SOPHIA. Inside: THE JOURNAL OF THE MELKITE CATHOLIC EPARCHY OF NEWTON. How great are your works, O LORD! In wisdom you have wrought them all!

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1 Volume 43, Number 2 Spring 2013 SOPHIA THE JOURNAL OF THE MELKITE CATHOLIC EPARCHY OF NEWTON SOPHIA (Psalm How great are your works, O LORD! In wisdom you have wrought them all! 103:24) Inside: Orthodox and Catholic Breakthrough? Page 7 Appeal of the Eastern Catholic Patriarchs Page 11 The Importance of Spiritual Reading Page 20

2 Contents SOPHIA THE JOURNAL OF THE MELKITE CATHOLICS IN THE UNITED STATES PO Box 189, Temecula, CA Phone: Fax: Published quarterly by the Eparchy of Newton. ISSN Made possible in part by the Catholic Home Mission Committee and a bequest of the Rev. Allen Maloof. PUBLISHER: EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: COPY EDITOR: PRODUCTION: DESIGN AND LAYOUT: EPARCHY OF NEWTON FOR MOST REV. NICHOLAS J. SAMRA, EPARCHIAL BISHOP Rt. Rev. Archimandrite James Babcock Rev. James Graham Deacon Paul Leonarczyk Doreen Tahmoosh-Pierson SOPHIA ADVISORY BOARD Dr. Fran Colie, Rev. George Gallaro, Very Rev. Lawrence Gosselin, Deacon Paul Leonarczyk, Rt. Rev. Michael Skrocki, Rev. Justin Rose Submissions Deadline All materials (photos/articles/ parish news) for the Spring issue of SOPHIA magazine are due June 1, Share with us! Have you ever dreamed of being a writer? Perhaps having your voice heard on the printed page? Is there a subject that you have wanted to address or a story that you are excited to tell? We would love to hear from you! SOPHIA welcomes and encourages updates and photos from all of our parishes and also invites manuscripts, articles, and letters to the editor from parishioners. Submissions will be subject to review by the editorial staff and only those approved by the publisher will be published. All submissions can be sent to: sophiamelkite@gmail.com USPS: SOPHIA Letterbox PO Box 189 Temecula, CA Phone: Fax: The Publisher waives all copyright to this issue. Contents may be distributed free and without special permission in publications that are distributed free. Wherever possible, please include a credit line, indicating the name of SOPHIA magazine. Unsolicited manuscripts, articles, and letters to the editor are welcomed. The editors assume no responsibility for lost manuscripts or photos. The content of all articles, past, present and future, remains the expressed personal opinion of the individual author and may not reflect, in its entirety, the opinion of the Melkite Eparchy of Newton. In This Issue Like, Wow!...3 The Work of Your Bishop Around the Diocese...4 The Election of Pope Francis...7 Orthodox and Catholic Breakthrough?...8 Why a Greek Deacon at the Papal Liturgy?...10 Pope Francis an Authentic Pastor...11 Appeal of His Beatitude Gregorios III...12 Appeal of the Eastern Catholic Patriarchs...13 My Journey to Priesthood...14 When the Fishermen Were Filled with Wisdom...17 East and West One Church...18 Orthodox at the Vatican...19 The Two Lungs...21 The Importance of Spiritual Reading...22 San Diego Eastern Catholic Encounter...25 What s Your Melkite IQ?...26 Teens Now and Then...28 Cliff Falls...29 Habitat for Humanity...30 St. Joseph Parish Celebrates 115 Years...31 NAMY Conference...32 Captivating...33 Navigating the Eparchy S ophia Spring 2013

3 Breaking news! Well, not exactly, but so much has been happening recently it s hard to keep up. First of all, in Rome we have a new Pope, Francis, and it seems that he s off to a great start with his focus on the poor and disenfranchised. He has also shown great deference to the Eastern Church leaders. For the first time in one thousand years, the Patriarch of Constantinople was present at the papal installation along with a good representation of Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox leaders. Our own Patriarch, Gregorios III, also participated along with other Eastern Catholic Patriarchs. It was like, WOW! Let us all pray for the success of the papacy of Francis, which seems filled with so much potential. In addition to the papal election, we have a new Antiochian Orthodox Patriarch, John X. Axios! A new Coptic Orthodox Pope, Tawadros. Axios! A new Ethiopian Orthodox Patriarch Catholicos, Mathias. Axios! A new Coptic Catholic Patriarch, Sidrak. Axios! A new Chaldean Catholic Patriarch, Louis Rafael. Axios! And the Anglicans have a new Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin, who will face the monumental task of uniting a much-divided church. Locally, our own beloved Bishop Nicholas has been traversing the continent visiting the communities in the West. Be sure to read his very interesting comments in this issue. The West Coast of our Eparchy is a long-neglected place; thus its communities face many unique challenges of rebirth and reorganization. Please keep these communities in your prayers. So, what should all these events mean to us? Our Lord, Jesus, has said, Behold, I make all things new. Certainly we should have all experienced this in the past few weeks as we gathered to celebrate the passion, death, and resurrection of our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ. He makes us new, beginning with our baptism, but it s our responsibility to make sure that we have a synergistic relationship with Him through participating in the life and mysteries of His Church. Therefore, let us take advantage of all the blessings God is showering upon us in the form of new leaders, new directions, and new ideas, and make sure that Like, Wow! by Rt. Rev. Archimandrite James Babcock Editor-in-Chief we incorporate them into our lives. We must pray for our spiritual leaders, and pray and work to increase vocations to the priesthood and diaconate, as well as to monasticism. Let us take advantage of educational opportunities that strengthen our faith. Let us cast off the bad habit of only going to church on Sunday or, worse yet, only going to church occasionally. Let s make every day count. Our time in this life is short and maybe we have gotten lazy and lost focus. Now that we have an energetic bishop, a good steward of our church, and new spiritual leaders throughout the world, we have our chance to reinvent ourselves along more spiritual lines, practicing virtuous deeds, enhancing our prayer life, reorienting our spiritual focus on others who may be less fortunate than ourselves. It is my hope that by reading the various articles in SOPHIA we may implement some of the wisdom found in these pages, that with God s blessings we may become more God-like and inspire others to do likewise. I pray that God will shower His abundant blessings upon all who take time to read SOPHIA magazine. From the Editor OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT Appointed: Fr. James Graham Pastor St. Joseph Parish Lansing, Michigan Ordained: Deacon Ephrem Kardouh a member of the Basilian Salvatorian Order, to the holy priesthood by the laying on of hands by His Grace, Bishop Nicholas at Annunciation Cathedral in Boston where he has been serving. Axios! Worthy! Mustahiq! Memory Eternal: Archdeacon Elias Sahyouni of Saint John the Baptist Parish, Northlake, IL. May he rest in a place of light, a place of happiness, a place peace, where there is no pain, no grief, no sighing but everlasting life. Our condolences to his family. Spring 2013 S ophia 3

4 From the Bishop My beloved Melkites, During my year-and-one-half as your Eparchial Bishop, I have certainly been at work, first in my office in West Roxbury, MA, and second in visiting parishes. At my enthronement speech in 2011 and again at the September 2012 Clergy Conference I spoke about pastoral visitation to parishes. I emphasized that I prefer to visit each community for approximately five days so that I can meet with many of the members, particularly the parish pastoral council, finance council, property council, and any parish organizations ladies and men, and particularly youth and religious education catechists and students. I want to get a full view of the life of each parish. Of course, with a five-day visitation, I cannot visit all 43 communities in one year. In these 18 months I have also made shorter visits to several parishes for special events: ordinations, anniversaries, and special liturgies. In each community I meet so many people some whom I have known for many years, and others I am meeting for the first time. It is always a joy to encounter those who knew me as a younger priest and now see them married with families of their own. My gray hair speaks well for the years gone by. At least God has blessed me, still, with a good amount of hair on my head! Last year we were able to purchase a bishop s residence. When our properties in Newton, MA, were sold, the plan was to build a Chancery Office on the Cathedral property and purchase a home for the bishop. The home was quietly forgotten for a while. Living and working in my office building was not healthy. We were blessed to find a nice-sized condo just two miles from the office and it is very comfortable as a home. We were also blessed to purchase it, with the advice of the Eparchial Finance Council and the consent of the Eparchial Consultors, for a very good price in fact it has already The Work of Your Bishop around the Diocese by Most Rev. Nicholas Samra Eparchial Bishop of Newton increased in value by $100,000. I furnished it with my furniture from my Warren, MI, residence at no cost to the Eparchy. I moved into the new home on July 18, Anytime you visit Boston you are most welcome to stop by and see this great investment. Many other life-events have taken place since I gave a synopsis of my eparchial work at last summer s convention. When at home, I celebrate at the Cathedral for various feasts and Sundays. I visited Columbus, OH, for the 30th anniversary of Father Ignatius Harrington at Holy Resurrection Church. New families are arriving and the community grows. In August I celebrated Divine Liturgy for the Dormition at the Maronite Shrine in Youngstown, OH; we were blessed with parishioners and clergy from our Cleveland and Akron parishes to lead a full church in community singing. I also had the opportunity to visit St. John the Baptist parish in Chicago (Northlake), IL, for the retirement of Archimandrite Angel Marzal, who has celebrated a Byzantine Liturgy there in Spanish for almost 25 years. About 250 people of Hispanic origin worship there every Sunday. September saw the happy occasion of the ordination as Deacon of Marwan Kardouh, BSO, at St. Basil Salvatorian Center in Methuen, MA. Coincidentally, the day of his ordination came exactly 50 years after the day I began my seminary formation there. Thank God for His blessings over these many years. As you have read before, I chaired three Encounters of the Eastern Catholic Churches and was the closing speaker at each. We met in September in Cleveland, OH; in October in Hillsborough, NJ; and in November in Los Angeles, CA. We had a great table for Sophia Press and Educational Services Books and God blessed us again. Over 750 clergy and laity of all Eastern Catholic Churches participated. Since the Encounter was so well received, our committee has decided to present the same program in Orlando, FL, at the end of January The eparchial clergy conference took place in St. Louis, MO, at the end of September with most priests and some deacons present. Our speaker was Fr. Deacon John Chryssavgis of the Greek Orthodox Church, who spoke on the renewal of the diaconate. We chose this theme because our deacon formation program is undergoing some changes and updating. Maronite Bishop Robert Shaheen graciously hosted our Divine Liturgy at the Maronite Cathedral of St. Raymond. A classmate from St. Basil Seminary, Chorbishop Joseph Kaddo, celebrated his 40th anniversary of priesthood in Fall River, MA, in October. It was a great celebration of a holy priest. Another highlight of October, and I pray for many more of the same, was the priestly ordination in Chicago of Fr. Musil Shihadeh. St John Church was over-packed for this great joyous event. Axios to Fr. Musil! One week later I flew to Montreal for the anniversary celebrations of Bishop Ibrahim Ibrahim, Eparchial Bishop in Canada. Great celebrations were held and Hurricane Sandy forced me to remain there several extra days. It was great sharing with a brother bishop and meeting his clergy. My attendance at the USCCB (US Conference of Catholic Bishops) meeting in Baltimore in November had to be interrupted for the funeral of Archimandrite George Dagher, BSO, at St. Basil Seminary. I worked many years during my seminary days with Father George and served full time at St. Joseph parish nearby in Lawrence, MA, during my final year in the Seminary. May the memory of this blessed priest be eternal. While in Baltimore, I had the opportunity to briefly visit Holy Transfiguration Church in McLean, VA, where I blessed Daniel Woltornist as Reader and Subdeacon and shared the hospitality of 4 S ophia Spring 2013

5 the active parish community. Another joy-filled event took me to St. John Chrysostom parish in Atlanta, GA, in November for the ordination of Sami Jajeh as Deacon and Elie Hanna as Reader and Subdeacon. Fr. John Azar had everything planned perfectly. From November 30 until December 5, I visited and met with Melkite families in Houston, TX. We are developing an outreach (preliminary to a mission) there, greatly assisted by Fr. Elias Rafaj, a Ruthenian priest who now celebrates weekly liturgies for the 45 Melkite families so far registered. Their enthusiasm is great and it was difficult to keep them calm when they kept requesting a priest. God will provide! Finally I began my planned longer pastoral visits. In December I visited St. John of the Desert in Phoenix, AZ, for six days and met with the parish organizations. I found an active growing parish under the leadership of Fr. Peter Boutros, assisted so well by Khouriyeh Simone. I blessed Zyad Abyad as Reader and Subdeacon and look forward to his diaconal ordination this year. From Phoenix I tried to take a twoweek break at my condo in Palm Desert, CA, but at the same time visited Holy Cross, Placentia, CA, on the Sunday before Christmas to install Fr. Francois Beyrouti as pastor a great celebration. From there I went on to St. Anne, North Hollywood (my first parish assignment in 1970), for Christmas liturgies and to install Archimandrite Fouad Sayegh as pastor. On the Sunday after Christmas I celebrated at St. Philip Church in San Bernardino and in between got some needed rest in Palm Desert. Have I tired you out yet? Well, the tale of 2013 begins now. A full five-day pastoral visit to St. Joseph Community in Seattle, WA, surprised me with more enthusiasm than I expected. I met with the community and celebrated Liturgy, and implored a new spark of life for them, which I hope they will continue to keep aglow. Fr. Samir Abu-Lail is actively serving this community. In February I flew to Miami, FL, to address some issues with some parish members, which we hope to rectify soon. Archimandrite Damon Geiger is an active force in the parish growth. The blizzard of February 2013 stranded me for almost five days in Miami since Boston airport closed and the airlines had no available flights to get me home. Did I complain? Honestly, no! Would you complain about getting stuck in Miami s 82-degree heat versus Boston s blizzard? Two more full pastoral visits were made in February: to Virgin Mary, Temecula/San Marcos, and St. Jacob, San Diego, CA. Archimandrite James Babcock is the new pastor of both until we can assign another priest for one of the communities. I must say that a new life is necessary there, because after twenty-two years as missions, both are still weak and have no permanent churches or homes. We talked much about the many problems there and tried to inject a new spirit in the many families. Please pray especially for Fr. Jim as he tries to rebuild these communities. I enjoyed a great family event while in Southern California. My aunt Anne Rembisz, my father s sister and the only one left of my father s twelve siblings, celebrated her 90th birthday on a lunch cruise in Newport Beach Harbor. I was unfortunately not able to be present for another family party on Palm Sunday celebrating the 90th birthday of my mother s sister, Josephine Hajjar, on March 17. Hang on some more! Two more full pastoral visits were made in March: to St Elias Mission in San Jose, CA, and St Jacob future at work... He will send workers to His vineyard... St. George Parish in Sacramento, for five days in each. I was pleasantly surprised. Both communities are showing growth and activity. San Jose has some new families who got right into action by beginning a Sunday School program with 23 already participating. Fr. George Khoury from Galilee serves the parish by traveling a great distance and now we see a full church weekly. Since Fr. George lives an hour and fifteen minutes away, I appointed a lay administrator, Fathi Massoud, who formed an Action Committee. I met with them, Continued on page 6 From the Bishop Part of Saint Jacobs parishioners posing to with his Grace during his visit to San Diego Spring 2013 S ophia 5

6 From the Bishop The Work of Your Bishop Continued from page 5 the catechists, the students, and the ladies society to be. I moved on to a five-day visit in Sacramento. Fr. Brendan McAnerny, OP, a Dominican order priest, serves as pastor. Major renovations to the church facility have provided classroom space. Marshall Rose (our webmaster and a deacon candidate) formed an education program with eleven catechists and thank God already 46 children regularly coming. The community filled the church to overflowing and I met with all the committees. The already active community is now more vibrant and growing. I honored Marshall at the request of the pastor with the Archbishop Tawil Award for vision and excellence. I was also requested to bestow the Patriarchal Cross of Jerusalem to Reader Fred Struck, who has led the congregation in all the liturgical services for 25-plus years, and to Elias Zumot, who has also served the parish untiringly for many years and is present at every service, weekdays and Sundays. Well, now I am tired, writing all this and recognizing that a lot has taken place. Much has also happened and continues to happen in the Chancery with reorganization and updating. As I write, Holy Week is just a few days away. I will begin it on Palm Sunday at St Joseph Church in Lawrence, MA; the rest of Holy Week I will be at the Cathedral and I greet you from now: Christ is risen! He is truly risen! Keep me in your prayers as I continue to serve our Church. I mentioned early on in this letter that I met so many people. One in particular sticks in my mind from Christmas morning. As I was walking from the North Hollywood rectory to the church for Liturgy, I saw a young man with a great smile approaching me. He looked somewhat familiar. After greeting me, he told me, I m Cliff Shiepe. Wow! I had not seen him since my transfer from St. Anne Church in 1978; he was then ten years old. I had known part of the Shiepe family in Lawrence, MA, when I was a seminarian. His family moved to Los Angeles in 1973 and they were active parishioners at St. Anne s. Cliff went on to tell me that I had a good impact on his life; I felt honored yet humbled. We met the next day he drove to see me in Palm Desert, we shared lunch, and I learned a fantastic story that needs to be told. So please look further in this issue of SOPHIA for a story on Cliff and a review of his first novel. I m sure you will share my joy too as you read about him. I feel it is so important to tell the stories of our young, active Melkites. So there you have a bit of my news and travels all for the glory of God and the building up of our Church in the USA. CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS TRULY RISEN! Your Bishop and Shepherd, NICHOLAS Pray for Syria 6 S ophia Spring 2013

7 VATICAN CITY, March 13, 2013 (Zenit.org) Here is a translation of the brief greeting Pope Francis gave from the central balcony of St. Peter's Square following his election as the Successor of St. Peter in Rome. The Election of Pope Francis Papal Election * * * Brothers and sisters, good evening! You know that the duty of the Conclave was to give a bishop to Rome. It seems as though my brother cardinals went almost to the end of the world to get him. But here we are. I thank you for your welcome. The diocesan community of Rome has a bishop. Thank you! Before all else, I would like to say a prayer for our Bishop Emeritus Benedict XVI. Let us all pray together for him, that the Lord may bless him and that Our Lady may watch over him [Our Father Hail Mary Glory be] And now let us begin this journey, [together] as bishop and people. This journey of the Church of Rome, which is to preside over all the Churches in charity. It is a journey of fraternity, of love, of trust between us. Let us always pray for one another. Let us pray for the world, so that a great brotherhood may be created. I hope that this journey of the Church, which we begin today and in which my Cardinal Vicar who is present here will assist me, will be fruitful for the Evangelization of this beautiful city. And now I would like to give you my blessing. But before I do, I would like to ask you a favor: before the bishop blesses the people, I ask you to pray to the Lord that He bless me.the prayer of the people for a blessing upon their bishop. Let us take a moment of silence for you to offer your prayer for me. [Silence the Holy Father bows] Now I will give you my blessing Photo courtesy of Reuters courtesy Mirror Online and to the whole world, to all men and women of good will. [Pope s blessing] Brothers and Sisters, I leave you now. Thank you for your welcome. Pray for me. And we ll see one another again soon. Tomorrow I want to go and pray to Our Lady, asking her to watch over Rome. Good night and have a good rest. The first seminary is the home where a Christian atmosphere is experienced by the young! That is where the seed for future priests is planted early. Is your home a place where this seed is planted, nourished and encouraged to grow? Office of Vocations vocations@melkite.org Spring 2013 S ophia 7

8 Ecumenism orthodox and Catholic Breakthrough? pope Francis Embraces My Brother andrew by Deacon Keith Fournier 3/22/2013. Catholic Online ( Pope Francis has made it clear. He will continue the work toward the day when the two lungs of the Church, East and West, breathe together again. On March 20, 2013 Pope Francis addressed the ecumenical guests who had attended his installation. He began with warm words to the Orthodox brethren, specifically addressing Patriarch Bartholomew, First of all, heartfelt thanks for what my Brother Andrew told us. Thank you so much! Thank you so much! The two had met in a private meeting. The Patriarch of Constantinople expressed his hope that the two could meet in Jerusalem later this year and issued an invitation of historic significance. (Catholic Online) - First, I want to share my heart with my readers. I long for the full communion of the Orthodox and Catholic Church. I pray daily for the full communion of the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. I do so because I believe it is the will of God that All May be One (John 17: 21). I am also persuaded that the healing of the division between the two sister churches would unleash a profound renewal of the entire Church at the dawn of this new missionary age. I believe that the gifts found in the whole Church will enrich both East and West and assist us in the One mission which we must face together in our One Lord. I believe that as the West implodes under the fierce ravages of what His Holiness Benedict XVI called a Dictatorship of Relativism it is only the fullness of truth revealed in Jesus Christ which can save the West from its own demise. The West needs the Church, in the strength of its full witness, East and West, to become its soul in an age which is lost because it has lost its moral compass. As a revert, one who returned to my Catholic faith as a young man, I walked the way home by way of the early Church Fathers. Had I not been baptized a Catholic of the Latin Rite, I might have become an Eastern Christian. As the decades of my life have unfolded, including my theological studies and ordination to the Order of Deacon, my vision and theological viewpoint have become profoundly Eastern. So too is my worship. I have long prayed with icons and love the Divine Liturgy. However, I cherish the unity that comes with the Chair of Peter. Let me be clear, I am deeply and happily ensconced in the Roman Catholic Church. I am glad that I have authorization to serve the Divine Liturgy of the Eastern Church. For a number of years I had the privilege of regularly serving the Divine Liturgy and I miss it. I love the Liturgy, East and West; however I find the depth of the Mystery is beautiful captured in the Liturgy of the East. There is a Latin maxim that addresses the centrality of worship in the life, identity and mission of the whole Church; Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi, Lex Vivendi. It means that the law of prayer or worship is the law of belief and the law of life. Or, even more popularly rendered, as we worship, so will we believe and live! Worship is not an add-on for a Catholic or an Orthodox Christian. It is the foundation of Catholic and Orthodox identity, expressing our highest purpose. Worship reveals how we view ourselves in relationship to God, one another and the world into which we are sent to carry forward the redemptive mission of Jesus Christ. How the Church worships is a prophetic witness to the truth of what she professes. Good worship becomes a dynamic means of drawing the entire human community into the fullness of life in Jesus Christ, lived out in the communion of the Church. It attracts - through beauty to Beauty. Worship informs 8 S ophia Spring 2013

9 and transforms both the person and the community which participates in it. There is reciprocity between worship and life. Finally, I long for the full communion of East and West because my oldest son is an Orthodox Christian. He, his wife and their children are all practicing Orthodox Christians. The more I visit them these days the more I appreciate the beauty of the interweaving of faith and life which comes with Eastern Christianity and its practices. Yet, the more painful our separation at the Altar, the Eucharistic Table, also becomes. I believe the pain gives me a glimpse into the very heart of the Lord who longs for our unity. So, I watch for every sign that the two lungs of the One Church are beginning to fill with the one breath of Divine Life, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit alone can animate the One New Man, Jesus Christ, to heal the division which has gone on for too long in His Body. I watch with the eyes of living faith. Some say I see these developments with rose-colored glasses. If I do see through the color of rose, it is because the color symbolizes the hope which comes from faith in the Resurrection of Christ Jesus. It is also because of my bedrock conviction concerning His one plan for His One Church. The move toward full communion between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches is prompted by the Holy Spirit. I maintain it is the most important development of the Third Christian Millennium. It has extraordinary implications for the West, indeed for the whole world, at a critical time in history. I believe it will continue and result in the healing of the wounds which for too long have separated the Church. I believe that Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew have begun to travel down the road together. In his first papal message, His Holiness Benedict XVI proclaimed, Nourished and sustained by the Eucharist, Catholics cannot but feel encouraged to strive for the full unity for which Christ expressed so ardent a hope in the Upper Room. The Successor of Peter knows that he must make himself especially responsible for his Divine Master s supreme aspiration. Indeed, he is entrusted with the task of strengthening his brethren (cf. Lk 22: 32). With full awareness, therefore, at the beginning of his ministry in the Church of Rome which Peter bathed in his blood, Peter s current Successor takes on as his primary task the duty to work tirelessly to rebuild the full and visible unity of all Christ s followers. This is his ambition, his impelling duty. Pope Benedict placed the commitment to the full communion of the Church at the forefront of his Papacy. This was especially evident in his love, respect and repeated overtures toward our Orthodox brethren, whom we recognize as a full Church and whose priesthood and Sacraments we also recognize. Since his act of selflessness in handing the office on to another, what would happen to the ground gained with our sister Church, the Orthodox Church, has been the subject of some speculation. Now, his successor, the humble, simple, joyful pastor whom the world has embraced as a spiritual father, Pope Francis, has made it clear. He will continue the work toward the day when the two lungs of the Church, East and West, breathe together again. Interestingly, this Pope literally has only one lung due to an illness as a teenager. On March 20, 2013 Pope Francis addressed the ecumenical guests who had attended his installation. He began with warm words to the Orthodox brethren, specifically addressing Patriarch Bartholomew, First of all, heartfelt thanks for what my Brother Andrew told us. Thank you so much! Thank you so much! The two had met in a private meeting. The Patriarch of Constantinople expressed his hope that the two could meet in Jerusalem later this year and issued an invitation of historic significance. Pope Francis reference to the Patriarch as my brother Andrew showed the fraternal affection said to exist between them already. However, it did much more. It pointed back to the ancient bond in which the Church will finds its path back to full communion, the brotherhood of Simon (Peter) and Andrew. Will the Two Lungs of the Church, East and West, breathe together again? Join me in praying that it does indeed happen for the sake of a world still waiting to be set free and reborn into the New World of the Church. May Pope Francis become the Pope of Christian unity. May what began between this Pope and the Patriarch, between Peter and his brother Andrew, be the seed of the coming communion between the two sister Churches. Ecumenism Spring 2013 S ophia 9

10 Papal Liturgy Why a Greek Deacon at the Papal Liturgy? by Papas Giorgios The liturgy of the inauguration of the ministry of the Bishop of Rome had an Eastern component. By the expression Eastern component, we allude to the chanting of the Gospel in the original Greek language and also to the centuries-old tradition of the participation of the Pontifical Greek College of Rome in the liturgical celebrations of the Bishop of Rome. This tradition, which goes back to the 16th century, highlights the original language of the first few centuries of the Roman liturgy. Using the Pontifical Greek College of Rome also highlights the truly Catholic dimension of the Church of Rome and its Bishop. The Eastern parts of Byzantine tradition in the liturgy of the inauguration of the Petrine ministry of Pope Francis were present in the Liturgy of the Word. In the initial entrance the Greek deacon started to process carrying the Gospel book which was placed on the altar. After the initial rites of the liturgy the deacon sought out and obtained the blessing from the Holy Father and took the Gospel book from the altar to the ambo. By using the formula of the Byzantine Liturgy, the deacon invited the assembly to the attentive listening of the Gospel chanted in Greek: Wisdom! Let us stand well and listen to the Holy Gospel, and the Holy Father blessed the assembly: Peace be to all, that same peace promised by the Lord himself in the Gospel. The assembly answered: And to your spirit. The deacon continued then with the chanting of the reading of the Gospel: A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew. And then the response: Glory to you, O Lord, glory to you. At the end of the Gospel, again the same response was chanted by the assembled people. The Gospel book was carried to the Holy Father who, in turn, blessed the assembly while the choir sang: To our Most Holy Father Francis grant, O Lord, many years. The participation of the Pontifical Greek College in the main liturgical celebrations of the Holy Father goes back to Pope Sixtus V ( ) who gave to (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) the Greek College the privilege of chanting the Epistle and the Gospel in Greek during the solemn liturgical celebrations. The use of Greek and Latin, however, goes back to the end of the 7th century and the beginning of the 8th, when various bishops of Rome came from the Christian East. In fact, the iconoclastic persecutions and Abbasid outrages exiled many Eastern Christians. Anastasius Bibliothecarius (9th century) narrates that Pope Benedict III ( ), though of Roman birth, arranged a book, in Latin and Greek, with the Readings of the Prophecies to be used at the solemn vigil of Easter/Pascha and Pentecost. In 1409, at the enthronement of Pope Alexander V, born on the Greek Island of Crete but of Latin rite, the Epistle and Gospel readings were chanted in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. In 1447, at the enthronement of Pope Nicholas V a Roman Cardinal proclaimed the Gospel in Latin and a Byzantine Archimandrite chanted it in Greek. In 1586, Pope Sixtus V, as a sign of benevolence, transferred the title/office of deacon and sub-deacon to the students of the Greek College. In 1724, Pope Benedict XIII resumed the Greek chanting of the Gospel through the Greek College students wearing the Byzantine vestments and not the Latin ones. In 1896, with the coming of the Benedictine Fathers at the direction of the Greek College, Pope Leo XIII again secured the participation of two Greek College students at the liturgical celebrations. Since the 20th century the praxis has been the participation of the Greek College at the solemn pontifical celebrations by chanting the Epistle and Gospel in Greek at Great and Holy Thursday, the Gospel at the Canonizations Liturgy and some other special liturgies, as well as the Funerals of the Holy Father. There were two special celebrations in 1908 and 1924 which saw the full participation of the Pontifical Greek College. On 12 February 1908, during the 15th centenary of the death of Saint John Chrysostom, the Melkite Patriarch Cyril VIII (Geha) of Antioch celebrated the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy with the choir and servers of the Greek College. The other celebration took place on 15 November 1925 on the occasion of the 16th centenary of the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325). The Melkite Patriarch Demetrius (Cadi) of Antioch was the designated celebrating hierarch but, because of his death on 26 October 1925, Romanian Metropolitan Basil Suciu of Fagaras was designated as his substitute. The liturgical booklets prepared for both celebrations gave the full text of The Divine and Holy Liturgy of Our Holy Father John Chrysostom. The Pope Pius X in the former celebration and Pius XI in the latter one presided from a throne placed on the left side of the altar facing the assembly. He wore the Latin vestments and blessed the assembly with the Greek formula. At the beginning of these notes we mentioned the Eastern component of the inaugural liturgy of the Petrine ministry of Pope Francis. The presence of the various languages, above all Latin and Greek, highlights the truly Catholic component of the liturgical celebration of the Church of Rome and her bishop who presides in love. 10 S ophia Spring 2013

11 Ukrainian Catholic Patriarch Calls Pope Francis an Authentic Pastor The Patriarch of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, elected Major Archbishop of Kiev- Halych in 2011, has a special perspective on the new Pope. He knew and worked with Pope Francis when the Pope was Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina. His Beatitude, now 43 years old, went to Buenos Aires as an auxiliary bishop at age 38 and was made Eparch of the Ukrainian diocese there before he was 40. When he arrived in Argentina, he said, It wasn t so easy for me, so I was looking for someone who could be my guide, someone I could ask for help, when there were problems. In an interview recently in Rome, Patriarch Sviatoslav said he expects his former mentor to be an ecumenical pope, a father and pastor who will guide Catholics on moral issues, and a priest who focuses on Christ when celebrating the liturgy. As archbishop of Buenos Aires, Francis also served as the ordinary for Eastern Catholics who did not have their own bishops in Argentina. In this capacity, he had responsibility for ensuring that Eastern Catholics had their own priests and for guaranteeing their pastoral care. The fact that Pope Francis knows the Byzantine liturgy and the Ukrainian Catholic Church from his youth helped him greatly in this work. When he was a student, he would attend the Divine Liturgy each morning with a Ukrainian priest, the late Father Stepan Chmil. Patriarch Sviatoslav believes that these experiences with the Byzantine Church will influence Pope Francis dealings with the Orthodox Churches and are already making themselves evident in his approach to the papal office. For example, Pope Francis simplicity and commitment to a new form of evangelization were exemplified when he came out onto the balcony of St. Peter s Basilica for the first time on March 13 and bowed as he asked people to pray for him and ask God to bless him. He spontaneously rejected the kingship of the papacy, His Beatitude said. This is the way of the very ancient church, and it is still seen today in the ordinations of Byzantine priests and bishops. The candidate is first presented to the people who must proclaim him axios or worthy. So priests and bishops must always be aware that their job is to care for the people who have placed trust in them. Patriarch Sviatoslav sees this attitude reflected in the new Pope s statement on March 16 that he wanted a church that was poor and was with the poor. I can assure you, that was not simply PR (public relations). That is how he is as a person, as a pastor, as a celebrant, as a bishop, as the pope. He was present at many liturgies in Argentina where then-archbishop Bergoglio was the chief celebrant. Whether at an ornate Byzantine liturgy or the rather simple papal liturgies he has celebrated since becoming pope, understanding Pope Francis liturgical approach is another area where the word authenticity can help us, he said. His homilies were always very short, but very sweet, he said. He told a story about the solemn Mass celebrating Argentina s 200th anniversary of independence in Archbishop Bergoglio said just six sentences, but there was a silence in the cathedral for almost 10 minutes when he finished as people thought about what he had said. Patriarch Sviatoslav noted that as a celebrant, [Archbishop Bergoglio] tried to be really simple in his relationships with the people and with God. That is why, sometimes, he will break some protocols, particularly by sharing the sign of peace with as many people as he can reach. That way of creating simple, but authentic and profound relationships between God and people is a special gift of Cardinal Bergoglio and today Pope Francis. The patriarch expects Pope Francis to be an "ecumenical pope," primarily because of his ability to create authentic, profound relationships with others. In Argentina, he observed then- Archbishop Bergoglio in action when issues of public policy and morality were discussed. His Beatitude said that the archbishop defended the dignity of the human person, the dignity of the Patriarch Sviatoslav Schevchuk family and the dignity of human sexuality. His approach to those issues was the approach of a father and pastor. He wasn t a judge. He was defending not abstract rules, but the dignity of the human person. He was very tolerant to persons, but he wasn t tolerant to wrong ideas. However, Patriach Sviatoslav told the interviewer, even when he was taking the strongest positions, he was doing that with humility, kindness, in love. Pope Francis believes that God forgives always, and he tries to imitate his God. Although His Beatitude expects Pope Francis to continue to surprise people, he believes that the pope s authenticity and simplicity will offer an alternative to secularism and will boost the new evangelization the effort to strengthen the faith of practicing Catholics and bring back those who have fallen away. Pope Francis and the other bishops of Latin America have insisted that the new evangelization must begin with pastoral conversion, the patriarch insisted. In order to be able to announce the Word of God, the pastors have to be converted to Christ, he said. The first step to being authentic missionaries is to be authentic disciples of Christ. Continued on page 16 Argentinian Perspective Spring 2013 S ophia 11

12 Syrian Christians Suffering On Holy Friday, 29 March 2013, I made an appeal to His Holiness, Pope Francis of Rome. Today, I am making an appeal to the whole world, especially to the Heads of State of Arab countries, Western and Eastern Europe, North and South America, and to international organisations and Nobel Peace Prize winners. I am making this same appeal as an Arab Syrian national and Greek Catholic Christian Patriarch resident in Damascus. Syria is experiencing a lengthy, painful, bloody way of the cross stretching over all the country s roads. All Muslim and Christian Syrians, both government and opposition, and armed groups from every quarter have all been carrying the same cross for over two years. Suffering has gone beyond all bounds. The crisis has mown down thousands upon thousands of soldiers, opponents, civilians, men, women, children, Muslim shaykhs and Christian priests. The whole of Syria has become a battle-field. It has also become a place of bargaining and purchase of goods for cash only and in the interests of certain parties. Every aspect of democracy, human rights, freedom, secularism and citizenship is lost from view and no-one cares. Everywhere is manipulation, lies and hypocrisy: a faceless war, with faceless fighters. There is no safe place left in Syria. You may think that it is safe here or unsafe there, but at any moment, you may be killed by a bomb, missile or bullet, not to mention being kidnapped or taken hostage for ransom, or murdered Chaos threatens everyone, everywhere, at every moment. Dangers loom over all citizens, especially civilians, due to the destabilisation and chaos of residential districts in many areas (Homs and environs, Aleppo, the Damascus suburbs, my native town of Daraya), caused by the exploitation, particularly of Christians, but also of various religious groups. There is also the danger for individuals, houses, churches and mosques of being taken as shields and the danger of religious riots being engineered, especially between Christians, Muslims Damascus 8 April 2013 Appeal of His Beatitude Gregorios III Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Of Alexandria and of Jerusalem and Druze. These dangers threaten all citizens, but especially Christians, who are the weakest and most fragile link. In the face of all these dangers, sufferings and misfortunes that afflict all citizens, we wonder whether there can be any other way of speaking or acting than that of war, weapons, violence, hatred and revenge. We very much need a solution. Some months ago, in August 2012, we made our appeal, For Syria, reconciliation is the only lifeline. We shall not stop calling for love, dialogue, harmony and peace. We are sure that, despite our woes, all we Syrians government, political parties, Sunni and Shi a Muslims, Alawites, Christians and Druze are capable of engaging in dialogue, and rebuilding an atmosphere conducive to reconciliation, in order to go forward together. As Patriarch, I am called, as are all of us Christians, to play this role: that is why we are turning to you. Perhaps it may be useful to set out for you the particular situation of us Christians. Damascus is the headquarters of our Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchate and also that of the Greek Orthodox and Syriac Orthodox Patriarchates of Antioch. Syria has about one and a half to two million Christians of all denominations. Apart from Egypt, it is the Arab country that has the largest number of Christians, even more than Lebanon. The future of Christians in the Middle East is closely bound up with that of Syria s Christians. Many Christians from Lebanon fled to Syria between 1975 and 1992 and again in Similarly, the majority of Iraq s Christians fled to Syria, where many still are. The future of Christians in Syria is threatened, not by Muslims, but by the current crisis, because of the chaos it causes and the infiltration of uncontrollable, fanatical, fundamentalist Islamist groups; they may be provoking attacks against Christians. The threat of the worst is perhaps more serious for Muslims than Christians due to the age-old, bloody, interdenominational and sectarian conflicts within Islam. The situation of Christians is already painful to discover: over a thousand dead (military and civilian, priests, men, women and children) and hundreds of thousands of refugees and displaced persons, internally within Syria, and in Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq and Turkey. A fairly large number of others, (though we don t have precise figures), have fled to Europe (especially Sweden), Canada and the United States: all together, around 250,000 to 400,000 persons. Material losses are very serious. We do not have all the statistics yet, but we do know that some twenty churches have been damaged or partially destroyed, and a similar number of social institutions (schools, orphanages, old people s homes), which had always been there to serve all Christian and Muslim citizens; not to mention the loss of the workplaces (factories, shops and offices) and homes of our faithful, who have had to leave their cities, villages and neighbourhoods in haste, only being able to salvage little if anything. By and large, their houses and possessions have been looted, destroyed or damaged. All this represents a total loss of several million dollars. Entire villages have been cleared of all their Christian inhabitants (as has my native town of Daraya.) Our Muslim fellow-citizens are in an analogous situation, but with even more serious losses, due to the fact that there are more of them than of our faithful. But worst of all for everyone is the chaos! On Easter Day, Pope Francis made an appeal for dear Syria, for its people torn by conflict and for the many refugees who await help and comfort. How much blood has been shed! And how much suffering must there still be, before a political solution to the crisis will be found? We pray for everyone to heed Pope Francis appeal! We are praying for all you Sovereigns, Presidents, Heads of State and government of countries throughout the world. May you, dear friends, hear Christ s voice: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. We pray for you to be worthy of this beatitude by being peacemakers. 12 S ophia Spring 2013

13 Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX Patriarch Gregorios III Patriarch Mar Ignatius Joseph III Younan appeal of the Eastern Catholic patriarchs Patriarch Cardinal Beshara Boutros Rai Patriarch Louis Raphael I Sako Patriarch Ibrahim Ishaq Patriarch Fouad Twal Middle-Eastern Churches Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin Residence of the Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch Rome, 18 March 2013 Appeal On the occasion of the ceremony of papal inauguration in Rome of His Holiness the new Pope Francis, their Beatitudes the Eastern Catholic Patriarchs Nerses Bedros XIX: Catholicos Patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church Gregorios III: Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, of Alexandria and of Jerusalem for the Melkite Greek Catholic Church Mar Ignatius Joseph III Younan: Patriarch of Antioch for the Syriac Catholic Church Cardinal Beshara Boutros Rai: Patriarch of Antioch and all the East for the Maronite Church Louis Raphael I Sako: Patriarch for the Chaldean Catholic Church Ibrahim Ishaq: Patriarch for the Coptic Catholic Church with apologies for absence of Fouad Twal: Patriarch of Jerusalem for the Roman Catholic Church met together in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin. They presented, in their name and in the name of the holy synods of their Churches, their congratulations to His Holiness Pope Francis on the occasion of his election and inauguration as successor of Peter, Bishop of the Church of Rome, which presides in charity. They offered their prayers for His Holiness to be able to take on the challenges facing the Church worldwide and in the Middle East in particular, where Christians lives are endangered and their future threatened. These Christians need His Holiness solidarity, help and prayers. They also affirmed their ecclesial communion with His Holiness, so that the Church can breathe with both lungs, the Eastern and the Western. They saluted His Holiness for choosing the name Francis in order to be Pope for the poor, for peace and universal brotherhood, and wished his papal ministry to be exemplary in its service, enabling him to fulfill the Lord s wishes, which he has at heart. Then they discussed the alarming situations in their countries, as they have at heart the concerns and sufferings of their sons and daughters and fellow-citizens, and prayed for world peace, renewing their call for dialogue and reconciliation as the only way out of the current crises. They emphasised rejection of violence and killing and urged seeking conflict resolution through serious negotiations and peaceful, just, and permanent solutions. They condemned all acts of kidnapping, torture, killing, and the targeting of holy places and well-known figures. They also expressed their solidarity with the dramatically increasing numbers of refugees and displaced persons in the region, especially in Syria. They are working and will continue to work with social and humanitarian organisations to help them alleviate the tragic situation. They acknowledged the just aspirations of the people of their countries to political, social and economic reforms, which are basic elements paving the way for democracy and enhancing universal freedom and civil rights. In the name of the common citizenship which Muslims and Christians enjoy, the Patriarchs called upon all inhabitants of the Arab world to enhance their living together by enriching their societies with spiritual and human values, and preserving the dialogue of religions and civilizations that has been present throughout history, in order to build a better future, in which young people can realize their aspirations and hopes. As glorious Pascha draws near, the Patriarchs address every faithful person saying, You have a resurrection! And they address the Arab world saying, You have a resurrection too. They hope that the peace of the Resurrection of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ will fill our Arab world and all citizens, both Christian and Muslim, so that we can say, as we have walked together on the way of the cross and suffering, we shall walk together on the roads of the joyful resurrection. Spring 2013 S ophia 13

14 Vocations My Journey to Priesthood: An Interview with Fr François Beyrouti by Archimandrite John Azar Vocations Director Voc. Dir.: Welcome, Fr. François, both to this interview and to our Church here in the U.S. I ve known you for several years now. Fr. François: Yes, we first met in I had just finished my first year of Theology at the Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies at Saint Paul University in Ottawa and decided to visit St. Gregory s Melkite Seminary. Fr. Justin Rose, then a seminarian, was very hospitable and showed me around Boston. One of our stops was at the Annunciation Cathedral, where you were the rector. Voc. Dir.: Perhaps, you can share with us your early background? Fr. François: Sure. I was born in Hadeth, a suburb of Beirut, in By mid-1975, unrest was beginning to spread in Lebanon and the situation in Hadeth became very unpredictable and dangerous. I remember that one day a bomb landed on our house, and luckily no one was hurt. Then a few days later masked individuals came into our house and robbed us while we were having dinner. They came with rifles and one guarded us as the others went through our house and took all the valuables they could find. After these events my parents decided to leave Lebanon. My parents, elder brother, and I got into a taxi packed with as much as we could take with us. We went to Jounie and from there took a small boat to Cyprus. We then went to Greece, where my parents worked on papers to come to Canada. In 1976, we arrived in Montreal and visited my uncle before going to North Vancouver where my parents and younger brother still live. Voc. Dir.: How many children are in your family? Fr. François: I am the middle of three boys. My elder brother, Joseph, and I were born in Lebanon and my younger brother Anthony in North Vancouver. Our family was hit hard in 2004 when Joseph passed away very quickly of a brain tumor. Faith has always helped us through difficult times, especially this one. Voc. Dir.: When did you first think of becoming a priest? Fr. François: Our family was always very close to the Church. My brothers and I grew up serving and very involved in different Church activities. Whenever anyone asked me what I wanted to do, from the age of seven I would always say a priest. I eventually stopped saying this because people started calling me the little priest. During high school I thought of other things that I would like to do, but was always most drawn to the priesthood, not as a career but as a life of service to God and people. I prayed to know God s will for me and felt a very strong call to dedicate my life to peace, justice, and faith. I also found the idea of serving God to be more satisfying than anything else. By the time I graduated I simply could not think of being happy doing anything else. Voc. Dir.: What was your prayer life like? Fr. François: Daily prayer was an important part of my discernment and faith journey. Our family always prayed before meals and went to Church every Sunday. I am very grateful that my parents took their faith seriously and taught us its importance as we grew up. Voc. Dir.: What were some pivotal moments or people along the way? Fr. François: In addition to my parents, I was fortunate to have others 14 S ophia Spring 2013

15 who guided my faith journey. Fr. David Monroe, now the bishop of the diocese of Kamloops, BC, was the pastor at St. Edmund s Church. He and Douglas McDonald organized trips for the altar boys to the Seminary of Christ the King and to all the ordinations that would take place in Vancouver. This early exposure to life at the seminary supported the idea of consecrating my whole life to serve God. My eighth-grade teacher taught us how to pray the rosary and encouraged us to pray daily. Throughout high school I prayed the rosary every day. These were special times for me as my faith began to grow. I felt I was already committing myself to a life of faith. Amid all the emotional turbulence of high school I think faith kept me focused on moral principles, justice, honesty, and the importance of the Word of God. I began to realize how difficult it was to live my faith, but also experienced the great joy it brought me in knowing that I was doing the right thing. I grew to see the spiritual life as the path to a truer and much longer-lasting happiness than the temporal temptations that quickly end up hurting us. Two other people also had an extraordinary effect on my life. In 1984, Pope John Paul II visited Vancouver and an event was held at BC Place, a 60,000-seat stadium. I could not remain seated. I went and stood along the railing. As he was passing by in the popemobile, I felt like jumping over the railing to get even closer, but didn t. When he spoke I found his call for peace, justice, morality, and holiness very profound and felt very emotionally and spiritually moved by seeing him and hearing his words. Another influence was Mother Teresa. In 1988, my parents and I went to attend an event in a packed 16,000- seat stadium. I felt that I was in the presence of a very holy person. I remember her speech and feeling that there was something very real and deep in what she was saying. I had been in BC Place and Pacific Coliseum many times for concerts, but Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa were different kinds of superstars. They were superstars you could really believe in. There was truth and power in their presence and words. I became convinced of the emptiness of a life of acquiring possessions and began to feel even more confirmed in my vocation to the priesthood. After graduating from high school, I went to the Seminary of Christ the King in Mission, BC, where I completed a four-year Bachelor of Arts degree, with a special focus in philosophy, English, and history. Voc. Dir.: Did you get any Eastern formation there? Fr. François: The Benedictine monks of Westminster Abbey, who ran the Seminary, encouraged me to learn more about my Eastern Catholic roots. I read as much as I could about the Byzantine Liturgy and Eastern Christianity. I also spent three summers in the Middle East where I visited Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Palestine, and Egypt. These trips were a great re-immersion in a culture from which I felt I had been violently uprooted. By God s providence, in 1990 I was flipping through a Directory of Churches and Dioceses in the United States and found a listing for the Melkite Catholic Eparchy of Newton. I was surprised to learn that we had a seminary in Newton, Massachusetts, called St. Gregory Seminary. I wrote a letter to Fr. Nicholas Samra, the rector at the time, and asked for some information. He wrote back and told me that he was no longer the rector of the seminary but had been appointed the auxiliary Bishop of Newton. His letter was very encouraging and he also sent me some information about the seminary along with some books. We stayed in touch and he was a great guide and friend during my studies and discernment. He particularly encouraged me to serve our Melkite Church, despite the difficulties. It was a great blessing for me that Bishop Nicholas was able to be at my ordinations to the diaconate and priesthood. It is now an even greater blessing and privilege to serve with a leader who has such a clear vision for the future of our Melkite Church. My desire to learn as much as I could about our traditions led me Mount Tabor Monastery in Ukiah, California, in 1992 and 1993, where I attended two intensive summer programs in Eastern Christianity. These programs were run by the Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies, and the director, Fr. Andriy Chirovsky, encouraged me to register in the newly-established program leading to a Bachelor of Theology degree in Eastern Christian Studies. I went to Ottawa in September 1993, completed the degree, and then went on to complete a Master of Arts and a Licentiate in Theology, both in Biblical Studies. Voc. Dir.: Were you ordained in Canada? Where did you serve? Fr. François: Yes I was ordained and have been serving in Canada. I became a reader, sub-deacon, and deacon under Archbishop Michel Hakim. In 1998, Bishop Sleiman Hajjar ordained me a priest and appointed me the assistant pastor at Saints Peter and Paul Melkite Catholic Church in Ottawa. I was blessed and privileged to serve the wonderful people of this parish until It was an enormous blessing to Continued on page 16 Vocations Spring 2013 S ophia 15

16 Vocations My Journey to Priesthood Continued from page 15 be part of the faith journey of so many people, and I experienced the great love of a beautiful community that became not only my friends, but also my extended family. Voc. Dir.: Recently, you completed a Ph.D. and D.Th. thesis. Could you tell us a little about what led you to this? Fr. François: While serving as a priest I also taught Theology courses at the Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies at Saint Paul University, the Ottawa Lay School of Theology, and the Deacon Formation program at the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ottawa. Teaching these courses helped me to do further research on the early interpretation of the Bible. I became particularly intrigued by Origen of Alexandria, and ended up doing my thesis on the catechetical structure in Origen of Alexandria s Commentary on the Gospel of John. I focused on the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman in John 4 and looked into how Origen and the early Church moved from reading texts, to interpreting them, then to applying them to our daily life. This was an enormous challenge, but worth it. Voc. Dir.: What are some of your hobbies and interests? Fr. François: Our whole family loves nature and the outdoors. I grew up swimming, hiking, skating, skiing, snowboarding, cycling, and playing soccer and basketball. In 2001 my two brothers, three of our friends, and I went on a 500-mile bicycle pilgrimage from Saint Jean Pied-de-Port in the Pyrenean foothills of southwestern France to the tomb of Saint James the Apostle in the Church at Santiago de Compostela at the northwestern side of Spain, and in 2006 I did a sprint distance triathlon. I also enjoy all kinds of music, love to read, and like researching topics related to culture, Scripture, and the development of Christian thought. Voc. Dir.: You have given spiritual retreats in some of our American Melkite parishes. As of November 2012 you were assigned as the pastor of Holy Cross Melkite Catholic Church in Placentia, California. What are you focusing on in your ministry now that you have been incardinated into our Eparchy? Fr. François: As a united community, we will focus on developing a variety of faith-inspired educational programs and be guided by the words of our Savior: Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well (Matthew 6:33). I have met so many wonderful people here and visited their homes, and many have shared with me their dreams and talents. We are now primarily focusing on the spiritual growth of the community and working to develop pastoral activities for all age groups. During our first parish council meeting, we discussed co-responsible ministry and the need for everyone in the parish to actively participate in the future growth of our Church. Our hope is that through spiritual and community activities we will all get to better know each other and work together in developing a comprehensive model of service where everyone s needs and gifts can be incorporated. One special focus for me has always been the youth and young adults. In the past, my time with the youth and young adults has shown me their generosity, intelligence, creativity, and passion for the faith. Sometimes, the youth and young adults end up coming to Church more than their parents and they begin to share their faith with their parents and convincing them to go to Church and to go to confession. Overall our parish focus is not on what I can do but what we can do together. Voc. Dir.: Thank you, Fr. François! You ve given a great insight into your journey and maybe even an incentive for others to think about their vocation. I m sure we ll talk again. Ukranian Catholic Patriarch Continued from page 11 Pastoral conversion also means we have to discern which methods we use, according to today s way of thinking, in order to preach a Gospel (that will penetrate) inside their realities, to preach to their lives, their hearts, he said. We have to discern, be converted and not be afraid to look to new ways, new methods. Finally, Patriarch Sviatoslav said, people are looking for Christian leaders with an authentic Gospel lifestyle, not in the external forms the art, music or vestments but for the substance. And if somebody behaves according to the Gospel he is preaching, the credibility of that preaching is very profound. He believes that Pope Francis is a Church leader with that kind of profound credibility and authenticity, a gift of the Holy Spirit. This article was based on an article by Cindy Wooden of the Catholic News Service. 16 S ophia Spring 2013

17 When the Fishermen Were Filled with Wisdom by Deacon Sebastian Carnazzo Pentecost During the celebration of the Feast of Pentecost in the Byzantine tradition we sing: Blessed are you, O Christ our God, who have filled the fishermen with wisdom by sending down the Holy Spirit upon them, and who through them have caught in your net the whole world. O Lover of mankind, glory to you. 1 The festal troparion recalls the events that occurred at the first Pentecost of the New Covenant. I say, of the New Covenant, because this was not, of course, the first Pentecost in history. The English name of the feast, Pentecost, is a transliteration of the Greek adjective fiftieth in reference to the fiftieth day after the Feast of Passover (Pascha). Originally, the feast commemorated the completion of the grain harvest, when the peoples of the eastern Mediterranean would give thanks to their gods for the gift of grain or bread, the primary staple for the coming year. For Israel, however, this feast was a celebration not only of earthly bread, but also of heavenly, since fifty days from the Passover and Exodus from Egypt (Exodus 12) they were standing at Mount Sinai receiving the Law (Exodus 19-24), for man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3). 2 The Law of Moses was a special revelation of the word of God, the very word through which the world was created. God spoke and it came to be (Genesis 1); therefore Solomon says, O God of my fathers and Lord of mercy, who hast made all things by thy word, and by thy wisdom has formed man... (Wisdom 9:1-2). The proverb employs a common Semitic literary technique called synonymous parallelism. Here the two elements, word and wisdom, are synonymous, and for obvious reasons. The word of a man reveals his wisdom. Likewise, the word of God reveals the wisdom of God. It was at Mount Sinai that Israel was given a foretaste of God s wisdom, in the gift of the Law. For this reason the book of Sirach says the wisdom of God is the book of the covenant of the Most High God, the law which Moses commanded us as an inheritance for the congregations of Jacob. It fills men with wisdom, like the Pishon, and like the Tigris at the time of the first fruits. It makes them full of understanding, like the Euphrates, and like the Jordan at harvest time. It makes instruction shine forth like light, like the Gihon at the time of vintage (Sirach 24:23-27). One can see, therefore, why the commemoration of Pentecost was such a joyous feast for Israel. But it was also a somber one, because, although Israel received the Law, the wisdom of God, they did not keep it (Acts 7:53), even at Mount Sinai. The Law begins with the well-known words: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them... (Exodus 20:2-5). The Hebrew word translated here as graven image is pesel, and refers to a pagan idolatrous image. Thus the Septuagint (LXX), the Greek text of the Old Testament, translates the Hebrew word pesel here with the Greek word eidolon, from which we get our English word idol. 3 Israel broke the Law, even at Mount Sinai, when they made the golden calf (Exodus 32), a pagan idolatrous image of the Egyptian God Apis (Jeremiah 46:15), and with that fell back into the polytheism of Egypt. But the Law given at Sinai was not the last word given to Israel, nor was the Old Covenant the last covenant they were to receive. Just before the Babylonian exile, God spoke again, saying, Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers when I took... them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke... But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts (Jeremiah 31:31-33). In the Old Covenant at Mount Sinai, the word of God was written on stone tablets and given to Israel. In the New Covenant that was coming, a gift of God s word was to be given again, but this time the word would be given internally, in the hearts of people, giving them direction in every action from within. How is that possible? Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, of course. It is through the Spirit of God that one is able to know the word and keep it and it is by the Holy Spirit that the word of God resides within us. There at Mount Sinai, at the first Pentecost of the Old Covenant, they were given the Law externally on stone tablets, but at Mount Zion, in the first Pentecost of the New Covenant, they were given the Law internally on the tablets of their hearts. There the gift was accompanied with fire on the distant peak of the Mountain while Israel remained below; here the power of the Holy Spirit appears as fire upon each Continued on page 25 Spring 2013 S ophia 17

18 50th Anniversary Re-reading Vatican ii: East and West one Church by Archbishops Elias Zoghby and Joseph Tawil Editor s Note: This essay is a version of the original Latin-language intervention by Melkite Bishops Elias Zoghby and Joseph Tawil at the Second Vatican Council ( ). The Rev. Prof. George D. Gallaro of the Byzantine Catholic Seminary in Pittsburgh kindly arranged this English translation, for which SOPHIA is grateful. If after ten centuries of schism and of separate development the Latin and Eastern Churches still find that they are substantially alike, may we suppose that a thousand years ago they had reasons of great importance for separating? Certainly not! The schism would not have taken place if the Churches of the West and the East were not indirectly involved in the conflict which set the two empires in opposition to one another. There are, in fact, times unfavorable to dialogue and times which are favorable. The Eastern Schism, for which a more ecumenical name might be the Great Christian Schism (for the responsibility is shared by both sides), took place at a time when the Christian East and West could not enter into a productive dialogue on a basis of equality. The small clashes between the Latin and Eastern Churches, which up to this time had been regarded as trifling incidents between brothers of the same family, took on more and more the disturbing proportions of the great conflict which set the two empires at loggerheads. The Latin Church began to see in this development a resistance to the primatial authority of Peter, and the Orthodox saw in it an attempt to dominate that accorded ill with a primacy of service. The primacy of the Bishop of Rome, which the tradition of a thousand years had consecrated as the bond of unity, began to be thought of in the East as the extension of one local Church to the Church universal. This was the start of the crisis which ended with the separation. Some modern Catholic historians, men of outstanding merit, interpret the Great Schism as the checkmate of efforts aimed at applying Roman centralization to the Churches of the East, which during ten centuries of union with Rome had become accustomed to combining unity with legitimate diversity. The Churches of the East, in fact, opposed centralization from the very beginning and opposed it root and branch. Why? Some say out of loyalty to the civil power. Possibly, others say, out of pride. This has not been proved. The Eastern Christians think differently; Eastern Churches had practiced a system of collegial synods in Church government during ten centuries of union with the Holy See of Rome, without Rome s having found anything abnormal in this system. Furthermore, the Church authorities of the East found no religious justification for the new change in the authentic tradition shared by East and West. Then too, the Eastern Churches, founded by the Apostles and their immediate successors and not owing their birth nor development to the Church of the West, found that they possessed a religious, theological, liturgical, monastic and disciplinary heritage which was different from that of the West, yet not opposed to it. Now it is evident that it does not take long for a Church governed by groups that are strangers to its own tradition to find its own tradition substantially diminished. So it was understandable that Roman centralization seemed to the Easterners to be a means of imposing uniformity, a development which could cast doubt on the legitimacy of their own religious heritage. Yet this was a religious heritage which they had received from their forefathers through an apostolic succession whose credentials were impeccable. What was needed, then, was a dialogue to make clear, as we are doing today at the Vatican Council, the nature of the mystery of the Church, the relation between primacy and collegiality, between the local diocese of Rome and the primatial power of the Bishop of Rome. But this dialogue could not mature either in the eleventh century or at the Council of Florence (1445), because the unfavorable social and political framework of the time made it impossible. One might ask why God did not intervene to prevent this unfortunate break as He intervenes to prevent all doctrinal error in the Church. The answer is not difficult. In the first place, Christian unity should not be exclusively the work of God, but the work of men as well. But it is also true that since the purpose of the primacy of Peter is to protect the integrity of the Christian heritage, God could not want this same primacy to be exercised in such a way that this integrity would suffer harm. The two authentic and apostolic traditions, complementary but different, i.e., the Latin tradition and the Eastern tradition, are in fact the two halves of the Christian heritage, and taken together make up that total and integral Christianity which, as a whole, inherits the promise of divine protection to the end of time. Any unity which would be made in such a way that either of the apostolic traditions suffered harm would impoverish the Church instead of enriching her. The Catholic unity toward which Continued on page S ophia Spring 2013

19 Opinion Orthodox at the Vatican by Peter Anderson Wednesday, March Reflection Orthodox certainly cannot say that they did not receive attention at the inauguration ceremony of Pope Francis. On Monday evening, a number of the Orthodox delegates, including the Ecumenical Patriarch and Metropolitan Hilarion, were in effect house guests of Pope Francis at Domus Sanctae Marthae, which is now serving as the Pope s personal residence at the Vatican. While eating in the dining room of the Domus, these delegates were joined by Pope Francis. Some photos and a description of the meeting between the Pope and Metropolitan Hilarion in the dining room are found at 03/19/news82562/. The Pope remarked to Metropolitan Hilarion that he had said a special prayer for Patriarch Kirill at Mass earlier in the day, which was the feast, on the Catholic calendar, of St. Kirill (Cyril) of Jerusalem. I have also attached a photo of the Ecumenical Patriarch and his delegation talking with the Pope that evening. The next morning the Ecumenical Patriarch and Metropolitan Hilarion had breakfast together in the Domus dining room. 03/20/news82628/ The following Orthodox churches were represented at the inauguration: Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Moscow, Georgia, Serbia, Romania, Cyprus, Greece, Albania, and OCA. A good representation of the Oriental Churches was also present. On Tuesday, the Inaugural Mass placed special emphasis on the Eastern Churches. Before the Mass began, the Pope descended the stairs to the Confessio of St. Peter under the main altar of the Basilica. There in the Confessio, he was met by the heads of the Catholic Eastern Churches, including Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of the UGCC. After the Pope prayed before the relics of St. Peter, a procession led by the heads of the Catholic Eastern Churches and followed by the cardinals and the Pope proceeded out of the Basilica for the beginning of the Mass in St. Peter s Square. The heads of the Eastern Churches brought with them the Pope s pallium and fisherman s ring which had been placed for a period of time near the relics of St. Peter. For the Mass, the Orthodox representatives were located near the altar. During the Mass, the gospel was chanted in Greek by a Melkite deacon. In the prayers of the faithful recited after the Creed, the first prayer was said in Russian. For the sign of peace after the recitation of the Our Father, both the Ecumenical Patriarch and Catholicos Karekin II (primate of the Armenian Apostolic Church) were led to the altar area where they exchanged the sign of peace with the Pope and embraced. The entire Mass and the preliminary ceremonies can be seen in the following Vatican Radio video: vaticana.va/player/index_fb.asp?lan- guage=en&visualizzazione=vaticantic &Tic=VA_81637I6D (click video and then click full video ). You can move the button at the bottom of the video to see any part that you desire. On Tuesday evening, Metropolitan Hilarion was honored at a dinner with Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family. news82615/. They discussed ways to defend traditional family values. Today, Wednesday, Pope Francis met with representatives of Christian and non-christian faiths. The meeting began with an address to the Pope by the Ecumenical Patriarch. This was followed by the Pope s address. The full text of the Pope s remarks can be read at v a / n e w s / / 0 3 / 2 0 / pope_francis:_discourse_ to_representatives_of_the_ churches,_ecclesia/en The Pope began his address as follows: First of all, heartfelt thanks for what my Brother Andrew told us. Thank you so much! Thank you so much! I believe that it is very significant that immediately prior to the meeting with all of the Christian and non-christian representatives in the Sala Clementina of the Apostolic Palace, the Pope had private meetings in his private library with the Ecumenical Patriarch and then with Metropolitan Hilarion. No other church representatives were afforded this honor. Asia News has reported that in this private meeting, the Ecumenical Patriarch invited Pope Francis to join him on a joint pilgrimage to the Holy Land next year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the meeting of Pope Paul VI and Continued on page 20 Spring 2013 S ophia 19

20 Reflection Orthodox at the Vatican Continued from page 19 Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras on the Mount of Olives, 5 January United-against-economic-crisis-and- worldly-trends,-bartholomew-and- Francis-to-be-in-Jerusalem-next-year This would be a very exciting development indeed. A Russian-language report of Metropolitan Hilarion s private meeting with the Pope can be read athttps://mospat.ru/ ru/2013/03/20/news82675/. I would also like to comment on two other persons who were members of the Moscow Patriarchate s delegation. One was Metropolitan Antony of Borispol, chancellor of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate). Many believe that Metropolitan Antony will be the future successor to Metropolitan Vladimir as head of the UOC-MP. Because the Moscow Patriarchate views the situation in Ukraine as the primary reason for delaying a meeting between a pope and a patriarch of Moscow, Anthony s presence in Rome may be significant. The second person is Metropolitan Platon of Feodosia and Kerch. Metropolitan Platon served in Argentina for many years ( ) and knew Cardinal Bergoglio well. In my last , I described the very positive comments of the two Russian Orthodox bishops who are presently serving in South America. However, Metropolitan Platon, who was recently assigned to Crimea, has also given a Russian-language interview of his experiences with the future pope. novyjj-papa-rimskijj-lyubit-ukrainskiepirozhki-i-kompot/ The Metropolitan also had glowing remarks about Bergoglio. He describes how Bergoglio would annually come to the Christmas liturgy and would stay for the social gathering afterwards. Accoding to Platon, Bergoglio was very comfortable with us. He simply loved the Ukrainian Christmas carols, the food, and the costumes. Lastly, I was touched by the actions of Pope Francis, when during his rounds through the crowds in St. Peter s Square before the Mass, he ordered his Jeep to stop. He then got out of the Jeep and walked over to kiss a completely paralyzed man who was lying on a litter. I have attached a photo of that event from I also saw another photo taken a few seconds later of the man with his mouth wide open and with a most joyful expression. What a wonderful surprise it must have been for this man suddenly to see the pope bending over to kiss him! It is also interesting that in greeting the religious delegations in the Sala Clementina today, Pope Francis did not use the customary throne, but rather a simple arm chair Peter Anderson is a Roman Catholic lawyer in Seattle, Washington. Peter is an active participant in a Roman Catholic/Russian Orthodox ongoing dialog in Seattle, WA. East and West One Church Continued from page 18 ecumenism is moving will be much more comprehensive and fruitful than the ecumenism of the present. The Catholic unity we know today manifests itself as something partial and more Latin than anything else. It groups together the Latin Churches of the West and the Latin Churches founded by them in mission countries, along with the modest little communities of uniate Eastern Churches, which in general are substantially Latinized even though they have kept their external liturgical rites. Today only Orthodoxy possesses the authentic Eastern tradition, though at times in a diminished form; only the union of Latin and Orthodox on a level of equality can bring together the apostolic tradition in its fullness and make Catholic unity complete. We speak of union on a level of equality because on the day that union will be achieved, Orthodoxy will have at least as much to give as to receive. It must, therefore, share in the government of the reunited Church on a level of equality with the Latin Church, under the primacy of Peter, of course. The dialogue between equals which was decided on at the Conference of Rhodes should be undertaken by the Catholic Church with the conviction that she will have as much to gain as Orthodoxy. Actually the schism has mutilated both Churches. The Western Church, when it lost communion with the Apostolic Sees of the East (Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, Constantinople), lost the most collegial segment of the Episcopal college. Centralization was carried out at an extraordinary pace without anyone s being able to hold it in check. The Western Church has been governed by the Roman Curia under the Pope. The Eastern Churches, for their part, have lost, through the Great Schism, communion with the center of unity of the whole Church which is the Bishop of Rome. Excessive decentralization has weakened them considerably, making difficult the regular practice of episcopal collegiality, which nevertheless remains their principal system of government. But God, who draws profit from evil, wanted this unhappy break to protect the Orthodox Churches from centralization and Latinization, thus rendering ecumenical dialogue immensely profitable and giving promise of great enrichment for the Church when it is again made one. This dialogue on an equal basis between Latins and Orthodox, which was practically impossible at the time of the Great Schism, has today become possible, indeed obligatory, within the human family which is moving more and more toward unity through international bodies where all peoples are equally represented. This dialogue should be accompanied by an effort at decentralization in the Catholic Church, an effort which the Vatican Council has already begun, and in the Orthodox Churches, by an effort of qualified centralization around the successor of Peter and in the framework of traditional collegiality. In this dialogue, which primarily concerns the Latin and Orthodox Churches, the Eastern Catholics will have a role as a witness which, though secondary, is nevertheless necessary. In de-latinizing themselves, they must come at last to live more fully in accordance with traditional Eastern forms, within Catholicism, in order to make Latin Catholics more familiar with these forms and make the dialogue easier and more effective. Indeed, for them this is the only way they can be of some use to the One Church of Jesus Christ. 20 S ophia Spring 2013

21 Revisiting Vatican ii: The Two Lungs by Abouna Dmitry Reflection The Catholic Church in the twentieth century made a commitment to the ecumenical movement, that is, the effort of the divided Christian Churches to enter into the unity willed by Jesus the Christ. This commitment was championed by both Pope John XXIII and Pope Paul VI. Prior to this public commitment, however, the way was theologically prepared by such pioneers as Johann Möhler and John Newman, using the documents and teaching of Pope Leo XIII and Pope Pius XII, with spiritual guidance provided by Gabriella Sagheddu, Leopoldo Mandi, and Paul Couturier. These precursors of open Catholic efforts at ecumenism lived before the spiritual ecumenism seen in the documents of the Second Vatican Council ( ), which indicate that the very heart of ecumenism is the inner conversion and renewal of the spirit. In the Christian East some Churches are not in full communion with the Church of Rome and others are in full communion. Often, it is really one Church that is divided into two branches, as with the Antiochian Orthodox Church and the Melkite Catholic Church. Yet both parts of these Christian Churches of the East follow the same tradition. The difficulty facing the Church of Rome is how to strengthen those in full communion without further distancing the others. The Decree on Eastern Catholic Churches, Orientalium Ecclesiarum, therefore merits further attention since it explicitly recognizes the dignity and autonomy of the Eastern Catholic Patriarchs, although asking them to simultaneously work toward a greater union with their Orthodox counterparts. This short conciliar document, though lacking the ecclesiological arguments of the Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, or the Decree on Ecumenism, Unitatis Redintegratio, shows how the Council interprets its ecclesiology. BREATHING EAST WEST with both lungs The Church must breathe with its two lungs. The Eastern Churches exist by their own right and not by mere concession; they have their own stability, roots and jurisdiction, which come solely from the supreme authority of the Church. In order for them to be Catholic it is not matter of Latinizing them that is, modifying Eastern liturgies, customs, and modes of thought by indiscriminately adopting foreign practices and submitting to foreign influences that mostly come from the West but rather recognizing their relative autonomy. This relative decentralization of the Eastern Churches exists for the wellbeing of the Catholic faithful who do not have Latin traditions. It is designed to show the Orthodox Christians that they do not have anything to fear: visible communion with Rome will not imply loss of their own autonomy. To demonstrate this good will, the Council Fathers now allow Catholics to share in the sacraments and sacramentals of the Orthodox Churches. This decision is explicitly directed to help avoid and eliminate some of the causes of conflict with the hope of a future union. Full restoration of Patriarchal status has not happened yet, since the Patriarchs remain subject to the authority of the Congregation of the Eastern Churches. In contrast the patriarchal model has been completely abandoned in the West in favor of local National Conferences of Bishops. Perhaps the greatest obstacle for the union with the Orthodox remains their fear that full communion with Rome implies the loss of their canonical, legal autonomy. The Orthodox will fully accept the primacy of Rome only when they are persuaded that this authority will be used only in extreme cases, such as a danger to unity of the faith. The content of the Decree on Eastern Catholic Churches comprises: Introduction The Particular Churches or Rites Preservation of the Spiritual Heritage of the Eastern Churches The Eastern Patriarchs Sacramental Discipline Divine Worship Relations with the Brethren of the Separated Churches Conclusion The best commentary consists in citing in plain English some paragraphs of this document which was approved and promulgated by Pope Paul VI on November 21, Paragraph 5: History, tradition and very many ecclesiastical institutions give clear evidence of the great debt owed to the Eastern Churches by the Church Universal. Therefore, the holy council not merely praises and appreciates as is due this ecclesiastical and spiritual heritage, but also insists on viewing it as the heritage of the whole Church of Christ. For that reason this council solemnly declares that the Churches of the East like those of the West have the right and duty to govern Continued on page 25 Spring 2013 S ophia 21

22 Learning The importance of Spiritual Reading A Talk by Fr. Timothy Pavlatos Our father among the Saints, John Chrysostom, says: When you immerse your mind and heart in spiritual books, you will always be filled, for spiritual reading gives you a foundation in God (Third Homily on Lazarus). Speaking about spiritual practices, St. Theophan the Recluse says, one must read for this is an ascetical activity (The Path to Salvation, p. 214). Developing a Christian intellect takes place when all the truths of Faith are impressed so deeply into the mind that the intellect s whole existence is made up of these truths alone. When the mind begins to reason over something, it reasons according to what it knows of the Christian faith, and would never make the slightest move without first consulting it. The Apostle Paul calls this keeping the image of sound mind (II Tim. 1:7). Today, many spiritual readings are available to us. Over the past years hundreds of books from the Holy Fathers have been translated into English, as well as the biographies, works, and writings of contemporary elders from Greece, Russia, Romania, Serbia, and many other countries. In order for our spiritual reading to echo in our soul we have to be diligent and prayerful, for understanding comes from the Holy Spirit (Archimandrite Amilianos) Elder Ephraim of Katounakia says, The holy fathers knew very well what they meant by saying that the eyes of our soul can be opened. That is why we should read both the patristic texts and the Scriptures. Do you think that you don t have time to do it? Try and read even for a few minutes every day. The purification and enlightenment you will gain by reading the Holy Scriptures will remain with you day and night (p. 232). St. Isaac the Syrian advises us to, Read often and insatiably the books of the teachers of the Church on divine providence, for they lead the mind to discern the order in God s creatures and His actions, give it strength, and by their subtleness they prepare it to acquire luminous intuitions and guide it in purity toward the understanding of God s creatures. Read also the Gospels, which God ordained for knowledge for the whole world, that you may find provisions for your journey in the might of God s providence for every generation, and that your intellect may plunge deeply into wonder at Him. Such reading furthers your aim. Let your reading be done in a stillness which nothing disturbs (p. 34). Reading assists the soul when she stands in prayer From reading the soul is enlightened in prayer Without entering into temptation, no man will ever gain the wisdom from the Holy Spirit; and without perseverance in reading, he will know no refinement of thoughts (ibid. p. 45). When ever it happens to you that your soul is shrouded by thick darkness from within and... for a brief time is deprived of spiritual comfort and the light of grace on account of the cloud of passions that overshadows her; and further, that the joy-producing power in your soul is curtailed for a little, and your mind is overshadowed by an unwonted mist: then do not be troubled in mind, do not lend a hand to despondency. But be patient, be engaged in reading the books of the Doctors of the Church, compel yourself in prayer, and expect to receive help (ibid. p. 81). Do not be surprised if sometimes when you are kneeling in prayer and your mind is concentrated upon it, your mind grows silent and ceases from prayer. You will find this to occur both in your office and in reading. At the time when your mind is scattered, persevere in reading rather than in prayer (ibid. p. 307). Give more honor to reading, if possible, than to standing, for it is a source of pure prayers (ibid. P. 307) I run to stillness so that the verses of my reading and prayer should become sweet to me (ibid. p. 320). This speaks to reflecting on what we ve read. Let us then be diligent, my brethren, and long before we wish to go to sleep let us ponder on our psalm-readings from the Holy Scripture, keeping our souls from evil recollections and from every repulsive reflection, and let us furnish our treasury with every sort of beautiful thing (ibid. p. 393). A Sermon on Reading Spiritual Works Archbishop Platon of Kostroma This is the commandment given by the holy Apostle Paul to his beloved disciple Timothy. The reading of holy writings is one of the main means of succeeding in the spiritual life. Following the Apostle, the Holy Fathers also command us to read continually the holy writings, since this is an important means to spiritual perfection. Such reading is absolutely necessary, especially in the present age, when worldly education and worldly habits threaten to stifle a taste for everything spiritual, and false teachings and ideas are spreading rapidly. 22 S ophia Spring 2013

23 If we read the Sacred Scriptures with faith, says St. Basil the Great, we will feel that we see and hear Christ Himself. What is it we need, an actual voice or the One Who speaks to us through the Scriptures? It is all the same. In Sacred Scripture, God speaks with us just as truly as when we speak with Him through prayer. For this reason, prayer and the reading of sacred books must be our continuous occupation. Pray or read continually if you want to be with God at all times. The Saints talk with us when we read their writings. Through their writings, they guide us and speak to us and we, so to speak, resurrect through them after their death in order to talk with them. Thus, we have no reason to envy the contemporaries of Chrysostom, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, Athanasius the Great, Ambrose and others. From the holy ranks of the Fathers we may choose with whom it is best for us to converse. There is no better, more joyous, and more beneficial way to spend the time we have than in reading the writings of the Holy Fathers. By reading books, which are profitable for the soul, we enter into communion with all the dwellers of Paradise. When I read books about God, says the hieromartyr Timothy, then the angels of God surround me. What can give us more honor than conversing, through reading of spiritual books, with the holy Angels, with the souls of the blessed, and with God Himself. When I read holy books, says St. Gregory the Theologian about the books of St. Basil the Great, then the spirit and body are illumined and I become the temple of God and the harp of the Holy Spirit, played by divine powers. Through them I am corrected and through them I receive a kind of divine change and I am made into a different person. Cleave to reading spiritual writings. It will lead you to that wonderful change which took place in so many saints. Through these works we receive great and holy enlightenment. Through them we learn of the path to salvation, we learn what kind of temptations await us on this path, and about the means by which we may be delivered from them. On Spiritual Study An Excerpt from Spiritual Awakening By Elder Paisios the Athonite (+1994) Geronda, which spiritual books are the most helpful? The various patristic texts, which thank God are available by the thousands today, are very helpful. One can find whatever one needs and desires in these books. They are authentic spiritual nourishment and a sure guide on the spiritual path. However, in order to be of benefit to us, they have to be read with humility and prayer. We do not need great knowledge to be devout. If we concentrate and ponder on the few things we know, our heart will be spiritually embroidered. One may be profoundly affected by a single hymn, while another may feel nothing, even though he may know all the hymns by heart, as he has not entered into the spiritual reality. So, read the Fathers, even one or two lines a day. They are very strengthening vitamins for the soul. The Place of Lives of Saints in the Spiritual Life by Hieromonk Damascene A talk delivered at the Annual Assembly of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Western America, February 16/March 1, 2002 How to Make Use of the Lives of the Saints First, we look to the Saints as our examples, be imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ (I Cor. 11:1), the Saints say to us along with the Holy Apostle Paul. As Christians, we want to grow in the likeness of Christ, to have that likeness shine in us. For this to occur, we need to look often to the Saints to see that shining likeness: we must look to them for real, practical examples of how to live. St. Basil the Great gives this analogy: Just as painters, in working from models, constantly gaze at their exemplar and thus strive to transfer the expression of the original to their own artistry, so too he who is eager to make himself perfect in all kinds of virtue must gaze upon the Lives of the Saints and make their excellence his own by imitation. Secondly, we must look to the Saints as our heavenly friends, as our brothers and sisters in the Faith. As we read the Lives of the Saints each day, we will discover little by little those Saints whom our hearts go out to. They will become our close friends, those whom we pray to most of all, those in whom we confide our joys and sorrows. As Archimandrite Aimilianos, the former Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Simonos Petras on Mount Athos, writes: These close friends will be the guides of our choice and a great comfort to us along the straight and narrow way that leads to Christ. We are not alone on the road or in the struggle. We have with us our Mother, the All-Holy Mother of God, our Guardian Angel, the Saint whose name we bear, and those close friends we have chosen out of the Great Multitude of Saints who stand before the Lamb (Rev. 7:9). When we stumble through sin, they will raise us up again; when we are tempted to give up hope, they will remind us that they have suffered for Christ before us, and more than us; and that they are now the possessors of unending joy. So, upon the stony road of the present life, these holy companions will enable us to glimpse the light of the Resurrection. Let us search, then, in the Lives of the Saints, for these close friends, and with all the Saints let us make our way to Christ. As we study the Lives of the Saints, humility must be our safeguard. We need to soberly apply what we read to our own conditions and circumstances, realizing our own infirmity, not thinking too much of ourselves, not dreaming of ascetic feats that truly are beyond us. In other words, we must take spiritual life step by step, and not expect to make one great leap into sanctity. Prayer of St. John Chrysostom Before Spiritual Reading In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit: O Lord Jesus Christ, open the eyes of my heart, that I may hear Your word and understand and do Your will, for I am a sojourner upon the earth. Hide not Your commandments from me, but open my eyes, that I may perceive the wonders of Your law. Speak to me the hidden and secret things of Your wisdom. On You do I set my hope, O my God, that You will enlighten my mind and understanding with the light of Your knowledge, not only to cherish those things which are written, but to do them, that in reading the lives, works and sayings of the Saints I may not sin, but that such may serve for my restoration, enlightenment and sanctification, for the salvation of my soul, and the inheritance of life everlasting. For You are the enlightenment of those who lie in darkness, and from You comes every good deed and every gift. Amen. Learning Spring 2013 S ophia 23

24 Living Stones Pilgrimage Israel/Palestine Trip sponsored by Pilgrims of Ibillin October 25-November 7, 2013 Cost: $1,600/person program fee, double occupancy (hotel, transportation, tours, tips, + 2 meals/day) plus cost of airfare*, lunches and insurance Single Supplement $ Usama Nicola, our Bethlehem Tour Planner Staff, Wi am, Palestinian Conflict Resolution Center Leader: Rev. Joan Deming Pilgrims of Ibillin Executive Director 1541 Comanche Glen, Madison, WI ~ jdeming7@gmail.com Registration Deadline: June 20, 2013 $500 due with registration; $1100 due by 9/25/13 Visit Holy Sites in Galilee, Jerusalem, Bethlehem and beyond Living Stones Pilgrimage group Visit Mar Elias Educational Institutions & Peace-building Programs in Israel/Palestine *Airfare: You will make your own reservations to fly from JFK-TLV plus your connecting flight from your home airport. Contact our travel agent, Cindy Walker, at Travel Leaders in Mukilteo, WA: The sooner you register, the better the airfare cost will likely be! Expect $1180 for the New York-TLV portion, plus your connecting flight airfare. We also strongly encourage the purchase of travel insurance. All-inclusive Insurance at excellent group rates will be quoted by our travel agent at the same time as your total airfare cost.

25 Putting the Eastern Catholic Encounter into Practice in San Diego by Jonathan A. Deane Wednesday, March Update Father James Babcock gives a reflection on our need for prayer and forgiveness Throughout the United States this past fall, many of our Eastern Catholic monastics, clergy and faithful were able to attend the Eastern Catholic Encounter. There we were able to pray together with fellow Eastern Christians of different traditions, and hear how we can support one another. A key challenge that we were all given at the end was to try to make those few days become a more constant reality in our home communities. In San Diego, there are signs that this is beginning to take fruit. The Byzantine Catholic communities of St. Jacob (Melkite) and Holy Angels (Ruthenian) worship in the same building, at different times and with different traditions. For the start of this year's Great Fast, the two communities have been blessed with something new in their prayer lives-each other. On Clean Monday, evening Vespers was prayed according to the Ruthenian tradition and music, celebrated by Fr. Robert Pipta of Holy Angels, with O Joyful Light and Now You May Dismiss led according to the Melkite chant tradition by Fr. James Babcock of St. Jacob and Virgin Mary Missions (San Diego and Temecula, CA). After Vespers, Fr. James gave a Lenten reflection to both communities, calling us to live a life of peace and repentance. He then led the rite of mutual forgiveness, where the two communities became one line of those who exchanged God's forgiveness. May God grant more love and unity between His people! When the Fishermen Were Filled with Wisdom Continued from page 17 one of them placing the word within them and on their lips. There they received the Law and broke it; here they receive the Law and are able to keep it. There, because of their idolatrous sin, three thousand died by the sword at the hands of Levitical priests (Exodus 32:28-29); here, because of their repentance, three thousand are brought to life by Baptism at the hands of the apostles (Acts 2:41). There, though filled with wisdom (Sirach 24:25), they fell back into worldly polytheism; here we sing: Blessed are you, O Christ our God, who have filled the fishermen with wisdom by sending down the Holy Spirit upon them, and who through them have caught in your net the whole world. This year, as we celebrate Pentecost, the fiftieth day from Pascha, may we too, like the fishermen at the first Pentecost of the New Covenant, be filled with God's wisdom by the power of the Holy Spirit. For it is only through the Word of God dwelling in our hearts that we too might become fishers of men and that He may, through us, catch in His net the whole world. O Lover of mankind, glory to You! 1 Cyril Hadaad, Melkite Hymnal, Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Catholic Edition. All biblical quotations hereafter are from this version. 3 In popular exegesis, Exodus 20:4 is often thought to condemn the making of any religious imagery whatsoever. This is not the case, however, as one has only to examine the directions for the building of the tabernacle, the ark of the covenant, and the temple of Solomon to see that the holy places of Israel were filled with religious imagery ordained by God (Exodus 25:18; 26:1, 31; 28:33; 1 Kings 6:23, 29, 32, 35; 7:20; 28, 36, 42). The Two Lungs Continued from page 21 themselves according to their own special disciplines. For these are guaranteed by ancient traditions, and seem to be better suited to the customs of their faithful and the good of their souls. Paragraph 7: The Patriarchate as an institution has existed in the Church from the earliest times, and was already recognized by the first ecumenical councils. By the term Eastern Patriarch is meant the bishop who has jurisdiction over all the bishops, clergy, and people of his own territory or rite, according to the rules of canon law. Wherever a bishop of any rite is appointed outside the territory of his patriarchate, he remains attached to the hierarchy of his ritual Church. Paragraph 24: The Eastern Churches in communion with the Apostolic See of Rome have the special duty of fostering the unity of all Christians, in particular of Eastern Christians, according to the principles laid down in the decree of this holy council, On Ecumenism, by prayer above all, by their example, by their scrupulous fidelity to the ancient traditions of the East, by better knowledge of each other, by working together, and by a brotherly attitude towards persons and things. Spring 2013 S ophia 25

26 Quiz WhaT S YoUR MELKiTE iq? A Self-Assessment for Your Fun and Enlightenment by Zoti Mitri See how much you and yours know about your faith and traditions by completing this self-quiz. You can find the correct answers on page 33. Do some research to learn more about the topics that especially interest you. 1. Which biblical couple made believe they were brother and sister to hide from the Pharaoh of Egypt? a. Adam and Eve b. Jacob and Rachel c. Abraham and Sarah d. David and Bathsheba 2. Biblical King David is said to have played which musical instrument? a. Drums b. Harp c. Trumpet d. Pipes 3. Which of the children of biblical Jacob was sold into slavery? a. Gideon b. Daniel c. Job d. Joseph 4. Which of these books is not part of the New Testament? a. Gospel of Saint John b. Letter to the Romans c. Letter of Saint James d. Letter of Saint Thomas 5. Who was chosen by the apostles to take the place of Judas? a. Barnabas b. Titus c. Matthias d. Demetrius 6. In the New Testament, what recalls the Tree of Life of the Book of Genesis? a. The tree climbed by Zacchaeus b. The withered fig tree c. The sycamore tree d. The cross of Christ 26 S ophia Spring 2013

27 7. The Edit of Milan of 313 extended freedom so a. That heretics were to be sent into exile b. That sacred icons were made available c. That Christians were no longer united d. That Christianity became legally recognized 8. The first translators of the Bible into Slavonic were a. Ptolemy and Aristeas b. Boris and Gleb c. Cyril and Methodius d. Josaphat and Andrej 9. The Melkite Greek Catholic Church was founded a. When Jesus Christ was born b. In 1724 A. D. c. On Pentecost Day d. At the Council of Jerusalem 10. According to the Gospels, a heavenly voice called Jesus beloved Son on which occasions in His life? a. Theophany and Transfiguration b. Pentecost and Ascension c. Pascha and Christmas d. Great and Holy Week 11. The first Sunday of the Great Fast/Lent is called a. Cheese-fast Sunday b. Sunday of Orthodoxy/Triumph of the True Faith c. Sunday of the Prodigal d. Meat-fast Sunday 12. Which of these is not a major fasting period of the Melkite Church? a. Great and Holy Fast/Lent b. Saints Peter and Paul Fast c. Saint Philip Fast d. Saint Andrew Fast 13. Which of these assertions about saints is true? a. Saints are well-known because their stories were written b. Saints came mainly from wealthy families c. Saints lived a perfect life without any sin d. Saints were people who lived the Christian virtues in an extraordinary way, loving God and neighbor in their daily lives 14. Which of these statements is true about human salvation? a. We are saved by faith alone b. Because we are baptized we are also saved c. We are saved by the grace of God through faith which manifests itself in love and good works d. We are saved through good deeds 15. In the Creed we profess our faith in a brief way. This does not include all things the Church teaches. Which of the following is a Church belief not included in the Creed? a. Belief in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit b. Belief in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church c. Belief in the Creator of all things visible and invisible d. Belief in the use of holy icons in worship 16. Which of these statements is true about the Holy Trinity? a. The Father is one God, the Son is another God, and the Holy Spirit is another God b. The Father alone is God, the Son and the Holy Spirit are creatures c. God is one, and the Son and the Holy Spirit are names for God s thought and action d. There are three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but one Godhead 17. What is the Church? a. A human perfect society b. The people of God who gather to worship together c. A parish community guided by a priest and his committees d. A building where religious services are held 18. The Divine Liturgy is important because it a. Is the central act of Christian worship at which we give thanks to God for all things b. Is a drama re-enacting the life of Jesus c. Is a preservation of our religious culture and heritage d. Is a collection of prayers and hymns written in the past 19. The Troparia are a. Short verses from the Acts of the Apostles b. Verses taken from the Book of Psalms c. Short hymns praising the events or the saints commemorated on a particular day d. Quotations from the Holy Gospels 20. The word liturgy means a. Time of rest and relaxation b. Thanksgiving time c. Common work or common action of the people d. Gathering of persons Quiz Spring 2013 S ophia 27

28 Youth Ministry Teens Now and Then Need our Love and Understanding by Archdeacon George Yany In about 40 years of ministering to teenagers, I have seen a lot of fads, styles, and changes in youth ministry. However, at the very root of reaching teenagers for Jesus Christ, much has stayed the same. Sure, the old fads of yesterday are coming back today as new. People think it s new, but we had it or did it before. But we need to go deeper than the surface issues. What are some of the simple principles for reaching a generation of students? If you re new to youth ministry, learn from an old-timer. If you are an old-timer, don t forget: you ve been there before, tried it, and did it. First, remember that teenagers need unconditional love, value, and acceptance. They are crying out for authentic love and going down dangerous paths in search of it. We need to help fill that void with authentic acceptance of them just the way they are. Isn t that the way God loves us? No preconditions, no hoops to jump through. He just loves us as we are. We need to believe in teenagers and love them even when there doesn t seem to be one reason on the planet to hug them. But we know that the Bible declares, Love never fails! Second, keep in mind that teenagers are searching for answers. They will question everything and anything they have ever been taught. They will be challenged in their faith and beliefs. They will experiment, take new challenges, and maybe even risks. They are abandoning the comfort of their childhood world to discover their own world. So be willing to answer their tough questions. Don t shy away from having open and frank discussions. And don t put them down because they might challenge their belief and trust in Jesus Christ. Acknowledge their pain and frustrations. Don t be afraid to say, Great question. I don t know. Let s find out. Teach them the truth of God s Word and it will not return empty. Believe me; I have learned this lesson while serving as Catholic Chaplain in Rhode Island State Prison for 20 years. Third, do not judge them. Try to be authentic; deal with reality. Teenagers will see right through a phony. Youth ministry is no place for masks or makebelieve. Talk plainly and realistically to them. Let them into your world to see you inside and out. Let them see that you are a real person with life, feelings, passions, and emotions. Be sure that you are living the lifestyle you would want them to imitate. Fourth, above all, remember that teenagers want respect. Quit treating them like children or non-adults. Teenager is a description of their age, not a social category according to God s Word. Finally, pray that Almighty God will grant you the wisdom and strength and love to minister to our youth so that they will love Him and serve Him and be happy with Him in this world and in the next. Archdeacon George Yany, from St Basil the Great parish in Rhode Island, has been married to Violet for 52 Years. They have five children, 11 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren (and counting). He served as Director of NAMY for seven years and as Coordinator of St Basil Melkite Youth Organization (MYO) for 13 years. 28 S ophia Spring 2013

29 Cliff Falls a Blessed Story years doctors were baffled. Finally a specialist detected that Cliff s body was infected with a rare drug- resistant bacteria and a ten-day water-only fast starved it out of his system. Over the next several years he regained his strength and is a picture of health today. The faith of his family implanted into Cliff a strong trust in God. He recognized that prayer and praise were the way out of his dark valley. He learned that the chronic illness was not his fault no one to blame. And trusting in God s promises that life was not free of suffering, Cliff learned to trust more and the Bible became his daily reading. by Bishop Nicholas Book Review THE AUTHOR Cliff Shiepe, author of Cliff Falls, hails from Lawrence, MA, and at a the age of five was transplanted with his family (parents Cliff and Marie, sister, Bayne) to Los Angeles, California, where they were active members of St. Anne parish in North Hollywood. I was close with the Shiepe family during my eight years as Associate Pastor at St Anne Church. How surprised I was to reconnect with him on Christmas day 2012 before celebrating the Divine Liturgy; I had not seen him since 1978 when he was ten years old. Before and after the Liturgy we chatted briefly and Cliff autographed a copy of Cliff Falls, his first novel. We met the next day in Palm Desert for lunch and I learned much about his life, illness and writing, and how his faith sustained him in life. At 26 years old, beginning a career in the entertainment business, Cliff was stricken with high fevers, exhaustion, dizzy spells and nausea. For seven THE BOOK Cliff s personal struggles shaped his writing. He began writing a TV pilot about a childhood star, Clay Grant, an exploited child star of 80 s sitcom hit, Little Guy Mike. Grant disappears at 18 after a mysterious fire destroys the Hollywood studio back lot. He is on the run for 15 years, chased by the media until a fight with a determined photographer lands him in jail. Clay Grant is haunted by his past his childhood stardom and quickly discovered no one escapes life. A motivational pastor, Reagan Mitchell, shows up in Clay s cell and offers him a deal to buy his freedom. He arrives in Cliff Falls, a majestic town, under an overcast sky and begins the healing process of coming back to God and accepting life. Little Guy Mike wrestles with what it means to have a deep rooted faith, and what it means to be a beloved, a true child of God. What he discovers changes his life and will certainly add a change to your life too. The book sways from isolation to learning trust once again. Trust forms relationships which lead to a process of redemption. Masks betray one s true self and hide reality. At the end the only mask, so to say, is being an image of God, a beloved one. I read Cliff s book in one sitting on my brief vacation and was touched by the faith in his story. Hearing about his life from Cliff himself was an added feature for me to see so much symbolism in his book. Presently the novel is being made into a stage play and I believe Cliff has a great future ahead. Cliff himself reconnected to his Church and astonished me with his autographed remark in the book he presented to me: Bishop Nick, you ll never know the impact you ve had on me. You are the beloved! Believe! Cliff. I was humbled by this young writer, and blessed that our lives touched once again. I recommend the book to all SOPHIA readers. You will be touched by its simplicity and loving message. Cliff Falls, self published by Cliff Shiepe, is available on Kindle and Nook as well as Amazon. Check See also an article on Cliff in Guideposts, April 2012, called Green Pastures, Spring 2013 S ophia 29

30 Communities in Action St. John of the Desert parish joins with habitat for humanity We have all heard of the organization instituted by President Jimmy Carter, Habitat for Humanity, and have watched on TV this wonderful man and First Lady Rosalind Carter roll up their sleeves, hard hat on and hammer in hand, to build homes for families in need. Well, recently one of our parishioners at St. John of the Desert in Phoenix, AZ, announced with a smile from ear to ear, beaming with joy, that she was picked to have a home built by this great organization. Among several hundreds who had applied for the project, Sawsan Sabbara and her children were one of the three families who were chosen to have a home built for them. Our community rejoiced with her and a date was set for the blessing of the land and the ground breaking ceremony. The building started shortly after and a few of our parishioners gave their time and talent every Saturday to help erect this lovely three-bedroom home. When the frame was up, there was yet another ceremony where friends, helpers and parishioners were handed a felt pen to write on the frame anything they wanted to write: good wishes, whimsical sayings, drawings, bible verses, etc. All of which was covered shortly after with dry wall, but not before being photographed for keepsake. And the building slowly took shape and became a beautiful house. The blessing of the home was set for December 15, 2012, while Sayedna Nicholas was on his official visit to our parish. Sawsan Sabbara was delighted to hear that Sayedna would accompany Fr. Peter and some parishioners for this event. Unfortunately, due to a terrible downpour, the location of the blessing was rerouted to a different location so that the grading of the land would not be destroyed. The ceremony took place with recognition of helpers, donors of material, fixtures, solar panels, etc. As a housewarming gift, a basket was presented by Habitat for Humanity to the Sabbaras filled with Bread so that they may never know hunger, Cider so that they may never know thirst, Flowers so that they may always be filled with beauty and a Bible so that they always have a place in their heart and in their home to go to. They also gave them the American Flag. Since the location was not the actual house, the real blessing of the house was to take place right after the Feast of the Theophany; nonetheless, Sayedna said a few words congratulating Sawsan, expressing thanks to the volunteers and admiration for the project. The ceremony concluded over coffee, donuts and good conversation. One of our parishioners, who worked on this project almost every Saturday, is looking into the possibility of becoming a volunteer manager to help with the building of houses and St. John of the Desert is looking forward into possibly making this building project a ministry and part of our contribution and service to our Social Community. O Lord God, in every age, You invite men and women to hear Your call to serve You and the Church. We bow before You now, asking that You call forth more persons to serve our Melkite Church in America. Give us deacons, priests, and nuns who will lead and guide your holy people. By Your will, bless us with vocations so that we continue to be the church which You called us to be, centuries ago. Let all hear Your voice inviting them to care for and serve Your people. Strengthen us in being disciples of Jesus Christ, Your only-begotten Son prayer for Vocations OFFICE OF VOCATIONS vocations@melkite.org and fishers of men. Inspire in us the spirit and pride of Antioch, our holy heritage. We ask You, O Lover of men, to raise up men and women who appreciate what they have received from You and who want to be generous in their service, willing to offer their lives and all their gifts, to serve others, to give You glory, thanksgiving and worship, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and always and forever and ever. Amen 30 S ophia Spring 2013

31 Saint Joseph Parish in Scranton, Pennsylvania, one of the oldest Melkite parishes in the Eparchy, recently surpassed its 115th year. With no resident pastor, the parish has been ably served for the past year-and-a-half by Protodeacon Michael Jolly as Administrator. Through his diligent coordination, this vibrant parish community shows much life through weekly liturgies and services, as well as a variety of social events. Many of these events remain a traditional way of involving the entire church community, working together for fellowship and fundraising. The Lebanese-American Food Festival, held in August 2012, was the most successful yet. Attendees were treated to two days of homemade ethnic foods, pastries, local picnic favorites, clams, a basket raffle, and a magic show, and more. Everyone worked tirelessly to provide a good time for all. Credit goes to all of the good stewards who gave of their time, talent and treasure. The food fest is a huge task for a small parish, but the community looks forward to this event each year, since it is well publicized in local media. Fall weather ushered in a delicious Spaghetti Supper. For more than 40 years this has been an October ritual in West Scranton. The cooking and preparation are performed by parishioners Charlie and Joanna Simon. It is no longer just the women of the parish who serve, but everyone, young and old, participates in some way. The fellowship provided creates enthusiasm which is evident to our guests. Saint Nicholas made his annual visit in December and greeted all parishioners, especially the youngsters. Food, stories, and a Nativity play rounded out the afternoon. The children received special icon ornaments to place on their trees and in their homes. On Cheese Fare Sunday the parish enjoyed an ice cream social, followed by Forgiveness Vespers, served by Archimandrite Michael Skrocki of Danbury, CT, who graciously made the three-hour drive to join us in prayer and anointing. During Great Lent, the Eastern Catholic churches of West Scranton continued their 25-year tradition of a weeklong Lenten Mission. Each evening, Lenten services are prayed in a different parish, followed by light refreshments and a question-and-answer session. This year, Father Robert Simon, a Roman Catholic priest of the Diocese of Scranton, presented the theme of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in the Year of Faith, our intimate relationship with Jesus and our response in faith. St Joseph Parish hosted the first night of the week with Lenten Vespers and the topic Each One an Icon of Christ. Fr. Bob, as he is known locally, has been a student of iconography and iconology for 15 years and serves as a pastor near Scranton. Younger children participate in a Lazarus Saturday activity day, baking church bread, coloring eggs, and working on crafts. Boys and their fathers attend an altar server retreat program afterward. The parish has been blessed by having altar servers of all ages. Most recently, fathers and their young sons serve together at each liturgy. St Joseph parish, Scranton, pa, Celebrates 115 Years Communities in Action Spring 2013 S ophia 31

32 National Association of Melkite Youth Conference 2013 is coming! by Fr. Tom Steinmetz, National N.A.M.Y. Director Iam delighted to announce that the National N.A.M.Y. Conference will take place on June 26-30, at St. Anselm College, 100 St. Anselm Dr., Manchester, NH. You can visit their website at The cost of the conference is $185 per person. If you ask any of our young Melkites that have attended past conferences, they will tell you what a wonderful time they have had there. The experience of laughing, loving, learning, and praying together is powerfully enriching. Lifetime friendships have come from people meeting at these conferences. So, if you are a Melkite teen who has never been to the national conference what are you waiting for? All of the necessary registration forms, consent forms, and deadline dates are available from your local pastor, N.A.M.Y advisor, or can be downloaded from the National N.A.M.Y. website at Youth participants must be at least 13 years old by December 31, 2012, under 19 years of age by June 26, 2013, and not yet started college. Please remember to pray for our advisors and for our youth. I look forward to being with everyone at the conference again this year. See you in New Hampshire!

33 Captivating by Mary Saad Personal Faith Captivating is one of those words that conjures up all sorts of charming, intriguing, or curious beckoning. What captivates our thoughts and aspirations? What rocks our boat? Perhaps it s an individual perception. That being said, how do we perceive our personal faith? Does our attitude scarcely demonstrate interest in our faith and follow the norms of our worldly society? Or are we avid lovers of our faith who openly express a zeal for and love of Jesus teachings? How can the word captivating be linked to religion? For generations, cultures all over the world believed in a Creator wiser and greater than humanity. From the beginning of time, people were captivated by a supremacy that was beyond their intellect. They had an innate need to worship and to believe in a supernatural being and, consequently, they practiced spiritual guidance and worship in accordance with their understanding and culture. In this age of secularism, is it possible to have and to maintain a positive slant on religion? As Christians, are we willing to reach out to those in our lives who are tepid and uninterested in all things related to spirituality? It s a compelling objective to enlighten an individual who is spiritually weak and lives in darkness. Our Lord never abandons us, for His captivating love is everlasting. In John 3: 21 we read, But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God. How do we set the spiritual bar higher for ourselves and our loved ones? First, we need to openly express our love of the truth. The truth is that the Gospel is the life-giving message. Christ loved us so deeply that the blood He shed through His passion freed us from enslavement to sin. But, and more importantly, we must be willing to believe and follow His Word. Jesus, I trust in you! John 1:12 says, But to all who received Him, who believed in His name, He gave power to become children of God. Our unceasing prayers will strengthen our faith and hope, and, despite various trials, we will be enabled to obtain peace and joy in our heart. This peace and joy has at its roots a surrender of our hearts, minds, and spirits. Let us be open to the Holy Spirit and generously share this loving captivation with our family and friends. Mary Sayad is a parishioner of St. Ann Parish in Woodland Park, NJ, and has published numerous articles in the local Roman Catholic newspaper. Answers to Melkite IQ Quiz on page C - Abraham and Sarah 2. B - Harp 3. D - Joseph 4. D - Letter of Thomas 5. C - Matthias 6. D - The Cross of Christ 7. D - Christianity became recognized 8. C - Saints Cyril and Methodius, the Evangelizers of the Slavs 9. B - At the death of Patriarch Athanasius (Dabbas) in 1724 the See of Antioch started a double lineage of patriarchs, one Catholic and the other Orthodox 10. A - Theophany and Transfiguration 11. B - Sunday of Orthodoxy or Triumph of the True Faith 12. D - Saint Andrew s Fast 13. D - Saints were Christians who dedicated themselves totally to love God and neighbor in their daily lives 14. C - We are saved by the grace of God through faith which manifests itself in love and good works 15. D - Belief in the use of holy icons in the Church 16. D - There are three persons Father, Son, Holy Spirit, but one Godhead 17. B - The people of God who gather to worship together 18. A - It is the central act of Christian worship at which we give thanks to God for all things 19. C - Short hymns praising the events or the saints commemorated on a particular day 20. C Common work or common action of the people Spring 2013 S ophia 33

34 My Peace I Give Unto You We are pleased to announce the 2014 National Melkite Convention Chicago, Illinois July 3-6, 2014 It's never too early to start planning to travel to the "Windy City" for the 2014 National Melkite Convention hosted by St. John the Baptist Parish in Northlake, IL Please look for registration information in the coming issues of SOPHIA. We are already looking forward to seeing you!

35 Navigating the Eparchy Hierarch BISHOP NICHOLAS SAMRA Bishop Emeritus BISHOP JOHN ELYA, B.S.O Chancery Office SAIDEH DAGHER, Secretary 3 V.F.W. Parkway. West Roxbury, MA Fax Protosyncellus ARCHIMANDRITE PHILIP RACZKA graczka@nd.edu Judicial Vicar ARCHIMANDRITE GERASIMOS MURPHY gmurphy7@tampabay.rr.com Chancellor DEACON PAUL LEONARCZYK chancery@melkite.org Chief Finance Officer DEACON ROBERT SHALHOUB robertshalhoub@optonline.net Office of Religious Education FRAN COLIE PHD. Winter: Summer: doccolie@yahoo.com Sophia Magazine Editor in Chief ARCHIMANDRITE JAMES BABCOCK Sophiamelkite@gmail.com Sophia Press Publications SAIDEH DAGHER Website webmaster@melkite.org National Association of Melkite Women (NAMW) ROSEMARY SHABOUK bouk1@aol.com Ambassadors ROSA AILABOUNI rosaailabouni@gmail.com Melkite Association of Young Adults (MAYA) Board Member and Co-Chair NAJEEB HADDAD nhaddad@luc.edu Website: usmaya.org National Association of Melkite Youth (NAMY) FR. THOMAS STEINMETZ Oloc.church@comcast.net Vocation Director ARCHIMANDRITE JOHN AZAR vocations@melkite.org Deacon Formation Director ARCHIMANDRITE PAUL FRECHETTE olphworc@att.net Clergy Conference Coordinator FR. CHRISTOPHER MANUELE stnickmelkite@frontier.com

36 Office of Communications, Diocese of Newton 3 VFW Parkway West Roxbury, MA ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED NONPROFIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID HACKENSACK, NJ PERMIT NO. 56 & Dear Fr. John, Archimandrite John Azar Office of Vocations Melkite Eparchy of Newton 1428 Ponce de Leon Ave., NE Atlanta, Georgia vocations@melkite.org. Please send me material. I am interested in the following: q Priesthood q Diaconate Thank You! (please print clearly) Name: Address: City, State, Zip Code: address (optional): Other Comments/Questions: