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Beginning June 20th we will be conducting catechism classes prior to the service at 11:00am. These classes will be held the third Sunday of the monthy and will be taught by SubDeacon Rob Klancko from St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church. All interested in becoming Orthodox Christians are encouraged to attend. The next class is August 22nd. |
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 Last Sunday we had our first Afterglow contemporary praise service. Who say's Orthodox can't have any fun anyway? While we recognize that modern contemporary praise services can often lead to an imbalance in the spiritual life without a foundation of ascetic practice and regular religious devotion (observing practices like fasting, daily prayer, almsgiving, and attending liturgical services) we also recognize, that there needs to be an expression of Orthodoxy that is indigeounous to America and the american religious context. Part of the American religious context is the love Americans have for religious music and contemporary "praise" music. There needs to be both religious excercise and joyful priase in the life of the Christian. There shoud be both inner watchfulness and exhuberant expression of adoration. So last sunday,, after the Mass we held an "Afterglow Praise Service" where we praised God in the language of modern praise music....and it was wonderful! We will be doing this on the last Sunday of each month. Youth in particular loved this opportunity to worship God with abandon. The service provides a good balance to the more traditional, quiet, chanted Mass and another alternative to the contemplative atmosphere we have created for the Vespers service. Plan on attending next service in the end of June.
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On Monday of Holy week we received the news that we had been accepted as a provisional mission of the Antiochian Archdioce. Both my wife and I immediately felt a shift in things. There was a sense of spiritual covering that we both remaked on. But more than that, there was a sense of health and strength, almost like someone flipped a switch. And now we feel as if we are comforted under the wings of Christ's church.
Now that we are a mission we will begin regular instruction in bringing out liturgy into conformity with the rest of the Western Rite churches of the Archdiocese. To help with this the diocese has set Fr. Michael Kaiser to us. He just completed a vsit and will be returning once every six weeks or so. He, together with Fr. Ken Devoi will help us with catechisis and the liturgy. Whie our group is small we will persevere and pray for the grace of God to attend us.
It is our prayer and hope now that God will send some others who are interested returning to the ancient church so that we can build a new community. |
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Pastoral Letter for Holy Week |
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Pastoral letter
We begin Holy week with good news. We have been given the go ahead to be received as a Western Rite mission of the Antiochian Archdiocese. We will now begin in earnest to get the word out through the newspapers and other press releases. I will also begin to hold catechism class once a month to prepare us to be received. It is my prayer that God will send other people to us who are making a similar journey. I cannot say with certainty that our church will grow over the next few months, but I have been assured that that will happen. What I can say is that we are not alone. I am confident that we will now be cared for by a Church that takes its responsibility to her missions seriously. I am confident that we will begin to see this quite clearly over the coming months as we receive regular visits from those who will help us along the way.
My family and I have begun a rigorous journey. Orthodoxy is not Protestantism with vestments. It is to enter the life of the ancient church, the faith of the Apostles and martyrs and doctors of the church. Orthodoxy stands as an everlasting perpetual witness preserving historic worship, doctrine and praxis. It does not change it's faith or practice for the sake of shifting cultural mores. it would be easier and more comfortable for us to go to a continuing Anglican church, but honestly I don't have confidence in where it is going to be in 20 years, doctrinally speaking. Many of the same small errors are present and will eventually express themselves. I will remind you that most churches of the fourth century were carried away by the Arian heresy. The orthodox Christian teaching on the Trinity and the person of Jesus that all Christians accept today was the result of just a few churches and leaders who would not yield to the spirit of the age. In our day it would seem like splitting hairs, but men died to defend that faith. The doctrines of the church are important.
These last few months have been some of the most painful and difficult I have experienced in a very long time. Still, I do not regret for a second leaving the CEC. It was a right and healthy thing for me to do. Recently I was comforted by the story of Joseph of Arimethea who took the body of Jesus after He died on the cross. The image of him preparing the body for burial - washing the blood from his body, cleaning the wounds, anointing them with oil - the tender, loving and solemn care of our Masters body is a picture of God tender care of us after life's hurts and deaths. I apologize if during this time I have not been as responsive as I could have been to some of your needs. But I assure you that you are carried deep in my heart, and I feel deeply your pains and struggles.
I would remind you of our Good Friday Stations of the Cross service on Friday at 3:00pm. Please make plans to come. And our Easter service will be held at 1:00pm, NOT 3:00pm as usual. And the following sundays our services will be earlier, at 11:45. If that proves to be too close to Trinity's post- service activity we will move to 12:00 noon.
I pray that you draw near to your savior, who is betrothed to you by His own blood, this Holy Week.
By His mercy,
Fr. Matt Mirabile
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Great news for Holy Week! We have been granted mission status in the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese. We will now be under their oversight and care and begin in earnest the process of being received into the Holy Orthodox Church. We thank God for this development. |
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