IN THE NEWS: North Carolina, Washington, Ohio, PA
Raleigh-Durham, NC: New property blessed at Holy Transfiguration parish
On Sunday, November 8, 2015, Priest Edward Rommen and the faithful of Holy Transfiguration Church, Raleigh, NC welcomed Archimandrite Gerasim, Administrator of the Diocese of the South, for the blessing of parish’s recently purchased property.
A two-year-old parish member, Mia Polic, repeatedly ran towards the cross and the holy water on the table at the center of the celebration, setting the stage for Father Gerasim’s brief homily. He compared the faithful’s individual spiritual journeys to the persistent hunger he saw in the young girl reaching for the holy water. He went on to point out that the lives of the faithful should be drawn to Christ the way the little girl was drawn to the holy water and cross, and that the path to live this way is given in and through the Church. He reminded the faithful that while they hope to build a beautiful church, it is not the icons, the architecture, or the structure itself that makes it beautiful. Rather it is union with Christ, persistent faith, and hunger for Christ that will beautify both the faithful and their new church building.
Father Gerasim concluded by urging the faithful to labor for the glory of the Lord, echoing the words read during the blessing, and to hunger after Christ, after the holy waters of Baptism, so that the People of God may be built up as a beautiful temple of the Holy Spirit.
Mountlake Terrace, WA: Former mission completes new church
It was with great joy that His Eminence, Archbishop Nathaniel, and the clergy and faithful of the Three Holy Hierarchs Parish gathered in their new church building in Mountlake Terrace, North of Seattle, WA October 31-November 1, 2015. Archbishop Nathaniel blessed the temple with holy water on Saturday evening. The full consecration will occur in 2016, after the permanent occupancy permit is granted. On Sunday, clergy from Oregon, Washington and Canada concelebrated the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy with Archbishop Nathaniel. Later, additional clergy from neighboring parishes joined the faithful for a festive banquet. The temporary occupancy permit had only been issued on the afternoon of Friday, October 30, leading to a whirlwind of activity on Saturday, when construction equipment disappeared and parishioners cleaned up for the blessing and feast.
For many years, Archpriest Ioan Catana and his flock persevered through challenges, setbacks and delays in order to acquire the land, raise funds, and obtain neighborhood and city approvals. During this time, the parishioners met at Seattle’s Saint Spiridon Cathedral while preparing for the day their new church will open its doors.
The new, large church—the occupancy permit notes that the facility accommodates 1,129 persons—is constructed in the classic Romanian style and boasts a hall on the lower level. A lot of work remains to be done—iconography, general moving in, and a final inspection—but the edifice already has made its mark on the Seattle area.
Louisville, OH: Pan-Orthodox Mission celebrates completion of church building
On the weekend of October 17-18, 2015, the members of Saint Nikolai Mission, Louisville, OH, officially opened the doors of their new church at 9837 State Street Northeast while welcoming His Grace, Bishop Alexander of Toledo and the Bulgarian Diocese, who blessed the temple on Sunday morning.
Under the leadership of Archpriest Joseph Cervo, the mission was established to address the need for a greater Orthodox Christian presence in eastern Stark County that embraces all cultures. “The vision is to be ‘Pan-Orthodox,’ or ‘all-English,’” he said. “There is a great need to have a parish which embraces and recognizes all ethnicities. When it comes to worship, it should embrace our native language.”
The mission was planted in 2013 as an outreach by the Stark County Orthodox Clergy Brotherhood to Orthodox students attending the University of Mount Union. Weekly services were held at the school’s Dewald Chapel. Father Joseph, a retired priest, was approached by a group of families who were attending the services. They asked him to consider starting a new church.
“If it hadn’t been for these individuals who were my friends, I would not have considered doing something on this scale,” he said. “Knowing I had that kind of help made it easier.”
On February 17, 2013, the group voted to establish the mission with Father Joseph and Protodeacon James Gresh as advisers. After renovations at Mount Union necessitated a move, the group began holding services at Saint Theodore Byzantine Catholic Church, Alliance, OH, until their own edifice was completed in October. The mission as named in honor of Saint Nikolai Velimirovic, the well known 20th century Serbian Orthodox missionary to North America.
“You have to have a vision,” said Heidi Gresh, wife of Protodeacon James. “Father Joe and Deacon James had a combined vision of where we’re headed. They’ve given us a guidepost to keep us on track.”
Father Joseph, who retired as a priest of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America due in part to health reasons, said there are plans to build a larger church as the congregation grows. “Maybe it’s God’s prescription,” he said with smile.
Visit the mission’s web site here.
South Canaan, PA: STM Press releases new title on pastoral counseling
Saint Tikhon’s Monastery Press’ latest title, When Hearts Become Flame by Deacon Stephen Muse, was released in October 2015.
The volume explores the role of the pastoral counselor, who enters into a call and response relationship, invoking God’s presence and seeking to be receptive to God’s activity unfolding in the here and now. The intention of pastoral counseling must be to offer Christ to the other (and receive Him) while serving at the altar of the human heart. As such, Deacon Stephen reflects on the question, “What Makes Counseling Pastoral?” in light of the integration of all three aspects of our human nature in dialogue with others, occurring in such a way that Christ appears in “between” bringing healing and transformation. It is not enough to be emotionally warm, theoretically correct and methodologically skillful. Pastoral care and counseling involve an integrated mindful presence existentially engaged in dialogue with the other with the same vulnerability and alertness that one brings to God in prayer. Inner discernment and ascetical struggle along with existential engagement with and for others in working for a just and humane world are equally important in response to God’s love given for all.
When Hearts Become Flame may be ordered on-line from Saint Tikhon’s Monastery Bookstore for $19.95.