Holy Apostles Newsletter

Transcription

1 Holy Apostles Newsletter A Sermon On The Day Of Holy Theophany Слово в день Богоявления St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco Святитель Иоанн, архиепископ Шанхайский и Сан-Франциский January 2019 Holy Apostles Orthodox Mission 3214 N St. Vancouver, WA V. Rev. Matthew Tate, Dean, Mission Deanery Diocese of the WesT Great art Thou, O Lord, and marvelous are Thy works, and there is no word which sufficeth to hymn Thy wonders. «Велий еси Господи и чудна дела Твоя и ни едино слово довольно будет к пению чудес Твоих». Today the nature of the waters is sanctified. Today the Son of God is baptized in the waters of the Jordan, having no need Himself of cleansing, but in order to cleanse the sinful human race from defilement. Now the heavens open and the voice of God the Father is heard: This is My beloved Son. The Holy Spirit descends upon the Savior of the world, Who stands in the Jordan, thereby confirming that this indeed is He Who is the incarnate Son of God. The Holy Trinity is clearly made manifest and is revealed to mankind. The waters of the Jordan are sanctified, and together with them all the waters of creation, the very nature of water. Water is given power to cleanse not only the body, but also man s whole soul, and to regenerate the whole man unto a new life through Baptism. Through water all of nature is cleansed, for out of water the world was made, Днесь вод освящается естество. Днесь Сын Божий крещается в водах Иорданских, не нуждаясь Сам в очищении, но дабы очистить от скверн греховный род человеческий. Разверзаются ныне небеса и слышит глас Бога Отца: «Сей есть Сын Мой возлюбленный». Дух Святый нисходит на стоящего во Иордане Спасителя мiра, подтверждая, что именно Он есть воплотившийся Сын Божий. Является явственно Святая Троица, открывается роду человеческому. Освящаются воды Иорданские, вместе с ними все воды в природе, всё водное естество. Даётся воде сила омывать не только тело, но и всю душу человека, возрождать всего человека к новой жизни через Крещение. Освящается через воду и вся природа, ибо из воды состроен был Continued On Page 3 Upcoming Feast Days, Special Services, and Events Jan 7 - Nativity of Our Lord Jan 11-9am Akathist to the Theotokos Healer of Cancer Jan 14 - Circumcision of The Lord Jan 18 - Eve of Theophany -6pm Vespers w/ Lity Jan 19 - Feast of Holy Theophany -8:30am Hours -9am Divine Liturgy and Festal Potluck -2:30pm Roe v. Wade Pioneer Courthouse Square Jan 20 - Parish Council Meeting Jan 25-9am Paraklesis Feb 10 - Baby Sprinkle for Lena Feb 17 - Annual Parish Meeting Feb 21-9am Diaconate Ordination for Rdr. Church of the Annunciation Mar 24 - Diaconate Ordination for Sbd. Holy Apostles

2 H. A. Newsletter Jan 2019 Community Announcements Please pray for the following members of Holy Apostles and those of the local Orthodox Christian community: Katherine and Dionysius, Anatoly and Lyudmila, Vera, Olga Veter-Eluska, Emilia Vaganova, Lena, Brendan, Dn. Mark, Silouani, and Kh. Judy. Also, please continue to support Katherine and Dion in meeting the heavy burden of their medical bills by contributing to their GoFundMe account: Theophany Services: Vespers w/lity will be served on Friday, January 18th at 6pm followed by 8:30 am Hours and 9 am Divine Liturgy with Blessing of the Waters at the end on Saturday, January 19th. Please bring a festive dish for the potluck to follow! The annual Roe v. Wade Memorial & March will be held at the Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland on Saturday, January 19th at 2:30pm. This will be a very blessed way to extend our fellowship time together after the Theophany services and meal. Come and pray with us and help us to carry the banners in support of the sanctity of life! Parish Council will be meeting on Sunday, January 20th during the fellowship meal. House Blessings! Fr. David will be conducting house blessings for Holy Apostles parishioners between Theophany and the beginning of Great and Holy Lent on March 11th. We will have a signup sheet posted soon online, so watch your for more details. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend the 2019 Parish-Wide Meeting, scheduled for February 17th immediately following the fellowship meal. We ask that the teens please assist us by volunteering to watch the children during this important meeting. Thank you! Holy Apostles is getting two new deacons! Subdeacon Alex and Rdr. Alexei will both receive the Holy Sacrament of Ordination to the Diaconate of the Eastern Orthodox Christian Church. Rdr. Alexei will be ordained at the Church of the Annunciation on February 21st starting at 9am and Sbd. Alex will be ordained at Holy Apostles on Sunday, March 24th. Parish Ministries: Many of you have heard of the Pareto principle or the 80/20 Rule which states that for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. In church ministry this often translates to a ratio wherein roughly 20% of regularly attending parishioners volunteer for 80% of the work. One of our goals for 2019 is to flip this ratio on its head resulting in 80% of parishioners each taking on a 20% share of the volunteer work in our church. During our parish-wide meeting on February 17th we will have a volunteer sign-up sheet for each of the various ministries in our church, so if you have not volunteered before or if it s been a very long time, please consider the ways you could serve God and His little mission church here in Vancouver! Thank you! Save the date! Dear sisterhood of Holy Apostles, Adrienne is planning a little Baby Sprinkle for Lena Cooper on the afternoon of Sunday, February 10th. The newest Cooper baby boy is due on March 11th and their gift registry is here: Project Mexico! Stephanie Johnson is currently taking a survey to see if it would be possible for the Holy Apostles Youth to participate on a Home Building team for Project Mexico this year. If you and or your young adult age 14 and up would be interested in participating in this wonderful ministry, please contact Stephanie (sajohnson1970@gmail.com) no later than January 31st. Project Mexico provides safe, secure, permanent homes for poor families in Baja California. The mission provides sturdy structures and a foundation for families to build a better future. With the help of thousands of volunteers, they have made a difference. For more information about Project Mexico please visit the website

3 H. A. Newsletter Jan 2019 Theophany Sermon Continued from page 1 and moisture penetrates everywhere, giving life to everything else in nature. Without moisture neither animals nor plants can live; moisture penetrates into rocks, into every place in the world. The waters are sanctified and through them the whole world, in preparation for renewal and regeneration for God s eternal Kingdom which is to come. Every year on this day the glory of God is revealed, renewing and confirming what was accomplished at Christ s Baptism. Again the heavens are opened; again the Holy Spirit descends. We do not see this with our bodily eyes, but we sense its power. At the rite of blessing, the waters which are thereby sanctified are transformed; they become incorruptible and retain their freshness for many years. Everyone can see this - both believers and unbelievers, both the wise and the ignorant. Whence does the water acquire this property? It is the action of the Holy Spirit. Those who with faith drink these waters and anoint themselves with them receive relief and healing from spiritual and bodily infirmities. Homes are sanctified by these waters, the power of demons is expelled, God s blessing is brought down upon all that is sprinkled with these waters. Through the sanctifying of the waters God s blessing is again imparted to the whole world, cleansing it from the sins we have committed and guarding it from the machinations of the devil. Today the Holy Spirit, descending up on the waters when the Cross of Christ is immersed into them, descends upon all of nature. Only in man He cannot enter without his will. Let us open our hearts and souls to receive Him and with faith cry from the depths of our souls: Great art Thou, O Lord, and marvelous are Thy works, and there is no word which sufficeth to hymn Thy wonders. мip и всюду проникает влага, оживотворяя все остальное в природе. Без влаги не могут жить ни животные, ни растения, проникает влага в каменья и во все места вселенной. Освящаются воды, освящается через них вся вселенная, приуготовляясь к обновлению и возрождению для грядущего вечного Царства Божия. Ежегодно в сей день проявляется Слава Божия, обновляя и подтверждая при Крещении Христовом совершившееся. Ныне снова разверзли небеса, снова нисходит Дух Святый. Не видим то телесным оком, но ощущаем того силу. Освящаемые воды при совершении священнодействия изменяются, становятся нетленными, сохраняются многие годы. То могут видеть все, и верующие и неверующие, и мудрые и невежды. Откуда получают то свойство воды? То действие Святого Духа. С верою их пьющие и мажущиеся ими получают облегчение и исцеление от немощей душевных и телесных, ими освящаются жилища, изгоняется сила бесовская, низводится благословение Божие на окропляемое ими. Через освящение воды благословение Божие снова подается всему мipy, очищая его от совершаемых нами грехов и ограждая от козней диавольских. Ныне Дух Святый, нисходя на воды при погружении в них Креста Христова, нисходит на всю природу. Не может только в человека войти без его воли. Раскроем же сердца и души наши к приятию Его и с верой из глубины души воззовем: «Велий еси Господи и чудна дела Твоя и ни едино слово довольно будет к пению чудес Твоих». Theophany of our Lord, Troparion, Tone I When Thou, O Lord, wast baptized in the Jordan, the worship of the Trinity was made manifest; for, the voice of the Father bare witness unto Thee, calling Thee His beloved Son; and the Spirit in the form of a dove confirmed the certainty of His word. O Christ our God, Who hast appeared and enlightened the world, glory be to Thee! Kontakion, Tone IV Thou hast appeared today to the whole world, and Thy light, O Lord, hath been signed upon us who hymn Thee with understanding. Thou hast come, Thou hast appeared, the Light unapproachable. Тропарь праздника, глас 1. Во Иорда не креща ющуся Тебе, Го споди, Тро йческое яви ся поклоне ние: Роди телев бо глас свиде тельствоваше Тебе, возлю бленного Тя Сы на имену я, и Дух в ви де голуби не, изве ствоваше словесе утвержде ние. Явле йся Христе Бо же, и мир просвеще й, сла ва Тебе. Кондак праздника, глас 4. Яви лся еси днесь вселе нней, и свет Твой, Го споди, зна менася на нас, в ра зуме пою щих Тя: прише л еси, и яви лся еси, Свет Непристу пный.

4 H. A. Newsletter Jan 2019 A Letter of Introduction by Fr. David Lowell Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, What a warm group of people God has called together here at Holy Apostles. I have been so intent on getting to know all of you, I have not taken the time to say much about myself, so here is a bit of my background. From 1986 through 2009, Elaine and I worked at Raphael House in downtown San Francisco, a shelter for homeless families. We lived in the shelter as well, a good sized building (37,000 square feet), raised our two children, Gregory and Victoria, from infancy through their first year in college at Raphael House. What is it like living in the same place you work? Some of you know: short commute. Gregory is now an Army Staff Sergeant at JB Lewis- McChord outside Tacoma. Victoria is an architect in Irvine, California. I grew up in the Methodist Church. My father s work in the budding space program moved us around a lot. In the 1950s we visited the Cape to watch missile tests, moved down in 1962 a month before the Cuban missile crisis. The Apollo Program took us to Alabama where I graduated High School, had my first job at Huntsville s Redstone Arsenal where the huge 7,500,000 horsepower booster stage for the Saturn 5 rocket was being built. The ground shook twenty miles away when they tested it. Two stories high when lying on its side, the booster stage was eventually put on a barge, floated down rivers to the Gulf of Mexico, then around to the Cape. The next summer I worked on Cape Canaveral. I was a liberal arts major with no career trajectory in sciences or engineering, but fortunately they hired a few entry level students to walk design changes from one building to another. It was back before the days of fax or . Everything was couriered by hand. Perfect summer job, very little training required. I graduated from Birmingham-Southern College in 1971 with a degree in Religion and Philosophy, was accepted into Drew University. But before starting graduate studies, I came across a little chapel of the group which became Christ the Saviour Brotherhood. Instead of graduate school, I joined the Brotherhood in I had a great string of jobs in my twenties and early thirties, bobtail trucks, usually. I enjoyed loading docks and distribution, and the opportunity to be out and driving around. One of my favorite jobs in the mid-seventies was driving a truck for the Salvation Army throughout Delaware and Maryland; my helpers from the program shared a trove of insider information about alcoholic lifestyles, AA groups, and recovery. The job I remember most nostalgically was delivering wholesale meat in Northern Nevada. What I loved about these jobs was the folks I met, getting to know all sorts of people, all walks of life. I had some jobs I hated, too, but even those stretched me in new ways. It would be churlish to complain. In 1986 I moved to Raphael House in San Francisco, a shelter for homeless families. Elaine and I married in the Raphael House Chapel. I worked as a caseworker for the first five and a half years, became the Intake Coordinator in 1989, loved every minute of that job. The shelter had 18 bedrooms for residential families, each family having their own room or rooms, depending on the size of the family. We had two dining rooms, each family sitting at their own table. Dinner servers (volunteers) served the meals. The shelter operated smoothly because the patterns were consistent. Children quickly settled in and the parents were impressed by how much the children enjoyed predictable patterns. We had a Waldorf-inspired children s program, lots of art, and story time before bed. Elaine and I started out with one bedroom for the whole family through the birth of our two children. Gregory and Victoria, both born there, had homebirths that went smoothly. A few weeks after Victoria was born, we got a second room. It felt so spacious. Later we had a small apartment at the back of the building. We began our study of Orthodoxy Christianity in We read the Desert Fathers, the writings of Fr. Seraphim Rose, and a number of other books I see in our parish library upstairs. We took it slow at first, trying to see how all of us might convert together as a community, As you can imagine, some people wanted to make the leap right away. Their question: What s taking so long? Others needed more time to learn and be exposed to the services. Their question: What s the big hurry? We deal with these same questions with new Catechumens all the time, especially with couples and families. What s the hurry? What s taking so long? We were trained by the Monks from Platina, CA. In the Spring of 1988 I was baptized at the St Herman of Alaska Monastery in the runoff stream from the melting snow further up the mountain. During those years we also visited the community in Ben Lomond to compare our journey alongside theirs in a neighborly way as they moved from Evangelical Christianity into Orthodox life in the Antiochian Archdiocese. Christ the Saviour Brotherhood elected to stay in the same jurisdiction as the monks at Platina, a non-canonical old calendar Greek jurisdiction. It was a stepping stone for us before we came into the Orthodox Church in America. One of our Brotherhood s Chapels was in Northwest Portland under the pastoral leadership of Fr Nicholas Letten. That chapel grew into our present parish, Holy Apostles. A few of you go all the way back, know Fr Nicholas quite well, still see him when you visit the Church of the Annunciation in Milwaukie. In 1991 I became the executive director of Raphael

5 H. A. Newsletter Jan 2019 House. We hired more staff and had a growing payroll to meet, recruited a fine board of directors from the community at large, and had an active Development office to raise funds. It was our choice to remain free of government funding. Elaine worked in the Development office and was in charge of special events for some of that time. The annual budget was 450k in 1989, increased to 650k the following year, reached 1.2 million by When I retired from Raphael House in 2009, the budget was 2.3 million dollars a year. Today Raphael House of San Francisco is in its 48th year, and I am very proud of it. While in San Francisco, I was the second priest at Holy Trinity Cathedral, where Archbishop Benjamin is now. I am still assigned there, even though I live in Portland. The reason is that I serve temporary assignments on behalf of the Diocese as a whole. Makes it simpler for him and me both. From late 2009 through 2013 I served as Rector of Holy Transfiguration Cathedral in Denver, an OCA Parish. From there, Elaine and I moved to Cambridge, UK where I earned a Masters Degree in Pastoral Theology through the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies. Now I do interim assignments in the Diocese of the West, wherever Archbishop Benjamin needs me. I served ten months in Menlo Park, a Russian speaking parish. After that I served a ten month transitional stint in Calhan, Colorado at a wonderful Slovak parish in the high plains, 6500 feet above sea level. It is in our Diocese, but is 1200 miles to the east, This is a huge Diocese! Now I am here in the warm and loving Holy Apostles Parish in Vancouver, WA until May of this year. My next assignment is already scheduled. I take over from Fr. George Gray after June 30th when he retires at St. Nicholas in Portland until their new priest takes charge in September, What else? I was on the Board of St Herman of Alaska Seminary in Kodiak from I am now on the Board of the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies in Cambridge, England, fly back a couple times a year for meetings. I have previously served on the board of OCCIF, the loan fund for Orthodox churches, and the Fund for International Non-Profit Development which provided small grants to start up NGOs in Russia in the early and mid-1990s. I have served on the Diocesan and Metropolitan Councils, am a member of the Department of Pastoral Life for the OCA, and can t help but enjoy issues related to leadership and accountability. Elaine and I are voracious readers. Elaine reads mysteries, young adult fiction, classic children s stories, good fiction generally. For myself, In addition to theological and scriptural studies (allow me to refrain from mentioning predictable titles), I am also an avid reader of political and economic history, from all angles. The Frankfurt School, critical theory, Hofstadter, Hayek, Habermas, whatever I can get my hands on...and the Arts. There is so much to learn and see. I m always trying to absorb more. I am 70 years old...definitely not your priest of the future, but very much here now.. Let s not put off getting to know each other. This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. With Love in Christ, Fr. David Lowell God Grant You Many Years! Многая лета! Feast Days - Holy Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen 12/27 (1/9) Stefan Ivkin - St. Juliana of Lazarevo 1/2 (1/15) Juliana Ivkin - St. Seraphim of Sarov 1/2 (1/15) Rdr. Seraphim - St. Genevieve 1/3 (1/16) Genevieve Namee -Holy Prophet Micah 1/5 (1/18) Micah Namee - St. Theophan the Recluse 1/10 (1/23) Theofan Ivkin Birthdays Sophia Burkett - January 1 Ilya Cable - January 2 Adrienne Bocci-Disanto - January 10 Dustin Keirstead - January 10 Sebastiana Ivkin - January 17 Mike Thrift - January 18 Elizabeth Beckel - January 19 wedding Anniversaries Greg and Stephanie Johnson - January 2

6 H. A. Newsletter Jan 2019 Deacons in the Orthodox Tradition The Deacon is the first step of the major orders of clergy in the Orthodox Church, following the bishop and the presbyter. The word deacon (in Greek διάκονος) means server and originally it referred to a person who waited on tables. In the Orthodox Church, the diaconate is not just a step to priesthood; many deacons have no intention of ever becoming priests. The diaconate itself is a permanent office, as a position for full or part time service to the work of the Church. Originally deacons of the Church assisted the bishops in good deeds and works of charity. But at some time in recent centuries the diaconate became an almost exclusive liturgical function where the deacons only assist at the celebration of the Church services, while helping in other areas like any other knowledgeable member of the laity. Sacramentally, all deacons are equal. However, they are ranked and serve by seniority according to the date of their ordination. Just as with bishops and presbyters, there are distinctions of administrative rank among deacons. A senior deacon of a cathedral or principal church may be awarded the title protodeacon and claim precedence when serving with other deacons. The chief deacon who is attached to the person of a bishop is called an archdeacon. A deacon who is also a monastic is called a hierodeacon. All higher clergy, priests and bishops, must first be ordained and serve as deacons. Because Christ came not to be served, but to serve, so, too, all those who receive the grace of the Holy Spirit to Holy Orders must, likewise, pass through their service as deacons. Ordination A deacon s ordination takes place after the consecration of the Holy Gifts during a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, by virtue of the fact that he does not participate in the consecration himself. After being led around the altar thrice, he kneels on one knee at the altar to await the laying on of hands. His first liturgical act is the final Litany of Thanksgiving before the dismissal of this Liturgy. Deacon s vestments The vestments of the deacon are the sticharion, the orarion, and the epimanikia. All degrees of clergy wear the sticharion. The sticharion is a long-sleeved tunic that reaches all the way to the ground. It reminds the wearer that the grace of the Holy Spirit covers him as with a garment of salvation and joy. For deacons, the sticharion has wide sleeves and is made of a heavier fabric than that of the priest and bishop, who wear their sticharia under other vestments. The distinctive vestment of the deacon is the orarion. The orarion is a narrow band of material that the deacon wears wrapped around his body and draped over his left shoulder. It represents the grace of the Holy Spirit that in ordination anoints the deacon like oil. It is the principal vestment of the deacon and without it he cannot serve. When the deacon leads the people in prayers or invites them to attention he holds one end of his orarion in his right hand and raises it. The final parts of a deacon s vestments are the epimanika. The epimanikia are cuffs that are worn around the wrists, tied by a long cord. These are also worn by the bishop and priest. They serve the practical purpose of keeping the inner garments out of the way during the services. They also remind the wearer that he serves not by his own strength but with the help of God. Only those in major orders wear the epimanika. Holy Apostles Future Deacons Sbd. Alex & Rdr. Alexei w/ Fr. David Duties The deacon ministers to the priest and bishop in the divine services. This includes: Preaching the Gospel of Christ (with the blessing of the presiding priest or bishop) Assisting in the celebration of the all of the Holy Mysteries of the Church Leading the people in the collective prayers (with the blessing of the presiding priest or bishop) Reading from the Scriptures during the divine services (with the blessing of the presiding priest or bishop) Keeping the decorum of the public worship, including calling people to attention at appropriate times Any tasks of the subdeacon or reader Administrating the charitable and/or educational work of the Diocese, Deanery/Vicariate or Parish Other tasks related to Church life, with the blessing and direction of his priest or bishop. In some jurisdictions, a deacon may be blessed by his bishop and parish priest to distribute the Eucharist to the faithful, either from a second chalice at a regular liturgy where a priest is serving or in connection with a typika service that is celebrated when the priest is absent. What a deacon does may depend on jurisdiction some consider the diaconate as a short interval before the priesthood but, where permanency or longevity in the diaconate is prized, deacons will often head educational programs and youth groups, perform hospital visitation, missionary work, and conduct social welfare projects. Deacons wear a cassock; this is done as a sign of his suppression of his own will and desires, and his canonical obedience to God, his bishop and the liturgical and canonical norms of the Church. In jurisdictions that utilize clergy shirts, deacons generally wear a clergy shirt with collar. During services, the deacon is usually vested in a sticharion with an orarion that hangs over the left shoulder; with the exception of around the consecration of Communion, when the deacon will, for practicality, arrange his sticharion like a subdeacon. The place of a deacon is to serve the community and to lead prayers. He must have the blessing of the presiding priest or bishop to put on his vestments and serve. A deacon may not celebrate the sacraments by himself; he may not give blessings; he may not consecrate the Holy Gifts. In addition, to complete his duties, the deacon is permitted to touch the Table of Oblation, the Altar, and to move through the Royal Doors. Source: major-orders/deacon/