We extend our prayers and love to His Eminence, Archbishop Joseph of the Diocese of Los Angeles and the West, and locum tenens of the Diocese of Eagle River and the Northwest, on the occasion of his Name's Day on May 4, 2014 (St. Joseph of Arimathea, Second Sunday after Pascha). May God grant him many years!

Learn more about Joseph of Arimathea (Come and See Icons)

Read about Archbishop Joseph

Visit the Diocese of Los Angeles and the West

Visit the Diocese of Eagle River and the Northwest

The Children's Relief Fund (CRF), with Fr. George Rados as National Director, is a charity of the Antiochian Archdiocese that has been supporting the education of needy children in the Middle East through scholarships since 1983. In 2012 alone, the CRF assisted 420 young students with their schooling. Since 2012, the Fund has also been supporting the children of Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

The Fund facilitates sponsorships of individual children, and the entire donated gift amount is always distributed to the sponsored child. Sponsors may apply online, and will subsequently receive photos of their children, and information about their families and circumstances. Exchanging letters at Christmas time is encouraged, and for those who can travel to visit their children in Palestine or Lebanon, visits are possible.

The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page of the recently remodeled CRF Website offers details on sponsorship, and points out that in addition to individual sponsors, groups such as SOYO may also sponsor children. Stirring testimonials and photos of children are also available.

 

On a new "Ancient Faith Presents," Bobby Maddex interviews Dr. Frank Papatheofanis, the founder and president of St. Katherine Orthodox College, about the school's new online graduate course offerings.

The Fellowship of Orthodox Christians United to Serve (FOCUS) recently opened the FOCUS + Pittsburgh Free Health Center. The Center provides free, quality physical and mental health care as well as pharmaceutical and laboratory services to uninsured individuals. Patients are seen by Orthodox physicians and health care providers who volunteer their time. The Center specifically targets and serves people who fall through the gaps in today's health care system: those who don't qualify for government assistance and/or those who don't have employer-sponsored health insurance.

The FOCUS + Pittsburgh Free Health Center is the first fully-accredited Orthodox health center in the United States. Using this model, FOCUS hopes to launch more health centers in areas where Orthodox physicians are available to donate their time and skills to serve the uninsured and working poor. A church hall, Sunday school rooms, an office—any of these can double as a health center in a community, on a weekly or monthly basis. Medical malpractice liability protection under the FOCUS model is provided by the federal government and the Federal Tort Claims Act at no charge, to any physician or medical staffer serving at a FOCUS clinic. Details are available on the Free Health Center's Information page.

 

On Sunday, July 27, 2014, His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph visited St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral of Brooklyn, NY for the first time since his election. Saint Nicholas is the Mother Cathedral of the Archdiocese and the seat of the new metropolitan. Although many of the Cathedral faithful were out of town for summer vacations and travels to visit family overseas, a large crowd nevertheless came to greet Metropolitan Joseph.

During his homily, Sayidna Joseph told the congregation that while this was his first visit to the historic Cathedral as metropolitan, it would not by any means be his last. At the end of the Hierarchical Liturgy, Cathedral Dean and Vicar-General Archpriest Thomas Zain, and Vice-Chairman of the Cathedral Council Mr. Samir Khoury, presented His Eminence with an engolpion (an episcopal medallion) of the Theotokos, offered as a gift from all the Cathedral clergy and faithful. Many years to our new metropolitan!

Additional photographs follow below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daniella BattarsehThe following people were recipients of a 2014 Francis Maria Scholarship, a Fund that is managed by the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. Metropolitan Joseph presented these scholarships on July 19, 2014. Each scholarship recipient received a check in the amount of $2,500.

The Francis Maria Scholarships are available to all students attending an undergraduate accredited degree program in the fall after they submit their application. Applications are due in January of each year, and information may be obtained on the Antiochian.org Scholarship page. A Website dedicated to Frank Maria is also available.

 

2014 Francis Maria Scholarship Recipients

Name Parents Parish Daniella Battarseh Basel and Reem Batarseh St. George, Little Falls, NJ Bronnie C. Stroud John Nathan Stroud and Elizabeth A. Daigle St. Nicholas, Beckley, WV Maria Ann McClatchey Jay and Nitsa McClatchey St. Mary, Johnstown, PA Nicole Tokatli Nicholas and Suset Tokatli St. George Cathedral, Worcester, MA Jordan Kurzum Edward and Lila Kurzum St. George, Little Falls, NJ Thomas George Marge Charles and Arlene Marge St. Mary, Cambridge, MA Bronnie C. Stroud Nicole Tokatli Jordan Kurzum Thomas George Marge

 

 

Fr. John Strickland, a professor of history at Saint Katherine College and the host of "Paradise and Utopia," discusses the new ecclesiology of Roman Catholicism, contrasting it to Orthodoxy and concluding with a reference to its most notorious statement, the papal bull Unum Sanctum of Boniface VIII.

The Dormition Fast is almost upon us. Now is the perfect time for a new Orthodox fasting and feasting cookbook! Plus, for this month, it's ON SALE! Save $2 on every cookbook ordered by Thursday, July 31. Orders must be placed online via PayPal or mailed and postmarked by July 31 to receive the discount.

Taste & See II: More American Orthodox Cooking is a sequel to the much loved Taste & See Cookbook published in 1999.  With the help of 150 contributors at 63 parishes in 27 states across America, this cookbook has been published by the Women of St. Elizabeth Orthodox Church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

The Taste & See Cookbooks have been created to help American cooks prepare meals that conform to traditional Orthodox fasting guidelines while appealing to an American palate. Preparing meals during the fast should be as simple and stress-free as possible to allow ourselves more time for prayer, almsgiving and attending the services.

The first Taste & See Cookbook was published in 1999 by the Women of St. Ignatius in Franklin, Tennessee, and touched countless lives. This edition carries on with the tradition of the first one with 500 new receipes.

New to this edition

• 500 all-new recipes
• “Cooking for a Crowd” chapter
• Mealtime prayers
• An essay on fasting meal planning by Kh. Lara Oliver
• Tabbed dividers!
• For people who require a gluten-free diet, recipes that are gluten-free are marked with a [GF]

Features continued from the previous edition

• A glossary
• Fasting tips
• Edifying quotes from the Bible and saints
• Padded three-ring format — lies flat while cooking!
• Fasting recipes that contain oil or wine are marked with an *

Chapters & Recipes

To see the list of chapters and a sample list of recipes, please click here:  http://tasteandseecookbook.com/whats-inside/.

Benefits

The proceeds of this cookbook will benefit the Antiochian Women’s Charity Projects and the St. Elizabeth Building Fund.  St. Elizabeth Orthodox Christian Church was founded in 2005 as the only Orthodox parish in Rutherford County, one of the fastest-growing counties in Tennessee. Just a few weeks ago, we finally broke ground on our brand new parish facility.  Praise be to God!!! To learn more about the St. Elizabeth parish and our efforts to expand Christ’s Church in Middle Tennessee through this cookbook project, please read here: http://tasteandseecookbook.com/who-youre-helping/

Cost
1 or 2 books — $24 each plus shipping* Sale price for Cheesefare Week - $22 each
3 – 9 books — $22 each plus shipping* Sale price for Cheesefare Week - $20 each
10 – 15 books — $20 each plus shipping* Sale price for Cheesefare Week - $18 each
Case of 16 books – $18 each plus shipping* Sale price for Cheesefare Week - $16 each

*Shipping is $4.50 for one book, $2 for each additional book.  If you are ordering 4 or more books, please contact us for exact shipping costs.  Books are shipped USPS Media Mail and should arrive within 4 weeks or less.  Express Shipping is available for $11 for one book and $3 for each additional book.   Books ordered with Express Shipping should arrive within 1 week of us receiving your order.  Online ordering is HIGHLY recommended for Express Shipping.

Orders to Canada will incur extra charges. Please contact us for the details.

How to order

Online Ordering
We are pleased to announce that we can now take orders through PayPal!

1. Go to PayPal and log in (or sign up for an easy, free, secure account).
2. Click on the “Send Money” tab.
3. Enter our email address — tasteandseecookbook@gmail.com — into the “To” field.
4. Enter $29 for one cookbook.  (It’s $24 for the book, $4.50 for shipping, 50 cents to offset the cost of using PayPal).  See the chart above for rates for additional books or Express Shipping.  Thanks!
5. Click on “Goods” if it’s not already selected, then “Continue”.
6. IMPORTANT!  On this confirmation page, scroll down to the message window.  Please type in how many books you’re purchasing and the address you’d like for us to send them to.
7. Click on “Send Money”.

We’ll have your book(s) to you in 4 weeks or less for standard shipping, 1 week or less for Express Shipping. Please put EXPRESS SHIPPING in your email subject line to ensure we expedite your shipping.

Traditional Mail-Order

Please send a check (one book: $28.50 – including shipping) made out to St. Elizabeth Orthodox Church to:
Taste & See Cookbook
c/o St. Elizabeth Orthodox Church
321 W McKnight Dr
Murfreesboro, TN 37129

For more information
Email: tasteandseecookbook@gmail.com
Website: http://tasteandseecookbook.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/taste.and.see.cookbook

John Maddex talks with Dr. Maria Khoury, Orthodox writer and speaker from Taybeh, Palestine, about the tragic war and loss of life in Gaza and Israel.

Update July 23: A full written transcription of His Eminence's speech is available below.

At the closing banquet of the 2014 Clergy Symposium, His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph, Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of All North America, gave a speech including his initial vision for the Antiochian Archdiocese of North America (beginning at 11:20 in the recorded audio). These remarks are available as an audio recording from Ancient Faith Radio. 

His Eminence says in part:

Tonight, I am going to utilize my time by sharing with you my vision for the future of this Archdiocese. I truly believe that each and every one of us is an important and integral part of this body. We are grateful for everything that our beloved Metropolitan Philip of thrice-blessed memory created over the past 48 years. We humbly accept the fruit of his labor, as well as the labor of the faithful who worked alongside him and the legacy upon which we will now build. We have serious work ahead of us. We don’t have time to waste. ...

Although we begin a new chapter, let me remind you that we are not starting from the beginning. As good stewards, we will only continue the work with which we have been entrusted, and my expectation is, that we continue to work as a team. … We are working together. We are one Body, and this is what unity means. 

As for myself, I promise you that every decision that is required of me will come by way of prayer, deliberation, and by the thorough consideration of all pertinent information. I can assure you that I will be acutely attentive to things requiring any significant decision, praying first for guidance in all matters. You need to know that I take very seriously that which our ecclesiology teaches. For direction, I will rely on St. Ignatius of Antioch. His vision for the Church is a oneness of mind.   

Full Transcription of His Eminence's Remarks:

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: one God. [Amen.] Good evening. [Good evening, Sayidna.] I hope you enjoyed the dinner together, and before I go ahead with my remarks… You know, you have to know that once in a while the bishop [has] something funny [happen] at the airports, so let me start with that.

After September 11, until then I didn’t have any deacon with me, so I used to have my crown carry-on. When I was at the security area at the airport, they said to me, “Can we look at it? What’s that?” I said, “This is my hat.” [Laughter] They didn’t believe me. They said to me, “Doesn’t look like a hat.” I said, “Whatever you call it.” “No, really, what is it?” I said, “This is my crown.” “Wow. Can we look at it? Can we see it? Are these stones real?” I said, “I wish.” [Laughter] I thought maybe this is the end of the story. They had more questions for me, and all that, not as security people but as a joke. The line behind me was forever and waiting to see the end of this story.

So the next questioner said to me, “Why do you call it a crown? Are you a prince?” I said, “Higher.” [Laughter] “So what comes higher than the prince? Are you a king?” I said, “Higher.” [Laughter] So finally the people start murmuring behind me, like they want to go ahead, some of them, like they are about to miss the flight and rush and everything. So finally he said to me, “No, really. Who are you?” I said, “I am a servant in the Orthodox Church.”

Beloved in Christ, that’s why we are here. To know how to become servants and how to serve the real Prince, not any other human being. So we serve and we love our people because we know that when we show them love and mercy and compassion, the love goes to him directly.

I wanted to share this as a beginning, that every time we are on the road as bishops we have something. Over the 20 years here I’ve been in this country, so I have experienced many situations and many incidents, but this is not the time to say all of them.

Beloved in Christ, my brothers, my brother-bishops and hierarchs, Bishop Antoun, Bishop Thomas, Bishop John, Bishop Antony, and Bishop Nicholas, and of course we have two brothers [who] are missing from us—they are absent for some good cause—Bishop Basil and Bishop Alexander. They are in our prayer. Beloved clergy, from within our Archdiocese and from out of our Archdiocese, beloved symposium leaders—Bishop Thomas is the overseer, Bishop Nicholas is the advisor, and Fr. Joseph Allen is the director, and the committee: Fr. Elias Bitar, Fr. Michael Elias, and Fr. Thomas Zain. Thank you very much to all of you for putting everything together within a short time and during [and] after this transition. It was very hard to expect a successful symposium, but, truly, it is meet and right that this symposium was very successful. Thank you very much. [Applause]

The Village family: thank you, John Scanlan. Are you listening? Thank you, John for everything. Thank you, Tim, for feeding us good food. [Applause and cheering] Our thanks to Tim and to the staff in the kitchen. Thank you very much. [Applause] Ladies and gentlemen.

Every day when I am here in this Village, I go walking or jogging in the morning. So they thought that, after I became the metropolitan of this Archdiocese, no more. But [when] clergy [saw me] in the morning with my hat and with shorts, they said, “Hi, Abouna! Hi!” and finally they realized that I am the metropolitan and they were… [Laughter] But what I am saying every time I go around the learning center and going into the cemetery there where the holy man, St. Raphael, is buried, and where our metropolitan is also there, and other bishops are there, I read on the gate, on the top, this verse from the book, the epistle of St. Paul to the Philippians. It says, “I can do all things, I can do everything, in Christ who strengthens me.”

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Spirit be with you all. [And with your spirit.] The psalmist David wrote:

Behold now what is so good or so pleasant as for brothers to dwell together in unity?

This psalm captures precisely what I have experienced this week as we have gathered together, working and praying in unity. The conference we just had at Balamand Monastery was under a big title: the Antiochian unity. One week, the whole week, our father-in-Christ Patriarch John and all the hierarchs, many clergy from everywhere—imagine, during the troubles in Syria—60 buses came from Syria to Balamand just to be there in the Antiochian unity, to express their unity with the mother church, Antioch. They didn’t fear. They didn’t care about how difficult [it] was to travel from Syria to Lebanon. Many people were there, many clergy, many from everywhere, even from North America; we were about 10 people, 15 people, I think. From Australia, from Europe, from Africa, from everywhere.

At the Divine Liturgy we had three Sundays ago, it was under a tent. We have two churches in the monastery at Balamand. We have two churches, but even the two churches together would not or could not fit all the people who were there. So that’s why they decided to have a pavilion and to have the Divine Liturgy in the very hot weather outside. Over 5,000 people were there in the Divine Liturgy. All that for the glory and for the sacredness of the unity of the Church of Antioch.

Here we have gathered together, working and praying in unity. As we leave this holy mountain tomorrow after the Divine Liturgy, we will take this very message of unity back to our parishes and ministries. Our hope is that the various lessons we have each learned here will be incorporated into our everyday practice of priestly service to God and to those entrusted to our care. Tonight I am going to utilize my time by sharing with you my vision for the future of this Archdiocese.

I truly believe that each and every one of us is an important and integral part of this body. We are grateful for everything which our beloved Metropolitan Philip, of thrice-blessed memory, created over the past 48 years. We humbly accept the fruit of his labor as well as the labor of the faithful who worked alongside him and the legacy upon which we will now build. We have serious work ahead of us. We don’t have time to waste.

While you are at lunch and after lunch in the selectives and everything from the time of after lunch until the time of vespers and even after vespers, I was receiving in my suite clergy one after one or group after group, so I need to listen to everyone, and this is the way I did it in the West for over 20 years. The bishop is available for you. Some people here—and this is not a criticism; this is just like an observation—some people in this room and this symposium have not greeted me. I understand that. I am not offended. I say it not with resentment or with [negativity], but I’m trying to tell those who have not greeted me because maybe they are afraid, they are not accustomed to see a new metropolitan after 48 years. I think next time you have to come, you have to meet me, you have to greet me; I have to meet you, I have to embrace you.

You don’t have to fear the metropolitan, because the bishop in general and the metropolitan in particular is the father. Is the father: we have to understand the fatherhood in the Church. There is no unity without a fatherhood. There is no unity—and you will hear more what I’m going to say now.

We have serious work ahead of us. We don’t have time to waste. Although we begin a new chapter, let me remind you that we are not starting from the beginning. As good stewards, we will only continue the work with which we have been entrusted, and my expectation is that we will continue to work as a team. Yesterday I said to our beloved hierarchs when we met that you have a new metropolitan now, but the metropolitan is not by himself, is not alone. We are working together. We are one body. This is what unity means.

As for myself, I promise you that every decision that is required of me will come by way of prayer, deliberation, and by the thorough consideration of all pertinent information. I can assure you that I will be acutely attentive to things requiring any significant decision, praying first for guidance in all matters. You need to know that I take very seriously that which our ecclesiology teaches. For direction, I will rely on St. Ignatius of Antioch. His vision of the Church is a oneness of mind. This is not in the books. This is here, what we practice. And if we don’t practice it, so we don’t… we are not obeying the Church.

His vision of the Church is a oneness of mind, meaning that the bishop, together with the council of presbyters and deacons, will serve and guide the people of God. In addition, we must keep in mind that all our bishops are archpastors who, together with me, share the pastoral staff of our chief Bishop, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Bishops must be treated with the respect and reverence that is due to all hierarchs. Together with the effort of my brother-bishops, assisting me in the pastoral burden of this Archdiocese, we will counsel together, communicate carefully, and with their united support I will lead this Archdiocese in a concord of love and oneness of mind. [Applause]

Now what about yourselves, my dear presbyters? You are the ones whom St. Ignatius calls as counsel of God and as the band of the apostles. The bishop and the priests should never be separated from one another. Perhaps there are those who at times feel put aside or disregarded in some way, but this ought never to be the case. We always stand together. In standing together we are reminded that the Archdiocese of North America is strong, first spiritually and then in its resources. Its reputation precedes it. However, as good as things are and have been, we must never be satisfied with the status quo. As stewards, it is ours to inherit from God and then grow that which was given to me for you to fulfill the word of God.

First, everything we do must be rooted in unifying ourselves with our Lord Jesus Christ, just as the vine and the branches are united. Secondly, all our deeds must be for the good of our salvation. I want to make it very clear that I will respect and abide by all the holy apostolic canons and decisions made by the holy synod and maintain ties with the mother church of Antioch, accurately and precisely communicating all Church matters between North America and the mother church of Antioch. [Applause]

In order to maintain true unity within the Archdiocese, I plan to actively visit all our dioceses, one by one, in order to maintain strong ties with our beloved hierarchs. My joy will come from working closely with each of them to first solidify and deepen our spiritual life. It will be important to continue our relationships with all other Orthodox jurisdictions through our work in various pan-Orthodox assemblies and committees. In doing so, the spirit of unity will reflect a global presence.

Concerning the current state of our Archdiocese, in all administrative matters my priority will be to create complete and whole transparency to improve the function of the administrative offices in order to better serve the Archdiocese, to implement updated, fast, professional, and efficient methods of working and communication using technology to our advantage. [Applause]

I look forward to familiarizing myself more with our clergy, their families, and their needs in order to serve and support them. I anticipate selecting the highest level of quality candidates for the holy diaconate and for the holy priesthood.

It is imperative to focus on evangelism and outreach as the main part of our apostolic mission. To maintain: it is imperative to focus on evangelism and outreach as the main part of our apostolic ministry, to reach out to the entire nation of North America. [Applause]

In developing methods of addressing 21st-century challenges through which the Church will inspire active spiritual life, stronger educational programs are needed on every level, from clergy to laity. The need to develop a stronger means by which to reach and encourage our youth to seek a greater commitment to their faith and to their Church will be a priority. This will be realized in part by working more closely with existing organizations, namely, Teen SOYO, Fellowship of St. John the Divine, Antiochian Woman, and the Order of St. Ignatius.

The Archdiocese Board of Trustees has the potential to become more dynamic and effective in a variety of ways. From a bounty of resources, we are in a position to utilize and invest available talents from among the clergy and laity in order to advance the ministries of the Church. It is necessary to unify liturgical practices and establish and encourage serious monastic life as an option for the faithful, both young and old. [Applause]

By reviewing the status of each individual department within the Archdiocese, we will gain the necessary knowledge in order to effect change or improvement where needed. Having shared just a few thoughts with you here briefly, I ask your prayers. My prayer for all of you comes from the gospel of St. Luke, chapter 12:11-12, where we read:

Now, when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.

Know that you have my utmost respect, love, and constant prayer, as a father with his children. Peace be with all of you. Thank you for listening. [Applause, singing of “God grant you many years.”]

 

The one-room, red-brick village school near the shores of Lake Victoria in Butembe, Uganda, fills quickly each morning as hundreds of children, barefoot and humbly dressed, file in and sit shoulder to shoulder on the packed earth floor to receive their lessons. One teacher provides instruction for 500 students from kindergarten to eighth grade in two shifts, with children waiting outside for their class to be called. There are no desks, chairs or books, only a solitary chalkboard at one end of the room used by the teacher to instruct them in reading and math. The children of Uganda have endured decades of unimaginable hardship, from civil war and economic decline to an AIDS pandemic that left a staggering 2.7 million of the country's children orphaned and millions more with no education. Those who tried to seek a better future through learning have been impeded by overcrowded schools and a chronic shortage of study materials and well-trained teachers. Recent efforts by Uganda's government to improve the quality of education through better school management and teacher training have resulted in a sharp rise in boys and girls completing their primary education. This, in turn, has spiked a demand for secondary education from older students who seek the knowledge and skills needed to face the challenges of adulthood ...

On this week's "Ex Libris," the podcast of Ancient Faith Publishing, Bobby Maddex interviews Angela Doll Carlson, the author of the forthcoming AFP book Nearly Orthodox: On Being a Modern Woman in an Ancient Tradition.

The Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) is seeking 10 volunteers to help fill teams that will serve in Albania, Tanzania and Uganda later this year. The Albania team departing on September...

On a new "Ancient Paths," Fr. James Guirguis, pastor of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in New Hartford, New York, shares from Matthew 10 and 19. In the same way that Christ did not avoid suffering or run away from pain, so we too must endure, and even embrace, the cross that we must bear.

From Guatemala to Moldova to Kenya, Orthodox Christians from the United States have taught the faith, built churches, and led youth camps in 2014. There is, however, still much work to be done!...

Representing the Diocese of Toledo and the Midwest this year at the annual NAC Bible Bowl was St. Mary Church of Palos Heights, Illinois, located in Chicago's South Side. Team St. Mary, composed of members Salena Ibrahim, Marlena Sweiss, Sandra Khouri, and Elizabeth Khouri, achieved a near perfect score of 104 points (out of 105). Under the leadership of their coach, Kh. Delia Haddad, and their clergy, Fr. Mousa Haddad and Fr. Malek Rihani, team St. Mary won first place. Afterwards, the team was congratulated by His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph and Bishop Anthony of the Diocese of Toledo and the Midwest.

The Bible Bowl is one of the components of the Creative Festivals hosted by the Fellowship of St. John the Divine, in which teams of youth prepare ahead of time to be quizzed on a topic in a competitive setting. This year's theme, "The Gospel of Luke," drew its inspiration from Luke 10:27: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."

Congratulations to the team!

Download the Pilgrimage brochure and registration form

Registration is open for the Annual St. Thekla & St. Raphael Pilgrimage, with His Grace Bishop Thomas of the Diocese of Charleston, Oakland, and the Mid-Atlantic presiding. Lodging for both adults and children is available for the weekend, which is an annual event at the Antiochian Village Conference Center and camp in Bolivar, PA.

"Did you know that the Antiochian Village is one of the few places places in the United States where you can visit the grave and shrine of a saint of the Church?" notes Bishop Thomas. Saint Raphael of Brooklyn, the first Orthodox bishop to be consecrated in the United States, reposed in the Lord in 1915 and was later canonized by the Orthodox Church in America in 2000. Appropriately, since St. Raphael is buried on the grounds of Antiochian Village, the pilgrimage includes a Service of Supplication to him. Other activities include small group workshops, a panel discussion with Bishop Thomas, a special movie showing, and the full cycle of liturgical services.

Fr. Theodore Dorrance joins Fr. Evan tonight to take calls on topics including the interpretation of New Testament accounts that vary from Gospel to Gospel, finding the right Orthodox parish, Christian persecution, and more.

An audio CD of the hymns of Great Vespers, the Lamentations, and the Orthros hymns for the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos has been made available in anticipation of the August 15, 2014 feast day. Chanted by Dr. Sam N. Cohlmia, Protopsaltis of the Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America at St. George Cathedral in Wichita, KS, the CD is available for $15.00 by contacting Dr. Cohlmia at his email address.

Read an interview with Dr. Cohlmia, and more details about the CD.

"Feed My Sheep"

Cathedral Dean Fr. Fouad Saba reports that in this last year, St. George Cathedral in Coral Gables, FL heard loud and clear this call of the Lord. In less than 10 months, the Diocese of Miami and the Southeast's Cathedral has collected and distributed near $100,000.00 in monetary aid and supplies. Some of the recipients include:

• IOCC (relief in Syria and Middle East)
• Al-Kafaat Foundation
• Miami Rescue Mission
• Children's Home Society
• Hope for Women Society
• Children's Relief Fund (Lebanon and Palestine)
• IOCC (Hygiene Kits)
• Orphans in Syria (Antiochian Women Annual Project
• Miami Department of Children Services
• Food for Hungry People Program
• Special Olympics (Archdiocese record collection)
• Local School (200 Backpacks)
• Local homeless shelters
• Local needy families (Good Samaritan Program)
  

"Whatever you did to the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me" (Matthew 25:40).

Comments Fr. Fouad, "This is the work of the Gospel. This is a great achievement, but the Gospel is not satisfied. We must do more. It has been said, 'charity starts at home,' but this is not how Christ taught and this is not what Christ expects from His Church. We pray God will enable us to do more for those around us and those absent from among us."

Learn more about the work of St. George Cathedral.