The Meaning of Liturgical Vestments. Volume 34 October 28, 2018 Number 45

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1 The Church Herald Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church 2053 North Road, NE Warren, OH Church Phone: (330) Rectory Phone: (330) Pastor: The Very Rev. Protopresbyter Kenneth M. Bachofsky, D. Min. Parish Web Page: Volume 34 October 28, 2018 Number 45 The Meaning of Liturgical Vestments The Divine Liturgy that we celebrate today did not come into existence overnight but is the product of centuries of spiritual experience. When archeologists excavate the ruins of an ancient city, they proceed layer by layer. Sifting through the artifacts, they are able to tell who lived in the city, for how long they lived there and when another group took possession of it. In the same way, by examining the Divine Liturgy in its present form, we can see the contributions of the many peole who celebrated it in the past and handed it on to the next generation, leaving their marks for better or for worse. In excavating an ancient city, archeologists find artifacts left by the most recent inhabitants first, and only after careful digging do they find those of the earliest civilizations. In studying the Divine Liturgy, we also find that the first things encountered are often the latest developments. The vesting of the priest before the celebration of the Liturgy was not a part of the ceremony of the earliest Christians but a ritual that developed later. From the Old Testament to New After the priest has entered the Church and venerated the Icons and the Altar, he proceeds to put on the vestments for the celebration of the Liturgy. In the Old Testament, in chapter 28 of the Book of Exodus, the Lord gave Moses instructions on how to make vestments for Aaron and his sons who were to be priests, for glory and beauty. However, the first Christian bishops and priests did not assume the vestments of the Hebrew priesthood, since, as the Letter the Hebrews explains, the Old Testament priesthood and sacrifices had given way to the High Priesthood of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the Cross (Hebrews 9:10). Instead, for the first three centuries of the Church s existence, the bishops, priests and deacons did not wear any special vestments, but ordinary clothes, though of finer quality than those worn every day. This is all that can be gathered from the few references to liturgical dress dating form this time period. The Canons of Hyppolytus, dating from the beginning of the third century, contains this rubric for the celebration of the Eucharist: As often as a bishop takes of the sacred mysteries, let the deacons and priests be gathered together, clothed in white robes, more beautiful than those of the rest of the people. (Canon 37). Even at the end of the fourth century, the Apostolic Constitutions mention that the bishop who will celebrate the Liturgy should be dressed in splendid raiment. The Greek words used here simply refer to the expensive clothing worn by the upper class members of society. The Origin of Vestments How then did the current vestments for clergy originate? Our vestments derive from two sources: the style of clothing worn in the ancient world and garments worn by officials in the Byzantine Empire. The sticharion or alb, the phelonion (the capelike vestment worn by the priest) and the dalmatic worn by the deacon were all a part of the style of clothing worn by people in the Roman Empire during the first centuries of the Christian era. In addition, it would seem that the call of Hyppolytus and other sources for white garments to be worn at Liturgy is a reference to the chrisom the Baptismal Garments given to the Newly-Baptized. The modern sticharion undoubtedly stems from this garment, which priests probably wore to celebrate the Liturgy as a sign of their baptismal union with Christ from which their ministry in the Church flowed. This baptismal garment was essentially the tunica of the ancient world the basic garment for men and women. In the sixth century the styles of clothing began to change, but the Church, being conservative, retained the earlier style of dress for her ministers. The priest s epitrachilion or stole, the deacon s orarion, and the bishop s omophorion are all derived from scarves of office that were worn by the Emperor and awarded to other officials in the Empire, arranged in different ways over the shoulder. These served as insignia of office in the political and social life of the late Roman Empire.

2 It was not until after the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453 that Orthodox bishops began to wear the mitre or crown. Originally, this was only worn by the Emperor in Constantinople. The bishop s sakkos, the Episcopal outer vestment, along with the cuffs all part of the Emperor s dress were adopted at this same time. Before this Orthodox bishops wore priest vestments with the omophor over them. After the Turkish armies took the city of Constantinople in 1453, the Patriarch became the civil head of the Greek-speaking population as well as remaining head of the Church. As such, the Patriarchs adopted the dress of the Emperor. The belt was a sign of military as opposed to civil office in the Empire. However, because the belt served to gather up the loose fitting sticharion, it may have been adopted for more practical reasons than any other. The Meaning of Liturgical Dress As liturgical vestments became a part of the spiritual experience of the Church, they were given a symbolic meaning, often based on events in the life of Christ. The sticharion, for example, was seen as the seamless robe which Christ wore to His Crucifixion and for which the soldiers gambled. The cuffs were symbols of the Lord s hands which were bound as He stood before Pilate. The bishop s omophorion was seen as a symbol of the lost sheep being carried by the Good Shepherd and so forth. The priest s epitrachil became the symbol of the oil was poured over the head of Aaron, when he was consecrated, that ran down his beard to the hem of his garments. The Orthodox Church, starting from the Book of Revelation, sees Her worship as the experience of the worship fo heaven in earthly forms. The vestments of the priest remind him and all of the faithful that he is to be clothed with the divine grace that will enable Christ to lead the Church through him. The priest, fully vested before the Alter, is no longer an individual, but a sign to all of the beauty and the glory that will belong to each of us in the Kingdom of Heaven! The Church in the early Middle Ages saw Herself as the New Israel of God and interpreted Her worship as the fulfillment of the forms of the Old Testament. Many people began to interpret the priest s vestments as stemming from the clothing of the Levitical priesthood, though, as mentioned already, the early Christians did not model their vestments after those of the Jewish Temple. Originally, the vestments were put on in silence, but by the late Middle Ages, the service books began to prescribe various Psalm verses to be said as each item was put on. In the 14th century, Patriarch Philotheos Diataxis prescribed the order for putting on the vestments and the Psalm verse to be recited for each garment. This pattern, with minor variations, was adopted throughout the Orthodox word to this day. - Protopresbyter Lawrence Barriger - Our Worship Schedule Sunday, October 28th 9:30 a.m. The Reading of the Third Hour. 10:00 a.m. The 22nd Sunday After Pentecost, Tone 5. (Page ). The M a r t y r s : T e r r a n c e, Neonila, the V e n e r a b l e J o b o f Pochaev and St. Arsenius are commemorated. Epistle Galatians 6:11-18 Gospel Luke 8:26-39 TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30TH 9:00 A.M. LIT- URGY OF THANKSGIVING FOR THE WEEPING ICON AT ST. NICHOLAS CHURCH! Wednesday, October 31st 4:00 p.m. The Akathist Service to the Theotokos with prayers for the sick and anointing of the faithful. Saturday, October 3rd 4:00 p.m. The Evening Vesper Service with Bible Study Class. Sunday, October 4th 9:30 a.m. The Reading of the Third Hour. 10:00 a.m. The 22nd Sunday After Pentecost, Tone 6. (Page ) The Venerable Joannicus the Great, Hieromartyrs Nicander and Hermas are commemorated. Epistle Ephesians 2:4-10 Gospel Luke 8:41-56 MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH 9:30 A.M. A LITURGY OF THANKSGIVING: COM- MEMORATING THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ORDINATION OF FATHER KEN TO THE HOLY PRIESTHOOD! WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7TH 4:00 P.M. THE MAGNIFICANT FOLLOWED BY GREAT VESPERS FOR THE FEAST OF THE SYNAXIS OF THE ARCHANGELS! THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH 9:00 A.M. THE FEAST OF THE SYNAXIS OF THE ARCHANGELS MICHAEL, GABRIEL & ALL THE HEAVENLY HOSTS! EPISTLE HEBREWS 2:2-10 GOSPEL LUKE 10:16-21

3 Saturday, November 10th 4:00 p.m. The Vesper Service followed by Bible Study Class. Sunday, November 11th 9:30 a.m. The Reading of the Third Hour. 10:00 a.m. The 24th Sunday After Pentecost, Tone 7 (Page ). The Great Martyr Mennas, Martyrs: Victor, Vincent, & Stephanida are commemorated. Epistle Ephesians 2:14-22 Gospel Luke 10: th Day Memorials Following the Veneration of the Holy Cross and the Distribution of the A n t i d i o r o n there will be a Trisagion offered for the repose of the newly departed +Andrew Graham, in observance of the 40th Day of his Blessed Repose! These prayers are being requested by the members of the Graham, Millik, and Serfos families. All of the faithful are invited to lend their voices to our by attending the Memorial Service. Following the Trisagion all are invited to the Fellowship Hall to partake of the Koliva. This offering of the Koliva has been made in loving memory of +Andrew Graham! At this time we will commemorate, within this Memorial Service, the repose of the soul of +Regina Hopko, in commemoration of her 40th Day of Repose. These prayers are being requested by the members of the Hopko, Diles, Zurcher, and Bates Families. With the Saints, O Lord, grant a rest to the souls of Your departed servants, +Andrew Graham and +Regina Hopko, where there is no pain, sorrow, nor mourning, but only Life- Everlasting! Eternal be His Memory!!! Bon Voyage Deacon After mush time, contemplation and prayer, Deacon Ed decided, at this stage in his life, we wanted to sell his house and to move into an apartment by his family in Columbus, Ohio. This will take effect at the end of October of this year! We would like to cordially invite everyone to a very special Bon Voyage Party held in honor of Deacon Ed Brisbine! Faithful are asked to go to the Fellowship Hall and find a seat so that we can being the dinner. After the dinner there will be a Free Will Offering taken that will benefit the ministry of our St. Nicholas Church Samaritan Outreach! We ask that you give generously to this most worthy cause, the love and caring for the needs of our neighbors of the greater Warren area! There will be a short speaking program and a presentation will be made to the Deacon, of behalf of the Church, in gratitude for his years of faithful service to our parish of St. Nicholas! A token of our love and gratitude! Following this you will be able to extend your well wishes to Deacon Ed. Please note: Once again, this does not mean that the Samaritan Outreach will in anyway be affected! We will continue this most important ministry, especially after the many years of dedicated service to this ministry! The only difference will be that other people will take over different responsibilities. A reorganizational meeting will be held on Sunday, November 4th to discuss these changes. Also, we will be seeing Deacon Ed again at future parish events, he will not be a stranger to our parish! The Deacon will also be serving, here at St. Nicholas, during Father Ken s vacation times. Outreach Latest News T h i s past week the Samaritan Outreach held another Free Dinner at the Windham American Legion Hall! We are please to report that it was successful once again! As in the past, this is due to the blessings of the Lord and several of our parishioners to gave their stewardship of time and talent to this ministry of providing for the physical needs of our neighbors! We are most grateful to one and all! God bless you abundantly! Next on the agenda is the Thanksgiving Day Dinner scheduled for Thursday, November 22, 2018! It will be held at the American Legion Hall 2025 East River Road in Newton Falls, Ohio. The Thanksgiving Dinner, with all the trimmings will be served from 11:30 a.m. unto 12:30 p.m.. Take-outs will be available after 12:300 when everyone has been served. Posted on the Atrium Bulletin Board is a list of food items needed along with a special list for those who will be donating turkeys. You can drop off your food items in the Fellowship Hall by November 11th. If you are bringing a cooked

4 turkey, we ask that you please cook it and take all the meat off of the carcass, and place it into an aluminum container, before delivering it to the American Legion Hall the day of the dinner. This will save us a lot of time at the dinner. Please sign you name to the item (s) you will be bringing. Wednesday (November 21st) Helpers: It would be nice to have some help on this day also. This is a food prep day for the dinner. We will be baking some extra turkeys along with making stuffing and potatoes. It would be a nice project for the young people of our Church School Program. We will also need help cleaning up the kitchen. This will begin at 3:00 p.m. that afternoon. If you can help see either Father Ken or Jeff Yenchochik. Cash Donations: There were several people who approached Father Ken and said that either were going to be out of town or have other commitments for Thanksgiving, and asked if they could make a monetary donation. A cash donation of any amount will be graciously accepted! You can give it to either Father Ken or Jeff Yenchochik. Thanksgiving Day Help: We will also need stewards to give of their time and talent for the setup, dinner and clean up. Your loving support will be greatly appreciated by our outreach, as well as a lot of people attending this dinner! God bless you for your anticipated support! Happy Birthday! Cliff Diles Sr.... Cliff Dlies Jr... Emily Anzivino Our Church School A cordial welcome is extended to all of the students of our parish from pre-school until t h e t eenage years, for the Academic Year of our St. Nicholas Church School Program in our parish! What an exciting day it is for all of us! The motto of our educational ministry comes from the Scriptural passage: Train a child in the way that they should go and they will not depart from it! (Proverbs 22:6) The training and education of our children is one of the most sacred ministries of our St. Nicholas Church! As a parish, we all share in this calling of our Lord: to make disciples...baptizing them...teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you! (Matthew 28:19) parents, students and faithful alike! We pray that our Lord bless this ministry and make it fruitful to the Glory of His Holy Name! Instructions: After the reception of the Holy Eucharist and the blessing of the Holy Chalice, students will be asked to meet in the back of the Church Nave so that teachers can escort them to the classrooms. These rooms are in the Educational Wing of our Fellowship Hall. Parents can join us at the coffee social and wait there until class has been dismissed, then pick their child. We will have some refreshments for the students prior to the beginning of classes. Ed Ministry Program: Our educational ministry will entail time for not only creative and enlightening religious education, it will also provide time for: arts & crafts, music, games, plays, parties, and other activities throughout the year! We are sure that our faithful will not want to miss this opportunity! As our secular schools become more and more anti-christian, this is the only place where parents can be assured of a safe haven for nurturing an Orthodox Christian environment and education for their children!!!!!!! Offerings to the Lord! One of the many acts of worship conducted at each Sunday Divine Liturgy, is performed in our generous donations made during the Church Offering! This is an excellent way of expressing our love, devotion to the Lord, as well as our thanksgiving, for the many blessings received from His Hands! We would like to share with you the Church Offerings from last Sunday: Regular Church Offering $1,166.00/ Candle Offering $93.00/ Church Donation $25.00/ Total Church Offering = $1, May our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, bless all of you 100 fold for your gracious gifts offered for the continuing salvic work being done here at our beloved St. Nicholas Church!!! Our Kitchen Report Our Fellowship Hall was filled, once again, for our Internationally Renowned Holupki & Perohi Dinners and Take Outs this past Thursday! We are grateful for the blessings of the Lord, the help and cooperation of the Kitchen Crew and the support of our patrons! The income from the sale of dinners and take

5 TEST outs were PAGE $3, TEXT dollars. This weeks expense came to a total of $ dollars. This gave us a net profit of $2, dollars! Let s keep up the good work! We will be needing the help of our Kitchen Crew this coming Tuesday morning and evening shifts. Our pinching crew on Wednesday mornings ending with lunch. And Thursday for dinner until close. Your stewardship of time and talent will be greatly appreciated! May the Lord bless you abundantly! Panagia Kardiotissa It is with great spiritual joy that we announce that t h e M y r r h - Streaming Icon of the Panagia Kardiotissa, from St. George s Orthodox in Taylor, Pennsylvania, will be visiting our St. Nicholas Church! The date of this Holy and Sacred Visit will be on Friday, November 16, 2018! We are very grateful to Father Mark Leasure, the guardian of the Icon, and his assistants, for allowing time in their busy schedule, to bring the Panagia Kardiotissa Icon to us! God bless you abundantly! We make this announcement for your information enabling you to make plans to attend. There will no media publication of this visit so as to provide the Icon s visit the proper dignity! This information is only circulated by word of mouth. There will be a committee formed shortly to make the proper plans for the Icon s arrival. If you are interested in being a part of this committee please see Father Ken. Completed information will be published in the November 4th edition of The Church Herald! Youth Encounter 2018 We are pleased to announce that, once again, the Diocesan Youth Group (Jr. A.C.R.Y.) will sponsor Encounter 2018 and invites the youth of our parish to attend! This will be held at Camp Nazareth November 9 through 11th Youth from the ages of 8 to 18 are invited to join Encounter 2018 for a weekend of prayer, fun and fellowship! Activities will include: Divine Liturgy, a religious talk with clergy, sports, a special event! His Grace, Bishop Gregory will be joining as well! Registration will be Friday, November 9th from 7:00 until 9:00 p.m. and the encounter will end on Sunday, November 11th with Divine Liturgy 9:00 a.m. Parents are welcome! Noon Encounter Dismissal! Packets will additional information and registration forms can be found on the blue table in the parish complex atrium. We would like to have a nice representation from our parish at Encounter 2018! Please Note: the registration of $90.00 per person will be paid by our St. Nicholas Church School. If you would like to attend please inform Father Ken by the deadline so he knows the amount to make the check. Father Ken will send in the check All the students have to do is send in their forms or directly register by contacting: Sarah Lavra at 122 R. Pope Road in Stroudsburg, PA 18360, on or before the deadline, Thursday, November 1, 2018! Each year, thousands of Orthodox young adults graduate from high schools and begin college, often miles away form the familiarity, comfort and love of their families and church communities. Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) is the official campus ministry of our Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops, serving all of our Orthodox jurisdictions, and is dedicated to keeping our students alive in their faith during these most formative years. With statistics showing that 60% of young adults never return to the church, OCF s mission is to challenge that trend by connecting our young adults in fellowship with other Orthodox students on campus, introducing them to an Orthodox parish and spiritual advisor near their school, educating them in the beauty of their faith, counseling them through demanding social and moral issues, and engaging them in service projects and mission trips that impact communities in need both around the corner and around the globe! The month of October has been designated as College Student month by our parish, to raise awareness and to assist this vitally important ministry! We are asking that our parishioners kindly give generously to this most worthy cause during the month of October! Many of the college students from our parish have benefited greatly from OCF chapters from their colleges and universities! God bless you in advance of your gracious support!