| A special invitation has been extended to all clergy and their wives of the Orthodox Church in America to participate in a special webinar titled “Passion-Bearing Doesn’t Have to Ruin Your Health and Marriage” at 1:30 p.m. [EST] on Friday, August 7, 2015. The webinar—available at no cost to participants—is being made available by the Center for Family Care of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Clergy and their wives may register to participate on-line here . Facilitating the webinar will be Deacon Dr. Stephen Muse, who will address the spiritual roots, signs and symptoms of compassion, fatigue and burnout and suggest safeguards to prevent the conditions that are common to those in ministry and their families. “The expertise of Deacon Stephen will be known to many, both from his previous presentations to the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America and his recently published books, When Hearts Become Flame and Being Bread , published by Saint Tikhon’s Monastery Press,” said Priest Nathan Preston, Administrator of the OCA’s Department of Pastoral Life. Deacon Stephen also conducts the week-long “Clergy-in-Kairos” wellness program for clergy and clergy couples at the Pastoral Institute in Columbus, GA. Code for blog Since you are here… …we do have a small request. More and more people visit Orthodoxy and the World website. However, resources for editorial are scarce. In comparison to some mass media, we do not make paid subscription. It is our deepest belief that preaching Christ for money is wrong. Having said that, Pravmir provides daily articles from an autonomous news service, weekly wall newspaper for churches, lectorium, photos, videos, hosting and servers. Editors and translators work together towards one goal: to make our four websites possible - Pravmir.ru, Neinvalid.ru, Matrony.ru and Pravmir.com. Therefore our request for help is understandable. For example, 5 euros a month is it a lot or little? A cup of coffee? It is not that much for a family budget, but it is a significant amount for Pravmir. If everyone reading Pravmir could donate 5 euros a month, they would contribute greatly to our ability to spread the word of Christ, Orthodoxy, life " s purpose, family and society. Also by this author Today " s Articles Most viewed articles Functionality is temporarily unavailable. Most popular authors Functionality is temporarily unavailable. © 2008-2024 Pravmir.com |
| One of the major ways the Serbian population contributed to Los Angeles was through their construction work. " At one time, the entire Southern California construction [business] was dominated by contractors and workers of Serbian heritage, " Cheyovich explained. " The freeways, pipelines, sewer drains and street projects have barriers inscribed with the names you see in this cemetery. They helped build Los Angeles. " Their numbers increased after the destruction and economic ruin of World War One forced more Serbians out of their homelands in search of a better life. A particularly interesting refugee was His Serene Highness Prince George Imerentinsky. A handsome Georgian royal, he was a prince of the Bagrationi dynasty of the Imereti. He grew up in Moscow and became a page of honor to the Russian Czar in 1892. After a military career as a lieutenant colonel, he went into exile after the Russian Revolution. He settled in Los Angeles, one of a number of former royals and aristocrats to do so. He died in 1932, and was buried in the Serbian Cemetery, a simple flat stone the only marker of this once highly decorated man. By the early 1950s, more and more Serbian-Americans (including many new immigrants fleeing communist regimes after World War Two) were moving to the more hospitable, middle-class suburbs of the San Gabriel Valley. In 1963, a new church hall was built in San Gabriel. Services and activities were increasingly moved to the new hall. In 1984, a grand new St. Sava Church was built in San Gabriel. The old St. Sava continued to be used, primarily as a funeral chapel. The cemetery remained the main resting place for Serbians in the Los Angeles area. Holy men of the Serbian Orthodox Cemetery were buried at the cemetery, including Bishop Gregory Udicky, Father Vladimir Mrvichin, Father Marko Malovrazich and Father Mirko Vuisich. A Continuing Legacy I can only say that the early pioneers would be so proud that their sacrifices were not in vain. The membership and officers continue to strive to perpetuate ideals that they had instituted. They maintain intense fervor to maintain the grounds as they were intended. Each year, we have a number of burials but we continue to initiate new members who are desirous of participating and also choose this as their final resting place.- Iliya Cheyovich |
| Fill the lined mould with quark mixture Cover with cheesecloth Place a light weight on top Place the paskha-mould in refrigerator for overnight, letting the extra liquid run out into a bowl underneath the mould (see pictures above). The longer you strain the quark in advance, the less liquid will come out of the final paskha, resulting in a firmer, more even-shaped dessert. On the next day, uncover the paskha mould and place a serving platter on top of it. Holding the platter firmly against the mould, turn the mould and the platter upside down. Open the mould and carefully remove it, letting the paskha slide on the platter. Gently peel off the cheesecloth from the surface. Store the unmoulded paskha in refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap. It will keep for a few days. Paskha is traditionally served spread thickly on a slice of kulich – a special Russian Easter cake. In picture on right: paskha on a slice of kulich. Note: instead of kulich, you may serve Italian panettone bread or some other rich, soft and flavourful sweet yeast bread with paskha. Never use vanilla extracts or essences to flavour paskha. Because the essences are made by steeping vanilla pods in alcohol, they always give a strong, bitter taste of alcohol to the paskha mixture, overpowering the very delicate taste of sweetened quark. The quality of the essence/extract has no significance, even the best products will ruin the dish. Code for blog Since you are here… …we do have a small request. More and more people visit Orthodoxy and the World website. However, resources for editorial are scarce. In comparison to some mass media, we do not make paid subscription. It is our deepest belief that preaching Christ for money is wrong. Having said that, Pravmir provides daily articles from an autonomous news service, weekly wall newspaper for churches, lectorium, photos, videos, hosting and servers. Editors and translators work together towards one goal: to make our four websites possible - Pravmir.ru, Neinvalid.ru, Matrony.ru and Pravmir.com. Therefore our request for help is understandable. |
| He was received by the Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic; also attending was the Serbian Patriarch Pavle. On this occasion, Archbishop Christodoulos congratulated the Serbian Prime Minister for the return of religious studies to the educational system of Serbia. The main topic of the meeting was the political and economic reconstruction of society. It was concluded that the reconstruction is impossible without the ethical and moral renewal; the interlocutors were unanimous about these findings. Minister of Education G. Knezevic, Minister of Religion V. Milovanovic and representatives of traditional churches and religious communities have expressed satisfaction with the re-introduction of religious education in public elementary and high schools, a symbolic beginning of the lecture was October 31, 2001. At a joint press conference, Minister of Religion V. Milovanovic said that after 55 years of waiting and nine months of hard work this aspect of human freedom is again finding its place in Serbia. He pointed out that religious education was elected by 80,000 students, of which 80 percent were Orthodox, seven or eight percent Muslims, two percent Catholics, and others were members of other religious communities. Many politicians were included in the process of restoring religious education in state schools in Serbia, but the fact is that the Serbian government " s decision was not political, but rather of a social character. Before World War II, religious education was taught in public schools by the teachers of the Orthodox, Catholic, Muslim, Protestant religions, etc. In Serbia, religious education is an expression of the right to freedom of worship and multi-religious society. Before the return of religion in Serbian schools, some politicians fought against the idea, and later tried to ruin the reputation and importance of the process. Some media reported a part of the interview Cedomir Jovanovic, the former Serbian deputy prime minister, gave to television “B92” in April 2005. |
| The eastern and western parts are separated from each other by a wall. The western part was restored in the early 20th century, some services are still celebrated there and it has a collection of clerical effigies. Today’s Galilee chapel is the former medieval chantry chapel previously attached to the western part of the church—it fell into ruin in the centuries following the Reformation and it was decided to restore it only a few years ago. The solemn opening and consecration of the splendidly restored two-storied Galilee Chapel with the visitors’ center and research hall took place in November 2013 with the participation of the Archbishop of Wales and many prominent guests. The restored Galilee Chapel in Llantwit Major Llantwit Major - inscribed Celtic stones in Galilee Chapel The crosses displayed in the Galilee Chapel date from the ninth and tenth centuries and are diverse in shape and decoration. Perhaps the earliest relic among these is the sixth-or seventh-century “Samson’s stone” containing an inscription from the hand of St. Samson of Dol and this inscription mentions St. Illtyd. Previously most of these crosses and stones had been housed either in the western part of the church, the churchyard or even private gardens. Interestingly, it was decided to refurbish the Galilee chapel in such way that all the previously ruined fabrics and details be retained and the new fabric only slightly affect them. The chapel now also displays the history of Christianity in Llantwit Major throughout the centuries. Indeed few churches in Wales can offer such a wide range of monuments, artefacts and history as Llantwit Major. When the co-founder of Methodism, John Wesley (1703-1791), visited this church in 1777, he remarked that it was the most beautiful church in the country. In July 2014 the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall made a royal visit to the Galilee Chapel in Llantwit. Now ecclesiastic figures, lecturers, researchers and simple faithful come to this church. |
| A typical “Close Encounter of the First Kind” involved two Portage County, Ohio, deputy sheriffs in 1966. About 5 a.m. on the morning of April 16, after stopping to investigate a parked car on a country road, they saw an object “as big as a house” ascending to tree-top level (about 100 feet). As it approached the deputies it became increasingly bright, illuminating the area all around, then stopped and hovered over them with a humming sound. When it moved away they pursued it for some 70 miles into Pennsylvania, at speeds of up to 105 miles per hour. Two other police officers saw the object clearly at a higher elevation before it went straight up and disappeared about dawn. Congressional pressure forced “Project Blue Book” to investigate this case; it was “explained” as an “observation of Venus,” and the officers who saw it were subjected to considerable ridicule in the press, leading to the breakup of one officer’s family and the ruin of his health and career ( The UFO Experience, pp. 114–124). Personal tragedies of this kind among people who have “Close Encounters” with UFOs are so common that they should definitely be included in the “typical characteristics” of this phenomenon. “Close Encounters of the Second Kind” (CE-II) are essentially similar to CE-I experiences, with the one difference that they leave some striking physical and/or psychological effect of their presence. These effects include marks on the ground, the scorching or blighting of plants and trees, interference with electrical circuits causing radio static and the stoppage of automobile engines, discomfort to animals as evidenced by strange behavior, and effects on humans which include temporary paralysis or numbness, a feeling of heat, nausea, or other discomfort, temporary weightlessness (sometimes causing levitation), sudden healings of sores and pains, and various psychological and physical after-effects, including strange marks on the body. This kind of UFO encounter gives the greatest possibility for scientific investigation, since in addition to human testimony there is physical evidence that can be examined; but little investigation has actually been undertaken, both because most scientists are afraid to get involved in the whole question of UFOs, and because the evidence itself is usually inconclusive or partially subjective. |
| Moreover, the Church of Christ, through its teaching and the grace of the Holy Spirit abiding in her, enables the faithful to perfect themselves morally and make their conscience more discerning and sensitive. This is one of the high goals of our Christian life, as Jesus Christ said in the Sermon on the Mount: «Blessed are those whose hearts are pure; they shall see God» (Matt. 5:8). Through a clear conscience, as through a clear crystal, God " s light enters our soul and permeates its every corner. As long as this light remains in us, it guides our thoughts, elevates our feelings, strengthens our will, and helps us in every good undertaking. Through this blessed illumination, many Christians become instruments of God " s providence. When this happens, a Christian not only enjoys spiritual blessings, but also becomes an instrument of salvation to others. Church history illustrates this with innumerable examples in the lives of its Saints like Seraphim of Sarov, John of Kronstadt, Elder Ambrosy of Optina, Saints Herman and Innocent of Alaska, Blessed Xenia of Petersburg, Archbishop John of San Francisco [Maximovich], and others who saved so many souls. In conclusion, a clear conscience is a well-spring of all Divine blessings. People with clean hearts enjoy inner peace; they are gentle and benevolent. It seems that already in this temporary life, filled with trials and turmoil, God gives them a foretaste of the Kingdom of Heaven. As Saint John Chrysostom puts it: «Not fame and wealth, not great power and physical strength, not a magnificent table and elegant clothing, not any other human advantage can bring true happiness. This comes only from spiritual health and a clear conscience.» Some quotations about conscience There is no witness so dreadful, no accuser so terrible as the conscience that dwells in the heart of every man (Polybius, c. 208–126 BC, History, bk. XVIII, 43). Wisdom entereth not into a malicious mind, and science without conscience is but the ruin of the soul. (Francois Rabelais, c. 1494–1553, Gargantua and Pantagruel, bk. II, 8) |
| After a long interval, Hermes again comes back to the subject of the gods which men have made, saying as follows: But enough on this subject. Let us return to man and to reason, that divine gift on account of which man has been called a rational animal. For the things which have been said concerning man, wonderful though they are, are less wonderful than those which have been said concerning reason. For man to discover the divine nature, and to make it, surpasses the wonder of all other wonderful things. Because, therefore, our forefathers erred very far with respect to the knowledge of the gods, through incredulity and through want of attention to their worship and service, they invented this art of making gods; and this art once invented, they associated with it a suitable virtue borrowed from universal nature, and being incapable of making souls, they evoked those of demons or of angels, and united them with these holy images and divine mysteries, in order that through these souls the images might have power to do good or harm to men. I know not whether the demons themselves could have been made, even by adjuration, to confess as he has confessed in these words: Because our forefathers erred very far with respect to the knowledge of the gods, through incredulity and through want of attention to their worship and service, they invented the art of making gods. Does he say that it was a moderate degree of error which resulted in their discovery of the art of making gods, or was he content to say they erred? No; he must needs add very far, and say, They erred very far. It was this great error and incredulity, then, of their forefathers who did not attend to the worship and service of the gods, which was the origin of the art of making gods. And yet this wise man grieves over the ruin of this art at some future time, as if it were a divine religion. Is he not verily compelled by divine influence, on the one hand, to reveal the past error of his forefathers, and by a diabolical influence, on the other hand, to bewail the future punishment of demons? For if their forefathers, by erring very far with respect to the knowledgeof the gods, through incredulity and aversion of mind from their worship and service, invented the art of making gods, what wonder is it that all that is done by this detestable art, which is opposed to the divine religion, should be taken away by that religion, when truth corrects error, faith refutes incredulity, and conversion rectifies aversion? |
| As a result of her participation in WWI, Russia suffered financial ruin and widespread demoralization. There was a huge number of casualties at the front, and back at home there was widespread famine, while the empire fell apart at the seams. Already Russia was suffering much turmoil from some members of the aristocracy and intelligentsia who had turned their backs on Christ and Orthodoxy, and who instigated revolution, dissent and a reign of terror and murder of government officials. The last tsar of Russia, Nicholas II, was on his way back from the front when he was convinced to abdicate in favor of his brother, the Grand Duke Michael. When Michael refused to accept the throne, the monarchy collapsed, signaling the final deathblow to the Great Russian Empire. What resulted was sheer anarchy and chaos. There was widespread looting, crime and destruction, while various revolutionary groups struggled for control of the government. The sailors in Kronstadt revolted, the criminals were freed from the prisons, and the local police and militia were unable to maintain control and order. There was a massive work stoppage and strikes by factory workers and other laborers. The beautiful and magnificent city of St. Petersburg turned into a filthy and dangerous pig sty. Garbage piled up in the streets. Stores, hotels and various places of business were looted and trashed. Food was scarce. Symbols of the monarchy were destroyed or desecrated, as well as various churches and holy shrines. It was not safe for anyone to walk on the streets without fear of being shot, robbed, assaulted or arrested by the various revolutionary factions vying for control. Eventually the Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were the victors. This resulted in a civil war between the Red Army (Communists or Bolsheviks) and the White Army (those who were loyal to the monarchy). The Communists emerged victorious. Atheist in ideology, the Communists began a widespread assault and attempt to eradicate all vestiges of the monarchy and the Orthodox Church. Members of the aristocracy and clergy were arrested and either executed or sent to perish in forced labor camps. The churches and monasteries were all closed, looted and desecrated. |
| Are you intimidated by modern art, modern architecture, modern music, and modern literature? What you are experiencing or observing is not a new order or some sort of cosmic understanding of reality. What you have in fact encountered is ruin, the lowest common denominator of a culture out of touch with the Creator. This is a culture in which individuals are striving to remake the world in their own image, without restraint and without boundaries, and at the same time attempting to bury the memory of any religious heritage. Underlying it all is despair, and the existential fear that for everything there is no meaning or purpose. Modern Art tends to reinforce this despair and fear and bring culture even lower in a progressive downward spiral. The calling of the Orthodox Christian is not to transcend the material or secular world, living in some imagined mystical isolation from the “profane.” We are to transfigure the material through the spiritual by our life and actions. We are to bring to bear in our immediate environs the Kingdom of God, and thereby assist in remaking the world in His image, and not our own. Alan Bloom in his much vilified (by the intellectual establishment) work The Closing of the American Mind gave a quite Orthodox definition of art and civilization. “Civilization or, to say the same thing, education, is the taming or domestication of the soul’s raw passions – not suppressing or excising them, which would deprive the soul of its energy – but forming and informing them as art.”1 Deacon James serves with Fr. James Bernstein, at St. Paul’s Antiochian Orthodox Church in Brier, Washington. He has been a practicing principal architect for 38 years, and has designed several Orthodox churches, including The All-Merciful Saviour Monastery. Visit Deacon James, and his work, at his own architecture company, The James Bryant Group LLC , or email him directly here: jebryant@frontier.com . Photographs taken from a Deacon James work on Vashon Island, Washington, USA, at All-Merciful Savior Monastery. |
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