News
Webmaster November 2nd, 2009
Brethren:
Please do NOT forget to turn back your clocks one hour Saturday night! Our November 2009 calendar [Eastern Time] is as follows:
Sun. Nov 1st – Orthros/10am Liturgy; Fr. Stefero
Orthodox Discussion Group
Wed. Nov 4th – 7:30pm Bible Study
Sat. Nov 7th – Archangel Michael Banquet in Atlanta
Our Honorees: Alexis Mosjidis & Peter Byrd
Sun. Nov 8th – 9am Orthros/10am Liturgy; Fr. Vastakis
Wed. Nov 11th – 7:30pm Bible Study
Sat. Nov 14th – 10:30am ‘Second Saturday’ Food Bank Distribution &
Pancake Breakfast
Sun. Nov 15th – 9am Orthros/10am Liturgy; Fr. Stefero
Parish Council Meeting
Wed. Nov 18th – 7:30pm Bible Study
Sun. Nov 22nd – 9am Orthros/10am Liturgy; Fr. Vastakis
Wed. Nov 25th – 7:30pm Bible Study
Sun. Nov 29th – 9am Orthros/10am Liturgy; Fr. Stefero
Paper copies of the November calendar may be found on the candle stand in the back of the church and on the bookstore counter in the social hall. Many thanks to all who have adjusted to the new starting time for the Doxology (the first dozen pages we sing in the book) several minutes earlier so our Divine Liturgy may start more promptly at 10am.
Our “Big Event” Greek Dinner for fellowship and to showcase our church to the community was a great success! By all accounts Fr. John’s Presentation was superb. Many thanks to Father, Tom and Francine for all their efforts in organising and making it work so well. Thanks also to our Bible Study group for cleaning, it looked wonderful – Deborah Hunsinger, Tom kubik, Sophia Mann, Claudia Muse, Yiayia Sophia, Beba & Francine for making the pans of pastitsio’s. Everyone listed above again plus Margo & Keith from Atlanta and Tammy, Anthony, Pete for helping with the dinner and clean-up afterward. And last but not least, Presvytera and Georgia Saratsiots for making the koulouraki! As Francine said, “It was hard work, but all worked together well and it was a great success! Thanks to everyone!!!” I’m sure I’ve left some out – as always, please forgive omissions of this sort.
Please take a moment to welcome Stephanie Douglass to the Parish Council – recently sworn in as our replacement for Donna Hesterman. While on the subject, here are a few highlights from the last PC Meeting:
1) Fr John will serve Vespers on Saturday, December 5 and will be available for Confessions/Counseling that afternoon and evening.
2) General Assembly Meeting, Sunday, December 6
· Proposed Budget for 2010
· Nominations for Parish Council
· Goals for the future – short term/long term.
As I recall we were on a three year rotation but Metropolitan Alexios changed that to a two year rotation when Fr Michael Condos came to us. Last year Peter Byrd, Stephen Muse, John Sophocleus and Tom Kubik were up for retirement/re-election. Peter, Stephen, Sophia Mann, and Tom were elected to a two year term. This year, Claudia Muse, Francine Brittingham, and Stephanie will be retired/re-elected for a two year term. If correct, the floor will open to nominations for these three positions.
Fr. John continues his discussion group sessions after our social fellowship on Sundays. Please send your questions/thoughts on topics to Father’s e-mail [JStefero@hotmail.com] or write them down and give them to Father or Tom Kubik at church. Dependent upon response, Father will do one every time he serves in Columbus and would like to keep sessions to about 20 minutes so folks may plan their Sunday schedules accordingly.
Sunday afternoon Confessions (following the Liturgy and Fellowship activities) may be arranged by contacting Fr. John [JStefero@hotmail.com] in advance, so he may anticipate and plan his Sunday afternoons accordingly. We don’t Denise to needlessly worry about father being on the road so much on our behalf.
Father John’s topic for this month’s e-mail is on cremation:
Here is an article on Cremation that I took from a book entitled “A Dictionary of Greek Orthodoxy by Rev. Nicon Patrinacos.
“By cremation we mean the burning rather than the burial of the dead. Burning of the dead was a pagan custom practiced everywhere apart from Egypt, Judea, and China. In modern times cremation was introduced as a general practice during the French Revolution. Later, other countries such as Italy, Germany, and England followed, and crematoria were built. The Roman Catholic Church condemned cremation in 1886. And though at first cremation was introduced for reasons of public health, later on it began to be practiced as a more economical way of disposing of the dead.
Burning the dead was considered with the Hebrews to be an extension of the death penalty and was allowed only as such (Leviticus 20:14-21). It was believed that those of the dead who were not buried were in constant wandering. Talmud (first 5 books of the Old Testament) also prohibits the practice of burning the dead. It was in conformity to this Jewish practice that Christ was buried. An expression from the Old Testament “you are dust and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19) is still used in the Orthodox funeral service, thus establishing the practice of the Church of burying the dead as the only Biblically befitting end of a Christian life. An early witness such as Tertullian unequivocally expresses himself against the burning of the dead, calling it ‘cruelty’ as against burying which he calls ‘an act of mercy for the dead.’
The strongest argument against cremation is believed to be St. Paul’s teaching regarding the resurrection of the dead at the Second Coming of the Lord (I Corinthians 15). The argument is, if the dead according to St. Paul are to be resurrected, how can a body which has been reduced to ashes be resurrected? However, St. Paul’s resurrection of the bodies refers to spiritual rather than to material bodies. Needless to say, the overall strongest argument for burying the Orthodox departed is the fact that Christ, on whose life, death, and resurrection, the entire Orthodox system of belief and practice is based, was buried and bodily resurrected.
It appears, however, that there is no definite dogmatical basis on which the stand of the Church against cremation can be unshakably supported. But in spite of the fact that there is no Synodical (synod of bishops) binding decision of pan-Orthodox authority against cremation, there are definite opinions against it. Also, there are definite rulings prohibiting cremation, on penalty of the departed Orthodox being deprived of the funeral and burial rites. In this respect, the Orthodox teaching regarding the communion of the living and departed members of the Church should be kept in mind. Believing that death is not the end but the beginning of a new life, the Church holds the position of a continuity of life from the moment of birth to the time of the Second Coming of the Lord. Hence, the close bond of the Orthodox between the living and the dead expressed by memorial services, perpetual care of graves and the survival of the names of parents in
the persons of grandchildren.
The Orthodox Liturgy is offered for the remission of sins of both living and dead, and the eternity it promises extends far beyond the grave not only in terms of time but in terms of the living of the dead in the memory and conscience of the Church. It seems that in some cases people who want their dead to be cremated attempt to dissociate themselves from them especially in cases where the ashes are scattered. Orthodox who will for their bodies to be cremated appear to be of a philosophy of life and death not akin to the Orthodox concept of living in Christ. Even though a grave with one’s remains may appear to some to be gruesome, for the people who have loved their dead in life it is the only bond of a continued association that gives a meaning to life far beyond that of merely sustaining and serving one’s physical existence. Thus, the reasons for the Orthodox Church’s prohibition of cremation should be sought in its life and tradition rather
than in dogmatical arguments.”
————————————————————————————————————
In addition to the above, it’s important to note:
- The reason there is such a strong Orthodox reaction to cremation in the historic geographic regions of our faith, is that during the period of the so-called “Enlightenment” in the 18th century, many rationalists who denied the doctrine of the resurrection of the body, chose cremation as a way of expressing their lack of faith. In response, the Churches, both East (Orthodox) and West (Roman Catholic), saw cremation as an attack on this most important teaching of the Church, and prohibited their members from receiving a Church funeral if they were planning to have their bodies cremated. The ruling still stands in the Orthodox Church, with certain exceptions.
- Pagans cremated bodies and thus Christians did not want to do what the pagans did and chose to continue burying bodies.
- The Church’s main objection to cremation is based primarily on the view that it is often used as a symbol of the rejection of the Christian faith (especially those who may not believe in heaven, an afterlife, or the Second Coming of Christ).
- Finally, some people in the early Church emphasized the purity of the soul but the corruption of the body to an extreme. The Orthodox Church believes that both the body and the soul are important (our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit) and so we should treat both of them with the utmost respect.
- On a practical note, some people prefer cremation to save on funeral expenses (casket, transportation of the body, burial plot, etc.).
And this final Food for Thought:
“The most overloaded, desperate people are those who can see no other burdens but their own.”
Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2)
Please keep Fr. John & Denise and Fr. Mike & Presvyterra in your prayers for continued sound health and safe travels to us and all the others they serve. We’re very blessed to have these good shepherds in our spiritual lives.
Our November Epistle readers are:
11/1 Stephanie Douglass [1 Cor 12:27-13:8]
11/8 Marcus Todd [Heb 2:2-10]
11/15 Subdeacon Michael Shepherd [Eph 2:4-10]
11/22 Mandy “Seraphima” Brock [Phil 1:1-25]
11/29 Kelly “Mark” Jolley [Eph 4:1-7].
If you would like to (re)join the group of Epistle readers, please let me know.
The prosphora rotation is:
Nov. 2009 Claudia Muse
Dec. 2009 Tom Kubik
Jan. 2010 Jessica ‘Katherine’ Kitchens
Feb. 2010 Barbara Vogus
And a big “evharisto poli” also goes to Presvyterra Vastakis for her generous provision of prophora for our Liturgies.
The food pantry was again wiped out last month – so please don’t forget to bring your donations for our next “Second Saturday” on November 14th. Many thanks to those who have started to replenish the shelves, please consider giving more generously as part of your Thanksgiving celebration. Many more who now know of our “Second Saturday” distribution depend on us. Evharisto poli to Pete & Maureen Byrd for all their efforts these past years to keep this blessed outreach going. As noted in the calendar above we are planning to have a pancake breakfast in conjunction with this month’s food pantry – anyone interested in participating please contact Tom Kubik [tkubik@wcbradley.com] for details.
Thanks also to Alex Mosjidis for keeping our church website [www.ht-church.com] updated and managing inquiries about Holy Transfiguration. Please keep Cecilia in your prayers to continue to mend well after her surgery. Jorge has also done a splendid job in his efforts toward outreach to our local Hispanic community.
As always, many thanks to Peter Byrd for his continued effort to keep the Church grounds along with all his other duties. We are blessed to have these two good servants (Alex & Peter) as our representatives/recipients of the 2009 Archangel Michael Award this year.
Thanks to Mike Kamar for his continued faithful duty in tending to candles and ushering. Evharisto Poli again to Stephen Muse for leading our Bible Studies, running the bookstore and serving in the Altar. It is wonderful to have Subdeacon Michael serving and being our “go to man” to help getting Ft. Benning soldiers to our liturgies.
Thanks also to Natalie Bowman, Francine Brittingham, Sophia Mann for all their efforts to educate our children in Christ as we begin a new cycle.
A big evharisto poli to all who so generously donate inputs and clean-up efforts to our social fellowships after services, the Allens, Byrds, Natalie Bowman, Yiayia Sophia, Tom Kubik, Stephanie Douglass, Deborah Hunsinger, Francine Brittingham, Sophia Mann, Barbara Vogus, the Muses, to name a few.
It’s time to sign up for College Conference South 2009 at the Diakonia Center in South Carolina. Wonderful speakers are lined up for the event (including our keynote Fr. Jon Braun), dances, service projects, fellowship, new (and old) friends, church services, and other fun activities.
When: Dec. 27-31
Where: Diakonia Center in SC
Cost: $325 for students
$375 for alumni
(Scholarships are Available)
As usual, any suggestion(s) for improvement, corrections, edits and/or additions would be greatly appreciated so I may improve. Hopefully the monthly announcements are less botheration in your e-mailboxes. Prof. Kelly “Mark” Jolley
Keep Mike Pappafotis, Felicity Allen, Brandon & Viktoriya Cantrell, Nick Vogus and George Saad in your prayers. We also ask for your prayers for Maureen Byrd’s sister Nancy recently diagnosed with cancer and Jeri ‘Maude’ Earnest, who is the daughter of Luke & Felicity Allen. She has been ill for weeks and there is no definitive diagnosis and has recently undergone surgery to determine the cause of her problems.
In closing, and perhaps most important of all, please keep all those in our Armed Forces in your prayers – may they continue to serve us well and return home safely to their families and all those they hold dear in God’s speed.
Your fellow servant of God,
John Sophocleus.
PS: Here is some more from Fr. John on the Prayers for the Dead
At every Divine Service, the Holy Orthodox Church offers up prayers for her departed children. Special prayers and troparia are read at Compline (Night Service) and Nocturns (Midnight Service), and at Vespers and Matins the departed are remembered in the Litany of Fervent Supplication. At the Divine Liturgy the departed are commemorated at the Proskomedia, in the Litany following the Gospel and when “It is truly meet…” is sung. In addition, it is customary to have a Service for the departed on Saturdays, unless this coincides with a feast on that day.
1. Early Christians expressed their concern for the repose of the souls of their beloved by works of charity and love and by personal and communal prayers. The Apostolic Constitutions recommended that part of the possessions of a dead person be distributed to the poor in his ‘memory.’ St. John Chrysostom, Jerome, Tertullian and others, also recommend almsgiving in memory of the dead although they believe that this and other good works for the repose of the soul of the dead also benefit the doers. Another kind of memorial was the gathering on the graves of the dead or in the church, and the serving of meals known as ‘makariai’ (meals in memory of) that are still held by many in the church hall following burial.
2. Remembrance on the 3rd, 9th, and 40th days after a person’s death.
Saint Simeon of Thessalonica says the following in On Things Done for the Departed:
“The Third Day Service is celebrated for the reason that the departed one received his being through the Trinity and having passed to a state of good being and being changed he shall (at the Resurrection) appear in his original state or one superior.
The Ninth Day is celebrated that his spirit dwell together with the holy spirits – the angels – being immaterial and naturally similar to them – for these spirits are nine in number and by them (the orders) they triply proclaim and praise the God in Trinity – and so that he may be united with the holy spirits of the Saints.
The Fortieth Day is celebrated because of the Savior’s Ascension – which came to pass after so many days after His Resurrection – in the sense that the reposed, a it were, having also risen and having ascended – being caught away in the clouds, shall meet the Judge and thus being united with Him he should ever be with the Lord
(I Thessalonians 4:17)
The end of the year (1-year) is celebrated because it is the consummation, and our God, the Trinity, is the Life of all and the Cause of being, and shall be the Restoration of all and the Renewal of human nature.”
3. In addition to these personal days for remembrance of the departed, the Church has also set aside a number of universal days of commemoration. These are:
Meatfare Saturday
2nd, 3rd, and 4th Saturdays of Great Lent
Tuesday of St. Thomas Week
Trinity Saturday (Saturday before Holy Pentecost)
Saturday before the feast of St. Demetrius on October 26th
4. The Orthodox Church from biblical times, has offered prayers for the dead. They are offered on the basis of the fact that the Church is one, but found both on earth (the Church Militant) and in heaven (the Church Triumphant). Since as members of the Church we are obligated to pray for each other, there is no reason why we may not pray for the dead. However, it is another issue as to the actual consequences of our prayers for the dead. For you see, the Church also teaches that all which we do for salvation must be done in this life. According to Church teaching there is no movement from damnation to salvation in the life to come, nor is there a continuation of spiritual development.
Then what effect can our prayers have for the dead? We have only the response that somehow they help by providing comfort and assistance. We do not know precisely the nature of that assistance, but we trust the mercy of God, that He will hear our prayer for our beloved dead. But this is not so unusual. Even as we pray for things in this life, we never know in advance just what kind of answers our prayers will receive. Our prayers do not produce predictably automatic results. It is the same with our prayers for the dead. Needless to say, our prayers for the dead also have an impact on us: they remind us of those who have gone on; we have the sense of fulfilling a responsibility toward them individually, we come into communion with the Church Triumphant; and, not insignificantly, we are reminded of our own eventual death and our responsibility to prepare for it and to be ready for it.
5. Kollyva are closely connected with memorial services for the benefit of one’s departed. Their origin goes back to the time of Julian the Apostate when in 362 he withdrew from the market in Constantinople food-stuffs prescribed for the first day of the Great Lent, Clean Monday, and ordered that they be substituted with ‘polluted sacrificial food’ in an attempt to enforce upon the people paganism of which he was an ardent supporter. But Saint Theodore suggested to Patriarch Eudoxios that he ordain boiled wheat (already called Kollyva) as a substitute to Lenten food-stuffs taken from the market by emperor Julian. Since then kollyva, having become connected with celebrating the memory of saints, were brought to church and were blessed by the priest during memorial prayers known today as Memorial Services.
Today’s kollyva consist of boiled wheat mixed with seeds of pomegranate (in warm climates) and decorated in a platter with sugar covering, raisings, and perhaps herbs. A cross is traced on top, and on its sides are the initials of the departed for whom the memorial is held. The kollyva are distributed to the congregation after the service, who in return say, ‘may God forgive his or her soul!’
The Kollyva are symbolic of the resurrection of the dead on the day of the Second Coming of the Lord. St. Paul said, ‘what you sow does not come to life unless it dies,’ (I Corinthians 15:34), and St. John, ‘unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit’, (John 12:24). Thus, as the wheat is buried in the soil and disintegrates without really dying but is later regenerated into a new plant that bears much more fruit than itself, so the Christian’s body will be raised again from the very corruptible matter from which it is now made; however, it will be raised not in its previous fleshy substance but in an incorruptible essence which ‘will clad the mortal body with immortal garment’, in the words of St. Paul (I Corinthians 15:53). The Kollyva, then, symbolize the Apostolically rooted hope in the resurrection of the dead as the only eventuality that gives meaning and
attains
the longed perfection on the part of the individual who takes his life to be a divinely ordained meaningful living for ever.
- Taken from A Dictionary of Greek Orthodoxy and The Faith We Hold