Food for the Soul: The Lord's Prayer

Then: Upbeat Vol. 6 No. 7 April 1973

The Lord’s Prayer: Paraphrased

Dear Father in heaven,
Peace is your name.
Let the earth be as one,
Let your will be done
And be perfect, as your masterpiece, heaven.
Grant us the fruit of our labor, Father
And judge us
As we have judged others.
Don’t let us fall out of line
For we weary of goodness;
For you are God the Father,
No man-god can compare your power and glory
And love, forever and ever. Amen

The Lord’s Prayer: A Reflection

I don’t think there is any reason for me to take the Lord’s Prayer and explain it part by part, but rather to treat it in its entirety. I think that the end of the prayer, “For Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever, Amen”, carries the entire message of the prayer.

The Lord’s Prayer is, without doubt, the highest form of prayer. It is a prayer of praise and of glorification. It is also a prayer of confession and of submission and, most important, a prayer of Hope.

To a Christian, and in our case, as an Orthodox Christian, this word Hope means so very much in our relationship with the Church.

Each of the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer could be followed by the word “please”. In the every day meaning of the word “please”, there is a connotation of Hope. Even the very last word of the prayer, “Amen” or “so be it”, rings with hope.

To me the Lord’s Prayer is the embodiment of Jesus Christ with the spoken word or words on paper. To a Christian, Jesus Christ and Hope are synonymous. The Lord’s Prayer is our finest and most complete admission of our dependence on Hope.

In the Divine Liturgy of the Orthodox Church, the Lord’s Prayer is one of the main parts of the Liturgy. In most churches it is recited by the entire congregation.

Nicholas Cabasilas treats the Lord’s Prayer during the Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom in this manner: “When he thus edified the faithful, and in so many ways aroused them to virtue, the priest, considering that their preparation is now complete and that they are worthy of Divine adoption, asks God that they may be held worthy to say with him the prayer in which we dare to call Him Father. The whole congregation says the prayer with him, and the priest raises his voice when he comes to the end, and recites the conclusion as a doxology.

“After this he wishes peace to all. He has just reminded them of their nobility, calling God their Father; now he calls upon them to acknowledge Him as Lord, and to show Him a sign of their servitude by bowing their heads, thus indicating their dependence on Him. They bow before Him, not simply as creatures before their Lord and Creator, but as purchased slaves to Him who obtained them at the price of the blood of His only Son; for He possesses us by double right, as slaves whom He has made His children. For the same precious Blood both increased our slavery and brought about the Divine adoption.”

As Christians living in the world today, what else do we have besides our faith and our hope? Our faith is based on our hope for the future. Webster says that hope is “the desire of good accompanied by expectation, anticipation, confidence, the object desired.” So every time we recite the Lord’s Prayer according to the definition of the word hope, which the Lord’s Prayer is to us, we are accepting Jesus Christ as our only hope for salvation by saying, “Thine is the kingdom”; our dependence by saying, “power”; our praise of the “Master” by saying “and the glory”; our hope for our future life in the words “for ever and ever”; and our ever present human trait of unsurety in the future by saying “Amen” or Please.

Now: YO-Mail Vol. III No. 1

I cannot say OUR if I live only for myself.
I cannot say FATHER if I do not endeavor each day to act like His child.
I cannot say WHO ART IN HEAVEN if I am laying up no treasure there.
I cannot say HALLOWED BY THY NAME if I am not striving for holiness.
I cannot say THY KINGDOM COME if I am not doing all in my power to hasten that wonderful event.
I cannot say THY WILL BE DONE if I am disobedient to His word.
I cannot say ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN if I will not serve Him here and now.
I cannot say GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD if I am dishonest or seeking things by subterfuge.
I cannot say FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES if I harbor a grudge against anyone.
I cannot say LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION if I deliberately place myself in its path.
I cannot say DELIVER US FROM EVIL if I do not put on the whole armor of God.
I cannot say THINE IS THE KINGDOM if I do not give the King the loyalty due Him from a faithful subject.
I cannot say THE POWER if I fear what others may do.
I cannot say THE GLORY if I am seeking honor only for myself.
I cannot say FOREVER if the horizon of my life is bounded by the things of today.
--Author unknown

In the News: Mother Maria Skobtsova

Then: Concern Vol. V No. 4. Fall, 1970

Then that dark and tragic day arrived.
Those soldiers with the blood of innocents on their hands
came and took this fearless nun away
to a concentration camp to starve and there a slave remain;
to dampen the spirit and crush the soul
beneath the heavy weight of despair and tear of death.
Little did they know a saint of God they captured;
One who would enlighten and dispel the darkness of this depravity.

The day grew darker;
A selection of prisoners was made.
“A trip for convalescence and for peace” – that lie!
It meant a certain death to those whose names were called.
Suddenly, a figure swift as a lightning flash
stepped into the group and took the place of one.
To voluntary martyrdom did Mother Maria choose to go
and thus fulfill her wish:
“I only know the joy of self-surrender,
quenching the sorrow of the world
with my own self.”

So on that fateful day –
the 31st of March, God’s precious saint
was offered as a pure sacrifice to burn.
Her ashes, pure and undefiled wealth,
scattered to the winds became the earth’s enrichment.
But more than mere fertilizer to feed the fields
was her precious gift of love and charity to all –
Christian, Jew and non-believer –
This fool-for-Christ and martyr for His cause
gives light to those of us still in this darkness
we call “life”.

Now: The Orthodox Church. May/June 2004

OCA Represented at Glorification of Mother Maria Skobtsova, Companions in Paris

Paris, France – His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman was represented at the Glorification of Mother Maria [Skobtsova] and her companions at Saint Alexander Nevsky Cathedral here May 1-2, 2004 by the Rev. John Edward Anderson, an OCA Army Chaplain stationed in Belgium.

The decision to canonize Mother Maria, together with Fathers Alexis Medvedkov, Dimitri Klepinine, George Skobtsov and Elie Fondaminskii, was made by the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople during its January 16, 2004 session. The preceding September, His Eminence, Archbishop Gabriel of Comane, Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarch for the Russian Orthodox Parishes of Western Europe, made a formal request to the Patriarchate to consider glorifying Mother Maria and companions, all of whom were closely linked with the spiritual legacy of the Russian Orthodox emigration in France during the first half of the 20th century.

Archbishop Gabriel, together with His Grace, Bishop Basil of Sergievo of the Diocese of Sourozh [Moscow Patriarchate] and His Grace, Bishop Siluan of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in Western Europe, concelebrated the Glorification Vigil and Liturgy at the historic Paris cathedral. Father Anderson was among dozens of priests representing numerous jurisdictions who concelebrated. He conveyed the greetings of Metropolitan HERMAN at the conclusion of the Glorification services.

Saints Maria, Dimitri, George and Elie bore witness to their total commitment of living the Gospel by saving numerous Jews during the Nazi occupation of France. All four subsequently perished in Nazi death camps for their witness.

A wealth of information on the new saints, including a selection of Mother Maria’s writings, may be found on the website of the Orthodox Peace Fellowship at www.incommunion.org.

An Orthodox Look: Lord of the Rings

Then: Upbeat Vol. I No. 4. April, 1968

Imagine a completely fantastic world and time – the Middle Earth in its Third Age. It is not our world, nor does it fit into any time span we can think of. But it feels curiously familiar and that is what makes it so strange. Into events, scenery, characters and feelings similar to our are placed fantastic powers and beings.

The Middle Earth is inhabited by Elves, Men, Hobbits, Dwarves, Orcs, living trees and many others. Elves are passing away. They are powerful, beautiful, timeless beings, that belong to an earlier age and have come from a different world. Their presence in Middle Earth is drawing to its end.

Hobbits are appealingly human. They are little people, between two and four feet by our measure. They love peace and quiet and good tilled earth. They neither like nor understand machines more complicated than forge bellows, a water mill or a handloom. Quick of hearing, sharp-eyed, inclined to be fat, but nimble and deft in their movements, they dress in bright colors but seldom wear shoes since their feet have tough leathery soles and are clad in thick curly hair.

Dwarves are small, sturdy, secretive folk, somewhat mistrustful of others. Their work, of course, is mainly underground, in the mountains, working with metals, precious stones and the magic that lies in such things.

Orcs are horrible, half-beastly, half human beings in the service of the Power of Evil.

A terrible war begins in Middle Earth at its Third Age between Sauron, the Dark Master of the powers of evil, and the powers of light, served by the Elves. It is not the first such war. Sauron had seemed thoroughly defeated the last time, but now he has returned to his ancient “fastness” in the Dark Tower of Mordor. After respite the Shadow takes another shape and grows again. Powerful opponents in the war are Gandalf, the White Wizard, on the side of Light, and Saruman, who has betrayed his elfdom and has become a Wizard on Sauron’s side.

To win the struggle Sauron needs the Ring. Several magic rings existed in earlier ages, but all disappeared. This Ring he made himself; it is his, and he let a great part of his own civil power pass into it, so that he could rule all others. The Ring was lost and has been lost for a long time.

A creature of a Hobbit finds the Ring. Immediately it begins to exercise its evil power. The creature kills his companion to test the Ring and then discovers that putting the ring on his finger makes him invisible. The Hobbit put his knowledge to crooked and malicious use, becoming sharp-eyed and keen-eared for all that is hurtful. He takes to thievery; and because he goes about muttering to himself and gurgling in his throat, they call him Gollum. He begins to hate sunlight and one day finds a little cave out of which runs a dark stream. Worming his way like a maggot into the heart of the hills, Gollum vanishes out of all knowledge.

Ages later a Hobbit called Bilbo during a dangerous and adventurous journey finds himself in a dark underground cave and takes possession of Gollum’s “precious” Ring. Bilbo returns home and lives for many years without realizing that the Ring is gradually beginning to possess him, but the good wizard Gandalf makes him relinquish the ring to his young nephew, Frodo.

Years pass and a dark shadow begins to spread over the Middle Earth. Evil creatures appear where they had never been seen before. Sauron is preparing to conquer the world. Through Gollum, Sauron learns that the Ring is held by a Hobbit and sends his spies to look for it.

The great struggle begins with Gandalf visits Frodo, the young Hobbit who holds the Ring. Already Frodo begins to be affected by the evil power of the Ring. Thinking of what Gandalf has just told him, he wants to throw the Ring into the fire but finds he cannot do so. With an effort of will he makes the movement, to cast it away, but finds that he has put it back in his pocket.

“I do really wish to destroy it!” cried Frodo. ‘Or, well, to have it destroyed. I am not made for perilous quests. I wish I had never seen the Ring…You are wise and powerful. Will you not take the Ring?’ ‘No!’ cried Gandalf, springing to his feet. ‘With that power I should have power too great and terrible. And over me the Ring would gain a power still greater and more deadly…Do not tempt me! For I do not wish to become like the Dark Lord himself. Yet the way of the Ring to my heart is by pity, pity for weakness and the desire of strength to be good. Do not tempt me. I dare not take it!”

Now: YO-Mail Vol. III No. 1

Reaction to “Fellowship of the Ring” - the first of the three Lord of the Rings movies – has been somewhat mixed. Some hail it as the epitome of beauty, awe and excitement while others report that it comes across more as a sword and sorcery epic than a realization of the more sincere vision of J. R. R. Tolkien. While Jackson overuses an intense swooping, diving, circling camera at moments when he should just rest and let the people and settings carry the moment and overuses his zoom lens, insisting on coming in tight on his characters every time danger threatens, as a whole the film captures the spirit of the book and beautifully portrays the world Tolkien spent so much time creating. Although fans of Tolkien may wish that this scene was cut or that scene wasn’t cut, the movie remains true to much of the spirit of the book and makes only necessary alterations to the storyline. Books and movies are different media, and a director can’t simply paste one onto the other. The actors, in particular Elijah Wood as Frodo and Ian McKellen as Gandalf, nail their parts and bring to life what many had only previously imagined.

On the upside:

• Legolas and Gimli are able to overcome centuries of racial intolerance and hatred. Diverse communities of creatures band together to overcome otherworldly evil despite various prejudices, which reveals the trivial nature of bigotry. Members of the fellowship put their lives at risk to protect Frodo and their noble quest, and two pay the ultimate price. Self-sacrifice leads to redemption.
• The Fellowship of the Ring (and the other books) has a strong belief in good versus evil. The good characters are good and the evil characters are evil. Tolkien does not believe in moral ambiguity.
• Unlike most movies, Gandalf and Arwen express their love without having to resort to sex. A few words and gestures are enough to convey how much they care for each other.
• Sam Gamgee models the power of a promise in his friendship with Frodo. He shows his deep sense of loyalty to Frodo and faithfully serves his “master.” While Frodo’s servant, Sam, is not a slave, he is an excellent example of how we should approach life in the Church as servants of Christ.
• When Frodo wishes aloud that the ring had never come to him, he learns that we all have burdens we'd rather not bear, given the choice.
• The temptation the ring brings to the champions of “good” such as Gandolf and the Elf Queen is the folly of thinking that something corrupt can be used for noble purposes. Gandalf warns a betrayer, "There is only one lord of the ring who can bend it to his will. And he does not share power," implying that those who give their souls to the enemy will be enslaved by him.
• The film is full of words of wisdom ranging from simple statements ("Even the smallest person can change the course of the world") to solemn warnings (“Do not be too eager to deal out death and judgment since man can't see and understand enough to make those distinctions”). Mortals realize they must make the most of their time on earth.

On the downside:

• Although some of his other books discuss religion, the trilogy does not mention God or His place in Middle-Earth. Also, the good characters do not seem to strive for something better but stay statically “good.”
• Battle images are rather graphic, so this would not be something to take younger brothers, sisters, nephews, or nieces to see.
• Evil seems to have too much power in the world. Sauron might actually be able to take over Middle-Earth. We know that Satan may have the illusion of victory but can never win. One might argue, though, that the same can be said for Sauron.
• While some Christian groups are tripping over themselves to endorse the film because of the Christian symbolism found in Tolkien’s books, viewers and readers may need to be reminded that this should be treated as a fantasy to be enjoyed as a great story. People should not view this as an opportunity to begin exploring witchcraft and sorcery, which are condemned by the Church.
  

On the Calendar:

• October 20-23 - Champions of Faith Lock-in Teen Retreat, Hermitage, PA
• October 28- November 2, 2004 - Syndesmos seminar: “Educating for Europe. In this world, not of this world: what does the European citizenship mean to us?” - Pärnu, Estonia
• November 1-7, 2004 - Syndesmos seminar: "Mission in Eastern Europe” - Belgorod, Russia
• November 20-27, 2004 - Trip to Hogar Rafale Ayau, Guatemala City, Guatemala

October 20-23 - Champions of Faith Parent/Teen Retreat, Hermitage, PA

When: October 22-24, 2004
Where: Camp Nazareth, Mercer PA

Featuring:
Teen Component: Champions of Faith
Rev. Fr. Michael Anderson, Director
Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries, Orthodox Church in America

Parents Component: Coaching Spiritual Champions
Rev. Fr. Ian Pac-Urar, Chairperson
Department of Religious Education,
Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America

Cost:
$70.00 per person, or family package $200.00 (2 adults and up to 2 kids) At this time we are unable to accommodate children under 12.
Teens must be accompanied by either a parent or authorized adult chaperone.

For more information/ registration materials contact:
Rev. Fr. David G. Subu, Holy Cross Orthodox Church
950 Maple Dr. Hermitage PA 16148
(724) 346-3151 or email holycros@thesafety.net

October 28- November 2, 2004 - Syndesmos seminar “Educating for Europe. In this world, not of this world: what does the European citizenship mean to us?” - Pärnu, Estonia

Aims

• To reflect on the concepts of state and citizenship from the point of view of Church’s Tradition
• To look upon both dangers and possibilities of Christians living the modern secular societies
• To articulate the responsibilities of Christians towards God for the gift of the world Venue Pärnu, Estonia

Participants
30 international Coordination Outi Vasko

Costs
Registration fee:

• 50 Euro - Western Europe, USA
• 30 Euro - others Travel ticket to Tallin Visa and insurance costs Visa - No visa needed for EU citizens.

Please, find out the regulations for other countries.

Invitations can be arranged through Syndesmos Office. Travel subsidy Small travel subsidies may be available, on request to the General Secretariat

How to apply
The application form can be found on www.syndesmos.org, or here attached. Send to: Email: syndesmos@syndesmos.org

Fax: +30 210 656 0992 Post: Syndesmos General Secretariat PO Box 66051, Holargos 15510, GREECE

November 1-7, 2004 - Syndesmos seminar: "Mission in Eastern Europe” - Belgorod, Russia

Aims

• To remind of the sense and nature of Christian mission
• To outspeak the demands to the mission characteristic of the region
• To bring out the possibilities of practical implementation of mission by the faithful youth Venue Belgorod, Russia

Participants
40 international Resource persons Specialists in mission and missiology from Eastern Europe mainly Coordination Cyrille Sologoub (Belgium) Anna Rogozhina (Russia) Tony El Soury (Lebanon) Marieta Ganeva (Bulgaria)

Costs
Registration fee: • 50 Euro - Western Europe, USA • 30 Euro - others Travel ticket to Belgorod Visa and insurance costs Visa Please, find out the regulations for your country. Invitations can be arranged through the Syndesmos office.

Travel subsidy
No travel subsidy

How to apply
The application form can be found on www.syndesmos.org, or here attached. Send to: Email: syndesmos@syndesmos.org

Fax: +30 210 656 0992

Post: Syndesmos General Secretariat PO Box 66051, Holargos 15510, GREECE

November 20-27, 2004 - Trip to Hogar Rafale Ayau, Guatemala City, Guatemala

The Charities and Benevolence Team of St. Anthony the Great Orthodox Church will sponsor a mission trip to Hogar Rafael Ayau in Guatemala City, Guatemala this November 20-27.

There are many details to be worked out in a short time. A requirement of the orphanage is that any mission team be accompanied by a priest who will provide spiritual guidance for the missionaries (including counseling and confession) and assist with services and anointing of the children at the Hogar. It is not required that the priest speak Spanish. The airfare may be subsidized by funds raised by C&B and the St. Joseph Brotherhood.

If you are interested, or know of someone who may be interested, please contact us at 210-273-1570. Visiting the Hogar has been an incredible blessing. The children are beautiful. They receive much love and kindness at the Hogar from the priest, the nuns, the staff, the nannies and volunteers. The more examples they see of God's love through other Orthodox Christians, the more they heal and grow in faith.

Love and Dating: Courting, Dating, Going Steady

Then: Upbeat Vol. II No. 3. March, 1969

The Values of Going Steady

The thoughts of today’s teens are preoccupied with the tensions enforced upon them by everyday occurrences: school, homework, extracurricular activities. All this pressure can make a person extremely frustrated. Parents, too, are demanding in their own right. And even the person is demanding of himself. He desires to make himself a better person spiritually, morally, intellectually, and physically.

Yet these kids are called rebellious. True, but not in the implied sense of the word. I don’t feel these teens are destroying, rampaging, rioting without purpose. I feel they are seeking for something, searching for a meaning to life. Teens of today are a questioning breed. They wonder, they think. This wondering is what is causing them to be rebellious. The answers to their questions are not always easily defined. Their rebellion is perhaps a physical form of the inward turmoil. They’re dissatisfied with life as it is and always want to know the whys: Why am I here? What am I supposed to do? Our Creator can answer these questions for us, but He is here through our spiritual existence with Him. Surely, He will listen to us, guide us, but a physically existing person is easier to talk to; he’s there before you.

What has this to do with going steady? I feel this discontent is very much a part of the value in going steady. It offers a kind of security. It’s a person to share good times with, to confide in, to console. It’s a person to turn to, someone who’ll listen and understand when those pressures build up. It’s a way of meeting new people – a way of forming new friends.

This, of course, would be the ideal form of “going steady”, what it really means. In many cases going together is only a rung on the ladder of prestige at your school. Teenagers in Junior High, particularly, know what I mean. When you see your friends going with a boy, wearing his ring, you know that it’s usually just a sign of belonging to that “upper quo”. The ring is usually returned within a few months.

But if going steady is an understanding between two people, an understanding that says, I like you better than any other person I’ve met before – you’re fun to be with and a great help to the discovery of myself, then you’ve got what “going steady” really is.

Now: YO-Mail Vol. II No. 6

Question: Could you talk about the Orthodox position on dating/courting?

Answer: Well, we are not quite sure whether you are asking if the Church prefers one to the other (dating vs. courting), or if you are asking about the Church’s teachings about romantic relationships before marriage in general, but we’ll give do our best to cover both bases.

The Webster’s Dictionary defines courting as “to seek the affections of; especially : to seek to win a pledge of marriage from : to engage in social activities leading to engagement and marriage” and dating as “a social engagement between two persons that often has a romantic character : a person with whom one has a usually romantic date.” The major difference between the two words has to deal with the intent of marriage.

People who are courting enter into a formal romantic relationship in which both are planning to lead up to marriage, while people who are dating are simply enjoying time with a person to whom they are romantically attracted.

From the Church’s point of view, neither one is necessarily better than the other. The Church would frown, however, on the idea of “playing the field.” The Church would say that any kind of romantic relationship should take place in the context of future marriage. This is not to say that you have to plan on marrying every person you take on a date. You should, however, be open to the fact that this person could be the person you will eventually marry. An Orthodox priest recently, commenting on the stories he was hearing about people’s “dates”, recently made an interesting point. “People don’t seem to know how to date anymore,” He said. “Dating is a fact-finding mission. You meet someone you are interested in and take them out to find out more about them. As you find out more about them, you determine if this is someone you want to spend more time with. And in the process you even end up finding out more about yourself.”

Real Questions/Real Answers: Is TV a Bad Thing?

Then: Upbeat Vol. IV No. 5. May/June 1971

The World with Television

Man no longer depends as his sole method of communicating. The printed word has undergone a change with the emergence of television, and the new form of communication is replacing the old.

Books allow individuals to have a personal experience. You can pick up a book and read a message whenever you want to, and you can interpret it as you like, but television gives you a message whenever it wants to. There is no personal experience. Millions are receiving the same message at the same time, interpreting it the way the television direct you. It is not a personal experience, but rather, a shared one.

We are members of a unique generation. We are the first generation which has been brought up on television. We were spoon-fed to the six-o’clock-news-weather-sports-automobile-commercial-johnny-carson-i-love-lucy-re-run world of television. We experienced riots, space exploration, and politics via television before we could read. We watched 6000 hours of television by the time we reached first grade. Of course, this has affected us differently than past generations who were brought up on books.

We are members of a world constantly being changed and influenced by television. No longer are personal experiences from reading the only way our knowledge is formally affected. We are living in a world where communal experiences are king. This has changed our world into a large global village, the inhabitants of which have shared experiences from the civil rights marches of the late fifties to the moon landing last year. The world is one large village. Television is its mayor.

Where is television leading man? Where will the global village be extended next? What will replace television in the future? Is technology the final step in man’s development? Only the future can tell. Turn on your television and watch and wait. Maybe you’ll see.

Now: YO-Mail. No. 10. June 1998

Like most things, television itself is not a "bad" thing. The way people use it (or misuse it), however, can be very damaging. There are a number of good educational and even entertaining shows that anyone can enjoy which aren't obsessed with violence, sex, and people doing evil things to each other. People do in fact learn helpful things by watching these shows. On the other hand, the average teenager has viewed over 5,100 acts of violence on TV in just the past 6 months, and is exposed to over 14,000 acts of sexual intimacy, most of which are between people who are not married, in any given year.

The other thing we need to be careful about is the place we give TV in our life. Even if we are only watching educational programs, we can end up spending countless hours of our time each day sitting in front of the TV instead of doing work or spending time with our family and friends. Because watching TV is such an easy thing to do, it can easily damage our relationships with others and our goals in life.

Also, because so much of our society centers around entertainment, we often forget how to deal with silence. Silence is something that every human being needs every day. It is in silence that we start to see ourselves as we really are. It is in silence that we pray to God. If we are always watching TV or listening to the radio, silence can become very scary for people. Take 5 minutes a day to try to be silent and still. Stand in front of your icon at home or sit quietly outside and try to think about your relationship with God. See how you react during that five minutes. Chances are it will be difficult at first. The more we can become silent and still, the more peaceful our lives will be, and the easier we will be able to deal with difficult things in life.

Readers Write:

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You're a reader, so…. You know the next step. Send us something you've written and would like to see in a future issue of YO-Mail. Commentary on YO-Mail is welcome, as is anything that is pertinent to our lives as Christians. Send it in to yomail@oca.org and we will put it here.

Did You Know? The Church year officially begins on September 1st. The first two of the Church's 12 Great Feasts also occur in September. The 1st is the Nativity of the Mother of God on September 8th. The 2nd is the Elevation of the Holy Cross celebrated on September 14th.