, 2:9). They see this before the crucifixion so that in the resurrection they might know who it is who has suffered for them, and what it is that this one, who is God, has prepared for those who love him. This is what the Church celebrates in the feast of the Transfiguration. Thou wast transfigured on the mount. 0 Christ God, revealing Thy glory to Thy disciples as they could bear it. Let Thine everlasting light shine upon us sinners. Through the prayers of the Theotokos, O Giver of Light, glory to Thee (Troparion). On the mountain wast Thou transfigured, 0 Christ God, and Thy disciples beheld Thy glory as far as they could see it; so that when they would behold Thee crucified, they would understand that Thy suffering was voluntary, and would proclaim to the world that

3 Thou art truly the Radiance of the Father (Kontakion). Besides the fundamental meaning which the event of the Transfiguration has in the context of the life and mission of Christ, and in addition to the theme of the glory of God which is revealed in all of its divine splendor in the face of the Saviour, the presence of Moses and Elijah is also of great significance for the understanding and celebration of the feast. Many of the hymns refer to these two leading figures of the Old Covenant as do the three scripture readings of Vespers which tell of the manifestation of the glory of God to these holy men of old (Ex 24:12-18; 33:11-34:8; 1 Kings 19:3-16). Moses and Elijah, according to the liturgical verses, are not only the greatest figures of the Old Testament who now come to worship the Son of God in glory, they also are not merely two of the holy men to whom God has revealed himself in the prefigurative theophanies of the Old Covenant of Israel. These two figures actually stand for the Old Testament itself: Moses for the Law and Elijah for the Prophets. And Christ is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets (Mt 5:17). They also stand for the living and dead, for Moses died and his burial place is known, while Elijah was taken alive into heaven in order to appear again to announce the time of God's salvation in Christ the Messiah. Thus, in appearing with Jesus on the mount of Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah show that the Messiah Saviour is here, and that he is the Son of God to whom the Father himself bears witness, the Lord of all creation, of the Old and New Testaments, of the living and the dead. The Transfiguration of Christ in itself is the fulfillment of all of the theophanies and manifestations of God, a fulfillment made perfect and complete in the person of Christ. The Transfiguration of Christ reveals to us our ultimate destiny as Christians, the ultimate destiny of all men and all creation to be transformed and glorified by the majestic splendor of God himself. The Most Holy Mother of God On the Feast of the Dormition By Fr. Stephen Freeman On August 15, the Orthodox Church (new calendar) commemorates the Dormition (falling asleep) of the Most Holy Mother of God. The feast is considered to be one of the 12 Great Feasts of the year and thus an integral part of the proclamation of gospel of Jesus Christ. Many who are not familiar with Orthodoxy, or its manner of understanding saints, easily see feast days and the veneration of saints as distractions from the gospel. The thought is: If it s not about Jesus, then somehow the gospel is not being preached. I am willing to grant the point but to quickly add that the veneration of the Mother of God is inherently about Jesus and that without paying proper attention to Mary, Christ is being short-changed and not fully understood. In the history of the Church the first dogmatic proclamation concerning Mary was the use of the title, Theotokos, meaning the one who gave birth to God. Nestorius, for whom the heresy of Nestorianism is named, objected to the use of the term saying that she should be called Christotokos instead. This would mean that she was the mother of Christ, but not properly called Mother of God. The Church condemned Nestorius teaching and affirmed the use of this title for Mary, for Christ is not properly divided into a schizophrenic being (God and Man but not united), but is instead but one Person, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. Eventually the Church would declare that He was one Person with two natures (Divine and Human) but never sought to contemplate Him in a manner that divided His person. Thus the title given to Mary was and is about Jesus and was solemnly defined in

4 order to protect the proper understanding of His incarnation. The Scriptures themselves bear ample witness to her unique position. All generations will call me blessed, are words spoken by Mary in her dialog with her cousin, Elizabeth (mother of John the Baptist). To refuse this honor to Mary is to violate the clear word of Scripture. At the Wedding at Cana, where St. John records Christ worked his first miracle, we have a story of an encounter between Christ and His mother. For what reason we do not know, the problem of the wine shortage is brought to Mary. She takes the problem to Christ who responds: What is this to me and you, woman? My hour has not yet come. Idiomatically the statement means, What concern is that of ours? Addressing her as woman is not derogatory as some claim (why would Jesus fail to honor his mother in violation of the law?). Her response to His statement is interesting. She turns to the servants and tells them to do whatever He tells you. At her intercession Christ works His first miracle. Argue with it if you will, but on the plain face of the story that is what happens. Why does St. John record the story? It is certainly a story that points towards the great wedding feast at the end of the age, but Mary plays a central role. This same role is played throughout Scripture in the lives of the righteous. They intercede before God for others and God hears them. Abraham interceded for Sodom and Gomorrah; Moses interceded many times for Israel and God heard him; the stories of these righteous men and women can be multiplied many times over(read Hebrews 11). This same communion of saints has continued through the ages adding to its list those who have followed Christ and in union with Him offered intercession for the world. Those who have known the communion of the saints and their fervent prayer before God on our behalf have known something of the fullness of the Church. For it is they (and us) whom St. Paul has in mind when he says that the Old Testament saints awaited a promise which is now ours, that, together with them, we are made complete (Hebrews 11:40). That promise, of course, is Christ, born of the Holy Spirit and the Most Holy Virgin Mary who is blessed through the ages. Eternal life is to know God, and Jesus Christ Whom He has sent (John 17:3). But the Christ we are called to know is to be known in His fullness. That fullness includes His incarnation and the communion of saints He established when He united Himself to our flesh in the Virgin. Let thy mind fast from vain thoughts; let thy memory fast from remembering evil; let thy will fast from evil desire; let thine eyes fast from bad sights: turn away thine eyes that thou mayest not see vanity; let thine ears fast from vile songs and slanderous whispers; let thy tongue fast from slander, condemnation, blasphemy, falsehood, deception, foul language and every idle and rotten word; let thy hands fast from killing and from stealing another's goods; let thy legs fast from going to evil deeds: Turn away from evil, and do good. - Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk Commemorated August 13

5 Remembering the Beheading of St. John the Baptist Commemorated August 29 In Matthew 14:1-12 we read about the cruel death of John the Baptist. John had publicly reprimanded Herod for taking his brother's wife as his own, so Herod had him imprisoned. Although Herod really wanted John dead, he feared the many people who believed John to be a prophet. [Indeed, we in the Orthodox Church consider him to be the last of the Old Testament prophets.] During his riotous birthday party, Herod was so pleased with the dancing of his wife's daughter Salome that he promised her anything she wanted. Her mother prompted her to say, "the head of John the Baptist on a platter." Even though Herod regretted his promise, he had to abide by it because his guests had heard him. So he commanded that John be beheaded and that the head be given to Salome, who in turn, gave it to her mother. The Orthodox Church keeps this day as a strict fast day (i.e. no meat, fish, dairy, wine or olive oil) as a reminder that we are to live a different style of life than Herod. In memory of this event, some Orthodox Christians keep the custom of not using dishes on this day, since John's head was served on a dish/platter. Instead, only bowls are used. Also, the food that is served on this day should not require the use of a knife, since a sharp instrument was used to behead him. Thus, we are given three ways to remember St. John's beheading: a strict fast, using bowls, eating food that is not cut. This year, incorporate at least one, if not all, of these customs to help your children learn the meaning of this feast day. - compiled by Phyllis Meshel Onest, M.Div. The reason that fasting has an effect on the spirits of evil rests in its powerful effect on our own spirit. A body subdued by fasting brings the human spirit freedom, strength, sobriety, purity, and keen discernment. -St. Ignati Brianchaninov 5th Annual PanOrthodox Women's Retreat Putting On The Whole Armor of God St. Mary of Egypt 925 Beaver Ruin Rd Norcross, GA Saturday August 13 9:00-5:00 Morning prayers Presentation by Hieromonk Cyprian on the Prayer Rope and Overcoming the Passions Potluck Lenten Lunch - please bring a Lenten dish to share Afternoon presentations by Bishop Mark Maymon on Praying with the Psalms Workshop: Tying the Knots of a Prayer Rope* Vigil at 5:00 RSVP to: Anya Gill anyagill@yahoo.com or Debra Xenia Peterson ivyharp@mindspring.com *Please let us know if you will stay for the workshop so we can have basic materials ready for you. And please have the blessing of your Spiritual Father to learn to tie prayer rope knots. Cost: Freewill Offering

6 Pressure washing and sealing of Temple: We are soliciting bids for pressure washing and sealing of the temple. Genuine redwood is very tricky to pressure wash without damage, so we will only be considering businesses or individuals with experience in such work. If you know of anyone who is qualified and interested in the job, please let a member of the parish council know. Sunday School News: Sunday School will begin on September 11 Please contact Anya Gill (anyagill@yahoo.com) with your children s names, ages and grade level We will be offering Sunday School for Preschool through High School Budget: We continue to stay on pace with giving. Thank you for your diligence! Building Committee: The building committee has recently proposed a medium-term to long-term fundraisers that have real potential of us raising money for a building project. The fundraiser establishes an agreement with local retailers (such as Kroger, etc.) so that when we shop with them, the parish gets some money back from the retailer. This program is used by schools and various other institutions with great success, and we are very excited about it! As this project matures, more news will be posted. Hall Cleanliness: And now for a bit of "bad" news: It's recently been noted that our parish hall stays more or less dirty and disheveled. As active parish members, it's important for us to collectively keep our facilities in good condition. To a visitor, our facilities say as much about us as any single person; heaven forbid a visitor being turned away because the bathrooms in the hall looked like they were transplanted from a gas station! Likewise, the accumulation of old furniture and other items that are "donated" to the parish simply add to the clutter. In light of all this, we would like to have a team of volunteers for each of the following areas of the hall: Bathrooms, classrooms, kitchen and storage area, and common areas (the hall itself). Additionally, unless you have a very specific, temporary reason for dropping off furniture, utensils or other "donations", please take the most direct route and take them directly to a thrift store or otherwise dispose of them. We simply do not have space to accumulate donation items. If you're interested in helping out with a regular routine of hall cleaning, or in the temporary job of helping to clear out and dispose of unnecessary donated materials, please let a member of the parish council know. Thank you!

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