jul/aug 2010 vol. lxxv, nos. 7-8 the herald...jul/aug 2010 vol. lxxv, nos. 7-8 2 pray and work for...

THEHERALD

JACKSON, MI

JUL/AUG2010VOL.LXXV,Nos.7-8

2 SOLIA JULY/AUGUST 2010PRAY AND WORK FOR ORTHODOX UNITY IN NORTH AMERICA

SOLIA — THE HERALD (ISSN 0038-1039)is published bi-monthly for $15.00 per year:United States, $20.00 per year: Canada, and$25.00 per year in other countries by The Ro-manian Orthodox Episcopate of America, 2535Grey Tower Road, Jackson, MI 49201-9120.Periodicals postage paid at Jackson, Michigan,and additional offices. Phone: (517) 522-3656,Fax: (517) 522-5907. E-mail: [email protected]: http://www.roea.org.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:SOLIA — THE HERALD, P.O. Box 185,Grass Lake, MI 49240-0185, U.S.A.

Articles and news published in SOLIAdo not necessarily reflect the views orthe endorsement of the Romanian Or-thodox Episcopate of America.

CHAIRMAN:Most Rev. Archbishop

Nathaniel Popp

VICE-CHAIRMAN:Right Rev. Bishop Irineu Duvlea

ENGLISH EDITOR / SECRETARY:Archdeacon David Oancea

ROMANIAN EDITOR:Rev. Fr. Anton Frunza ¨

STAFF:Hieromonk Calinic Berger Ph.D.

V. Rev. Dr. Remus GramaHdcn. Sebastian Dumitrascu

Mr. Mark ChestnutMr. Richard C. Grabowski

CONTENTSEnglish Section

“Dethrone Mary … A Response,”Rev. Fr. Daniel Daly ................................................ 3, 11

Message – Episcopal Assembly of CanonicalOrthodox Hierarchs ................................................. 4, 15

Convocation of the 78th Annual EpiscopateCongress ...........................................................................5

God’s Human Face, Hieromonk Calinic (Berger) ..... 6, 11AROY 61st Annual Conference Convocation ....................7“Following Christ in Today’s World,”

Psa. Lillian Lupu ...................................................... 8, 1262nd National ARFORA Congress,

Axinia Lucia (Lucy) Pop ......................................... 9, 15Christians Find a Champion, Sarah Mac Donald .... 10-11Hierarchal Schedule ......................................................... 12Financial Report ............................................................... 13Congratulations Graduate! .............................................. 13ARFORA Scholarship Recipients,

Adela M. Price ........................................................ 14-15Solia Calendar 2011 Advertising Contract .................... 16

Romanian SectionCuva[nt de Suflet, Iunie - Iulie 2010, Sa¨ Ierta¨m

din Inima¨, + IRINEU, Episcop Vicar ................... 17-18Mama, Temelia Familiei Cresçtine,

Preot Prof. Dr. Cezar Vasiliu ................................ 19, 24Sa¨rba¨toarea Bisericii sçi Comunita¨tçii Roma[nesçti

||öna¨ltçarea Domnului\\ din Montreal,Participant ............................................................... 20, 24

Requiem Roma[no-American pentru GeorgeEnescu, Pr. Dr. Remus Grama ........................ 21-22, 24

CONVOCARE sçi PROGRAMUL al 78-leaCongresul Anual al Episcopiei ................................... 22

Educarea Cresçtina¨ a Familiei, Sfa[nta muceniòa¨Iulia Fecioara, 16 Iulie, Maica Preoteasa¨ ............ 23-24

COVER: Icon of the Dormition of the Motherof God celebrated on August 15, by the iconogra-pher Oleksa – 1547.

St. John Chrysostom1. Do not deprive me of your heavenly blessings, O

Lord!2. Deliver me from eternal torments, O Lord!3. If I have sinned in mind or thought, in word or

deed, forgive me, O Lord!4. Deliver me from all ignorance and foolishness,

from smallness of soul and hardness of heart, OLord!

5. Deliver me from every temptation, O Lord!6. Enlighten my heart which has been darkened by

evil desires, O Lord!7. Being human, I have sinned. Being God, forgive

me in your loving kindness, for you also know theweakness of my soul, O Lord!

8. Send down your grace to help me that I mayglorify your holy name, O Lord!

9. Enroll me, your servant, in the book of life andgrant me a peaceful end, O Lord!

10. Even if I have done nothing good in your sight,still grant me, by your grace, to make a beginningof doing good, O Lord my God!

11. Sprinkle the dew of your grace on my heart, OLord!

12. In your kingdom, remember me your servant whois cold in heart and unworthy, O Lord of heavenand earth!

13. Receive me in my repentance, O Lord!14. Do not abandon me, O Lord!15. Lead me not into temptation, O Lord!16. Grant me good thoughts, O Lord!17. Grant tears to me, a remembrance of death and a

sense of peace, O Lord!18. Grant me mindfulness to confess my sins, O Lord!19. Grant me charity, humility and obedience, O Lord!

Cont. on page 13

TWENTY FOURPRAYERS

FOR 24 HOURS

SOLIA JULY/AUGUST 2010 3PRAY AND WORK FOR ORTHODOX UNITY IN NORTH AMERICA

Cont. on page 11

Article written by Rev. Fr. Daniel Daly of St. NicholasAntiochian Orthodox Church in response to “DethroneMary”, an article in “The Messenger Magazine” –June 2002.

In the May issue of your magazine (The Messen-ger), I read the article entitled “Dethrone Mary” byJean Green. Throughout the Christian world, the Ro-man Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churchboth honor Mary the Mother of Jesus Christ. In someof the Reformation Churches, Mary is also honored.Even John Calvin refers to Mary as the “most holyvirgin”. However, neither in Catholicism nor in theEastern Church is Mary regarded as the Redeemer.Christ alone is the Redeemer. Because she was themother of a Person who was both God and man, Marywas given the title of “Godbearer” by the Council ofEphesus in 431 AD. I do not know who Ms. Greenmay be referring to when she says “How dare human-ity believe that the earthly mother of Jesus can forgivetheir sins …”. Regardless of misunderstandings ormisrepresentations of the teaching of the Catholic orany other church, the belief that Mary can “forgivesins” is not held by ANY church.

Ms. Green also states that “no human could endurethe agony of the cross as did the Eternal Son of God”.Has she not heard that crucifixion was one of themeans of execution used by the Roman Empire? Afterthe revolution of Spartacus, the Apian Way (a Romanroad leading out of Rome) was lined with the crossesof thousands of his [Jesus’] followers. They had nochoice but to endure the “agony of the cross”.

In the first chapter of the Gospel according to St.Luke, the Bible states that Mary was “Blessed amongwomen”. She was told by the angel that she was“highly favored” (in Greek, it is literally “the onereceiving grace” – also translated as “full of grace”).She was told that “the Lord was with (her)”. Mary issaid to have “found favor with God”. Mary’s soul issaid to “magnify the Lord”. She prophesied that “allgenerations shall call me blessed.” Truly these wereinspired and prophetic words. To say that people should“dethrone Mary” is hardly in keeping with what isrecorded in the Bible. Rather, we should “call herblessed.” Would not all Bible-believing Christianswant to do this? Mary is not the savior. No churchteaches that she is. She too is part of the humanfamily. It is fair, nonetheless, to ask what role sheplayed in the saving plan of God.

Adam chose to disobey the command of God. Heturned away from God. He and Eve were cast out ofParadise. They no longer lived in union with God.Adam was told that on the day he ate the forbiddenfruit he would die! His biological death may have

“DETHRONE MARY… A RESPONSE”

come later, but he did die on that day. Whatever deathis, it is our separation from God. It is Paradise Lost.This is that sad inheritance of every person born. Torestore that life to man, to bring man back into unionwith God, man had to be saved. He had to be broughtback into union with God. He had to be healed. Forthat to happen – even before His death on the cross —the divinity of God and the humanity of man had to bebrought back together in One person who was bothhuman and divine. If that Person were not both humanand divine, he would be powerless to achieve therestoration and the healing of man. And so God be-came man. The Word became flesh.

If God wished only to forgive man, He could haveremained in Heaven. He could have declared our for-giveness from Heaven. But to truly save us, He had tobecome man. This required more than an attachmentto humanity. Wearing our humanity like a cloak wouldnot be enough. God’s Eternal Son, the Divine Word,had to truly become man. Otherwise, the separationbetween man and God, caused by the sin of Adam,would remain. But for God to become man, one thingwas necessary. The only way to be born into this


We glorify the name of the Triune God for gather-ing us at this first Episcopal Assembly of this regionin New York City on May 26-28, 2010 in response tothe decisions of the Fourth Pre-Conciliar Pan-Ortho-dox Conference held at the Orthodox Center of theEcumenical Patriarchate in Chambésy, Switzerland,from June 6-12, 2009, at the invitation of His AllHoliness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

Gathered together in the joy of the Feast of Pente-cost, we humbly recognize our calling, in our unwor-thiness, to serve as instruments and disciples of theParaclete, who “holds together the whole institutionof the Church” (Hymn of Vespers of Pentecost).

We honor and express gratitude to the Primates andRepresentatives of the Orthodox AutocephalousChurches who assembled at the Ecumenical Patri-archate from October 10-12, 2008 to affirm their “un-swerving position and obligation to safeguard the unityof the Orthodox Church” (Chambésy Rules of Opera-tion, Article 5.1a) and emphasized their will and “de-sire for the swift healing of every canonical anomalythat has arisen from historical circumstances and pas-toral requirements” (Message of the Primates 13.1-2).

We call to mind those who envisioned this unity inthis region and strove to transcend the canonical ir-regularities resulting for many reasons, including geo-graphically overlapping jurisdictions. For, just as theLord in the Divine Eucharist is “broken and distrib-uted, but not divided” (Divine Liturgy of St. JohnChrysostom), so also His Body comprises many mem-bers, while constituting His One Church.

We are grateful for the gift of the doctrinal andliturgical unity that we already share, and we areinspired by our leaders, the Heads of all the OrthodoxChurches throughout the world, who proposed thatwhich we painfully yearn for in this region, i.e., the“swift healing of every canonical anomaly” (Message

of the Primates 13.2). We are also grateful that theyestablished a fundamental process toward a canonicaldirection and resolution.

We are thankful to almighty God for the growth ofOrthodoxy, for the preservation of our traditions, andfor the influence of our communities in this region.This is indeed a miracle and a mystery.

During our gathering, and in accordance with therules of operation of Episcopal Assemblies promul-gated by the Fourth Pan-Orthodox Pre-Conciliar Con-ference, we established:

1. A registry of canonical bishops (Article 6.1).2. A committee to determine the canonical status of

local communities in the region that have no referenceto the Most Holy Autocephalous Churches (Article6.2).

3. A registry of canonical clergy (Article 6.3).4. Committees to undertake the work of the Assem-

bly, among others including liturgical, pastoral, finan-cial, educational, ecumenical, and legal issues (Ar-ticles 11 and 12).

5. A committee to plan for the organization of theOrthodox of the region on a canonical basis (Article5.1).

In addition to the above, we agreed that a directorywould be created and maintained by the Assembly ofall canonical congregations in our region.

We as Episcopal Assembly understand ourselves asbeing the successors of the Standing Conference ofCanonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA),assuming its agencies, dialogues, and other minis-tries.

Moreover, at the formal request of the Hierarchswho have jurisdiction in Canada, the Assembly willsubmit to the Ecumenical Patriarch, in accordancewith the rules of operation (Article 13), a request to

MESSAGEEpiscopal Assembly of the Canonical Orthodox Hierarchs

of North and Central America, May 26-28, 2010

Cont. on page 15


CONVOCATIONIn conformity with Article III, Section 7,

of the By-Laws ofThe Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America,

we hereby call into session

THE 78TH ANNUAL

EPISCOPATE CONGRESS

Friday, October 1 through Saturday, October 2, 2010at

HOLIDAY INN CLEVELAND – AIRPORT4181 W 150TH ST, CLEVELAND OH 44135

The Congress will be in session startingFriday, October 1 at 9:00 am

Eastern Daylight Savings Time

The Agenda, as will be presented in the AnnualReport to the Episcopate Congress 2010 will include:

Reading/Approval of the77th Annual Episcopate Congress Minutes;

Official Reports to the Congress;Reports from the Episcopate Auxiliaries;

New Business as submitted by the Episcopate Council

As per Article III, Section 1, The Episcopate Congressshall be composed of:• The Bishop• The Auxiliary Bishop(s)• The Vicar• The Parish Priest and Assistant Priest(s)• Two Lay Delegates elected by each Parish Assembly

for Congress 2009-2010• Two delegates from each Auxiliary organization of

the Episcopate• Priests under the jurisdiction of the Episcopate not

having parishes, deacons, abbots, abbesses,if accredited by the Episcopate Council

• Members of the Episcopate Council in office, includ-ing Auxiliary Presidents ex-officio

Should the duly-elected lay delegates be unable to at-tend, their alternates will represent the parish. No addi-tion, substitution or ad hoc delegation will be recog-nized by the credentials committee.

+ NATHANIELArchbishop of Detroit and

The Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America

THE 78TH ANNUALEPISCOPATE CONGRESS OF THE

ROMANIAN ORTHODOXEPISCOPATE OF AMERICA

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Thursday, September 30 – St. Mary Cathedral9:00 am Akathist

10:00 am Clergy Conference1:00 pm Lunch2:00 pm Clergy Conference Reconvenes5:00 pm Great Vespers & Sermons6:30 pm Supper7:00 pm Episcopate Council Meeting8:00 pm Delegate Registration – Holiday Inn

Friday, October 1St. Mary Cathedral

7:00 am Divine LiturgyHoliday Inn

8:00 am Registration9:00 am Invocation to the Holy Spirit

78th Episcopate Congress Convenes1:00 pm Lunch2:00 pm Congress Reconvenes — Session II

St. Mary Cathedral5:00 pm Vespers6:30 pm Supper & Program

Saturday, October 2 – St. Mary Cathedral9:00 am Procession of the Hierarchs & Clergy

Hierarchal Divine Liturgy12:00 noon Congress Banquet & Program Honoring

30th Anniversary of His Eminence,Archbishop Nathaniel’s Consecration

Host Parish:St. Mary Cathedral, Cleveland, Ohio

3256 Warren Rd, Cleveland OH 44111(216) 941-5550 / Fax: (216) 941-3068

Hotel:Holiday Inn Cleveland – Airport

4181 W 150th St, Cleveland OH 44135(216) 252-7700 / Fax: (216) 252-3850

http://www.holidayinn.com/cle-airportUSE RATE CODE STM TO GET RATE BELOW

Rate: $74 / night per room (plus taxes of 15.25%)$10 additional charge for rollaways

Rooms are either 2 double beds or 1 king size with a sofa bed.Rate includes breakfast buffet in dining room for up to

4 persons per room.

DEADLINE FOR RESERVATIONS:SEPTEMBER 19, 2010

(Check-in: 3 pm / Checkout: 12 pm)

The hotel provides a FREE SHUTTLE to/fromCleveland Hopkins Airport.

Call the hotel at (216) 252-7700 when you arrive atthe airport for service 24 hours a day.


be clearly seen shining through a grace-filled face.This impression must be confirmed by the person’swords and actions, as other means of communion. Theface and the word together communicate what is inthe soul of a person.

The same is true for the incarnate Son of God.Since the Incarnation, God has communicated Him-self to us in a new way: through a human face. Beyondthe beauty, majesty and power of the created world(which indirectly reveal God’s wisdom and power tous), and beyond His words spoken to us both by ourLord and through the prophets (which reveal God’sthoughts directly), God now expresses Himself to usin the most intimate, personal, and human way pos-sible: through his human face.

This is one reason why the veneration of icons inthe Orthodox Church has such a central place in ourworship and in our dogmatic beliefs. God’s presenceamong us is manifold: He is present with us throughHis words in Scriptures, through His body and bloodin the Eucharist, through His uncreated energies asgrace, through the beauty and majesty of the createdworld – and through His human face, as present in Hisholy icon. The icon of Jesus Christ is always recog-nizable. It always depicts the same face of God Incar-nate.

One Orthodox theologian, Fr. Dumitru Sta¨niloae,has made several important observations on the inter-relatedness of the icon with the other forms of God’spresence among His people. Divisions in Christianityhave mostly taken place where one aspect of God’s

GOD’S HUMAN FACE

The human face expresses all the nuances of thesoul. The fact that we humans have a face shows thatwe were created to communicate with each other; wewere not created to be isolated individuals. From thispoint of view, the human face and the human wordshare a common purpose – both are the means throughwhich the feelings of our hearts and the thoughts ofour minds are shared with others. The face, as muchas the word, is a means of interpersonal communica-tion and communion.

The human face not only has the ability to expressthe state of the soul in any giveninstant; but also, in many ways, theface can become a record of our lives.This does not mean that marks orlines created on the face over timecan be interpreted correctly on firstglance. For example, it could be thata person pure in soul has a stressfullook due to certain sufferings whichare unknown to us. Nevertheless, moreoften than not, a grace-filled soul can

ness of the Christ.Thus, the icon of Christ conveys to us not only the

fact that the Son of God became a man; but more thanthis, it conveys the infinite love and compassion thatled Him to become incarnate, as well as His knowl-edge of our deeds, His patience with our weaknesses,and His sternness regarding His coming again as uni-versal Judge. The genius of traditional Orthodox ico-nography (as executed by talented and godly iconog-raphers) allows the face of Christ to be depicted insuch a way as to express all of these dimensions of Hispersonality simultaneously. The human face of Christin His icon thereby becomes not only a reminder ofGod’s humanity but also an aspect of his actual pres-ence among us. We commune with Christ not only inthe Eucharist but also through His words in Scripture,His icon, and with all the meanings (logoi) of thecreated world, which has Christ Himself as its Creator(Eph. 3:9) and supreme Logos (Jn. 1:1). All thesethings together allow us to fully commune with thefull Christ.

For this reason, the icon of Christ is inseparablefrom both Orthodox worship and dogma. The icon isnot with us in our Church simply because it is dog-matically allowed. It is with us because it is nec-essary for dogma. In the Icon of Christ’s face, we seeall of His saving actions at once: we are reminded ofHis nativity, His miracles, His passion and His resur-rection (Sunday of Orthodoxy Kontakion). The Icon ofChrist manifests Christ, and through it, He Himself

aspect of the person and divine powerof Christ, as God and as deified Man.Only all taken together give us thefull Christ. It is the same in normalhuman relations: the same words canbe interpreted differently with a dif-ferent expression of the face. Theexpression on the face (here, on theIcon) must be confirmed by the words(in the Scriptures) and actions (in theSacraments) for us to know the full-

revelation has been separated from the others andviewed in isolation from the rest. For example, wher-ever God’s words in the Scriptures have been taken asthe only authentic revelation of God, there have Chris-tians been subjected to a myriad of subjective, humaninterpretations and opinions. Only when all the meansof God’s revelation and presence are held together isthe Christian Faith itself held together in the One,Holy, Apostolic Tradition. The holy Mysteries andthe Icon of Christ both prevent the subjective inter-pretation of Scripture, since both reveal a different

byHieromonk Calinic (Berger)

Cont. on page 11


A.R.O.Y. 61ST

ANNUAL CONFERENCESAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA

SEPTEMBER 2-5, 2010

C O N V O C A T I O NIn accordance with Article III, Section 2, of theA.R.O.Y. Constitution & By-Laws, notice is herebygiven that the Annual Conference of The AmericanRomanian Orthodox Youth will be held at St. MaryChurch, 854 Woodbridge St, St Paul, MN 55117 onthe weekend of September 2-5, 2009.

+NATHANIEL, ArchbishopMaranda Tipa Ellen SchmidtPresident Secretary

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

All events to take place at St. Mary Churchunless otherwise noted.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27:00 pm Welcome Reception & Delegate

Registration (At Hotel)10:00 pm National Board Meeting (At Hotel)

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 311:00 am Divine Liturgy1:00 pm Lunch | Tickets: $5/person

Delegate Registration2:00 pm Conference (Session I)5:00 pm End of Session I (Dinner on your own)7:30 pm Mississippi River Cruise

(At Hotel & River - Downtown)Take advantage of our unique opportunity to set sail down themighty Mississippi River as we pass the Saint Paul skyline. Enjoyrefreshments and dance to a variety of music as we cruise America’sgreatest River right near its source! Tickets: $15/person.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 48:30 am Breakfast | Tickets: $5/person9:30 am Conference (Session II)1:00 pm Lunch | Tickets: $5/person

Choir Rehearsal

3:00 pm Conference (Session III)4:30 pm Adjournment & Photo5:00 pm Memorial Service (Parastas),

Great Vespers & Confessions8:00 pm “Seara Roma]neasca¨” Picnic Dance

Join us for a Romanian-style picnic on the Church grounds.Sample favorites like fresh mititei, carnati, salads, pastries, andmore... Then relax on a warm summer evening and enjoy a specialperformance by Minnesota’s acclaimed “Izvorasçul” Dance En-semble! Live and DJ music featuring traditional and modernmusic for dancing completes the night. Tickets: $20/person.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 59:30 am Matins

10:00 am Hierarchal Divine Liturgy1:00 pm Grand Banquet

Everyone is invited to stay for this festive dinner ofdelicious food. Free-will donations will be acceptedfor the continued support of A.R.O.Y.’s ongoing goodworks.

“Forever Young” 51st Cotillion Ball at CrownePlaza Hotel Ballroom (Conference Hotel).

7:00 pm Doors Open, Refreshments &Dignitary Reception

8:00 pm Presentation of Debutantesfollowed by Dancing

The closing event of each Conference is an elegantnight of formal gowns, tuxedos, live Romanian music,and dancing to traditional and modern sounds. Fiftyyears since the first ever A.R.O.Y. Cotillion was heldin Saint Paul, we welcome all of our friends, familiesand guests to a night you won’t want to miss. Livemusic featuring the “WALLACHIA” Orchestra ofChicago. Tickets: $15/person.

A Pre-Sale Ticket Package is available at a dis-counted rate. It includes tickets to all meals and eventsand is sold at a discounted rate of just $50/person.(This is NOT for Delegates — Tickets for all mealsand events are included in Delegate Registration). Topurchase, please contact the Church Office at (651)488-5669.

HOTEL: CROWNE PLAZA, Saint Paul Riverfront,11 East Kellogg Blvd. Saint Paul, Minnesota 55101phone (651) 292-1900 x6250. Special Room Rate:$74.00 +tax/night. Mention “A.R.O.Y” (not “Ameri-can Romanian Orthodox Youth”) to get this specialdiscount rate. DEADLINE to make reservations isFRIDAY, AUGUST 13. (Availability is not guaran-teed after that date.) We remind you that any personrenting a room at this hotel must be at least 21 yearsof age. The hotel will make no exceptions.

Note: Parking is NOT free. There is extra cost. Askhotel for details.


“The Spirit is present with everyone who receiveshim … He bestows sufficient and complete grace onall; all things partake of Him and enjoy Him accord-ing to the capacity of their nature, not according to theextent of his power.” – St. Basil the Great, On theHoly Spirit.

After much preparation and anticipation, the firstannual “Young Adults’ Orthodox Retreat” was on.Thanks to Fathers Michael Lupu (ROEA, Calgary),Taras Krochak (UOCOC, Calgary), Mirone Klysh(ROEA, Winnipeg), Calinic Berger (ROEA, Hermit-age, Pennsylvania) and dedicated parents, we hadnumerous young people who had been encouraged tobe the first participants in this event.

The venue was the Mount St. Francis FranciscanMonastery in beautiful Cochrane, Alberta, nestled inthe foothills of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Wehad aspirations of walking and viewing the mountainsduring the weekend of our retreat, but the weather wasdefinitely on mountain schedule. The calendar mayhave said May 29, and the eastern provinces may havebeen baking in a heat wave, but Calgary received asnow storm! It snowed all day and covered the beau-tiful grounds with a blanket of white. That did notstop our hearty western stock; we still had outdoorwalks in the ‘Winter Wonderland.”

The registrants started arriving early Friday evening,and after the Franciscan monks assigned the rooms,the participants were given their retreat packages; andafter a delicious supper, the weekend activities began.Fathers Michael and Timothy led the participants in a

Participants with Preoteasa Lillian Lupu (center) and main speaker, Fr. Calinic Berger (center, back).

“FOLLOWING CHRIST IN TODAY’S WORLD”A Synopsis of the First Annual Pan-Orthodox Young Adults Retreat

Cochrane, Alberta, Canada - May, 2010by Psa. Lillian Lupu

Thanksgiving service. The responses were given byeveryone, and the little chapel rang out. Father Calinicthen spoke to the participants of “Following Christ inToday’s World.” In the discussion period, we discov-ered that there were several undergrads, Ph.D. stu-dents, post grad students, as well as professional adultswho had impressively left their own busy lives for aweekend to attend this spiritual retreat.

Saturday morning, after prayers and breakfast, westarted our sessions. Father Calinic gave a talk eachon the Father, on the Son and on the Holy Spirit, andhow a relationship with each one of the Divine Per-sons is necessary to center our lives on God. Just oneweek after Holy Pentecost, many began to have abetter understanding of the meaning of the Feast. FatherCalinic also spoke about why Christ died the way Hedid on the cross, and what this tells us about themeaning of our own crosses and how we need to carrythem each and every day, as a means to our ownresurrection and personal reception of the Holy Spirit.

The day’s discussions concluded with a delightfulVespers service in which everyone participated andwhich demonstrated that Orthodoxy is truly universal,uniting us all under one roof, one Faith and one voice.

After some fun free time indoors – which at timesreached beyond the allowable decibel range of a mon-astery environment – we watched a DVD on “TheShroud of Turin.” It concluded the discussions on theCross and Resurrection in a manner that took a mod-ern look at the events. A lively discussion followed

Cont. on page 12


The 62nd National A.R.F.O.R.A Congress was heldon June 4-6, 2010, hosted by “St. Juliana Ladies Guild”of “Protection of the Holy Mother of God OrthodoxChurch” located in Falls Church, VA.

The weekend activities began with the ExecutiveBoard meeting on Friday afternoon, followed by aninformal Welcome Reception for His Eminence, Arch-bishop Nathaniel, Clergy, Preotese, Delegates, PastPresidents and guests. The Ladies Guild did a won-derful job in preparing delicious dishes and a veryenjoyable evening was had by all.

On Saturday, His Eminence, Archbishop Nathanieland Spiritual Advisor Fr. David Hudson opened theCongress with a prayer and addressed the delegates.The Congress Co-Chairperson, Eva Beranek, the hostparish priest, Fr. David Subu, and ARFORA Presi-dent, Lucy Pop also addressed the Congress and wel-comed the delegates. The Auxiliaries represented were:“Holy Nativity”, Chicago, IL; “Holy Cross”, Hermit-age, PA; “Falling Asleep of the Ever-Virgin MaryCathedral”, Cleveland, OH; “Holy Trinity”, Young-stown, OH; “Presentation of Our Lord”, Fairlawn,OH; “Saint Nicholas”, Alliance, OH; “Saint GeorgeCathedral”, Southfield MI; “Saints Peter and Paul”,Dearborn Heights, MI; “Protection of the Holy Motherof God”, Falls Church, VA; “Holy Cross”, Alexan-dria, VA; “Descent of the Holy Spirit”, Merrillville,IN; and “St. Andrew Mission”, Potomac, MD.

A.R.F.O.R.A. awarded three $1,000.00 scholarships

this year. We continue to support the Monasteries,Seminarians, the Vatra Summer Camps, the PreoteseRetreat, the widowed Preotese and the EpiscopateMission Fund. Our new project, “Cancer Awarenessin Women”, raised monies both nationally and onlocal levels. Our main focus remains on organizingnew Auxiliaries. Over the past four years, ARFORAhas mailed over 100 packets with information to thenew Missions and Parishes to familiarize them withour organization. During the past three years, threeAuxiliaries were re-activated and two new Auxiliariesjoined ARFORA. This year, a new auxiliary, “SaintElena Helping Hands” of Sts. Constantine and HelenChurch of Lilburn, GA sent a letter of intention to joinARFORA.

Louise Gibb, past ARFORA president and Boardmember, gathered material and printed a booklet onfundraising ideas. Each delegate received a copy.

In closing, President Lucy Pop thanked the Boardand the delegates for taking time from their busyschedule to attend the Congress and to work for thebenefit of the Episcopate and their parishes. The hostfor the 63rd Congress in 2011 will be the “Presenta-tion of Our Lord” Church, Fairlawn, OH. The sessionwas adjourned with a prayer and blessing by HisEminence, Archbishop NATHANIEL, Spiritual Ad-visor Fr. David Hudson and Fr. David Subu.

The day was concluded with a Parastas and Great

ARFORA Congress delegates with His Eminence, Archbishop Nathaniel and Fr. David Hudson, SpiritualAdvisor.

62ND NATIONAL A.R.F.O.R.A. CONGRESS

Cont. on page 15


A court victory for the Ecumenical Patriarchateconfirming its ownership of an orphanage has raisedthe hopes of embattled church communities inTurkey. Christians have been in legal limbo withfew rights since the foundation of the modern re-public in the 1920s.

(July 22, 2010) If the Ecumenical Patriarch ofConstantinople, Bartholomew I, realises his ambitionsfor the refurbishment of a Greek Orthodox orphanagebuilding on Buyukada Island, Istanbul, it could marka turning point in relations between the Turkish stateand religious minorities. The Ecumenical Patriarchtold the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan,that he would like to use part of the vast woodenbuilding as a centre for interfaith dialogue.

Such dialogue is sorely needed in a country that isdangerously close to losing the last vestiges of a liv-ing Christian community — less than one percent ofTurkey’s population of 73 million is Christian. Chris-tians have been driven out by petty discrimination —they cannot own places of worship or train clergy.These last two restrictions stem from the poorly craftedTreaty of Lausanne which in 1923 only recognisedSunni Muslims and three “non-Muslim” groupings —the Greek Orthodox, the Armenians and the Jews.This left all other Christians in a legal limbo with fewrights.

Increasingly, Christians have looked to the Euro-pean Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourgfor recognition of their fundamental rights. The or-phanage has been their most recent success. The vastwooden building was expropriated by the state Vakiflaragency in 1995 on the grounds that it was unused andhad fallen into disrepair. The Patriarchate had beenwilling to repair the property but had been refusedpermission to do so by the authorities while there wasa challenge to its legal ownership.

The case, which began in 1997, finally came to aconclusion on 15 June when the ECHR ruled that theTurkish state must return the orphanage to the GreekPatriarchate and pay 26,000 Euros in damages. Theruling is significant not only for the directive orderingthe return of the building to its owners — the Patri-archate — but also for the fact that the ECHR recognisedthe Ecumenical Patriarchate as a legal entity in itsown right; something the Turkish state has never done.

For decades, human-rights groups monitoring reli-gious freedom have rebuked the Turkish state for itsdiscrimination against religious minorities — Chris-tians such as Armenian Orthodox, Catholics, GreekOrthodox and Syrian Orthodox, but also Alevi and

Shi’a Muslims, as well as its ethnic minorities such asthe Kurds. Although the Turkish constitution providesfor freedom of belief; the reality is very different.

The 2010 report of the US Commission on Interna-tional Religious Freedom (USCIRF) points out that“the Turkish Government’s attempt to control reli-gion and its effort to exclude religion from the publicsphere based on its interpretation of secularism resultin serious religious freedom violations for many ofthe country’s citizens, including members of majorityand, especially, minority religious communities.

Since 2002 the government of the Islamist leaningAKP has made a series of radical reforms and legaladjustments in an effort to bring Turkey into line withEU democratic norms and enhance the country’s ac-cession chances. Many of these changes are resentedby those who cleave to the ideology that has heldsway since the foundation of Turkey as a modernsecular republic in 1923 under Kemal Ataturk. Tradi-tionally the military has upheld its core tenets of con-servative nationalism and strict secularism. For themthe AKP is anathema to Turkey’s much vaunted sepa-ration of Church and State. Some believe these forceslie behind a spate of attacks on Christians, most re-cently the stabbing to death of Turkey’s most seniorcleric, Bishop Luigi Padovese of Anatolia. His driver,Murat Altun, launched a frenzied knife attack on thebishop inside the Episcopal residence, and neighboursheard him shouting “Allah Akbar! I have killed thegreat Satan!”

Official reports claimed that the driver, 26-year-oldAltun, had recently received treatment for psychiatricproblems. But Archbishop Ruggero Franceshini ofIzmir, who was recently named Padovese’s successor,is in no doubt that the cleric was murdered. The arch-bishop said he could personally vouch for the accused’ssanity, throwing cold water on Altun’s insanity plea.

He also claimed that Altun was not a religious man,leaving a question mark over why he had incorporatedMuslim symbolism in the execution of BishopPadovese. Although it has been suggested that Altunwas a pawn for Kemalists desperate to rid the countryof the AKP’s Islamic revivalism, it is also possiblethat hardline Islamists were responsible. The truth isthat both factions have an interest in destabilisingrelations between Christians and Muslims.

But the ECHR’s decision on the orphanage hasgiven Christians some hope. The Ecumenical Patri-archate in particular believes that it may pave the wayfor the lifting of the restriction on clerical formation.The Patriarchate has for decades sought permission tore-open the historic Halki seminary on the island ofHeybeliada. It was closed in 1971 when the statenationalised all private institutions of higher learning.With no means of training new clergy and with thelaw stipulating that any future leader of the GreekOrthodox Church must he a Turkish citizen, the veryexistence of the Ecumenical Patriarchate is threat-ened.

CHRISTIANS FIND ACHAMPION

By Sarah Mac DonaldThe Tablet (London, England)


As it stands, official Turkey still refuses to recognisethe office or authority of Bartholomew I in his role asleader of 250 million Orthodox Christians worldwide.To official secular Turkey, Bartholomew I is simplythe leader of the country’s tiny 2,500-strong localGreek Orthodox community which has no national orinternational status.

It is not just the Greek Orthodox who cannot le-gally train new clergy. The Syriac Orthodox commu-nity of the Tur Abdin (“the Mountain of the Servantsof God”) in eastern Anatolia has witnessed a rapiddecline in the number of its monks since the 1970s. Inmonasteries such as Mor Gabriel, dating from AD397, and the Deyr ul-Zafaran, or Saffron Monastery,which was founded in AD 493, the liturgy which stilluses the Aramaic of Jesus’ time may soon be lost ifthis ancient Church cannot train new clergy to con-tinue their ancient rites. Compounding this, the mon-astery of Mor Gabriel, which lies close to the city ofMardin, is locked in a legal battle with the state whichmade an attempt to expropriate some of its lands. In2008, the local authorities sought to redraw land bound-aries around the monastery as part of a national reg-istry. The new boundaries would have given largesections of the monastery’s land to local villagers anddesignated other sections for forestry.

Locals have used this poorly conducted registry,which in some instances has relied on oral testimoniesrather than proper documentation, to lay claim to prop-erty belonging to the lay Syriac community who fledduring the clashes between Kurdish separatists andthe state military in the 1980s and 1990s.

Local villagers have also accused the Syriac Ortho-dox monks of ‘anti-Turkish activities’ such asproselytising local children — something of whichthe state takes a dim view. Such trumped-up claimsmake a marginalized community even more isolated.Implausible claims abound.

One bizarre assertion by a local Muslim leader wasthat there had been a mosque under Mor Gabriel whichthe monks had built over — some feat in view of thefact that the monastery was founded in AD 397, quitesome time before the Prophet Muhammad ever walkedthis earth.

The exodus of Syriacs has depleted the populationfrom 130,000 in the 1960s down to 3,000 in 2010.Their plight is a microcosm of the wider exodus ofChristians from Turkey. Expropriation of Christianproperties will ensure that their owners, who frompart of the Turkish Christian diaspora of Armenians,Syriacs and Greeks, will never he able to return.

As the AKP continues to try to reconcile the polari-ties of Turkish life and foster a synthesis betweenfaith and modernity, in the opinion of some, funda-mental reform of the Turkish Constitution and theTreaty of Lausanne will be essential for genuineprogress and a truly pluralist society, where all Turk-ish citizens are valued equally. Otherwise as theUSCIRF report notes, there will continue to be “a

critical decline of these communities in their historiclands”. A shocking prospect for the land which gaveChristians their very name (Acts 11:26).

Sarah Mac Donald is a freelance journalist. She iscurrently researching Turkey’s Christian religiousminorities for an MA in international relations. TheTablet is a weekly Catholic journal which has beenreporting on events of significance for nearly 170years, unique in its international coverage of religion,current affairs, politics, social issues and the arts.

God’s Human FaceCont. from page 6continues to work, as the priestly prayer to bless theicon clearly states.

Furthermore, the icon of Christ connects His wordsand His Eucharist to His person, ensuring that neitherone is disconnected or abstracted from Him. Jesus’words are absolutely unique. His Eucharistic bread isabsolutely unique. So too has He left us His abso-lutely unique, personal facial expressivity in His holyIcon. Through all these things together Jesus contin-ues to communicate with each of us personally. Itbrings Him into our presence and brings us into Hispresence.

The Word of God assumed not just human natureabstractly but became a man, with a specific humanface, His face, through which He wishes to communi-cate with us for all eternity. “Heaven and earth willpass away, but My words shall not pass away” (Mt.24:35) – and neither shall His unique and grace-filledhuman face. This is the very meaning of salvation: tohave the “light of God’s face” shine upon us (Ps. 80:7,19). If Western Christianity (e.g. Thomas Aquinas)considers salvation to be a beatific vision of God’sessence, in Orthodoxy it is rather a vision of the faceof Christ. Thus could Father Dumitru Sta¨niloae finishhis great work, Orthodox Spirituality, with these words:“The incarnation of the Word confirmed the value ofman… But it also gave man the possibility to see inthe human face of the Logos, concentrated anew, allthe logoi and divine energies. Thus, final deificationwill consist of the contemplation and experiencing ofall the divine values and energies conceived in andradiating from the face of Christ.”

world is through a human mother. Mary of Nazareth,through her Divine motherhood, gave to the SecondPerson of the Blessed Trinity His humanity. The Sec-ond Person of the Trinity did not simply “pass through”Mary. She really was His mother. Because of thisrole, Christians have loved her and honored her fromthe earliest days of the church. This is her great honor.She was the woman who said yes to God. Truly weshould “call her blessed”.

Dethrone MaryCont. from page 3


HIERARCHAL SCHEDULE

March 25. Rives Junction, MI. Dormition Mon-astery. Hierarchal Divine Liturgy for Annunciationfeast day.

March 28. Rives Junction, MI. Dormition Mon-astery. Hierarchal Divine Liturgy for Entrance of theLord into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday).

March 30. Rives Junction, MI. Dormition Mon-astery. Holy Tuesday Bridgegroom Matins.

April 1. Rives Junction, MI. Dormition Monas-tery. Morning: Vesperal Liturgy for Holy Thursday.Evening: Matins Service of the Twelve Gospels.

April 2. Southfield, MI. St. George Cathedral.Holy Friday Matins: Lamentations Service.

April 3. Rives Junction, MI. Dormition Monas-tery. Morning: Holy Saturday Vesperal Liturgy.

April 3-4. Southfield MI. St. George Cathedral.Resurrection Service. Hierarchal Divine Liturgy forPascha.

April 4. Rives Junction, MI. Dormition Monas-tery. Agape Vespers.

April 5. Rives Junction, MI. Dormition Monas-tery. Bright Monday. Hierarchal Divine Liturgy.

April 9. Rives Junction, MI. Dormition Monas-tery. Attended Liturgy for feast of Lifegiving Fountof the Mother of God. Evening: Chancery Office.Visit of Metropolitan Iosif of Paris.

April 11. Southfield, MI. St. George Cathedral.Hierarchal Divine Liturgy for Thomas Sunday.

April 13-14. Falls Church, VA. Protection of theMother of God. Funeral of Marie Scala Ficken.

April 16-18. Toronto, ON. Friday: Eastern CanadaDeanery Meeting. Evening: St. John. Vespers.

April 17. Evening: Aurora, ON. Holy 40 Mar-tyrs Mission. Great Vespers.

April 18. Toronto, ON. St. George. HierarchalDivine Liturgy. Ordination of Deacon Vasile Trif tothe Holy Priesthood. 20th Anniversary of ordination ofVery Rev. Fr. Ioan Bunea. Banquet.

April 23-25. Washington, DC. Pastoral Visit toparishes in the area. April 25. Falls Church, VA.Protection of the Mother of God. Hierarchal DivineLiturgy.

April 26-29. Colorado Springs, CO. OCA Hier-archs Retreat.

April 29-May 2. Lake George, CO. Holy Protec-tion Monastery. Retreat. Vespers each evening. Sun-day: Divine Liturgy.

May 7-9. New York, NY. Cathedral of the HolyVirgin Protection. Consecration of Bishop Michaelof New York and New Jersey.

May 11. Detroit, MI. St. Raphael of Brooklyn.Pastoral Visit to Parish Council.

May 14-16. Indianapolis, IN. Sts. Constantine &Helen. 100th Anniversary celebration. Friday: Spe-

cial Concert. Saturday: Hierarchal Divine Liturgyconcelebrated with Bishop Mark of Toledo (AntiochianArchdiocese). Memorial Service. Evening: GreatVespers. Sunday: Hierarchal Divine Liturgyconcelebrated with Bishop Mark. Banquet. Program.

May 20. Detroit, MI. Sacred Heart Church. Or-thodox-Catholic Dialogue.

May 21. Detroit, MI. Ascension Monastery.Meeting of St. Andrew House – Center for OrthodoxChristian Studies.

May 23. Warren, MI. Descent of Holy Spirit.Hierarchal Divine Liturgy for Pentecost. Blessing ofwater at Troitza. Banquet.

May 25-28. New York, NY. Episcopal Assemblyof Orthodox Canonical Hierarchs of North and Cen-tral America.

May 30. Rives Junction, MI. Dormition Monas-tery. Hierarchal Divine Liturgy.

June 4-7. Falls Church, VA. Protection of theMother of God. ARFORA Congress / BrotherhoodConference. June 5: Congress Meetings. Evening:Memorial Service and Great Vespers concelebratedwith Metropolitan Jonah. Banquet. June 6: Hierar-chal Divine Liturgy. Banquet.

June 24. Detroit, MI. Department of HomelandSecurity. Interview for the NEXUS Alternative In-spection Program for frequent travelers.

June 27. Detroit, MI. St. Raphael of Brooklyn.Hierarchal Divine Liturgy. Pastoral Visit. Meetingwith Parish Council.

June 29. Rives Junction, MI. Dormition Monas-tery. Hierarchal Divine Liturgy for feast of Sts. Peter& Paul.

with questions for Fr. Calinic. These young adultswere thoroughly interested in their Faith and had herean opportunity to discuss it.

The Divine Liturgy on Sunday morning was inspi-rational, beautifully sung with everyone’s participa-tion. The Lord’s prayer was said in four languages bythe attendees: English, Romanian, Greek and Slavonic.The friars of St. Francis Monastery stood quietly inthe chapel doorway watching and listening to the singingof the young-adult Orthodox community that had gath-ered in Cochrane for the weekend. Later, the friarswere heard commenting on how beautiful our Liturgyis and on what an impression the singing made onthem.

We concluded our weekend of spiritual rejuvena-tion and new friendships with a determination to comeback next year – plans have already been made for2011! We look forward to having more young Ortho-dox join us as we continue what we hope will becomean annual tradition in mid-Western Canada.

Following Christ ...Cont. from page 8


FINANCIAL REPORT

EPISCOPATE SUPPORTERSMaria Pincu, Santa Monica, CA ......................... $1,000.00Aurel & Marita Tofan, Fraser, MI ....................... $200.00Carrie Steski, Winnipeg, MB ................................. $100.00M/M Gregory Thetford, Ellwood City, PA ......... $100.00Nick & Flora Cocora, Dearborn Hts, MI ............... $55.00George Galat, Burlington, ON ................................. $50.00Mary Tilea, Canfield, OH ......................................... $50.00Aldena Jinar, Ellwood City, PA .............................. $25.00Blaise Christian Hebert, Dearborn Hts, MI ........... $10.00Nathaniel Lazarus Hebert, Dearborn Hts, MI ...... $10.00

GENERAL DONATIONSNational ARFORA (In Honor of Archbishop

Nathaniel’s Birthday) ........................................ $2,000.00National ARFORA (Seminarian Fund) .............. $1,500.00National ARFORA (Hierarch Travel) ................ $1,200.00National ARFORA (Vatra Housekeeping) ........ $1,200.00St Mary of Magdala, Houston, TX ....................... $807.80St Andrew Mission, Laval, QC

(Hierarch Travel) .................................................. $281.70Corneliu & Maria Oltean, Lucan, ON ................. $223.85Alexa & Florica Mindea, Morton Grove, IL ....... $213.28Armand & Christina Scala, McLean, VA ........... $125.00St Nicholas Mission, Ottawa, ON

(Hierarch Travel) .................................................. $112.34V Rev Fr & Psa Adrian Balescu, Miramar, FL .. $100.00M/M John De Mintici, Toronto, ON ...................... $60.00M/M Niculai Fedorovici, Livonia, MI .................... $50.00Florence Westerfield, Warren, MI .......................... $30.00Nikola & Anka Mezin, Shelby Twp, MI ................ $20.00Mary Jane Quinn, Bloomfield Hills, MI ................ $15.00Maria Hunciag, Center Line, MI ............................. $10.00M/M Nicholas C Vasu Jr, Southfield, MI ............... $5.00

MEMORIAMCocora & Hebert Familes, Dearborn Hts, MI ....... $25.00

(IMO Tati-Mosu George Subu and Floraria &Mary Subu-Lapadat)

Cocora & Hebert Families, Dearborn Hts, MI ...... $10.00(IMO of Mother Benedicta Braga)

Cocora & Hebert Families, Dearborn Hts, MI ...... $10.00(IMO Army PFC Winston “Jimmie” Miroy)

EPISCOPATE ASSESSMENTHoly Nativity, Chicago, IL ................................ $15,340.00Descent of the Holy Spirit, Warren, MI ............ $8,880.00St George, Toronto, ON ....................................... $5,520.00St Dimitrie, Easton, CT........................................ $3,380.00St John, Woonsocket, RI ...................................... $1,250.00St Joseph of Maramures, Hazleton, PA ............ $1,260.00Holy Cross, Hermitage, PA (2011) ..................... $1,000.00St John Mission, Nashville, TN .......................... $1,000.00St Polycarp Mission, Naples, FL ........................... $540.00Holy Trinity, MacNutt, SK ..................................... $210.00

DEPARTMENT OF MISSIONSM/M Alexa Ungurian, Oakbank, MB ................... $300.00Marlene Tofan, San Francisco, CA ....................... $100.00

(IMO V Rev Fr Constantin Tofan)

DEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATIONOrthodox Brotherhood USA

(Camp Vatra for Seniors) ................................. $1,000.00Orthodox Brotherhood USA

(Dorm Beautification) ....................................... $1,000.00

National ARFORA (Vatra Cooks) ...................... $1,200.00Stephen & Katherine Miroy, Stafford, VA

(Camp Vatra) ........................................................ $200.00John Toana, Indianapolis, IN (Camp Vatra) .......... $50.00

ARCHBISHOP’S CHARITY ENDOWMENT FUNDValeriu & Eugenia Morariu,

Morton Grove, IL .............................................. $1,000.00(In honor of Carl Kosowski & Victoria MorariuNuptials)

Atena Chiu, Woodside, NY .................................... $100.00

20. Grant me endurance, magnimity and gentleness,O Lord!

21. Plant me in that root of all blessings, the fear ofyou in my heart, O Lord!

22. Grant that I love you with all my heart and souland that I obey your will in all things, O Lord!

23. Shield me from evil men, from devils, from pas-sions and all other law disobeying things, O Lord!

24. O Lord who know your creation and what youhave willed for it, may your will be also fulfilledin me, a sinner, for you are blessed to all ages.Amen.

Originally published in Solia-The Herald, January1982.

CONGRATULATIONSGRADUATE!

Nicholas Moga

Nicholas achieved the rank of Eagle Scout on May 9,2010. His plan is to pursue a career in EnvironmentalScience. Nicholas is a 2009 graduate of Sts. Peter &Paul Sunday School, Dearborn Heights, MI, where hebegan in kindergarten. He also has served as altar boythroughout his childhood and is currently serving assacristan. We ask God’s continued blessings uponhim and his family.

Nicholas TraianMoga, son of Thomas &Deb Moga, of Northville,MI, was graduated fromNorthville High School onJune 6, 2010, where hereceived an Excellence inMusic Award, was a vol-unteer at Cranbrook Insti-tute of Science and playedlacrosse. Nick is also anavid scuba diver and playsbass guitar in two garagebands: “RPM” and “Un-known Defect”. Also, aboy scout for twelve years,

Twenty Four Prayers …Cont. from page 2


degree in Psychology. She is a University Scholarshiprecipient, and a member of the Maroon Key Society.Anya was appointed a Student Marshal by the Presi-dent of the University in recognition of scholarshipand leadership, the highest honor that can be con-ferred on an undergraduate student. Anya was also therecipient of the University of Chicago Lincoln Laure-ate Award, which is granted to the top senior fromeach university in Illinois for excellence in curricularand extracurricular activities.

Anya has also participated in a variety of activitiesas an undergraduate. She is co-director and co-founderof Splash!Chicago which creates and organizes freeeducational programs for area high school students onthe south side of Chicago, recruiting and training teach-ers and volunteers. She was elected to sit on an inau-gural five-person board of directors of Learning Un-limited, a national non-profit educational organiza-tion. Anya also was the treasurer of Psi Chi NationalHonors Society in Psychology, and was the Alto sec-tion leader of the Motet Choir. Most importantly, shehas been the student coordinator of Orthodox Chris-tian Fellowship on campus for the past three years,and is active at the new campus Orthodox mission, St.Makarios, where she is involved in singing the re-sponses to the services and coordinating activitiesbetween OCF and the mission.

Anya’s current internship position is with EsperanzaCommunity Services working with bilingual (Span-ish-English) children. She will continue her intern-ship in the Fall at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School.

During the summer of 2007, Anya studied Arabicat the University of Jordan; and the summer of 2008was spent in Guatemala City at the Hogar RafaelAyau Orthodox Christian Orphanage. In 2009, shespent three months in Amman, Jordan working in theoffice of the International Orthodox Christian Chari-ties assisting with grant-writing and programs for Iraqirefugees.

Anya has been accepted into The University of

District as a Kindergarten teacher. In addition, she iscompleting graduate studies at the University of Michi-gan-Dearborn, which will culminate in receiving aMaster’s Degree in Education, area of concentrationbeing English as a Second Language (ESL). Ana in-tends to pursue a second Master’s Degree in EnglishLiteracy/Reading. Besides graduating with High Dis-tinction, Ana is a member of the Golden Key Interna-tional Honor Society, as well as the Pi Lambda ThetaInternational Honor Society and Professional Asso-ciation in Education.

Ana’s involvement in the community has includedparticipating in the Susan G. Komen Race for theCure and helping to raise money and donations ofcanned food to local fire stations. She has donatedtime at Gleaners Food Bank and served meals at theDetroit Capuchin Kitchen.

Ana is a member of St. George Romanian Ortho-dox Cathedral, Southfield, MI. Since her teenage years,she has been active in AROY, serving as Secretary,Auditor, and Vice President of her local chapter; andshe was Chairman of the Cotillion at the NationalAROY Conference held in Detroit in 2007. She as-sisted in the Church Vacation School program andworked with the young children in church school andRomanian cultural programs. Ana continues to be veryactive in the Cathedral activities, assisting at all majorparish functions. A.R.F.O.R.A. is honored to awardAna a scholarship for her outstanding achievements.

A.R.F.O.R.A. Undergraduate Scholarship

Maya Alexis, a member of Holy Trinity RomanianOrthodox Church in Miramar, FL, is the recipient ofthe A.R.F.O.R.A. Undergraduate Scholarship. Maya

A.R.F.O.R.A. SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

Anya Thetford

Martha Gavrila Graduate Scholarship - 2010

A.R.F.O.R.A. is hon-ored to award the MarthaGavrila Graduate Scholar-ship to Anya Thetford,daughter of Gregory andJuliana Thetford and thegranddaughter of The VeryRev. Fr. Thomas Hopko.She has been a lifelongmember of St. Elias Ro-manian Orthodox Churchin Ellwood City, PA. Anyagraduated from the Uni-versity of Chicago with a

Ana Lazar

Chicago School of Social Service Administration fora Master’s degree to be a Licensed Clinical SocialWorker. A.R.F.O.R.A. congratulates Anya on heroutstanding achievements.

A.R.F.O.R.A. Scholarship

Ana Valeriana Lazar,the daughter of the V. Rev.Laurence and Psa. AntitaLazar, is the honored re-cipient of the A.R.F.O.R.A.Scholarship. Ana is a 2006graduate of the Universityof Michigan-Dearborn,where she received a de-gree in Early ChildhoodElementary Education withHigh Distinction. She iscurrently employed in theDearborn Public School

Cont. on page 15


Society. Maya received the Robert Elmore HonorsAward, the Academic Competitiveness Grant, and theBroward College Certificate of Appreciation for hercontribution as a presenter to the Third Annual FallGraduate Workshop.

Maya has worked in the community as a volunteerfor Beach Clean Up Days at John U. Lloyd BeachState Park. She has participated in Fund Raising atGolf Tournaments for the Broward College Founda-tion and has done community service through PhiTheta Kappa Honor Society.

Maya is a member of Holy Trinity Church, and hasbeen very active in the Parish activities. A.R.F.O.R.A.is honored to award Maya Alexis the UndergraduateScholarship for her outstanding achievements.

Adela M. Price A.R.F.O.R.A. Scholarships

Maya Alexis

is currently enrolled as asecond year student atBroward College, in FortLauderdale, FL, where shewill complete her AA De-gree in Nursing. She hasbeen accepted at FloridaInternational University tocomplete her Bachelor ofScience Degree in Nurs-ing. Maya has been on theDean’s list for two yearswith a 3.9 GPA. She is amember of Phi ThetaKappa International Honor

partition the present region of North and CentralAmerica into two distinct regions of the United Statesand Canada. Additionally, at the request of the Hier-archs who have jurisdiction in Mexico and CentralAmerica, the Assembly will likewise request to mergeMexico and Central America with the Assembly ofSouth America.

As Orthodox Hierarchs in this blessed region, weexpress our resolve to adhere to and adopt the regula-tions proposed by the Pan-Orthodox Conferences andapproved by the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches,and to do everything in our power by the grace of Godto advance actions that facilitate canonical order inour region.

We confess our fidelity to the Apostolic Orthodoxfaith and pledge to promote “common action to ad-dress the pastoral needs of Orthodox living in ourregion” (Chambésy, Decision 2c). We call upon ourclergy and faithful to join us in these efforts “to safe-guard and contribute to the unity of the OrthodoxChurch of the region in its theological, ecclesiological,canonical, spiritual, philanthropic, educational andmissionary obligations” (Article 5.1) as we eagerlyanticipate the Holy and Great Council.

The Assembly concluded with the celebration ofthe Divine Liturgy on Friday, May 28, 2010 at theHoly Trinity Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan Cathedralin New York City. During the Liturgy, prayers wereoffered for the repose of the eleven victims of thecurrent ecological disaster in the Gulf Coast, for theconsolation of their families, for all those adverselyaffected by this catastrophe, as well as for all peopleliving under conditions of war, persecution, violence,and oppression.

Of the sixty-six Hierarchs in the region, the follow-ing 55 were present at this Assembly:

Archbishop Demetrios - Chairman, MetropolitanPhilip - Vice Chairman, Archbishop Justinian - ViceChairman, Bishop Basil - Secretary, Archbishop Antony- Treasurer, Metropolitan Iakovos, MetropolitanConstantine, Metropolitan Athenagoras, MetropolitanMethodios, Metropolitan Isaiah, Metropolitan Nicho-las, Metropolitan Alexios, Metropolitan Nikitas, Met-ropolitan Nicholas, Metropolitan Gerasimos, Metro-politan Evangelos, Metropolitan Paisios, ArchbishopYurij, Bishop Christopher, Bishop Vikentios, BishopSavas, Bishop Andonios, Bishop Ilia, Bishop Ilarion,Bishop Andriy, Bishop Demetrios, Bishop Daniel,Bishop Antoun, Bishop Joseph, Bishop Thomas, BishopMark, Bishop Alexander, Metropolitan Hilarion, BishopIov, Bishop Gabriel, Bishop Peter, Bishop Theodosius,Bishop George, Bishop Ieronim, Metropolitan Christo-pher, Bishop Maxim, Archbishop Nicolae, Bishop IoanCasian, Metropolitan Joseph, Metropolitan Jonah, Arch-bishop Nathaniel, Archbishop Seraphim, Bishop Nikon,Bishop Tikhon, Bishop Benjamin, Bishop Melchisedek,Bishop Irineu, Bishop Irinee, Bishop Michael.

Vespers held at St. Luke Serbian Orthodox Churchcelebrated by His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah andHis Eminence, Archbishop Nathaniel.

After the Great Vespers, all present were invited tothe dinner banquet. The guest speaker was KhouriaFrederica Mathewes-Green, who is a wide-rangingauthor and public speaker on Christian topics. She haswritten 9 books and has appeared as a speaker over400 times. Her first book was “Facing East: A Pilgrim’sJourney into the Mysteries of Orthodoxy”.

Sunday morning was celebrated with a HierarchalDivine Liturgy, followed by a farewell lunch. Heart-felt thanks are offered to Fr. David Subu and Psa.Stephanie, the Congress Co-Chairpersons Eva Beranekand Marylin Thomas, and “St. Juliana Ladies Guild”,for hosting a very memorable 62nd NationalA.R.F.O.R.A. Congress.

Axinia Lucia (Lucy) PopNational ARFORA President

62nd ARFORA CongressCont. from page 9

Message … Cont. from page 4

ARFORA ScholarshipCont. from page 14


The Annual Almanac published by The Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America in December 2010 for all parishes and parishioners throughout the United States and Canada.

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SOLIA JULY/AUGUST 2010 17RUGATçI-VAË SçI LUCRATçI PENTRU UNITATE ORTODOXAË IN AMERICA DE NORD

Iubiòi Fraòi Preoòi, Fraòi sçi Surori ôn Hristos Domnul,Ce ônseamna¨ aceasta> sa¨ ne ierte Dumnezeu precum

sçi noi ierta¨m= önseamna¨ sa¨ ne ierte Dumnezeu dacaïerta¨m, sa¨ ne ierte Dumnezeu ca[nd ierta¨m sçi sa¨ neierte Dumnezeu asça cum ierta¨m noi. Aici, ôn general,zicem> ||gresçelile noastre\\< se poate spune foarte binesçi pa¨catele noastre. Sçi ne iarta¨ noua¨ pa¨catele noastreprecum sçi noi ierta¨m gresçiòilor nosçtri.

E o deosebire ôntre raportul nostru cu Dumnezeu sçiraportul nostru ôntre noi. Deci unii faòa¨ de alòii gresçim,iar ôn faòa lui Dumnezeu pa¨ca¨tuim. Sa¨ sçtiòi ca¨ ônSfa[nta Scriptura¨ este scris sçi ôntr-un fel sçi ôn altul. önEvanghelia de la Matei ruga¨ciunea ||Tata¨l nostru\\ este>||Sçi ne iarta¨ noua¨ gresçelile noastre\\, iar ôn Sfa[ntaEvanghelie de la Luca este> ||Sçi ne iarta¨ noua¨ pa¨catelenoastre precum sçi noi ierta¨m gresçiòilor nosçtri\\. önlimba greaca¨, de fapt, este> ||Sçi ne iarta¨ noua¨ datoriilenoastre\\. Sçi ôn limba germana¨ este tot asça> ||datoriilenoastre\\. Deci, noi suntem datori faòa¨ de Dumnezeu sçiunii faòa¨ de alòii sçi nu trebuie sa¨ socotim pa¨cate numaipe cele fa¨cute prin comitere, adica¨ prin faptul ca¨ minòim,ca¨ spunem vorbe nelalocul lor, vorbe neserioase, caävem dusçma¨nie, ca¨ avem ma[nie, ca¨ avem la¨comie,etc. Nu numai pentru aceste pa¨cate trebuie sa¨ ceremiertare, dar sunt sçi alte lucruri cu care suntem datori sçila care nu ne ga[ndim sçi pe care nu le facem> acesteasunt pa¨cate prin omitere. Nu lua¨m aminte ca¨ trebuiesa¨ fim buni, nu lua¨m aminte ca¨ trebuie sa¨ fim ierta¨tori,nu lua¨m aminte ca¨ trebuie sa¨ fim ra¨bda¨tori, nu lua¨maminte ca¨ trebuie sa¨ fim binevoitori, nu lua¨m aminteca¨ trebuie sa¨ intervenim spre bine ôn viaòa celor dinjurul nostru. Nu lua¨m aminte la lucrurile acestea caresunt datorii ale noastre. Atunci putem sa¨ zicem> ||Sçi neiarta¨ noua¨ datoriile noastre\\ cum este ôn limba greaca¨,dar ôn limba roma[na¨ nu s-a tradus asça. Trebuie saävem ôn vedere sçi pa¨catele acestea prin omitere prinfaptul ca¨ nu facem ceea ce trebuie sa¨ facem.

Se pune o ôntrebare, o ôntrebare foarte potrivita¨ ônlega¨tura¨ cu aceasta> cum trebuie sa¨ ierta¨m= Ra¨spunsulla aceasta¨ ôntrebare ôl avem ôn Sfa[nta Evanghelie de laMatei, la sfa[rsçitul capitolului 18, ôn lega¨tura¨ cu pildacelor doi datornici, ôn care unul era dator cu 10.000mii de talanòi, iar cela¨lalt era dator cu 100 de dinari.ön pilda¨ se spune ca¨ cel care a fost iertat de 10.000 detalanòi n-a iertat pe fratele saü care i-a fost dator doarcu 100 de dinari. Domnul Hristos a spus ca¨ cel care n-a iertat pe slujitorul care avea 100 de dinari datorie lael, a fost pus ôn ônchisoare. Sçi zice Domnul Hristos,dupa¨ ce spune ca¨ a fost aruncat ôn temniòa¨>

||Asça vor pa¨òi toòi aceia care nu iarta¨ - fiòi atenòi -din inima¨ - celor ce le gresçesc\\. Deci cum trebuie sa¨fie iertarea= Din inima¨! Ce ônsemna¨ asta< sa¨ fie iertaredin inima¨= önseamna¨ mai ônta[i de toate, sa¨ nu fie o

iertare superficiala¨, ci sa¨ fie o iertare din ada[nculinimii. Lucrul acesta se poate realiza numai la oamenicare cred cu adeva¨rat ôn Dumnezeu, ôn Evanghelie, ônviaòa cea vesçnica¨ sçi ca¨ ôntr-o zi ne vom ônta[lni cuHristos, sçi vom da socoteala¨ de tot ce am fa¨cut, altfeltotul este numai spoiala¨.

Aceasta ônseamna¨ iertare din inima¨> sa¨ nu maipomenesçti raül care òi l-a fa¨cut cineva.

Sfa[ntul Isidor Pelusiotul (care e pomenit ôn 4februarie) are un cuva[nt care trebuie sa¨ ne placa¨ foartemult la fiecare dintre noi> ||Raül sa¨-l scrii pe apa¨\\. òi-a fa¨cut cineva ceva raü, raül acela sa¨-l scoòi din mintesçi sa¨-l scrii pe apa¨. Poate cineva sa¨ scrie pe apa¨=Nimeni nu poate sa¨ scrie pe apa¨. Aceasta ônseamna¨sa¨-l nimicesçti, sa¨ nu mai existe. Sfa[ntul Apostol Pavel,ôn Epistola ônta[i ca¨tre Corinteni, ôn capitolul despredragoste, spune ca¨ dragostea nu pomenesçte raül, nuòine minte raül, deci ônla¨tura¨ raül ôn asça fel ônca[t numai are pomenire. ön Pateric se spune ca¨> ||cel careòine minte raül, acela sçi ca[nd ma¨na[nca¨ sçi ca[nd bea sçica[nd doarme sçi ca[nd alceva face, are pa¨catulôntodeauna ônaintea lui sçi ôl face pentru ca e pomenitorde raü\\. Sfa[ntul Ioan Sinaitul, cel care a scris Scara,ôn capitolul despre pomenirea raülui spune> ||Pomenirearaülui este pa¨cat neôncetat, fa¨ra¨delege neadormita¨,cui ônfipt ôn suflet, regina sufletului, viermele minòii\\.Pomenirea raülui este un semn de lipsa¨ a dragostei sçicine n-are dragoste n-are apropiere de Dumnezeu.Deci, a ierta din inima¨, ônseamna¨ a te sili sa¨ nu maiaiba¨ lucrare ôn mintea ta sçi ôn viaòa ta pomenirearaülui sau fapta cea rea pe care a fa¨cut-o cineva sçipentru care tu ar trebui sa¨-l ieròi. Iertarea ôn ônprejurareaaceasta o are ôn vedere un Pa¨rinte din Pateric, carespune> ||Atunci ca[nd ieròi sa¨ fii ca sçi ca[nd ai fi muritônainte de a se ônta[mpla fapta cea rea pe care òi-afa¨cut-o cineva, ca sçi cum n-a existat\\. Nu-i cu putinòa¨- psihologic vorbind - pentru ca¨ noi avem o metoda¨ dea ônva¨òa ceva, de a ba¨ga ceva ôn minte, dar nu existaö metoda¨ de a scoate ceva din minte. Noi nu putemuita ca¨ vrem sa¨ uita¨m, ci uita¨m ca[nd ajungem saüita¨m. önsa¨, a nu pomeni raül ônseamna¨ a nu face raüllucra¨tor ôn viaòa ta, chiar daca¨ sçtii de el. Iertarea estefa¨ra¨ amintirea raülui. Lucrul acesta ôl poate face cinevacare este ônaintat ôn viaòa duhovniceasca¨.

Domnul Hristos ne impune iertarea.Eu personal, am o vorba¨ care mereu o spun

credinciosçilor nosçtri, mai ales ôn predicile òinute ônvizitele pastorale din Parohii, ca¨ Dumnezeu ne iarta¨ ônma¨sura ôn care ierta¨m sçi noi sçi nu putem rosti ruga¨ciunea||Tata¨l nostru\\, unde zicem> ||Sçi ne iarta¨ noua¨ gresçelilenoastre precum sçi noi ierta¨m gresçiòilor nosçtri\\, daca¨nu ierta¨m din tot sufletul. öl minòim pe Dumnezeu, ôi

CUVA[NT DE SUFLETIunie - Iulie 2010

Sa¨ Ierta¨m din Inima¨

Cont. la pag. 18

18 SOLIA JULY/AUGUST 2010RUGATçI-VAË SçI LUCRATçI PENTRU UNITATE ORTODOXAË IN AMERICA DE NORD

cerem la ra[ndul nostru iertare, dar noi nu ierta¨m.Concluzia care este= Nu putem rosti ruga¨ciunea ||Tata¨lnostru\\ daca¨ nu ierta¨m sçi noi la ra[ndul nostru celorcare ne gresçesc sau ne supa¨ra¨, altfel ne osa[ndim maimult sçi ne ruga¨m degeaba.

||Nu osa[ndiòi ca sa¨ nu fiòi osa[ndiòi\\, || Iertaòi sçi vise va ierta voua¨\\.

Toate acestea le auzim, toate acestea le pune ônvedere Sfa[nta noastra¨ Biserica¨ pentru viaòa noastra¨,nu numai pentru informarea noastra¨. La Pavecerniòa¨zicem> ||Pe cei ce ne ura¨sc sçi ne fac noua¨ stra[mba¨tateiarta¨-i, Doamne< pe cei care fac bine, fa¨-le bine\\,Deci, ôi avem ôn vedere sçi pe oamenii care ne ura¨sc dinneputinòa lor, din faptul ca¨ nu pot fi altfel deca[t cuura¨, dar noi trebuie sa¨ fim cu ônòelegere, sa¨ ne purta¨msarcina dupa¨ cuva[ntul Sfa[ntului Apostol Pavel dinEpistola ca¨tre Galateni> ||Purtaòi-va¨ sarcina unii altorasçi asça ve-òi ômplini legea lui Hristos\\. Dragostea estenepomenitoare de raü sçi dragostea este semnul ucenicieifaòa¨ de Domnul Hristos> ||Dupa¨ aceasta vor cunoasçteoamenii ca¨ sunteòi ucenicii Mei daca¨ veòi avea dragosteunii ca¨tre alòii\\.

Dragoste ônseamna¨ ôndra¨gire. Iubirea nu-i oabstracòie, nu-i ceva care nu se arata¨, care nu se simte.Binele este ceva care te angajeaza¨ faòa¨ de omul dela[nga¨ tine sçi daca¨ iubesçti pe aproapele taü ca pe tineônsuòi, dupa¨ porunca¨ - nu sçtiu ca[òi pot face lucrulacesta - ônseamna¨ ca¨ ai parte de iubirea care estefericitoare. Domnul Hristos ne cere chiar sçi iubireafaòa¨ de dusçmanii nosçtrii> ||Iubiòi pe vra¨jmasçii vosçtri,faceòi bine celor ce va¨ ura¨sc, binecuva[ntaòi pe cei ceva¨ blestema¨ sçi va¨ prigonesc, ca sa¨ fiòi fii Tata¨luivostru celui din ceruri, care ra¨sare soarele peste ceibuni sçi peste cei raï sçi trimite ploaia peste cei drepòisçi peste cei nedrepòi.\\.

Deci, Domnul Hristos nu ne cere numai sa¨ ierta¨m,ci sa¨ sçi iubim pe cei pe care-i ierta¨m, cu iubirea cucare ne iubim noi ônsçine sçi cu ônga¨duinòa care o avemfaòa¨ de noi ônsçine ca[nd ne ierta¨m ata[tea sçi ata[tealucruri pe care n-ar trebui sa¨ le ierta¨m pentru noi ônviaòa noastra¨, ci ar trebui sa¨ le condamna¨m sçi sa¨ nesca[rbim.

Deci iertarea e cu milostenie, cu ruga¨ciune, cu post.Traïm aici, in America un fenomen foarte interesant

sçi cred ca¨ acest ||microb\\ putem spune, care ôntuneca¨sufletul sçi mintea la mulòi, este ura sçi raütatea ôntresemeni datorita¨ intereselor personale. Cunosc mulòioameni care se considera ¨ cres çtini, iau Sfa[ntaômpa¨rta¨sçanie ôn fiecare duminica¨, dar ura¨sc, ura¨sc sçiiar ura¨sc, mereu scormonesc ôn gunoaie ca sa¨ ga¨seasca¨pricina¨ de dezbinare sçi ura¨, dispreòuiesc pe semeniilor, pe preoòii lor, pe ierarhii lor, sçi continua¨ sa¨ seconsidere cunosca¨tori ai Scripturii sçi ômplinitori aiporuncilor ava[nd impresia ca¨ sçtiu totul. Trebuie sa¨ nefie mila¨ de astfel de oameni, sa¨ ne ruga¨m pentru ei,dar toate acestea sunt rezultate de pe urma pa¨catelor,

de pe urma faptului ca¨ oamenii sunt angajaòi ôn pa¨catesçi raüta¨òi, iar acolo unde pa¨catul e ônla¨turat, acolovine Darul lui Dumnezeu, vine binecuva[ntarea luiDumnezeu, vine ocrotirea Maicii Domnului, vinelinisçtea sufleteasca¨ sçi Dumnezeu biruiesçte cu linisçtirea,ma[ntuirea e cu bucurie sçi cu pace.

Pa¨rintele Arsenie Boca avea o vorba¨ sçi e bine sa¨ oòinem minte toòi care ne considera¨m cresçtini sçi maiales slujitori ai altarelor, ôndruma¨tori de oameni sçi desuflete> ||toate pa¨catele se iarta¨ prin mijlocirepreoòeasca¨, singurul pa¨cat care nu se iarta¨, nici aicisçi nici ôn veacul ce va sa¨ fie este ca[nd omul, ta¨ga¨duiesçteadeva¨rul, ca[nd omul nu vrea sa¨ accepte adeva¨ruladeva¨rat\\. Mare lucru este, sa¨ lua¨m aminte la cespunea pa¨rintele Arsenie, ar trebui sa¨ ne dea la mulòide ga[ndit.

Sa¨ caüta¨m calea adeva¨rului sçi a drepta¨òii, dupa¨ cumsçi Ma[ntuitorul spune ca¨> ||Adeva¨rul va¨ va face liberi\\.

Toate acestea le putem avea numai prin credinòa ônDumnezeu sçi cu Dumnezeu. Se ônla¨tura¨ pa¨catele ca[ndomul este ômpotriva pa¨catului, ca[nd nu vrea sa¨ faca¨pa¨cat. Se ônla¨tura¨ pa¨catele ca[nd se ônla¨tura¨ necredinòa.Sçi daca¨ suntem cu luare aminte, mai ales la ga[ndurilenoastre, sçi le ônfa¨òisça¨m lui Dumnezeu ôn ruga¨ciune sçicerem ajutorul lui Dumnezeu, atunci sca¨pa¨m de pa¨catesçi de urma¨rile pa¨catelor. Ori, daca¨ cineva cauta¨ pricinide pa¨ca¨tuire sçi pa¨ca¨tuiesçte, nu poate asçtepta linisçtireape care o au cei care nu pa¨ca¨tuiesc.

Va¨ doresc la toòi care va¨ osteniòi sa¨ citiòi acestcuva[nt da¨ruit din suflet pentru sufletele dumneavoastra¨,sa¨ na¨da¨jduiòi cu toòii la mila lui Dumnezeu, la milaMa[ntuitorului nostru Iisus Hristos, care n-a venit saösa[ndeasca¨ lumea, ci sa¨ se ma[ntuiasca¨ lumea prin El.

Na¨da¨jduim la ocrotirea Maicii Preacurate, care ana¨scut pe Cel fa¨ra¨ de pa¨cat sçi care vrea ca noi sa¨-Lasculta¨m pe Domnul nostru Iisus Hristos, sa¨ fim maibuni, mai ierta¨tori, mai ônga¨duitori sçi mai silitori sçiômplinitori ai poruncilor Lui.

Iertaòi ca sçi Dumnezeu sa¨ ne ierte pe fiecare dintrenoi de raüta¨òile sçi pa¨catele noastre.

Numai asça putem fi binecuva[ntaòi de Dumnezeu sçibine pla¨cuòi Lui.

Asça sa¨ ne ajute Dumnezeu.Cu pa¨rintesçti sçi arhieresçti binecuva[nta¨ri,

+ IRINEUEpiscop Vicar al Episcopiei Ortodoxe

Roma[ne din America.

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Omul, creat de Dumnezeu, a traït de la ônceput ônfamilie, care a fost cel dinta[i nucleu social, cea dinta[iforma¨ a vieòii de obsçte, temelia vieòii sociale.

Conform ônva¨òa¨turii Sfintei noastre Biserici, familiaeste un asçeza¨ma[nt dumnezeiesc, ra[nduit odata¨ cu creareaomului (Fac. 1, 27-28), singura forma¨ de convieòuirenormala¨ dintre sexe. Prima familie a fost ôntemeiata¨ deDumnezeu ôn rai. Legatura dintre barbat sçi femeie estemai puternica¨ deca[t orice alta¨ lega¨tura¨ de sa[nge ||Pentruaceea va lasa omul pe tata¨l saü sçi pe mama sa sçi se valipi de soòia sa sçi vor fi ama[ndoi un trup\\ (Fac. 2, 24).

ön Noul Testament, ca¨sa¨toria nu numai ca¨ a fostbinecuva[ntata¨ de Dumnezeu, dar a fost ridicata¨ la rangde Sfa[nta¨ Taina¨, legatura dintre soòi ôntruchipa[nd lega¨turadintre Hristos sçi Biserica¨. Familia cresçtina¨ primesçtebinecuva[ntarea Domnului ôn faòa Sfa[ntului Altar, soòiifa¨ga¨duindu-sçi reciproc dragoste, respect, ôntr\ajutorare||Ba¨rbatul sa¨-i dea femeii iubirea datorata¨, asemeneasçi femeia ba¨rbatului\\ (I Cor. 7, 3).

Avantajele pe care le ofera viaòa de familie, cuatmosfera ei senina¨, cu centralizarea preocupa¨rilor, culinisçtea sçi siguranòa zilei de ma[ine nu pot fi preòuite pedeplin deca[t de cei care sunt beneficiarii acestora.

Rostul familiei este nasçterea sçi cresçterea copiilor, iara familiei cresçtine sçi cresçterea acestora ôn dragoste ca¨treDumnezeu sçi sfa[nta Sa Biserica¨. Mai mult, familia cresçtinaäre importanòa ei sçi din punct de vedere moral sçi social,ea oferind numeroase prilejuri sçi mijloace de desa¨va[rsçiresociala¨. Ala¨turi de sçcoala¨ sçi de Biserica¨, familia esteunul din sta[lpii societa¨òii. Potrivit moralei ortodoxe,familia este vatra bunei cresçteri a copiilor sçi altarulvirtuòilor vieòii casnice. Viaòa de familie s\a bucuratdintotdeauna de o cinstire deosebita¨ la noi, roma[nii, iarca[nd a fost traïta¨ conform evangheliei, a devenit izvorsçi de sfinòenie.

Porunca a V-a a Decalogului lui Moise gla¨suiesçte||Cinstesçte pe tata¨l taü sçi pe mama ta ca sa¨-òi fie binesçi sa¨ traïesçti mult pe pa¨ma[ntul pe care Domnul Dumnezeultaü òi-l da¨ òie\\ (Iesçire 20, 12), porunca reactualizata¨ deMa[ntuitorul ôn Noul Testament. (Mt. 19, 19). Din eadecurge ôndatorirea cea mai de seama¨ a copiilor faòa¨ depa¨rinòi, cinstirea sçi ajutorarea lor la nevoie, pentru ca¨ ledatora¨m viaòa, cresçterea sçi educaòia.

Doua¨ cuvinte au, credem, cea mai mare circulaòie ônlume> mama sçi tata. Nimic nu poate egala rostirea lor.Le ga¨sim pe buzele tuturor, de la prunci ôn al ca¨rorga[ngurit mama sçi tata sunt primele ônchega¨ri de silabe,pa[na¨ la cei mai va[rstnici. Mama sçi tata sunt cuvinte decirculaòie universala¨, ônòelese fa¨ra interpret ôn multelimbi.

Sçi, ôntr\adeva¨r, nu sunt cuvinte suficiente pentru areda simòa¨ma[ntul ra¨spunderii ôn faòa lui Dumnezeu sçi asemenilor, grija tata¨lui pentru a asigura ôn mod cinstitcele necesare familiei, pentru a imprima copiilor dragosteade munca¨, de adeva¨r sçi omenie, sau conòinutul arza¨tor alinimii de mama¨, puterea ei de da¨ruire, sufletul ei vi-

brant la bunul mers al casei. ön mintea multora dintrenoi sta¨ruie chipul drag al mamei, zbuciumul, alerga¨turilefa¨ra¨ preget, privegherile ei ôn clipele cele mai grele dinviaòa noastra¨.

Pa¨rinòii nosçtri sunt primii ônva¨òa¨tori sçi ôndruma¨tori ôncele bune, primii ca¨laüzitori pe caïle omeniei, ale buneicuviinòe, ale cinstei sçi ha¨rniciei, ale dragostei faòa¨ depa¨ma[ntul unde ne-am na¨scut sçi faòa¨ de Biserica ôn caream fost botezaòi, educaòi religios sçi cununaòi.

Datora¨m, asçadar, pa¨rinòilor nosçtri trupesçti o dragosteada[nca¨, o recunosçtinòa¨ vie sçi permanenta¨, o cinstirecontinua¨ sçi fa¨ra¨ hotar deoarece conform ônva¨òa¨turiiBisericii noastre cinstirea pa¨rinòilor sçi ajutorarea lorsunt obligaòii morale de prim ordin.

Dintre toate menirile lumii acesteea, cea mai ônalòa¨toare,cea mai frumoasa¨ sçi cea mai sfa[nta¨ este aceea de Mama¨,temelia familiei cresçtine. Ce poate fi mai sublim deca[tsa¨ dai nasçtere unui prunc, cu inima ca un potir de trandafir,sa¨-l cresçti, sa¨-l ocrotesçti, sa¨-l educi sçi sa¨-l ôndrumi continuupentru a deveni un om adeva¨rat! Cu ce pot fi pla¨titeorele de veghe sçi de zbucium ale unei mame la ca¨pa¨ta[iulunui copil bolnav, da¨ruirea ei totala¨ sçi dezinteresata¨pentru ca mica odrasla¨ sa¨ devina¨ ceva ôn aceasta¨ viaòa¨!

Cum sa¨ nu admiri credinòa deplina¨ a unei mame cucopilul grav bolnav ôn puterea ruga¨ciunii ca¨tre Sfa[ntaFecioara¨ Maria, cea mai sfa[nta¨ dintre toate mamelelumii, descrisa¨ ata[t de plastic de Alexandru Vlahuòa¨ ônpoezia ||La icoana¨\\>

||Nu se poate Fa¨ca¨toarea de minuni sa¨ nu mi-l scape.ösçi zicea mereu ôn ga[ndu-i.Inima de piatra¨ fie sçi\nca¨ s\ar zdrobi de mila¨Toata¨ jalea mea cumplita¨ mi-oi preface-o\n ruga¨ciuneLa picioarele Prea SfinteiSçi\n cucernica\nchinare sçi pla[nga[nd sta-voi-nainte-iPa[n\ce l-oi vedea din somnu-i ochii mari bla[nd

deschiza[ndu-iZa[mbitor ca¨ta[nd spre mine sçi ma[nuòele òina[ndu-sçi.Cum sa¨ nu\nòeleaga¨, Sfa[nta, glasul sfintei mele

pla[ngeri\\.ön ônva¨òa¨tura cresçtina¨, Prea Sfa[nta Fecioara¨ Maria

merita¨ cea mai de seama¨ cinstire dintre toòi sfinòii,deoarece trupul saü a dat trup omenesc Domnului sçiMa[ntuitorului nostru Iisus Hristos. De aceea, ôn icoanelenoastre ortodoxe, Sfa[nta Fecioara¨ este ôntotdeaunareprezentata¨ ômpreuna¨ cu Pruncul Iisus, ôn postura demama¨, cea mai sfa[nta¨ sçi desa¨va[rsçita¨ mama¨.

Putea-vom oare sa¨ uita¨m sçuvoaiele de lacrimi carescalda¨ noapte de noapte obrazul mamelor noastre - ceicare le mai avem ôn viaòa¨ - ramase acolo departe, pesteapa cea mare, ôngenunchiate ôn faòa icoanei Preacurateisçi ruga[ndu-se pentru sa¨na¨tatea sçi ajutorul nostru, a celorce traïm aici, departe de locurile natale, ôn lumea duraä Exilului=

Asta¨zi este ziua Mamei. Cu adeva¨rat, scumpe mame,sfa[nta¨ va¨ este chemarea sçi exemplul. Ani de zile ne-aòi

MAMA, TEMELIA FAMILIEI CRESçTINE

Cont. la pag. 24


Duminica Rusaliilor anului 2010 a fost pentruenoriasçii sçi ônchina¨torii Bisericii Ortodoxe Roma[ne||öna¨lòarea Domnului\\ din Montr al un prilej de marebucurie sçi ôna¨lòare sufleteasca¨. öntr-o astfel de zi, ônsorita¨sçi ca¨lduroasa¨, ca de vara¨ deplina¨, s-au serbat treiimportante evenimente> aniversarea a 5 ani de fiinòarea Misiunii, sfinòirea locasçului bisericii cu Sfa[ntul sçiMarele Mir sçi hramul principal al bisericii.

Comunitatea a avut privilegiul prezenòei sçi slujiriiPrea Sfinòitului Episcop Irineu, de la Centrul Eparhial||Vatra Roma[neasca¨\\, ônsoòit de diaconul sa¨u SebastianDumitrasçcu.

ön vechea s çi modesta bisericuòa¨, ômpodobita¨sa¨rba¨toresçte, au slujit ala¨turi de oaspeòi, preotul locului,Nicolae Stoleru sçi preotul Cezar Vasiliu, parohulbisericii Sf. Nicolae, din Montr al. Au ômpodobitca[ntarea stranei diaconii Ca¨ta¨lin Stoleru sçi NicolaeMarinescu, ômpreuna¨ cu teologul Petru-Bogdan Ion sçicorul bisericii gazda¨. S-au ala¨turat, pe parcursuldesfa¨sçura¨rii sa¨rba¨torii, preoòii roma[ni montrealeziDaniel Ungureanu sçi Ioan Cotriga¨sçanu.

Bine ôncadrate ôn programul liturgic al zileipraznicului s-au sa¨va[rsçit, succesiv, sfinòirea apei,procesiunea ônsemna¨rii sfa[ntului locasç, ôn interior sçiexterior, cu Sfa[ntul sçi Marele Mir, ruga¨ciunile VecernieiRusaliilor iar la momentul ra[nduit tipiconal, P. S.Episcop Irineu a sa¨va[rsçit hirotonia ôntru diacon a unuita[na¨r teolog, Liviu Claudiu Vultur pentru MisiuneaSf. Andrei din Laval, Quebec.

Au onorat cu prezenòele lor marea sa¨rba¨toare,Excelenòa Sa Ioan-Bogdan Bucur, Consulul Roma[nieila Montreal sçi reputatul sportiv-campion Lucian Bute,ômpreuna¨ cu prietenii. Excelenòa Sa Elena Sçtefoi,Ambasadorul Roma[niei ôn Canada, a trimis un mesajprotocolar de felicitare sçi bune oficii.

P. S. Episcop Irineu a adresat credinciosçilor prezenòi,la sfa[rsçitul sfintei slujbe, un cuva[nt emoòionant,mulòumind lui Dumnezeu pentru marea purtare degrija¨ asupra obsçtii roma[nesçti ortodoxe ||öna¨lòarea

Domnului\\ sçi a pa¨storului ei, la aniversarea a cinci anide existenòa¨, marcaòi de temeinice sçi semnificativeômpliniri sçi a apreciat elogios pe toòi ostenitorii sçiartizanii tuturor ônfa¨ptuirilor. A urat de asemeni ôntregiiobsçti spor ôn continuare, spre tot lucrul cel bun,ôncununat de ridicarea, ôn perioada urma¨toare, a bisericiicelei noi.

ön cuva[ntul sa¨ preotul locului a mulòumit mai ônta[ituturor participanòilor la evenimente sçi a ômpa¨rta¨sçitapoi ca[teva ga[nduri sçi convingeri ale sale cu prilejulpopasului sa¨rba¨toresc. Cu emoòie ôn glas a ma¨rturisitca¨ socotesçte proprietatea doba[ndita¨ de comunitate, cubiserica¨ proaspa¨t sfinòita¨, un ||petec de pa¨ma[ntroma[nesc\\, stra¨juit de tricolor sçi de troiòa tradiòionala¨.A mulòumit apoi tuturor celor care i-au acordat,neschimbat sçi neclintit, ôncredere sçi i-au stat ôn preajma¨,numai astfel explica [ndu-se, prin ra [nduiala luiDumnezeu, ônfa¨ptuirile notabile din cei cinci ani deexistenòa¨ a Misiunii. De asemeni a accentuiat ca¨ estenevoie ca fiecare din cei legaòi sufletesçte de aceasta¨biserica¨ ôn sa¨rba¨toare sa¨ aiba¨ consçtiinòa ca¨, prin sprijinulmaterial sçi moral acordat, ônfa¨ptuiesc lucrul luiDumnezeu, din care cauza¨ nici un sacrificiu pentru eanu poate fi socotit prea mare sau suficient. ömpreuna¨cu ôntreaga obsçte ôsçi doresçte o biserica¨ noua¨, aceastapresupuna[nd ônsa¨ dedicare, responsabilizare sçi jertfa¨.A mulòumit cu recunosçtinòa¨ tuturor ostenitorilor careau dat stra¨lucire sçi solemnitate evenimentelor sa¨rba¨toritesçi a ôncheiat exprima[nd na¨zuinòa ca la proximaaniversare de cinci ani sa¨ poata¨ ônta[mpina oaspeòiôntr-un sfa[nt locasç nou, din temelie.

önaintea ônceperii propriu zise a bogatei agapepraznicale, pictoriòa Ofelia Armasçu, profesoara de Artefrumoase sçi celelalte ||da¨sca¨liòe\\ ale sçcolii Duminicale||öna¨lòarea Domnului\\ au ônca[ntat pe ônaltul oaspeteeparhial sçi asistenòa cu naturaleòea culorilor icoanelorpe sticla¨, lucrate de copii ôn ultima vreme sçi unite ôntr-o expoziòie sçi deopotriva¨ cu candoarea sçi farmeculrecita¨rilor lor ôn limba roma[na¨.

Presçedintele Misiunii, Mihai Ba[rsan, domniiconsilieri,membrele Comitetului Doamnelor sçi mulòialòi enoriasçi s-au implicat, cu bucurie sçi da¨ruire, ôn

SARBATOAREA BISERICII SçI COMUNITATçII ROMA[NESçTI

||öNALTçAREA DOMNULUI\\ DIN MONTREAL

Cont. la pag. 24


ön 5 mai al acestui an, s-au implinit 55 de ani de lamutarea la Domnul a marelui compozitor roma[n, GeorgeEnescu. La Iasi s-a ôna¨lòat un Parastas pentru acest geniual melosului nostru, ca¨ruia ôi pla¨cea sa¨ spuna¨ ca¨ ||religiaeste muzica mea si muzica este religia mea.\\ Din 1923,ca[nd a debutat ôn America, la Philadelphia, pa[na¨ ôn1950, ca[nd a concertat pentru ultima data¨ pe scenele depeste ocean, la Carnegie Hall, ôn New York, Enescu acutreierat continentul Nord-American din est ôn vest, sçide la la nord la sud, dirija[nd sau ca[nta[nd ca vilolonist,cu cele mai renumite orchestre din emisfera¨. De aceea,asça cum declara ôn New York Times, a avut prea puòintimp pentru propriile sale compoziòii.

öntruca[t galaxia spaòiului Enescu cuprinde ôn moddeosebit America, pe care el a ôndra¨git-o, admirat-o sçiônca[ntat-o cu geniul saü, poposim sçi noi cu ga[ndul ca saäducem un omagiu marelui nostru artist. Fotografiile,afisçele, tablourile sçi statuile ce i s-au dedicat ôn Americastau ma¨rturie a profundului impact pe care Enescu l-aavut asupra consçtiinòei conaòionalilor saï. Dar mai presusde toate, ra¨mône muzica sa, prin care ôntreg sufletulroma[nesc la¨crimeaza¨ ôntr-o nemai-ônta[lnita¨ expresie. Nueste de mirare ca¨ ucenicul saü, Yehudi Menuhin ôl calificadrept ||cel mai complex muzician al secolului nostru.\\Afirmaòia acestui mare ucenic al maestrului Enescu necheama¨ sçi pe noi la reflecòie sçi o modesta¨ re-evaluare amarii sale treceri prin aceasta¨ lume. ön muzeul CatedraleiSf. Maria din Cleveland, putem vedea fotografii alemaestrului. Profesorul Elie Cristo-Loveanu, de la Co-lumbia University, i-a pictat cu maïestrie chipul, dupa¨cum se vede mai sus, ôncovoiat peste vioara¨, ca unLucian Blaga peste marile ôntreba¨ri ale lumii. Tot laCleveland, mai stau ma¨rturie a stelarei sale treceri pemarile scene ale Americii, programele semnate de dônsuldin vremurile ca[nd venea de la Paris ca sa¨ conduca¨

orchestra simfonica¨ de acolo. De altfel, prima sa venireôn Cleveland a devenit pentru roma[nii-americani, potrivitpresei vremii, ||o adeva¨rata¨ serbare naòionala¨.\\ Dupa¨cum reise din ziarul America, Enescu ôsçi iubea òara sçivoia sa¨ o faca¨ cunoscuta¨ ôntregii lumi ||asça cum este,\\aduca[nd ||mari servicii neamului\\. öncepa[nd din 1923,el a dirijat sçi ca[ntat la Baltimore, New York, Boston,Philadelphia, Cleveland, Chicago, Indianapolis, LosAngeles, Montreal, Rochester, San Francisco, Miami,Toronto, Vancouver i Washington, DC. ön parculnaòionalita¨òilor din Cleveland, prin osteneala studenòilorroma[ni-americani, dupa¨ moartea sa, s-a adus statuiamaestrului, care vegheaza¨ sçi azi gra¨dina roma[neasca¨. Eaconfera¨ inspiraòie sçi ma[ndrie roma[nilor din America iCanada, din ale ca¨ror case nu lipsesc ônregistra¨rile sale,Rapsodia roma[na¨ fiind pe buzele tuturor.

Pa¨rtasç la spiritul Exilului lupta¨tor al anilor de dupa¨ aldoilea ra¨zboi mondial, sçi detesta[nd implicaòiile politiceale reclamelor de impresariat, care uneori confundaupolitica cu muzica, ôn 1948, ala¨turi de tenorul RichardTucker, Enescu sçi-a retras cu demnitate participarea laun concert, la Carnegie Hall, la care urma sa¨ ia parteambasadorul Uniunii Sovietice. öndurerat de ocupareasovietica¨ a Roma[niei, dupa¨ al doilea ra¨zboi mondial nus-a mai ôntors ôn Roma[nia, fiind ôngropat ôn CimitirulPere Lachaise din Paris. ömi amintesc ma¨rturiile Pa¨rinteluiVasile Haòegan, care evoca vizitele maestrului la parohiaSf. Dumitru din New York sçi credinòa sa ada[nca¨. ön celedin urma¨, nu degeaba fusese ônchinat de mic copil demama sa la moasçtele Sfa[ntului Ioan cel Nou de la Suceava.ön memoria distinsului cleric, marele compositor stra¨luceaprin smerenia pe care numai cei cu adeva¨rat mari o potavea, precum sçi prin respectul pe care ôl avea fa a¨ deslujitorii Altarului. Aceste ingrediente ale caracteruluisaü veneau din ada[nca pietate moldoveneasca¨ primita¨din familie. Mai spunea Pa¨rintele Vasile Ha egan, caËnescu ôsçi privea opera Oedip ca pe cea mai profunda¨,dar sçi cea mai puòin ônòeleasa¨ dintre compoziòiile sale.

Maestrul George Enescu, protejat sçi ||violonist decurte al Reginei Carmen Sylva\\ a ca[ntat ala¨turi de mulòialòi cunoscuòi artisçti Roma[ni pe scenele Americane. öntreei se numa¨ra¨ Stela Roman Ygy precum sçi Ionel Perlea,care l-a omagiat la 60 de ani, dirja[nd Filarmonica dinPhiladelphia. Enescu a acordat, ôn America, coruluiCatedralei Sf. Maria din Cleveland dreptul de a-i purtanumele. Asça se explica¨ faptul ca¨, la cinci ani dupa¨ ceEnescu adormise ôn Domnul, la Paris, biserica Sf. Mariaa organizat un concert memorial, angaja[nd Orchestrasimfonica¨ din Cleveland spre a-l omagia. De-a lungulanilor, numeroase au fost evoca¨rile aduse compozitoruluiôn presa roma[nilor-americani, ata[t ôn American Roma-nian Review, ca[t sçi ôn America.

Pentru noi, roma[nii-americani de azi, nici un tribut nu

REQUIEM ROMA[NO-AMERICAN PENTRU

GEORGE ENESCU

Cont. la pag. 22


CONVOCAREön conformitate cu Articlolul III,

Secòiunea a 7-a, a Regulamentelor EpiscopieiOrtodoxe Roma[ne din America, chema¨m ôn sesiune

Al 78-lea CongresAnual al Episcopiei

Vineri, 1 Octombrie – Sa[mba¨ta¨ 2 Octombrie, 2010

laHOLIDAY INN CLEVELAND – AIRPORT

4181 W 150TH ST, CLEVELAND OH 44135

Congresul va fi ôn sesiune de lucru ôncepa[nd cu ziua deVineri 1 Octombrie, orele 9>00 am ora Coastei de Est

Ordinea de zi, dupa¨ cum este publicata¨ ôn Raportul Anualca¨tre Congresul Episcopiei 2010, va include>

Citirea¶Aprobarea Procesului Verbal al celuide-al 77-lea Congres al Episcopiei<

Raporturile Oficiale ca¨tre Congres< RaporturileOrganizaòiilor Auxiliare ale Episcopiei<

Propuneri noi din partea Consiliului Episcopesc<

Conform Articolului III, Secòiunea 1-a, CongresulEpiscopiei va fi compus din>• Episcop• Episcopul-Vicar• Vicarul• Preotul Paroh sçi Preotul sau Preoòii asistenòi• Doi delegaòi mireni alesçi de Adunarea Generala¨ a

fieca¨rei Parohii pentru Congresul Episcopiei pentruanii 2009-2010.

• Doi delegaòi din partea fieca¨rei organizaòii auxiliarea Episcopiei

• Preoòi de sub jurisdicòia Episcopiei care nu au parohie,diaconi, stareòi sçi stareòe, daca¨ sunt acreditaòi deConsiliul Episcopesc

• Membrii Consiliului Episcopesc ôn funcòie, ca sçipresçedinòii organizaòiilor auxiliare ||ex-officio\\.

Daca¨ delegaòii mireni alesçi legal nu pot participa laCongresul Episcopiei, locòiitorii lor alesçi legal de ca¨treAdunarea Generala¨ Parohiala¨ a fieca¨rei Parohii, vorreprezenta Parohia. Nici o ada¨ugare, substituire oridelegaòie ad-hoc nu vor fi recunoscute de ca¨tre Comitetulde acreditare.

+ NATHANIELArhiepiscop de Detroit sçi al Episcopiei Ortodoxe

Roma[ne din America

PROGRAMULCelui de-al 78-lea Congres Al Episcopiei

Ortodoxe Roma[ne din America

JOI, 30 Septembrie - Catedrala Sf. Maria9>00 am Acatist

10>00 am Conferinòa clerului1>00 pm Pra[nzul2>00 pm Conferinòa clerului sesiunea a 2-a5>00 pm Vecernia sçi Meditaòii6>30 pm Cina7>00 pm Sçedinòa Consiliului Episcopesc8>00 pm önregistrarea delegaòilor - Holiday Inn

VINERI, 1 OctombrieCatedrala Sf. Maria

7>00 am Sf. LiturghieHoliday Inn

8>00 am önregistrarea delegaòilor9>00 am Ruga¨ciunea de invocare a Duhului Sfa[nt

Deschiderea celui de-al 78lea Congres alEpiscopiei

1>00 pm Pra[nzul2>00 pm Congresul continua¨ - Sesiunea a II-a

Catedrala Sf. Maria5>00 pm Vecernia sçi Meditaòii6>30 pm Cina sçi Program

SAËMBAËTAË 2 Octombrie - Catedrala Sf. Maria9>00 am Procesiunea Clerului

Sfa[nta Liturghie Arhiereasca¨12>00 pm Banchetul sçi Programul de Aniversare

a 30 de ani de la Hirotonia ca arhiereu aönalt Prea Sfin itului Arhiepiscop Nathaniel

Parohia Gazda¨Catedrala Sf. Maria, Cleveland, Ohio

3256 Warren Rd, Cleveland OH 44111(216) 941-5550 ¶ Fax> (216) 941-3068

Hotel>Holiday Inn Cleveland – Airport

4181 W 150th St, Cleveland OH 44135(216) 252-7700 ¶ Fax> (216) 252-3850

http>¶¶www.holidayinn.com¶cle-airport

poate fi mai minunat deca[t acela de a iubi sçi promova totce este cu adeva¨rat reprezentativ pentru culturaroma[neasca¨, ôn mosçtenirea noastra¨ culturala¨ sçi spirituala¨.Contribuòia sa la cultura universala¨ se cade sa¨ fiereafirmata¨ de fiecare generaòie, ca¨ci de nu o facem noi,nimeni nu o va face pentru noi. Enescu a ars ca oluma[nare, ômpletind stra¨vechiul melos roma[nesc cumuzica ôntregii umanita¨ i. El sçi-a da¨ruit sincer sçi cureligiozitate, fa¨ra¨ inhibiòii sçi fa¨ra¨ triumfalism, esenòa

Requiem ... Cont. de la pag. 21

Cont. la pag. 24


Cont. la pag. 24

Sfa[nta muceniòa¨ Iulia s-a na¨scut din pa¨rinòi cresçtinide neam bun, dar a fost luata¨ roaba¨ de ca¨tre persçi sçi afost va[nduta¨ unui pa¨ga[n din Siria Palestinei. Afla[nd caëste cresçtina¨, sta¨pa[nul a fa¨cut tot ce i-a stat ôn putinòa¨sa¨ o oblige pe Iulia sa¨ renunòe la cresçtinism, dar Iulianu a renunòat. Iulia lucra foarte bine sçi mult, avea uncaracter frumos sçi sta¨pa[nului i s-a fa¨cut mila¨ de ea sçia la¨sat-o ôn credinòa ei. Apoi sta¨pa[nul sçi-a dat seama ca¨prin munca Iuliei sporesçte averea sa.

Odata¨, dupa¨ ce Iulia ômplinise 20 de ani, sta¨pa[nul eia plecat ôntr-o ca¨la¨torie de afaceri ôn Galia sçi a luat-osçi pe Iulia cu da[nsul. Pe drum, corabia s-a oprit inCorsica, unde, tocmai atunci, locuitorii aduceau jerta¨zeilor. Atunci sta¨pa[nul Iuliei ômpreuna¨ cu toòi oameniilui au cobora[t din corabie sçi au adus sçi ei jertfa¨. Iuliaa ra¨mas ôn corabie sçi se ruga. Afla[nd pa¨ga[nii despreIulia i-au cerut sta¨pa[nului sa¨ o aduca¨ sçi pe da[nsa sa¨jertfeasca¨, iar ca[nd sta¨pa[nul le-a ra¨spuns ca¨ ea niciodata¨nu va face aceasta, i-au cerut sa¨ le-o va[nda¨ lor pentruca ei s-o foròeze sa¨ jertfeasca¨. Sta¨pa[nul le-a ra¨spunsca¨ nu vrea sa¨ o va[nda¨ pentru ca¨ datorita¨ ei afacerile luimerg bine. Atunci pa¨ga[nii s-au ga[ndit cum sa¨-l ônsçelepe sta¨pa[n. Deci au fa¨cut o petrecere mare unde i-audat multa¨ baütura¨ sta¨pa[nului sçi oamenilor lui pa[na¨ i-au ômba¨tat bine sçi au adormit. Nemaiava[nd cine sa¨ oapere pe Iulia, pa¨ga[nii s-au suit ôn corabie sçi au furat-o pe Iulia, apoi a adus-o ôn mijlocul aduna¨rii lor cera[ndu-i sa¨ jertfeasca¨ zeilor. Iulia a refuzat sçi pentru aceastaa fost ba¨tuta¨ sçi chinuita¨ ôn diferite feluri, apoi i s-autaïat sa[nii sçi pentru a muri repede, ônainte ca sta¨pa[nulsa¨ se trezeasca¨ din beòie, au ra¨stignit-o pe cruce. Ca[ndsta¨pa[nul sçi-a revenit, Iulia ôsçi da¨dea sufletul. ||Iar ca[ndsfa[ntul ei suflet s-a dezlegat din lega¨turile trupesçti, s-a va¨zut de toòi zbura[nd din gura ei o porumbiòa¨ maialba¨ ca za¨pada, ôna¨lòa[ndu-se spre cer. S-a va¨zut ônca¨ lada[nsa, de ca¨tre cei ce o munceau, sçi o ara¨tare ôngereasca¨.\\(Vieòile Sfinòilor pe Iulie). Pa¨ga[nii s-au speriat sçi aufugit, la¨sa[nd trupul pe cruce. Iar ôngerul Donului s-aara¨tat unor caluga¨ri din insula Margarit (Gorgon),spuna[ndu-le sa¨ mearca¨ sa¨ ia trupul sfintei. Sçi asça aufa¨cut, duca[nd trupul sfintei Iulia sç ônorma[nta¨ndu-l cutoata¨ cinstea cuvenita¨, ôn biserica¨. Sçi multe minuni s-au fa¨cut la moma[ntul sfintei. De asemenea, din piatrape care fusesera¨ aruncaòi sa[nii Sfintei Iulia a izvora[t oapa¨ care vindeca multe boli. Dupa¨ mult timp, moasçteleSfintei Iulia au fost mutate ôn Brixia.

Sfa[nta muceniòa¨ Iulia Fecioara se sa¨rba¨toresçte pe 16Iulie ôn fiecare an.

öntreba¨ri pentru pa¨rinòi>- Sfa[nta Iulia, ta[na¨ra¨ fiind, dintr-o poziòie sociala¨

foarte buna¨, a ca¨zut ôn robie. Pe la[nga¨ aceasta, ara¨mas singura¨ pe lume, neava¨nd pe nimeni sa¨-i dea

un sfat bun, ci, dimpotriva¨, sta¨pa[nul ei o neca¨jea,cera[ndu-i sa¨ renunòe la cresçtinism. Sçi totusçi, sa¨ma[nòabuna¨ sema¨nata¨ ôn sufletul ei de ca¨tre pa¨rinòi ônvremea copila¨riei, sçi-a dat roadele, ca[nd nu maiavea pe nimeni deca[t pe Dumnezu. Prin persistenòasçi ra¨bdare ei, prin munca ei cinstita¨, l-a ômbla[nzitpa[na¨ sçi pe pa¨ga[nul ei sta¨pa[n sa¨ o lase sa¨ fie cresçtina¨.Dar ce se va ônta[mpla cu copiii nosçtri daca¨ dindiferite motive ar ra¨ma[ne fa¨ra noi, ôn grija neamurilorsau ôn grija guvernului= De exemplu, daca¨ noi avemun accident sçi copiii vor fi educaòi de altcineva, deo persoana¨ care nu crede ôn Dumnezeu sau are alta¨religie, sunt copii nosçtri destul de bine prega¨tiòi sa¨poata¨ ra¨ma[ne ôn religia noastra¨= E o ôntrebare pecare trebuie sa¨ ne-o punem foarte serios. Asça cummulòi pa¨rinòi sçi-au fa¨cut asigurare ca daca¨ mor ei,copiii sa¨ aiba¨ bani din ce traï, asça trebuie sa¨ neasigura¨m ca¨ sçi sufletesçte, daca¨ noi nu mai traïm,copiii vor pa¨stra drumul cel bun al cresçtinismului.Ne da¨m seama de marea responsabilitate pe care oavem= Ne-am hota¨ra¨t sa¨ facem ceea ce e datorianoastra¨ sa¨ facem=

- Daca¨ stapa[nul Iuliei sçi toòi oamenii lui nu s-ar fiômba¨tat, Sfa[nta Muceniòa¨ Iulia nu ar fi fost furata¨ sçiapoi ucisa¨. Sa¨ ne ga[ndim un pic> oare ca[òi oamenicunoasçtem care sçi-au distrus viaòa din cauza baüturii=O mulòime. Oare ca[te familii s-au destra¨mat dincauza¨ ca¨ unul din soòi bea peste ma¨sura¨= Cu nisçteani ôn urma¨ am cunoscut o fata¨ ta[na¨ra care mergeape stra¨zile de la marginea Bucuresçtiului fa¨ra¨ nici onoima¨, desculsça¨ sçi prost ômbra¨cata¨, vorbind de unasingura¨. Oamenii ra[deau de ea. Mai ta[rziu am aflatcauza> odata¨, pe ca[nd era copila¨, tata¨l ei s-a ômba¨tatsçi i-a dat o lovitura¨ tare ôn cap. Mamei ei i-a fostfrica¨ sa¨ o duca¨ la doctor sçi a la¨sat-o asça, creza[nd caö sa¨-i treaca¨. Rana s-a ônchis, dar creierul a fostafectat. O tragedie din care a suferit toata¨ viaòaôntreaga familie. Sçi asta, din cauza baüturii. Ca[t demult se bea ôn fam¡lia noastra¨= Avem alcoolici ônfamilie= Daca¨ avem, am ôncercat sa¨-i ajuta¨m= Neeste cunoscuta¨ expresia > ||Pot sa¨ ma¨ opresc orica[nd,dar nu vreau!\\ . Aceasta expresie o folosesc cei cenu se pot opri de la baütura¨, dar ôncearca¨ sa¨ se minta¨pe ei ônsçisçi. Nu cumva ne-am ôncurajat baïeòii sa¨bea, spuna[ndu-le> ||bea, baïatul tatii, sa¨ araòi ca¨ esçtiba¨rbat!\\ = Ce fel de prieteni au copiii nosçtri= Nucumva au prieteni care ôi ômping la baütura¨ spuna[ndu-le ca¨ daca¨ nu beau nu sunt ba¨rbaòi, iar dupa¨ ce seômbata¨ ra[d de ei= Le-am vorbit copiilor nosçtridespre pericolul baüturii sçi le-am dat un exemplubun sau ne-am ômba¨tat sçi noi peste ma¨sura¨= Daca¨noua¨ ne place baütura mai mult deca[t trebuie, oare

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Educarea ... Cont. de la pag. 23

acum, ca[nd avem copii nu ar fi cazul sa¨ ne schimba¨m=Daca¨ nu pentru noi, ma¨car de dragul copiilor sa¨ numosçteneasca¨ sçi ei acest viciu care ôi poate costachiar sçi viaòa. Sçtiu ca¨ lupta cu alcoolismul e o lupta¨foate grea, dar aceasta¨ lupta¨ poate fi ca[sçtigata¨.

Maica Preoteasa¨

fiinòei sale naòionale universalului, ca¨reia ôi aparòine sçipe care ôl completeaza¨ ata[t ca[t i-a fost da¨ruit de Sus.Roma[nii-americani l-au iubit pentru ca¨ el le-a da¨ruitrecunoasçtere sçi demnitate ôntre alte naòionalita¨òi, darmai ales pentru ca¨ ||pa¨rintele simfoniei roma[nesçti\\ le-aconsacrat identitatea lor melodica¨ naòionala¨ ôn marea||simfonie\\ a lumii. Dormi ôn pace, dulce vioara¨ asufletului nostru stra¨mosçesc!

Pr. Dr. Remus Grama

vegheat, ne-aòi educat, ne-aòi dus la biserica¨ sçi v-aòirugat continuu pentru noi. Iar ca[nd soarele vieòii voastrepa¨ma[ntesçti a apus, de acolo de sus, din preajma tronuluiceresc - unde cred ca¨ este locul tuturor mamelor dinlume - voi continuaòi sa¨ traïòi ôn ômpa¨ra¨òia de lumina¨ aCelui Preaônalt, iar aici, pe pa¨ma[nt, ôn amintirea copiilorvosçtri.

Icoana sfa[nta¨ a mamei a fost evocata¨ de marii nosçtripoeòi. De exemplu, Mihai Eminescu murmura ôn poezia||Mama\\>

||O, Mama¨, dulce mama¨, din negura¨ de vremiPe freama¨tul de frunze, la tine tu ma¨ chemiDeasupra criptei negre a negrului morma[ntSe scutura¨ salca[mii de toamna¨ sçi de va[ntSçi bat ôncet ôn ramuri, ônga[na¨ glasul taü ...,Mereu se vor tot bate, tu vei dormi mereu\\.George Cosçbuc, plecat departe de satul natal, vede

imaginea mamei>||Pe malul apei se-mpletesc ca¨ra¨ri ce duc la moaraÄcolo mama¨ te za¨resc, pe tine\ntr\o ca¨scioara¨\\Octavian Goga glasuiesçte nostalgic>\\Asç vrea sa¨ fiu acuma ôn sat, la noi acasa¨S-ascult ca[ntarea bla[nda¨ cum picura¨ domoala¨Sçi capul greu de ga[nduri sa¨-l culc la mama-n poala¨.\\Sçi acelasçi Vlahuòa¨ scrie sça¨galnic>||Figura ta cuminte, duioasa¨ sçi senina¨Ra¨sare, scumpa¨ Mama¨, din vremile aceleCa o Madona¨ sfa[nta¨, sca¨ldata¨ ôn lumina¨\\.Ca[t de fericite sunt sufletele unora dintre mame care

continua¨ sa¨ traïasca¨ peste veacuri, precum mamaMacabeilor ||foarte minunata¨ sçi vrednica¨ de buna¨pomenire\\ (2 Macabei 7, 20) pentru ôncurajarea fiilorsaï de a pa¨zi Legea Domnului, sau a mamelor cresçtine,ca Emilia, mama Sfa[ntului Vasile cel Mare, ca Antuza,mama Sfa[ntului Ioan Gura¨ de Aur, ca Nona, mamaSfa[ntului Grigorie de Nazianz sau Monica, mamaFericitului Augustin, care traïesc ôn consçtiinòa noastra¨de ata[tea veacuri prin vrednicia fiilor lor ajunsçi sfinòi,asça cum mama lui Sçtefan cel Mare traïesçte prin vitejiasçi pilduitoarea dragoste de òara¨, de dreptate sçi de adeva¨ra fiului saü, sau asça cum Anastasia traïesçte prin fiul saü,marele mitropolit Andrei sçaguna care o elogia ôn cuvinteca acestea> ||Mamei mele ôi datorez dragostea deDumnezeu sçi credinòa ortodoxa¨, drumul meu ôn viaòa¨ sçiduhul de jertfa¨ care m\a ca¨laüzit ôn toata¨ opera mea\\.

Fiecare dintre noi am avut sau avem o mama¨. Asta¨zi,de Ziua Mamei, daca¨ a trecut din aceasta¨ viaòa¨ sa¨-iaprindem o luma[nare de ceara¨ curata¨ sçi sa¨ ne ruga¨m

Mama ... Cont. de la pag. 19

pentru vesçnica odihna¨ a sufletului ei, iar daca¨ traïesçtesa¨-i ducem un cel mai frumos buchet de flori care exista¨,sa¨-i sa¨ruta¨m cu respect ma[na sçi sa¨-i spunem ||La mulòiani, scumpa¨ mama¨ !\\

Bunul Dumnezeu sa¨ binecuva[nteze pe toate mamele!Preot Prof. Dr. Cezar Vasiliu

organizarea acestui memorabil buchet de evenimentecomunitare. Astfel, familiile Hossu, Fornade, Iftimie,Prigoreanu s çi Dumitrache au fost sponsorii s çicontributorii principali ai mesei festive, ôn cinsteaevenimentelor sçi li se cuvine toata¨ consideraòia sçirecunosçtinòa. Binemeritate mulòumiri primesc sçineobositele gospodine ôn frunte cu doamna preoteasa¨,care s-au stra¨duit sa¨ asçeze pe mesele oaspeòilor, dincurtea bisericii, bucate alese sçi delicioase.

ön aceasta¨ zi de praznic sçi popas aniversar toòi ceiprezenòi au avut posibilitatea sa¨ se ôncredinòeze caÄsçeza¨ma[ntul ||öna¨lòarea Domnului\\ este sprijinit de oobsçte dinamica¨ sçi activa¨ sçi ca¨ propa¨sçesçte vizibil sçiviguros, ôn concertul largii comunita¨òi ortodoxeroma[nesçti din zona francofona¨ a Canadei.

Participant

Requiem ... Cont. de la pag. 22

Sa¨rba¨toarea ... Cont. de la pag. 20

jul/aug 2010 vol. lxxv, nos. 7-8 the herald...jul/aug 2010 vol. lxxv, nos. 7-8 2 pray and work for...

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