Orthodox Christian West

2009-05-20T12:19:00.027Z

NEW WESTERN RITE HERMITAGE

Father Joshua, with the patronal blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Hilarion has received notice that a donation of 48 acres of high desert land located at the foot of the Mazano Mountains (a spur of the Rocky Mountains) due East of Belen, New Mexico has been donated for an Orthodox Western Rite Christian Heremitage.

Furthermore, this project has elicited a pledge of between 30,000 to 50,000 cement blocks along with the donated services of a world-class architect! God bless all who have come forward to help this hermitage to come into existence! Glory to God!

TEN NEW WESTERN RITE PARISHES IN ROCOR

Wednesday 10th November 2010: His Eminence Archbishop Hilarion has received ten former Continuing Anglican Parishes into ROCOR and blessed them to the Western Rite. These parishes and their eighteen clergy bring to seventeen, the number of ROCOR Western Rite institutions in North America (with three more soon to come) and twenty-three Western Rite clergy. The former Continuing Anglican parishes had, for some time been calling themselves Orthodox as they studied the Faith. Their former married bishops are being Ordained as Priests and will function as Archpriests.

SERVICE IN CENTRAL LONDON

Saturday 6th November 2010: The Divine Liturgy of the Western Rite (English Liturgy from the Saint Colman Prayer Book) was celebrated at St. Magnus the Martyr church in central London at 11.00 am. It was be followed by a meeting where those clergy and laity interested in Orthodoxy explored the option of Western Rite Orthodoxy. About two dozen were present and from that it is thought two new missions will arise.

SAINT THOMAS MONASTERY MISSION

Wednesday 7th July 2010: We welcome Saint Thomas mission as a new Western Rite mission of Saint Petroc Monastery. With over a hundred people led by Fr. Janel, we wish this mission the utmost success.

SAINT ANASTASIA MONASTERY MISSION

Friday 2nd July 2010: We welcome the new Western Rite ROCOR mission of Saint Anastasia in Davao City in the Philippines. The mission is led by Chrysostom Canezal, and is planning to acquire a house in Davao City for use as the Saint Anastasia Orthodox Centre.

SAINT NECTAN MEETING

Wednesday 10th March 2010: Philip Pughe-Morgan will chair a meeting of the Saint Nectan Branch of the Saint Eanswythe Mission on Wednesday the 24th of March at 7pm at the South Molton Methodist church hall.

NEW ABBOT

Wednesday 10th March 2010: His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion, Primate of ROCOR has issued a proclamation, naming Fr. David (Pierce) of Holyrood Hermitage as Abbot of the Monastery of the Holy Dormition of Our Lady of Mount Royal. The proclamation names Abbot Augustine (Whitfield) as the Abbot Emeritus. Abbot Augustine remains in hospital under ongoing care. Mount Royal was originally received into Orthodoxy in 1962 by Bishop Dositheus.

NEW BRANCH OF SAINT EANSWYTHE MISSION

A new West Country branch of the Saint Eanswythe (Western Rite) Mission in England has been formed. Named Saint Nectan for the local fourth century hermit, the branch which covers the Swimbridge, South Molton and Barnstaple area is strictly a study society at the moment - with Mattins of a Sunday morning.

WESTERN RITE IN THE CATHEDRAL

Agreement has been reached for the Western Rite to be celebrated in the ROCOR cathedral in London on a regular basis, with the lower church as its home.

NEW WESTERN RITE MISSION

Metropolitan Hilarion has given verbal permission for the Saint Eanswythe Orthodox Study Society in Bournemouth to become a mission.

WESTERN RITE DECISION

FRIDAY the 13th of November. Bishop Jerome reports that the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia has decided that all Western Rite throughout the world shall henceforth come under the direct control of Metropolitan Hilarion.

FR. BARRY

THURSDAY 12th of November. Fr. Barry has taken charge of Saint Dyfan Mission in Hobart. Services will continue as usual, with Fr. Barry being assisted by Sub Deacon Peter Ball.

NEW WESTERN RITE ORTHODOX PARISH

MONDAY the 31st of August. Fr. James Hamrick has been Ordained by Bishop Thomas as the Orthodox Priest for Saint John the Baptist Orthodox Church in Frederick, Maryland. He was formerly a minister in the Charismatic Episcopal Church - together with his whole parish. The parishioners were received in April after catechising by Fathers Nicholas Alford, Patrick Cardine, and Alban Waggener, and now their former minister has been Ordained as their Priest. Fr. Alban Waggener is a former Anglican bishop.

FR. BARRY RETURNS FROM CENTRAL AUSTRALIA

FRIDAY the 17th of July, 2009. Fr. Barry has returned to the Saint Stephen Monastery Mission in Launceston after eighteen months working with aboriginals in the far reaches of central Australia.
During most of his time in central Australia, he lived in caravans and had an open sided tent as his office. He returned to his base in Alice Springs only occasionally at weekends. He celebrated the Divine Liturgy at his base in Alice Springs.

FATHER MICHAEL RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL
Friday the 28th of May, 2009. Fr. Michael, Superior of Saint Petroc Monastery was released from Royal Hobart Hospital today after having had a pituitary tumour removed. The neurosurgeon, Mr. Andrew Hunn was very pleased with the result since no damage appears to have been sustained by the pituitary gland. Fr. Michael was back in his office the next day. He is forbidden from singing for about six weeks to allow the grafts over the entry point to heal.

2009-05-20T12:07:00.003Z

FATHER DAVID RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL
Fr. David was released from St. Vincent's Hospital, Jacksonville two days after brain surgery had removed an entirely self-contained tumour. The neurosurgeon believes that this was a primary tumour. Fr. David will undergo further radiation therapy in order to ensure the demise of any remaining cells. Fr. David has returned to his cell at Holyrood Hermitage.

2009-05-19T06:12:00.037Z

FR. MICHAEL IN HOSPITAL

Thursday the 21st of May 2009, Hobart, Fr. Michael of Saint Petroc Monastery was admitted to the Royal Hobart Hospital to have a pituitary tumour removed. He is expected to remain in hospital until the 27th.

FR. DAVID IN HOSPITAL
Jacksonville, Florida. Monday 18th May, 2009. Fr. David, the Hieromonk at Holyrood
Hermitage has been taken to St.Vincent's hospital having had a large brain tumour discovered. He will be operated on Tuesday. The surgeons are hopeful of a complete recovery. Fr. David has the care of the aged Abbot Augustine at the instruction of Metropolitan Hilarion.

CITY MISSION
Saint Petroc Monastery together with Fr. George Robinson and his family is planning a mission to the City of Hobart in September 2009. Fr. George will bring his collection of very large modern Russian religious art which will be set up in a central city hall. The ROCOR mission to the people of Hobart will be built around the exhibition.

WORKING WITH ABORIGINES
Fr. Barry Jefferies a Western Rite Priest working under Saint Petroc Monastery has been working for the past eighteen months in the desert centre of Australia in the tiny, scattered desert Aborigine communities. These Aborigines have a life expectancy well short of the white population and tend to regard Fr. Barry (in his late sixties) as an Elder if only because he is older that almost any of them. Fr. Barry's office is typically the open sided tent that he sets up whenever he arrives at a new community. There are no communications with the outside world other than satellite uplift phone. Metropolitan Hilarion has set up a new mission called the Australian Orthodox Indigenous Community with Fr. Seraphim Slade (himself an Aborigine) in charge.

HOLY WEEK SERVICES FOR SAINT BRENDAN OSS AT LYNN HAVEN

Easter 2009. Fr. David from Saint Petroc Monastery Holyrood Hermitage celebrated the Holy Week and Easter services for Saint Brendan Orthodox Study Society (ROCOR) in a borrowed Anglican Catholic church at Lynn Haven.

Fr. David blessing the New Fire

The Easter Divine Liturgy

GOOD FRIDAY WESTERN RITE LITURGY PICTURES
St. Benedict's Russian Orthodox Church, Oklahoma City, USA, is a parish of the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia. Much information can be seen at its website, Archpriest Anthony Nelson this year celebrated Western rite services on Good Friday which consisted of pre-sanctified Liturgy and veneration of the Holy Cross. http://www.russianorthodoxoklahoma.org.

NEW NOVICE FOR SAINT PETROC
April 5th 2009, Hobart. Novice Edward Waters
was admitted to the Novitiate of Saint Petroc Monastery. Novice Edward is presently finishing his honours year at Melbourne University doing statistical mathematics. He hopes to be admitted as a doctoral candidate at Reading University next year.

SAINT COLMAN PRAYER BOOK
30th of March, 2009. Fr. Michael of Saint Petroc Monastery announced today that a new, cheap edition of the Shorter Saint Colman Prayer Book is available. This is a stapled, 105 page edition which retails for $US18.00. It includes an introduction by His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion of ROCOR and omits the entire cycle of Holy Week services.

NEW ORTHODOX PARISH CONVERTS
26th of March, 2009. Saint John the Baptist Mission in Lewistown. Maryland, formerly Methodist, and then Charismatic Episcopal has become an Orthodox Western Rite parish.

NEW CONVERT PARISH
February 8th 2009, Muleshoe, Texas. Saint Clement's, a small parish of forty-one people and their priest, formerly Charismatic Episcopal were received by Chrismation by Fr. Michael Keiser on behalf of Bishop Basil.

CHRISTMAS EVE MASS AT OUR LADY OF GLASTONBURY
This ROCOR church is attached to Christ the Saviour Orthodox (ROCOR) Benedictine Monastery in Ontario, Canada. Excerpts of its Christmas Eve liturgy are beautifully filmed in this linked video, and other services can be seen filmed by the same user.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAuGDdAbQes

NEW WESTERN RITE PARISH
30th of December, 2008. Oklahoma City has its second Western Rite parish - Saint Andrew's, with the Priest, Fr. Mark Wallace.

NEW WESTERN RITE ORDINATIONS
November 22nd, 2008. Fr. Kenneth DeVoie and Fr. Christopher Nerreau were Ordained to the Orthodox Priesthood in Worcester, Ms by Bishop Antoun. Frs Kenneth and Christopher are former Charismatic Episcopal Church. Their former parishes were received into Orthodoxy in October.

ARCHBISHOP PAUL ORDAINS NEW WRITE CLERGY
28th September, 2008. His Eminence Archbishop Paul Ordained nine converts to the Priesthood, blessed to the Western Rite in the Philippines. The men will serve fourteen parishes and missions which have recently converted to Orthodoxy. They have come from both Roman Catholic and Protestant pasts.

WESTERN RITE DISCUSSIONS
July 15th, 2008. Fr. Michael of Saint Eanswythe, ROCOR Bournemouth, flew to Sydney for discussions with Metropolitan Hilarion about the future of Western Rite. He also assisted the Metropolitan in the dedication of a new cemetary chapel.

ICONS BLESSED AT WESTERN RITE SERVICE
On Sunday the 9th of March 2008, after Divine Liturgy, Father Michael blessed icons for members of the ROCOR Saint Eanswythe congregation. Afterwards the congregation had lunch together.

Fr. Michael with some members of the congregation who had their new icons blessed.

LECTURES IN LONDON
25th of February, 2008 London. Fr. Michael and members of ROCORs Saint Eanswythe Society attended a weekend series of lectures given by Fr. Andrew Louth at Saint Botulph's Orthodox church in London. The Lectures were on the Orthodox attitude to Saint Augustine of Hippo. Fr. Andrew, an Orthodox Priest, is Professor of Byzantine and Orthodox studies at Durham University. He was joined in the lectures by Bishop Kallistos (Ware) of Oxford. The lectures ran through the Saturday and Sunday.

2008-10-06T05:42:00.006Z

HOLYROOD HERMITAGE VISIT

Monday 29th of September, 2008: His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, visited Holyrood Hermitage at Avondale (a Western Rite monastic house within ROCOR). His Eminence had talks with Fr. David and Fr. Augustine before blessing the chapel at Holyrood House. Holyrood has been affiliated with Saint Petroc Monastery since 2006. Fr. Augustine was received as a Western Rite monk into Russian Orthodoxy in 1962.

2007-09-27T05:17:00.001Z

CHRISTMINSTER MOVE

Having obtained episcopal blessing, Fr. James, the Superior of Christ the Saviour Monastery (ROCOR) is preparing to move the monastery to Hamilton, Ontario.

In July, Fr. James visited Hamilton and celebrated the Divine Liturgy of the Western Rite at Our Lady of Glastonbury Oratory, which will be the new home of the monastery after the move.

2007-09-27T04:12:00.001Z

WESTERN RITE IN OKLAHOMA CITY

Saint Benedict’s (ROCOR) Parish in Oklahoma City has been officially using the Western Rite since Bishop Peter of Cleveland blessed the Rector, Fr. Anthony Nelson, to to do so in 2006.

Saint Benedict’s church Oklahoma City.

Archpriest Anthony Nelson celebrating the Western Rite.

2007-08-14T06:07:00.001Z

SOLEMN PONTIFICAL LITURGY

On Saturday the 7th of July 2007, His Eminence Archbishop Hilarion, Chief Deputy President of the Synod of Bishops of ROCOR, pontificated at a solemn celebration of the Western Rite Divine Liturgy to mark the centenary of the decision of the Holy Synod of Russia to authorise the adaption of services taken from the Book of Common Prayer for use by Orthodox people.

The day began with the Liturgical Reception of the Archbishop in the Nave of Saint Mary-the-Virgin church. Archbishop Hilarion was accompanied by his Chaplain, Fr. Seraphim Scheidler.

Matins was sung by Fr. Michael and Fr. Barry and the choir while the Archbishop vested assisted by Fr. Dcn John. This was followed by the Divine Liturgy.

The celebrant of the Solemn Liturgy was Fr. Michael, Superior of Saint Petroc Monastery, Cascades. The Deacon was Fr. Barry Jefferies, of Saint Stephen Monastery Mission, Launceston and the Sub Deacon was Fr. Dcn. John Whiteside of the Antiochian Orthodox Good Shepherd Mission, Clayton.

The Clerk for the Liturgy was Dr. John Ward of Saint Dyfan Monastery Mission, Hobart. The Deacon brought the Sacrifice from the Lady Chapel in the Offertory Procession.

Fr. Michael read the Last Gospel in the course of the Recession. The ceremonial for the "English Liturgy" is Sarum, taken from the ROCOR Saint Colman Prayer Book.

The singing was led by Sub Deacon Peter Ball of Saint Dyfan Mission and he was assisted by Anastasia Baines of Saint Dyfan Mission.

At the end of the Liturgy, Archbishop Hilarion, assisted by Fr. Barry, distributed the Eulogion to the congregation.

The Archbishop, clergy and some members of the congregation then went to lunch at a nearby seaside restaurant.

CONVERT PARISH TO BE RECEIVED

2007-03-14T16:24:00.000Z

WASHINGTON DC Tuesday 13th of March: Bishop Thomas (below left) of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America is scheduled to receive by Chrismation, the membership of the Western Rite Mission in Warrenton, Virginia at 7.00 pm on Friday the 30th of March at Christ Church, 95 Green Street, Warrenton.

Fr. Nicholas Alford, Rector of Saint Gregory the Great Western Rite Parish in Washington D.C. has been catechising this convert parish until their clergyman, the Reverend Patrick Cardine is Ordained Priest.

The Warrenton mission has converted from the Charismatic Episcopal Church in which its minister, Patrick Cardine (right) was the diocesan evangelism officer. The Rev'd. Cardine is an architectural blacksmith with his large commercial architectural ironwork company, Cardine Studios located in Chantilly, Virginia. The company also produces church ironwork items.

WESTERN RITE CENTENARY CELEBRATION

2007-03-10T15:05:00.000Z

LONDON 7th of March 2007: On Sunday the 4th of March, the Divine Liturgy of the Western Rite was celebrated at the thousand year old Saxon-Norman church of Saint Mary the Virgin at Capel-le-Ferne in Kent. Matins preceded the Divine Liturgy.

The celebration was in honour of the centenary of the decision of the Holy Synod of Russia to permit the adaption of services taken out of the Book of Common Prayer, for use by Orthodox people. The decision was made at the request of Saint Patriarch Tikhon (Belavin) of Moscow in 1904. A committee set up by the Holy Synod, which included Saint Tikhon, reported back to the Holy Synod in 1907, and the Synod acted upon its favourable report.

That decision followed in the spirit of a decision made by the Holy Synod thirty-seven years earlier, when it had legislated permission for an adaption of the Western Rite Liturgy of Saint Gregory the Great to be used by Orthodox people.

The Liturgy celebrated this last Sunday was the “English Liturgy” taken from The Saint Colman Prayer Book, (authorised by Archbishop Hilarion (ROCOR) some years ago) the services from which are now in use by episcopal blessing in several ROCOR dioceses.

The celebrant at Capel-le-Ferne (picture below left) was Fr. Michael, superior of Saint Petroc Monastery (ROCOR) assisted by Fr. Barry Jefferies of Saint Stephen Mission, Launceston (ROCOR) and was attended by an invited congregation from Orthodox societies and parishes in England, the USA, Australia, France and Belgium. The choir was directed by Mr. Michael Astley from Manchester.

The Western Rite, having been permitted by the Holy Synod of Russia, was later also permitted by the Holy Synods of Antioch and Romania. As a result, the first Western Rite diocese was erected in Czechoslovakia in 1919, which yielded the Church the Martyr Bishop Gorazd Pavlik during WW II. It was followed by a diocese in Poland and, in 1936, by the Orthodox Church of France, all of which were decimated by the Germans during WW II.

Saint John of Shanghai consecrated Fr. Evgraf Kovalevsky as Western Rite as Bishop Jean- Nectaire of the Diocese of Saint Denys, Paris and strongly supported the Western Rite within ROCOR and Orthodoxy in general. He is recorded as celebrating the Western Rite Liturgy himself both in France and in the USA.
Further celebrations of the centenary of the Holy Synod of Russia decision are planned for later in the year, including a solemn pontifical celebration at the church of Saint Mary the Virgin, Waverley.

Saint John celebrating the Western Rite Liturgy in Paris.

The church of Saint Mary-the-Virgin at Capel-le-Ferne is used by the Saint Eanswythe Orthodox Study Society. The exact dating of the original church is difficult in that it is in the style of the pre-Schism Anglo-Saxon churches, but modified later by the Normans. It is possible that it dates from around the turn of the first millennium.

The final picture is of the procession out through the Rood Screen at the end of the Liturgy. New icons for the church were painted in the first millennium Anglo-Saxon style by the Saint Eanswythe Society's iconographer, Eadmund Dunstall (see Christ Pantocrator at the head of this article).

WESTERN RITE MEN'S RETREAT

2007-03-10T14:44:00.001Z

LONDON, 7th March, 2007. On Friday the 2nd a dozen men gathered at the Granary in Hawkinge, Kent, for a retreat hosted by the Saint Eanswythe Orthodox Study Society.

The retreat was organised by Mr. Eadmund Dunstall, the Secretary of the Society, assisted by Mr. John Bruckin, both from nearby Folkestone. The retreatants came from Kent, Manchester, London, France, the USA and Tasmania.

The retreat was conducted by Fr. Michael, the superior of Saint Petroc Monastery (ROCOR), assisted by Fr. Barry. The theme of the long weekend was “Responding to God, Becoming at one with God’s Will”. Fr. Michael gave a series of seven talks over the weekend in the somewhat relaxed atmosphere of the Common Room. These talks progressed through the ways that we respond to God, the ways that are recorded in Holy Scripture, with particular reference to the Psalmist, and the ways that we respond today, to the concept of becoming fully aligned with God’s will. He explored the latter aspect both in the national; and Church levels, but primarily a the individual level, introducing the audience to the principles involved.

The days were interspersed with quiet periods of reflection, during which retreatants could seek counsel or confession with Fr. Barry, and the Offices which were done in a temporary chapel off the Common Room.

During clear weather, the coast of France could be seen from the windows of the Granary, and members could go for walks along the ridge path behind the Granary with views across the downs and the sea to France.

On Saturday and Sunday the Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the nearby church of Saint Mary the Virgin, Capel-le-Ferne.

Orthodox Missionary Activity

2007-02-26T15:08:00.000Z

St. Augustine, Florida. The Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) has been accepting applications for its 2007 Orthodox Mission Teams. These Teams serve abroad for 2-4 weeks helping Orthodox Christians from different cultures build churches, learn about the faith, minister to the youth, offer medical services, and share the love of Christ.

The effect of these Team experiences can have a profound impact on one's life. On January 21st , Ancient Faith Radio broadcast an interview with Andrew Lekos, a veteran of several Mission Teams, and current Teams Director for the Mission Center, in which he shared how his participation in a team opened his eyes to Orthodoxy.

Though he grew up as an Orthodox Christian, Andrew discovered a deeper meaning of his faith while volunteering for an Orthodox Mission Team to Ghana. The experience of a new culture and time dedicated to Godly service altered Andrew's perception of who he was and his place in the world.

Andrew's journey is common among members of an Orthodox Mission Team. In bringing the Gospel to all nations, one also receives its saving message. Team members often report the feeling of being blessed for having basked in the light of the Holy Spirit while serving in a foreign land. Many participants in teams, so affected by service to Christ, have gone on to long-term missionary service as well, establishing Orthodox communities in places where Christianity is a minority faith.

The call to Mission is one that we, as Orthodox Christians, all share. It can be found in Scripture (Matthew 28:19-20), and has been part of the rich tradition of Orthodoxy from the beginning. Those interested are invited to answer the call to mission by supporting the OCMC or by volunteering for an Orthodox Mission Team.

The Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) is the official international mission agency of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA). Its purpose is to encourage, support and facilitate the establishment and development of self-supporting, Eucharistic Orthodox Christian communities worldwide, thus incorporating the person into the fullness of a life in Christ. For more information on OCMC's Orthodox Mission Teams, contact the Mission Center at 1-877463-6784 or by e-mail at teams@ocmc.org. You can also find details regarding next years Mission Team opportunities by visiting www.ocmc.org/teams.

Conference in Detroit outlines Orthodoxy for Anglicans

2007-02-25T14:27:00.000Z

By Fr. John Parker

Detroit, Feb 04, 2007. Nineteen degrees and snowing. An ecumenical affair: Orthodox Christians addressing curious Anglicans and Episcopalians in a Roman Catholic retreat center that shares a parking lot with an Orthodox Monastery of Romanian and American monks. Inside the retreat is a bustle of 90 or so attendees who traveled to Detroit from warmer climes, Florida included. Others are from South Carolina, Maryland and Illinois. A few came to warm up in Detroit, having crossed their southern border from Toronto. The most amazing of the attendees, in my opinion, was a former Episcopal priest - a woman - who has come to understand the way of the ancient church and renounced her ordination in order to enter the Orthodox faith.

Last Monday and Tuesday, I had the privilege of taking part in this fascinating conference. "Faith of Our Fathers: a Colloquium on Orthodoxy for Anglicans" was organized with the blessing and encouragement of the Most Rev. Nathaniel Popp, archbishop of Detroit and the Romanian Episcopate of the Orthodox Church in America.

Archbishop Nathaniel had been approached by several local Episcopalians and neighboring Canadian Anglicans who asked, "How can you help us?" a question rooted in both the recent and centuries-old scandals and struggles that are plaguing the Anglican Communion worldwide.

The archbishop made it very clear in his keynote address on Monday that the conference was not intended or organized in any way to solicit Episcopalians to the Orthodox Church, but rather was an answer to a profound request for guidance and assistance. Nathaniel's biblical foundation for the conference, he elaborated, was the Parable of the Good Samaritan. He noted that the traveler did not cry out for help, but rather lay beaten on the roadside. It was the Samaritan who took note of the bloodied man, had compassion on him and made arrangements for his recovery.

The conference was structured around four basic lectures: "Theology," "Liturgy," "Culture and Tradition" and "Practical Considerations." Each was preceded by a brief account of a personal journey to Orthodoxy. The speakers were predominantly former Episcopalians, most of them now Orthodox priests. The lineup included Charleston native Fr. Gregory Mathewes-Green (who, along with the present dean of the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul, The Very Rev. William McKeachie, co-authored the Baltimore Declaration); his wife, Frederica, also a Charlestonian and well-known columnist, speaker and author of books such as "Facing East" and "The Illumined Heart"; and Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon, one-time professor at Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry and present lecturer at the Nashotah House Seminary.

The Rt. Rev. Mark Maymon, Bishop of Toledo and the Midwest of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America, shared with the conference participants his engaging arrival to the Orthodox Church. The bishop made his way from Roman Catholicism to charismatic Christianity, finally studying at and then teaching at Oral Roberts University. His ever-deepening studies of the Old Testament, along with engaging conversations with an Orthodox professor at Oral Roberts, led him to embrace the ancient church, in which he now serves as a hierarch.

A third bishop, the Rt. Rev. Tikhon Mollard, bishop of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania of the Orthodox Church in America, shared briefly about how his life is "made very interesting" by the fact that his mother serves as an Episcopal priest.

I believe it is safe to say that very few of the conference attendees came to hear about the Orthodox Church and faith for the first time. Many appeared to know a significant amount already and have developed friendships with Orthodox clergy and laypeople in their respective hometowns. There were, however, a few difficult questions that required delicate responses - though the answers remain unchanging.

One fellow from Canada asked, for example, why the Orthodox Church practices what many call "closed Communion," allowing only those members of the Orthodox Church to receive Communion in their services. Several speakers explained this commonly misunderstood and challenging pastoral matter. In fact, in the Orthodox Church, not even all Orthodox can or ought to receive Communion at any given service. Our discipline is to serve those who have prepared themselves by prayer, fasting and recent confession, taking very seriously St. Paul's exhortation to the church in Corinth. (1 Corinthians 11:27ff).

The grounds for so-called closed Communion are ancient and simple. First (also a practice abandoned by many non-Orthodox Christians today), one must be baptized to receive it. Baptism is open to all repentant sinners, in the Christian view, and is the doorway into the life of the church. Second, the church always has believed that Communion is the sign of the shared fullness of faith, and not the maker of it. In other words, it makes no sense for a group of people to "have Communion together" that don't believe the same things about who Jesus is, why he lived and died, how we are called - voluntarily - to change for and be changed by God and what the bread and wine become in the liturgy.

In short, in this scenario, there is no "common union" (the meaning of "communion") except the action of eating and drinking something together at the same time.

The inquirer also was somewhat surprised to hear that this was the universal practice and belief of all Christians for 1,500-plus years and for Anglicans until the 1950s or 1960s. It always has been and remains the practice in the Orthodox Church (as well as the Roman Catholic Church, I believe) to this day.

"Faith of Our Fathers" was a conference rooted, at least generally speaking, in Acts 2:42. We shared the teachings of the Apostles. We sat at a table together.

We enjoyed one another's company in fellowship and sang a beautiful Vespers (evening prayer) service on the occasion of the Feast of the Three Holy Hierarchs: St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian and St. John Chrysostom, fourth-century luminaries universally remembered for their essential contributions to Christian theology and preaching.

The talks from this conference will be available for download at www.ancientfaithradio.org, a 24-hour Orthodox Web radio station.

Fr. John Parker is priest-in-charge of Holy Ascension Orthodox Church on the Square in I'On. He can be reached at frjohn@ocacharleston.org or by phone at 881-5010.

This article was printed via the web on 2/8/2007 7:29:46 AM . This Article appeared in The Post and Courier and updated online at Charleston.net on Sunday, February 04, 2007.