DIOCESE OFNEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY

ORTHODOX CHURCHIN AMERICA

"Give me this water, that I may not thirst..." – John 4:15

Fall 2003

T H R E E Q U E S T I O N S

T H R E E A N S W E R S

When is the best time to do each thing? Who are the mostimportant people to work with? What is the most importantthing to do at all times?

When, Who and What - these are the concerns raised by acertain king in Leo Tolstoy’s story, “Three Questions,” and hewas willing to offer a great reward to anyone who could providehim the answers. A number of people came forward, but not sat-isfied with any of their responses he decided to consult a hermitwell known for his wisdom. Since the hermit would only receivecommon folk, the king put on simple clothes, left his bodyguardbehind, and entering the woods to the hermit’s cell alone heencountered the hermit and certain events that would foreverchange him.

You can read the whole story on our website, but for nowhere’s what he learned from the hermit concerning the questionsof when, who, and what: “There is only one time that is impor-tant — Now! It is the most important time because it is the onlytime when we have any power. The most necessary man is he withwhom you are, for no man knows whether he will ever have deal-ings with any one else: and the most important affair is, to do himgood, because for that purpose alone was man sent into this life!”

How these questions and answers actually get worked out inlife is the theme of our issue. William Southrey discusses theefforts accomplished at the Atlantic City Rescue Mission.Deacon Michael Sochka describes the training he has receivedfrom the Red Cross in offering pastoral care during a disaster.Julia Raboteau explains the ministry of hospitality that takesplace at Souls in Motion, a day rehabilitation program that sheworks at in Harlem. Stephen Keeler presents the life of ChiuneSugihara - Japanese diplomat, Orthodox Christian, and liberatorof thousands of Jews in 1940. Robert Pianka of InternationalOrthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) examines these issues inthe context of the unique features of Orthodox philanthropy.

One could easily explore this theme in the life and long min-istries of Fr. John Nehrebecki and Fr. Paul Shafran whose retire-ments are presented. We learn more about the activity of someof our Diocesan parishes and hear about the visit of the Spirit ofOrthodoxy Choir to Alaska.

Archbishop Peter explores the meaning of the word, “Diaspora.”Fr. George Gray reviews an important Vatican document whichanalyzes the “New Age Movement” from a Christian perspective.We feature an interview with Dean John Erickson of St. Vladimir’sSeminary, who among other things offers suggestions for interac-tion between our Diocese and the Seminary.

This is our first issue since the summer of 2002 and I apolo-gize to those who have sent older materials that we were unableto include. Limitations in Diocesan funding and some periodsof creative inertia prevented us from putting out an issue anysooner. We hope to be on a more regular cycle from now on.

When pressed once on his acknowledgement that none of usis perfect and asked about his own flaws and shortcomings, FredRogers, host of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” responded inthe following way: “I’m trying to be a better appreciator. I’m justconvinced that God wants us to find whatever we can that is ofvalue in the person we happen to be with at the moment.”

This issue is dedicated to all who struggle with Tolstoy’s threequestions and their answers, to all who likewise desire to be ‘bet-ter appreciators,’ finding what we can of value in those whomGod has placed in our lives at the present moment. ❖

C O N T E N T STheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13

Special Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-21

Parish News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22-31

Good & Faithful Servant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

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T H E M E

THREE QUESTIONS - THREE ANSWERSBy Fr. John Shimchick

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Although the term Diaspora is often used inOrthodox ecclesiastical milieus, it is difficult tofind an accurate definition of its meaning. The lit-eral translation of that term into English is

Dispersion; however, one canfind the word Diaspora in dic-tionaries with three closelyrelated explanations: 1) the dis-persion of the Jews after theBabylonian exile; 2) the Jewsthus dispersed; 3) in the time ofthe Apostles, Jewish Christianswho lived outside of Palestine.(Webster’s Dictionary)

In the Old Testament, it firstly refers to the sit-uation of the Israelite people in exile after the cap-ture of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 587 B.C.Later Jews are found everywhere around theMediterranean Basin and in the Middle East up toPersia. But for all the Jews, the country of Israelwas the Promised Land and the temple ofJerusalem was the only legitimate place of sacrifice.So we can understand the sadness of the Psalmistwho proclaims: “How shall we sing the Lord’s songin a foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, letmy right hand wither! Let my tongue cleave to theroof of my mouth” (Psalm 137:4-6).

For the believers in Christ, the position is dif-ferent. They remember very especially the prophe-cy of Jeremiah: “Behold, the days are coming, saysthe Lord, when I will make a new covenant withthe house of Israel, and the house of Judah; notlike the covenant which I made with their forefa-thers . . . But this is the covenant which I will makewith the house of Israel after those days, says theLord: I will put my law within them and I willwrite it upon their hearts and I will be their Godand they shall be my people” (31:31-32, 33-34).This prophecy is obviously mentioned as fulfilledin the New Testament. It is quoted in the epistleto the Hebrews, 8:8-10, and is the theme of thatentire letter. One of the most salient characteris-tics of the New Covenant is its universality basedon the command of Christ before His Ascension:“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of

the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them toobserve all that I have commanded you, and lo, Iam with you always, even to the close of the age”(Matthew 28:19-20).

Those words of Jesus were something so newthat it took some time before their significance wasfully understood and implemented. This wasessentially, but not exclusively, the work of St. Paul,the Apostle of the Nations. He proclaimed theaxiomatic principle of the absence of discrimina-tion in the evangelical spreading: “There is neitherJew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, thereis neither male nor female, for you are all one inChrist Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).

In primitive Christianity, there was a strongconsciousness of the fact that the Church was themessianic community of the end times and it isnoteworthy that St. Peter, in his address to thecrowd on the day of Pentecost, affirmed that thisevent was the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel2:28-32. This expectation of the second coming ofChrist is expressed in the last article of our Creed:“I look for the resurrection of the dead and the lifeof the world to come.” As it can be expected, thisfundamental tenet of our Faith has been reflectednot only in the thought, but also in Christianvocabulary even if, more than often believersignore, or don’t pay attention to, this reality.

Notwithstanding, the reading of HolyScriptures and Patristic literature is evidence of thisfact. For example, St. Peter addresses his first epis-tle: “To the exiles of the Diaspora in Pontus,Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” (I Peter1:1). Later, he calls the believers “aliens and exiles”(ibid 2:11). Such a terminology is common placeamong Christian writers of the early centuries.Besides, until now, we frequently use terms which,etymologically, refer to our condition on earth; it issufficient to mention the word Parish, comingfrom the Greek verb Paroikein which means tosojourn in a place as a pilgrim.

From what I have just expounded, it is obviousthat the contemporary trend to use the termDiaspora to characterize the Orthodox communi-ties established outside territories where the

ARE WE LIVING IN DIASPORA?By Archbishop Peter (L’Huillier)

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Church had been present in Antiquity or duringthe middle Ages is inaccurate and often tenden-tious. Surely, the term Diaspora can be correctlyused to designate the immigrants of a certain coun-try and they are entitled to keep their language,their customs, and preserve their cultural heritage.In this area, the local Orthodox community mustbring its useful contribution in organizing liturgi-cal services and cultural activities, within theframework of parishes, and the diocese. Insofar asthe unity, or the unity on the level of the diocese isrespected, it is perfectly acceptable.

This principle was expressed in Antiquity bythe people of Rome when the emperorConstantius proposed that the office of bishop wassplit between two bishops. The Christian peopleproclaimed: “Only one God, only one Christ, onlyone bishop.” It is worthy of note that this ecclesi-ological principle was strictly observed until thesecond half of the nineteenth century and when itwas infringed it was officially condemned as aheresy. It is only in the twenties of the last centu-ry, as a consequence of the Bolshevik revolution,that this anti-canonical situation has affected

America and thereafter other parts of the world.Needless to say, this odd situation raised, and con-tinues to raise, numberless, unsolvable problems ofChurch order.

It happens that a misconception sometimesexists in some places about the unity of the Churchuniversal: Unity is viewed as necessarily implyingjurisdictional subordination. Actually, nothingwas more alien to the thought of ancientChristianity. I will give only one example drawnfrom Church History. It is an account of a perse-cution which took place in 177 in Gaul. It startswith the address: “The servants of Christ dwellingat Lyons and Vienna in Gaul to those brethrenin Asia and Phrygia, having the same faith andhope with us; peace and grace and glory from Godthe Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.” It is note-worthy that there is no canonical subordination ofthe Church of Gaul vis-a-vis that of Asia Minor,but there was full communion in faith, love, andsacramental life, and that constitutes the model ofunity which must always prevail in the entireOrthodox Church.❖

THE ATLANTIC CITY RESCUE MISSIONBy William R. Southrey

The agency in which Iserve is the AtlanticCity Rescue Mission,which is a place thatgathers in the commu-nity’s lost and lonelyhomeless people. Interms of Tolstoy’s story,“Three Questions,” inwhich a king asks forwisdom in discerning

the right time to begin everything, the right peopleto listen to, and the most important thing to do,the Mission is a wondrous place through which wehave the opportunity to learn such profound les-sons. Everyday, we serve men, women, and moth-ers with children who have been broken by thepressures of this world, whether by the transgres-sions of others, or by choices that they have madethemselves. For whatever reason, they havebecome disenfranchised from society, utterly hope-less, and in many cases, very near to death.

The right time at the Mission is always now,because the people come through the doors in sucha condition that necessitates immediate attention.They need hope - now. This presents a consider-able challenge to busy staff members that arealready providing care to hundreds of others in thecourse of a day. The Mission is unique in that itoffers hope, in its purest form, to people who haveno hope. The hope exists in the many and vast les-sons in life that shape up our inner most parts, oursouls, into the proper image - that of our Lord andSavior Jesus Christ.

Such pure hope is realized through the processof theosis, that innate desire to partake of thedivine nature; the desire to know intimately thatGod became man that man may become god. It iswhat we offer to those broken souls that end up atthe Mission, and it is why we do what we do. Wemust do it when the opportunity presents itself,which is often; we must recognize that “I” am theright person to offer the hope because I’m with theperson now; and I must offer the most important

The teen group from The Orthodox Church of theHoly Cross, Medford, NJ, visited the mission thissummer, and helped prepare a meal.

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thing, the hope, in order to bring goodness and lifeimmediately to the soul before me that currentlyhas no hope and is facing death.

At the Mission, we’ve many stories thatdemonstrate Tolstoy’s questions. One in particularhappened during this past winter, which was verysevere and brought us many more people to carefor. A man that came to us with feet so frozen thatthey were literally dying off of his limbs, put staffmembers to the test. This man was sent to theMission from a hospital in another county of NewJersey that gave him some medical attention, butthey sent him to us for further care because he wasindigent and couldn’t pay his medical bills. TheMission is not a medical facility, so we addressedhis needs the best we could.

We discovered right away that the hospital hadleft the man’s frozen feet attached to his warmbody, and they were dying slowly, painfully onhim. They blackened and became gangrenous, fullof dead tissue, and a pungent odor. This poor manwas given to us with no help, no hope, and itseemed at that point, no immediate opportunity toget the help he desperately needed. He was fromPoland and did not speak English well, which alsopresented a language barrier.

As I observed staff members attempting to carefor the man, I noticed that they were most con-cerned at first about the overpowering odor from hisdying feet that turned their stomachs and the poten-tial transmission of disease. I understood their con-cerns, however, a person who needed care andencouragement was attached to the black ugliness.

This is what unfolded: Our man needed helpfrom us “now.” He needed the touch of humanhands and the compassion of their hearts. Onestaff member, although still concerned about hisown well being, donned some gloves and began toredress the man’s feet. Quickly he learned that hehad to be extremely careful, because the toes wereabout to snap off and any pressure on the feetcaused them to bleed profusely. Soon a transfor-mation took place in both men. They could feelthe love that was not just of their own hearts, butalso of the very heart of God. I even witnessedglances of appreciation between them. That staffmember realized that the immediate time, “thenow,” was the most important time to love and

care for an ailing and rejected man with body partswithering and dying before his own eyes.

The decision to provide help had a rippleeffect. A man in a bed nearby suffering in anotherway with stage four Hodgkin’s lymphoma, beganto assist by cutting bandages and tape to apply tothe feet. Just moments earlier he had been com-plaining about the very presence of our new guestbecause of the stench. Soon another staff membercame over to help, and still another took it uponhimself to check in on the man on days off toensure his proper care.

All of these staff members, to speak to Tolstoy’ssecond question, became the right people for thisman. And the man was the most important personfor them at that moment as well. Sure, staff mem-bers went on to care for many others throughoutthe day and into the following days. No doubtthey were challenged by others to make their heartsrespond in the fondest way, and in the most gen-uine and loving way to each person, at everymoment. It’s a constant opportunity, and if wedon’t take time for it we risk completely missingthe goodness we might present to another whomay be someone to learn from, someone in whomwe see ourselves, and someone in whom we can seethe image of God.

Finally in the third question, Tolstoy presentsthe purpose, which is to do good for one another.What drove those Mission staff members to putaside themselves and care for the man that hadthrown them back repulsed? It was the desire tofulfill the purpose of doing good to another. Theyhad learned to do what is good in love. They hadlearned to offer hope in its purest form to another,so they might know intimately that God becameman that man may become God, and that our Godhas done so in goodness and love for us. Whatmight have happened if God waited to receive justone person? It would have crushed our hope.

I challenge you to take this to heart and lookat the person with you right now. Realize that thisis the most important person in your presenceright now. Offer him or her some goodness,because now is your right moment to do so! ❖

William Souhrey is a member of St. John ChrysostmMission, currently meeting in Ventnor, NJ. Email: billsouthrey@acrescuemission.org

For more information aboutthe Atlantic CityRescue Mission, call 609-345-5517. If you would like tomake a donation, acheck may be madepayable to theAtlantic City Rescue Mission, P.O. Box 5358,Atlantic City, NJ08404. Or visit our website atwww.acrescuemis-sion.org.

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SOULS IN MOTION/CSSA Place of Hospitality

By Julia Raboteau

Hospitality is making room for another likeMary’s womb made room for Christ, and we singin our hymnography that her womb was made “asspacious as the heavens.”

The umbrella for Souls in Motion is CSS, orCommunity Support System, a day rehabilitationprogram that has been providing psychiatric serv-ices for adults for nearly twenty-five years inHarlem, New York City. CSS is presently housedin a former public high school building called theOberia Dempsey Center along with many other

social services. As a ContinuingDay Treatment Program, our doorsopen early to offer breakfast to ourclients and stay open seven days aweek also providing lunch,Metrocards, reading and writingclasses, recreational activities,counseling and medication. Wealso offer a limited number ofshared living apartments.

Our clinical director, Mr. WillieJames Prescott, was there when

CSS opened its doors in 1979. A consummatefather-type, he runs the program with a healthy bal-ance of compassion and grit and is adored by our100 clients. His personal tone sets the stage for adynamic and caring program.

Our business officer, always immersed in thecomplicated maze of institutional finances, feelsfree to stop and cook a delicious Guianese meal forthe clients. Our clinical coordinator takes a breakfrom writing treatment plans to join us in the exer-cise circle. Retired staff members return to workpart-time. Social work and psychiatric internscome from colleges in New York City. Volunteersoffer their time and gifts.

Souls in Motion is housed in the basement ofthe Dempsey Center, hidden away in a maze ofwinding corridors that culminate in large studiospace that is often mistaken for a museum. Louiseand I began Souls as a haven to promote creativityfor our psychiatric clients, but over the years we seethat it has been a haven for everyone connectedwith our community, including ourselves!

Many people measure mental problems with acultural yardstick. For us, “madness” is fragile,chaotic and frightened energy that is hiding a BigSpirit. For sixteen years we have been able to pro-vide a stable, safe harbor for such a spirit. Webelieve that we feel better about ourselves if we tapinto and reclaim the creative streak that lies at ourcore. We exist to help facilitate that connection byencouraging expression in the creative arts as wellas in the interaction between human beings.

Before I came to Harlem to work, I read a sev-enteen year study of a mental patient, SylviaFrumpkin, that first appeared in four installmentsin The New Yorker by Susan Sheehan called “IsThere No Place On Earth For Me?” and wasamazed by the random chaos and downward spiralthat characterized this woman’s life. Each dayLouise and I try to answer this plea with a resound-ing “Yes!” there is a place, at Souls in Motion!

Our gifts define our respective roles in the stu-dio. Louise is the Mother of the Hearth and cookstwo delicious, healthy meals a day, tends to ourmenagerie of animals, directs the sewing projectsand leads us in Qi Gong. I am the Architect of theSpace and promote art, take photographs, overseethe Souls Press, and tend the garden. By nature, Iam more Martha and Louise more Mary, but overthe years we have grown to be some of both.Although we look quite different physically, it iscommon for people to confuse us and call us byeach other’s names.

In vintage Raboteau style my husband Al wrotethis description for our community: “Souls inMotion/CSS, a studio space in Harlem, a place toawaken and nourish the artistic spirit within each ofus, a space for painting, for cooking, for writing, forstretching, for sewing, for the fine art of listening,for silence and reflection, a place where each personis welcome, a room of hospitality.” Al is no strangerto our room. He has been teaching a journal-writ-ing seminar called “The Soup Seminar” with theclients for the last eight years.

The actual physical space is enormous anddivided by low partitions that allow visibility intoall of the parts. Everyone can see and hear each

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other easily. This arrangement helps to create amutual respect for the people and the room.Clients who come regularly to work get their owndesk, while others come to enjoy the quiet and thebeauty, sleep off the effects of their various med-ication, interact with our animals or enjoy makingsomething with their hands. We try to offer a bal-ance between privacy and community.

One of the busiest desks in our room belongs toWilliam Turner. From the beginning we were giventhe gift of Mr. Turner who keeps a spiritual pulse onall things. He is able to transform his personal psy-chosis into selfless prayer to God. His sleeplessnights are often spent listening to news on the radioand praying for victims of earthquakes, floods, star-vation, shootings, wars, rapes, global turmoil. Hisfaith in God knows no boundaries. “God is Love” isoften on his lips and in his drawings.

He is also a visionary. He dreamt about the col-lapse of the Berlin Wall the night before it fell, and sawLouise and I in nursing aprons at its edge administer-ing to people while he flew over it in a cape, an imagedear to our hearts that we use on our calling cards. Itwas also prophetic as she and I began an acupunctureprogram three years after he had this dream.

Fifty feet south of William sits another client,Lorna, mother, cook, poet, peer advocate whowants everyone to experience God’s gift of love andwrites poems to steer us in that direction. We pub-lished her first book of poetry “Love Always” that isin now in its third edition. Like William, she isfilled with gratitude for the gift of life and praysdaily at our children’s altar. Many of our clients’children have been raised in the foster care system.Lorna prays from a little book that lists theirnames. She also leads us in intercessional prayer atthe Orthodox altar in the small niche off theacupuncture area, a comforting place to be whenour wounds overwhelm us.

Two of our favorite prayers come from one ofour clients who before she gets out of bed in themorning says “Thank you Lord for another day. Aday I never saw before. And thank you for wakingme clothed in my right mind and for having all theactivity in my limbs,” and then at mealtime con-tinues with “Lord, we thank you for this food. ByThy hands we are softly fed. Give us Lord, ourdaily bread. Amen. Amen.”

One day, when William was way down in thedumps, Lorna wrote him a poem to cheer him upcalled “if i bite you” and it goes “if i bite you, i ain’tgonna let nobody see me bite you, i’d love to hugyou because you’re for real, you know the deal, ilove your laughter, so if you’re gonna bite me,make it snappy” This inspired poem became thetitle for our first published Souls’ anthology thatfeatured prayers of thankfulness.

The Tibetan Buddhists believe that mental ill-ness comes from immense unkindness to peoplewhen they were children. There can never beenough kindness to make up for the deep afflictionsof painful childhoods. For us, at Souls in Motion,hugs are 98% of our job, and almost everyonewants one. Louise and I love the aesthetic beauty inthe studio, but we know that themain deal is the hugging. My “off”days in the community are thosewhen I forget this lesson.

Lorna, skeptical of treatmentcenters, found us through her closefriend James whose enthusiasm forthe studio had convinced her to atleast visit. He promised her thatSouls in Motion/CSS was not likemost “programs.” During our first“interview” with her, we all felt likewe had known each other for years. In 1999 shewrote these words for her presentation at a confer-ence she and I attended called “Our Time HasCome:”

The support I have received has been unbe-lievable. We, the members, are thankful for allthe true love we have received. I have givenmuch thought to this, not only as a humanbeing, but also as a spiritual being. And Ibelieve that Our Almighty Creator has guidedme in my also becoming a peer counselor atCSS/Souls in Motion. I have been basicallydrawn out of the shell that I had been in. Withthe support I have been able to remain out ofthe hospital for five years, which is somethingthat earlier on in life seemed to me to be anunbelievable impossibility. I also give credit tomy hard work on myself, because in order formy medication to work, I have to work withmy inner self as well as my outer self. I wouldlike to see all the clients progress, as they havemany talented abilities.

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Lorna has the added support of one of ourmost endearing volunteers, Libbie, who comes togive her acupuncture once a week. As a graduate ofthe CSS program, Lorna chose to stay and redefineher role in the program. She apprentices withLouise in the kitchen learning to cook and eathealthy food, develops ideas with me for the greet-ing card business she hopes to have one day withher younger daughter, and has received peer advo-cacy training. She finds that her acupuncture treat-ments are helping to improve both her physical andmental health, a key to realizing future goals.

Compassionate like his friend Lorna, James canpull himself out of his own depression to sootheanother person’s suffering. Once he told me that ifhe hadn’t been eaten alive by mental depression andguilt, he would have become a social worker or atherapist in a school. I told him that he was alreadyone, and that his generosity was indispensable atCSS. Presently, he is at a state hospital and thewhole community misses him and prays for him.

His gentle nature was acknowledged by Jack,our resident rabbit, who would make a suddenstop to let James pet him as he hopped around our8500 square feet that make up his studio habitat.Over the long span of his life, he has only let a pre-cious few people pet him. With fierce bared teethand sharp grunts, he set clear guidelines for touch-ing early on. He courts Louise by chewing on hervelvet pant legs and used to circle Orville, a formerclient, during his extensive philosophical pacing.He has definitely taught me about my rough edgesby only recently in his tenth year, now blind withcataracts and survivor of a mini-stroke, allowingme finally to pat his head.

However, it is Ballerina, our white cat withsoulful eyes, who is queen of our roost. Scruffy andthin, she was sighted hanging out in the parkinglot during the Raboteau wedding reception thatwas held at Souls in Motion. We adopted her justweeks before she gave birth to five kittens in a boxunder the computer. After some serious nutrition-al food from Louise, her sleek body could be seenin the aviary watching our three red slider’s swim-ming about, darting out playfully at Jack as hehopped by and lying with Fred, our AfricanLeopard tortoise, under his heat lamp.

Her calm energy is a balm for our room andideal for those clients who are afraid of cats. She

allows gentle petting, alerts us to visitors enteringthe room, lies in the middle of our morning QiGong circle, kneads sore abdomens during or aftera Pilates or acupuncture session, and sleeps muse-like in the large basket in the middle of the roundtable for the writing class.

Besides learning from our animals, we get les-sons from each other. One of our most delightfulteachers is Ethel whose deep faith in God andimmense love of life inspires us when life looksgrim. Her buoyancy is a gift for the chronicdepression that her husband James wrestles with.For many years their admirable marriage has beena model for other CSS couples. Against the graygrid that is Harlem, the difficulties of mental ill-ness, and the pain in being separated from her hus-band, she sits in the green grass flanking theHudson River to calm herself and lights her can-dles in prayer at night. Her faith is deep and herspirit intrepid.

Al and I are believers of linking up differentcommunities for the benefit of both of them, eachone with its distinctive gifts to offer the other.Lorna, James and Ethel and a few others havestayed with us in Princeton and visited our church,Mother of God, Joy of All Who Sorrow OrthodoxMission. One of our elder clients spends a weekwith us during Nativity and Pascha. Two years ago,our choir, priest, and parishioners from Princetonvisited Souls in Motion during one of our holidaysales. Many folks from our Orthodox communi-ty-at-large have visited us. Distance and busynessare deterrents to implementing this dream but weare always on the lookout for new opportunities.

Over the sixteen years, we have “reinvented”the room many times trying to be sensitive to theneeds of the people who are using it. Many havebenefited from our stable yet flexible environment.One year when it looked as if the entire programmight close or change for the worst, we realizedhow fragile our creation really was. A closeOrthodox friend consoled me by saying “Youknow, it will be okay, ‘Souls in Motion’ is a place inthe heart.” ❖

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Oskar Schindler and Raoul Wallenberg areamong the most commonly known people whohave been recognized as taking extra-ordinary per-sonal risks to help Jews and others targeted forextermination by Adolf Hitler and his NationalSocialist Worker’s Party in Germany, 1933-1945.

Perhaps the least well known is a Japanese diplo-mat, Chiune Sugihara (d. 1986), who only later in lifeadmitted to his own heroic actions, and was recog-nized in 1985 by the State of Israel with its highesthonor. Even less well known is thatSugihara was a convert to Orthodoxy.

Born on January 1, 1900,Sugihara enrolled in Tokyo’s WasedaUniversity, which to this day is con-sidered to be one of Japan’s top pri-vate institutions with a flair forinternational affairs. He studiedEnglish, and then was received intothe Foreign Ministry. An accom-plished linguist, he was sent in the1920s to the Japanese language insti-tute in Harbin, the capital of Manchuria, China.There he learned Russian and converted toOrthodoxy. Such were his skills that he participat-ed in negotiations with Russia for the sale of theManchurian Railway to Japan.

He rose through the diplomatic ranks with thelinguistic and social abilities commensurate withhis positions. Multi-lingual, he was sent toFinland in that late 1930s, and with war pendingwas entrusted to be the one-man consulate forJapan to Lithuania in March, 1939. Six monthslater, Hitler invaded Poland, and refugees pouredinto Lithuania headed east. Then in June 1940,the Soviet Union invaded Lithuania as part of itsspoils from its non-aggression pact with Germany,signed just before the invasion of Poland.

One month later, July 1940, the Soviet gov-ernment informed all foreign consulates inLithuania to leave. Instead of leaving, Sugihararequested and received a 20-day extension, leavingonly himself and his Dutch counterpart as the onlytwo consuls in Lithuania.

These two consuls, along with the Sovietattaché, soon found themselves inundated withrequests from refugees, mostly Polish Jews, whocould emigrate to the Dutch Caribbean. To getthere, they had to pass through the Soviet Unionand Japan. The Soviet Government insisted thatthey have a valid transit visa from Japan in order toexit from the Soviet Union.

Sugihara’s request to issue these visas wasdenied by the Japanese Government three times.

He decided to disobey his superiors,and began on July 29 issuing visas tothe crowds outside his consulate.Night and day he worked, and in theend when he had to leave onSeptember 1, 1940, he threw his visastamp from his train compartment tothe desperate crowd. These “SugiharaSurvivors” were upon arrival in Japaninterred at Kobe, and then scattered,with many Jews staying under the pro-tection of the Japanese government inShanghai, China for much of the war.

Sugihara stayed in the Foreign Ministry until1945, and was then dismissed. Some reports indicatethat this was done unceremoniously, other reportsclaim that he did receive a pension for his services.He then worked for an export company near Tokyofor much of his remaining life, dying in 1986.

These are the common facts of his life availablein English. What remains hidden to this writer todate, and what may be of singular interest to thereaders of Jacob’s Well, is why he converted toOrthodoxy, and what impact his faith may haveplayed in his unique role during World War II.

At a minimum, it is important to not discounthis decision to disobey his superiors. While thismay seem not especially noteworthy in a time ofgreat confusion such as war, such an action formost Japanese would be fraught with tremendoustrepidation. Japan’s historical, literary or culturaltradition contains very little, if any, sense of the“rugged individualism” found in America. Whilewe are familiar with stories embracing the hero who

A HIDDEN LIFE:

A Short Introduction to Chiune SugiharaBy Stephen Keeler

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defies all things in order to save the day, Japanese incontrast are more familiar with hearing of sacrificesnobly made for the greater good. Add to these thenormal expectations of obedience required withinany government ministry, and the magnitude ofSugihara’s defiance cannot be underestimated.

Answers may lie in a formal study of Sugihara’slife, especially his formative ‘20s while stationed inManchuria and its capital, Harbin. We can onlyimagine the lost world of Harbin in the 1920s,which has been devastated over the years byJapanese occupation in the ‘30s, World War II andthe Chinese Civil War in the ‘40s, and the rampantdestruction of Mao and his followers especiallyduring the Cultural Revolution of the ‘60s. Thiswriter recalls Harbin of the 1980s as horribly poor,with architecture and street design a unique mix ofChinese and Russian.

What can be surmised of the milieu Sugiharaencountered in Harbin? What there might have leadhim to Orthodoxy? We know that Harbin in the1920s was filled with White Russian refugees, andbecame an intellectual and cultural center of theWhite Russian diaspora. We know too that theJapanese Orthodox Church was at its peak in Japan,before it was decimated by the purges of the gov-ernment in the 1930s. How these might haveinfluenced Sugihara is unknown, and any insightreaders of Jacob’s Well may have are invited to sendtheir thoughts to the editor for further investigation.

While the complete story of Sughihara’s involve-ment in the Orthodox Church is not clear, it hadand, continues to encourage a response in others.In her autobiography, Visas for Life, Sugihara’s wifeYukiko acknowledges that given he had been bap-

tized as an Orthodox Christian she also agreed tobe baptized, taking the Christian name Maria, andthey were married in February, 1935 in Tokyo.

An article in the Los Angeles Times (September21, 2002) entitled, “Greek Orthodox Cathedral IsReaching Beyond Ethnic Roots,” tells the story ofthe growing interaction between St. Sophia’sChurch and the Latino neighborhood where it islocated. The pastor, Fr. John Bakas, affirmed thatpart of the inspiration for him came in 1995through an invitation from the mayor of LosAngeles to attend a ceremony honoring Sugihara.Learning for the first time about his efforts whichhad saved the lives of thousands of Jews, Fr. Bakasalso heard directly from his family that Sugihara’sactions were “propelled by his faith” as a memberof the Orthodox Church. “‘Here’s a man who didnot take the comfortable road, who reached outbeyond himself and did something sacrificial inproviding service to others at the expense of him-self,’ Fr. John said, tearing up even today as herecounted the story. ‘Sugihara had a tremendousimpact on how I perceive my ministry.’”

Suffice it to say that, in his quiet, modest way,Sugihara very much embodied the noble concept ofTolstoy’s prince. He sought neither fame nor fortune,merely saying “I may have to disobey my govern-ment, but if I don’t I would be disobeying God.” ❖

Bibliography:Levine, Hillel. In Search of Sugihara. (New York: TheFree Press, 1996).Sugihara, Yukiko. Visas for Life. (San Francisco: Edu-Comm., 1995).Special thanks to Jurretta Heckschev for her help inresearching this article.

St. Vladimir’s Church in Trenton, NJ wel-comed the St. Herman’s Seminary ChristmasOctet during its tour in December, 2002. TheOctet, which featured explanations of AlaskanOrthodox heritage by Fr. Michael Oleksa, sanga variety of Orthodox hymns and carols.Within our Diocese the Octet also visitedChrist the Saviour Parish, Paramus;Annunciation Church, Brick; and SS. Peterand Paul Church, Manville. ❖

There is also considerable information aboutSugihara on theInternet, especially on the website of theHolocaust Museum,Washington, D.C.www.ushmm.org/ -go to “Site Search”

ALASKAN CHOIR VISITS OUR DIOCESE

Members of the Octet with St. Vladimir’s pastor Fr. Martin Kraus and guests.

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We constantly read and hear in the news mediathat we live in a “post-9-11 world.” While I haveproblems with that label, primarily because I seeour lives lived in a “post-Resurrection” and “post-Ascension” world, for many, the events ofSeptember 11, 2001 profoundly affected their out-look on life. Post-9-11 or not, St. Paul’s words arecertainly true, “the days are evil ...” Ephesians 5:16.The question or issue for us as Christians is how dowe respond to the evil of our times? How do we“make the most of our time?” Of particular interestis how to respond in a pastoral manner to thenameless grief, apprehension, and feelings of help-lessness that we have seen and still see around us.

In asking myself these questions I was, like somany, motivated to look for ways to understandthe tragedy and help other people through theirpersonal trauma. When I received an invitationfrom the American Red Cross to attend a confer-ence on the impact of the 9-11 terrorist attacks onfaith communities and their leaders I decided it wasworth the trip to New York and the day off work.Some of what I learned from the conference sur-prised me, while other things seemed very familiar.

One surprising piece of information is that theUS Congress designated the American Red Cross asthe national provider/organizer of spiritual care in adisaster, directly linking the Red Cross with FEMAand other state and local disaster relief agencies. Thefact that spiritual care is a matter for the federal gov-ernment may or may not surprise you. We owe thegovernment’s keen awareness of the importance ofspiritual care during and after a disaster to anotherof our nation’s tragedy, namely the bombing of theAlfred P. Murrah Building in Oklahoma City.

How spiritual care during a national disasterdiffers from spiritual care at other times is a matterof scale. As individuals we may lose loved ones toan accident or a home to fire. But when it’s thewhole nation the scale is bigger and so is the recov-ery time. History has to play out; we are faced withour own inability to control our environment.Recovery is in years, not months, and whole seriesof events re-open the wounds.

Main Themes of the Training

As a whole progression of pastors, rabbis,priests, imams, and psychologists spoke, (obviouslyfrom different faith traditions) one thing was madevery clear, that we must make ourselves available tohelp all people, even those outside our faith. We dothis primarily by practicing the ministry of person-al presence-listening to people and responding tothem where they are. Specific techniques includeassuring people, especially children, of their ownpersonal safety and security. It is also critical toallow people to vent their feelings, and have thosefeelings validated. Finally in the “critical” phase ofcare, it is important to try to predict next steps andprepare the person for taking them. For someonethat has been displaced, it may include transporta-tion to a shelter and providing social workers tohelp him or her with practical matters.

Since the conference was also designed to helpspiritual caregivers, a lot of the information dealtwith issues of compassion fatigue and burnout.Some important statistics from Oklahoma Cityincluded that 30 percent of the pastors left ministrywork in the two or three year period after thebombing of the Federal Building. In part, this isbecause pastors had trouble reintegrating them-selves with their families, friends and communitiesafter being mobilized. Generally, this is becauseministers have a rescuer’s mentality and a tendencyto devote and exhaust themselves helping others.There’s also a tendency for ministers to see them-selves as immune from stimulus that affects others.This highlights the need for spiritual care volun-teers to receive adequate pre- and post-disastertraining so that they can recognize possible effectsof post-traumatic stress in themselves and seekappropriate care.

It’s interesting to note that most people prefer totalk to a member of the clergy than to a mentalhealth worker, psychologist, or psychiatrist.

To help clergy and other spiritual caregivers, theGreater New York chapter of the American RedCross - the first chapter in the country to do so -provides certification classes for disaster spiritual

RED CROSS TRAINING ON DELIVERING PASTORAL

CARE DURING A DISASTER By Deacon Michael Sochka

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care. In addition to “Volunteer Orientation” and“Introduction to Disaster Services”, courseworkincludes “Serving the Diverse Community” and“Disaster Spiritual Care Services.” Completion ofthe coursework enables clergy to receive a RedCross badge and to accompany emergency workersin the Greater New York chapter area. AnEmergency Services Ride-Along is the final require-ment for being put on a regular disaster spiritualcare rotation (once a month). While this was myimmediate goal in signing up for the Red Crosstraining, I’ve also leveraged that training into a vol-unteer position with the International OrthodoxChristian Charities, where I am helping to build anational network of Orthodox clergy to respond todisasters anywhere in the United States.

Whether we are building a response network orresponding one-on-one to the people in our every-day life, we are, in fact, responding to Christ and toHis call to serve and love those around us. Formuch of my life I think this idea has been a bit ofan abstraction. While professing my love for Godand for people, it was all too easy for me to feelsympathetic, act superficially and still be focusedalmost entirely on my own life. For God, love is notan abstraction. We owe our existence to His loveand to really respond with God’s love to thosearound us requires more than feeling sympatheticand acting superficially. It requires us to give our-selves. But of course, what we give to God, we getback as a blessing. ❖

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO DO EACH THING?By Robert Pianka

Do each thing when you are challenged andcan meet the challenge. Grow stronger by fulfill-ing your obligations.

Here’s a perfect exam-ple. Historically, now isthe time for OrthodoxChristians in America totake their engagementagainst poverty and alien-ation to a higher level.Given the hard work andsuccess of previous genera-tions, we now have humanand financial resources tomultiply our impact. And,given the contrast betweenour Faith-based motivationand our “presence” in phil-anthropic work, we need to exceed our philan-thropic aspirations.

Who are the most important people to work with?

Work with your allies in Faith and work person-ally with those in need. First, work with your allies inFaith. Find strength in the quality of your motiva-tion. Find strength in pan-Orthodox numbers.

Second, work with those in need in your owncommunity. You can help them better than any-

one else. You “speak their language.” And, you areexpected to get “your own house in order” before

you show up in other commu-nities. Every community haswithin it a “target-population”of people in need. In the 1990US Census, 5-million peopleclaimed ancestry fromOrthodox homelands. Morethan 375,000 were livingbelow the poverty line. Acommunity that helps its ownaccomplishes three things. Itdeals with its own contributionto the poverty problem. Itbuilds “access” to the “target-population” for public author-ities and charities from outside

the community. And, it builds both the “socialservice capacity” and the relationships needed toreach beyond its boundaries.

Third, as you build your strong collective abil-ity to help, work with those in need in neighbor-ing communities. For many parishes this meansreaching out to non-Orthodox often Spanish-speaking communities in the downtown neighbor-hood where you still go to church. For otherparishes, I recommend looking first to non-SCOBA-jurisdiction Orthodox communities.

“The Orthodox still represent lessthan 2% of the American popula-tion. Divided into a dozen jurisdic-tions, they simply cannot survivethe growing pressure of theAmerican ‘melting pot’... No ‘juris-diction’ by itself can meet theurgent needs of better education,Orthodox presence on universitycampuses, in the public communi-cations media, in philanthropicwork, etc.”SCOBA, 1965 report, Ad HocCommission on Unity

Many arrived recently and their success is beingdelayed by the “language barrier.” And, while ourbond might seem exotic, it is fundamental and suf-ficient to bridge the gapbetween strangers that thwartsso much charitable intention.Those of us who have workedin this direction also knowthat our new neighbors inFaith have much to offer us aswe confront the mainstreamculture of our adopted coun-try. Many parishes, will needto reach out far to find peoplein need. I recommend they reach out through afellow Orthodox parish in less favorable circum-stances in a less desirable neighborhood.

What is the most important thing to do at alltimes?

Live your Faith: engage in OrthodoxPhilanthropy. Recognize your obligations andrealize their priority over your other concerns.Inventory the resources and skills you have. Work

together and do first things first. Build your capac-ity, partner with others, and reach out. Do all thispersonally and during awareness of Christ.

Helping others is farharder than helping yourself.We take pride in ourachievements. We don’tenvy ourselves. A funnything happens, though,when our achievement takesthe form of helping another.Our experience of satisfac-tion has to be carefully nego-

tiated with the “transaction” of giving and receiv-ing. If we do not create a personal relationshipbetween the parties to the transaction, the act ofcharity is likely to be stained by arrogance andhumiliation. Orthodox Philanthropy, that is“Christo-centric charity,” avoids this. In Christ’spresence, two persons engaged in an act of charityare “sharing God’s gifts.” ❖

Robert Pianka is U.S. Program Director for I.O.C.C.

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Since the fall of the Berlin Wall in1989, fully one-half of the refugeesentering the United States camefrom the former USSR & EasternEurope. Of these 611,738 refugeeswho we were uniquely able to help,0 were resettled by OrthodoxChristian charities.

REVIEW: Jesus Christ the Bearer of the Water of

Life - A Christian Reflection on the “New Age”by Fr. George Gray

“A major new Vatican document on the NewAge movement has warned that a number ofCatholic retreat places, seminaries and religiousformation houses are dabbling in New Age spiritu-ality which is incompatible with Christian doc-trine.” Thus begins a review from The LondonTablet, a Roman Catholic weekly, of Jesus Christ theBearer of the Water of Life - A Christian Reflection onthe “New Age”, an 88-page “provisional” reportpublished February 2 this year.

New Age spirituality is not foreign to theOrthodox. From its beginnings, the Church hascontinually had to deal with gnostic religious tra-ditions. Some Orthodox retreat houses and campfacilities must rent their space to a wide variety ofgroups both in and outside the Church, simply tokeep their doors open. In those situations, they seesome of the same “dabbling” described in theTablet’s review.

Retreat and camp facilities aside, our ownfaithful - many of whom are inactive cradleOrthodox - have been migrating away from theFaith toward New Age thought and religiosity.Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (+1891), founder of theTheosophical Society which is credited with start-ing the New Age Movement in 1875, is only oneof many Orthodox Christians who have left theChurch to seek the “mystical path.” The messageof this new document should be of interest toOrthodox Christians as well as Roman Catholics.

It attempts to deal with what it calls “the com-plex phenomenon of ‘New Age’ which is influenc-ing many aspects of contemporary culture” (fromthe Foreword). The report analyzes the context inwhich the New Age has arisen, presents generalcharacteristics of the movement, and contrasts itwith authentic Christian spirituality. The text con-cludes with a glossary, a list of key New Age placesand a bibliography.

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In presenting the document, Cardinal PaulPoupard, president of the Pontifical Council forCulture, said, “The New Age phenomenon, alongwith many other new religious movements, is one ofthe most urgent challenges for the Christian faith.”

“People feel the Christian religion no longeroffers them - or perhaps never gave them - some-thing they really need,” says the report. “The searchwhich often leads people to the New Age is a gen-uine yearning: for a deeper spirituality, for some-thing which will touch their hearts, and for a way ofmaking sense of a confusing and often alienatingworld” (1.5). The report warns of the strong appealof New Age thought and practice, even forChristians: “When the understanding of the contentof Christian faith is weak, some mistakenly holdthat the Christian religion does not inspire a pro-found spirituality and so they seek elsewhere” (1.5).

In response to this assertion, the documentaims to explain how the New Age movement dif-fers from the Christian faith. Although it cautionsits readers about New Age spirituality, it does notoffer broad prohibitions. Instead, it seeks toencourage further study and offer means of dis-cernment to those looking for a deeper spirituality.

If such a document were to be written by acommission of Eastern Orthodox Christians, theresponses to some of the New Age assertions wouldbe presented very differently. For example, in theChristian East we view the whole cosmos as a theo-phany; the material realm can be an image of theCreator Who somehow dwells within. This con-cept of panentheism (not pantheism) encouragesus to see that all things are made through the Logosand bear His image. In addition, the sacramental-ity of matter inherent in the view of St. Maximusthe Confessor is very much in opposition to theWestern Christian dichotomization between spiritand matter. Nonetheless, despite the specificinstances where we and Roman Catholics mightevaluate the New Age from different perspectives,the text of Jesus Christ the Bearer of the Water of Lifecan easily apply to all Christians, East and West.

The term “New Age” originates with the belief ina cosmic turning point long predicted byastrologers: The second millennium, the Age ofPisces (the 2000-year Christian age of the fishicthys) is drawing to a close, moving from one man-sion sign of the zodiac to the next. This leads to

the dawning of the third millennium, a new Age ofAquarius (the water bearer).

With this in mind, the Vatican report takes itstitle from the encounter between the Savior and St.Photini, the Samaritan Woman at Jacob’s Well(John 4). Jesus Christ urges her (and by extensionall mankind) to seek after Him: the Way the Truthand the Life. The Lord Jesus - not the zodiac’swater bearer - is the One Who inaugurated theNew Aeon of the Kingdom of God and Whobestows Living Water.

The Vatican document states that many oftoday’s contemporary spiritual and religious prac-tices may be grouped under the topic of “NewAge.” Thus, it invites its readers “to take account ofthe way that New Age religiosity addresses the spir-itual hunger of contemporary men and women”(Foreword). Much of what the New Age offersspeaks to the yearning of many - “If the Church isnot to be accused of being deaf to people’s longings,her members need . . . to root themselves ever morefirmly in the fundamentals of their faith, and tounderstand the often-silent cry in people’s hearts,which leads them elsewhere if they are not satisfiedby the Church” (1.5). The document says that thereis a call in all of this to draw nearer to the Savior,since He is the authentic way to true joy.

The document contrasts many aspects of NewAge spirituality, which it calls “a kind of spiritualnarcissism or pseudo-mysticism” (3.2), withChristian “counterparts”:

• New Age thought frequently holds that Godis an impersonal energy or force, found deepwithin oneself and also deep within the wholecosmos. Christians, on the other hand, know,experience and love God as a transcendenttrinity of Divine Persons. God, Who createdthe cosmos, “dwells in unapproachable light,[and] wants to communicate His own divinelife” to His people so as to enter into relation-ship with Him: a communion of Love (4).

• New Age thought considers Jesus one teacher- or esoteric initiate or avatar - among manywho could be considered to be christs.Christians know Him as the incarnate God,“the son of Mary and the only Son of God,true man and true God, the full revelation ofdivine truth, unique Saviour of the world” (4).

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• New Age teaches that salvation (or enlight-enment) is do-it-yourself self-fulfilment, self-realization, self-redemption. Christians believethat salvation is a free gift from God. It“depends upon our participation in the pas-sion, death and resurrection of Christ and ona direct personal relationship with God ratherthan on any technique” (4).

• New Age thinkers believe that prayer is aturning within oneself (or else a simple emp-tying of the mind) which “constitutes anessentially human enterprise on the part of theperson who seeks to rise towards divinity byhis or her own efforts” (3.4) Christian prayer,on the other hand, together with meditationand contemplation, has a double orientation:it involves introspection, but it is also a meansof loving dialogue and mystical union withGod. It “leads to an increasingly complete sur-render to God’s will, whereby we are invited toa deep, genuine solidarity with our brothersand sisters” (3.4).

Christians acknowledge the reality of sin and itseffects (sickness, sorrow, suffering and death).Each person is called “to share in that sufferingthrough which the redemption was accomplished .. . . that suffering through which all human suffer-ing has been redeemed” (40). In New Age thoughtall these are minimized as “bad karma,” if not sim-ply dismissed altogether.

The document encourages Christians to investi-gate the riches of their own tradition. When they doso, they are sometimes surprised at what they find.

Our own Christian mystical tradition shows thatsearching within provides much more depth andsignificance than can be found “outside.” There isprobably nothing more noteworthy about EasternOrthodox spirituality than the ancient patristicconcept of theosis. Although it is found within theWestern Christian mystical tradition, its roots liein the Christian East. The water of life is offered tous by the very Word Himself in the dynamic inter-change: the enfleshment of the Word of God andthe en-Wordment of the flesh of humankind.

Quoting from the Preface to Book 4 of St.Irenaeus’ Adversus Haereses, the document statesthat the Savior, “through His transcendent love,become what we are, that He might bring us to be

even what He is Himself.” Here theosis, theChristian understanding of divinization, comesabout not through our own efforts alone, “butwith the assistance of God’s grace working in andthrough us. . . . It unfolds as an introduction intothe life of the Trinity, a perfect case of distinctionat the heart of unity; it is synergy rather thanfusion. . . . It involves being transformed in oursoul and in our body by participation in the sacra-mental life of the Church” (3.5).

The New Age refrain of “the god within” is arefrain of narcissism. It claims that there is nodivine being “out there,” but rather that deepinside, we ourselves are divine. Taken to its logi-cal extreme, then, we become divine - or rather,since we are already divine, we must discover ourunlimited, divine potential within as we peel offlayer after layer of “inauthentic existence.” Themore this divine potential is recognized, themore it is realized and actualized. One unlocksGod: salvation by mastering psycho-physicaltechniques leading to inner healing, enlighten-ment, salvation.

The document concludes with the suggestion ofa number of practical steps. They are as applicableto Roman Catholics as they are to OrthodoxChristians. Christian mystical spirituality is bothcontemplative and apostolic. The two “ways” areinter-dependent. Bearing this in mind, the docu-ment offers a challenge.

It points out that the movement’s adherentscompare traditional religions to a cathedral and theNew Age to a worldwide fair. Taking the image atits face value, it’s now time for Christians to takethe cathedral’s message to the people at the fair. Infact, over the past decade many formerly New Agecommunities, while wandering along their mysti-cal pathway, have come upon the Christian East.With varying degrees of thoroughness they haveshed their Aquarian orientation for the Savior’sgifts of the tree and crown of life, hidden manna,white stone, new name, white garments and syn-thronos (Apoc. 2-3) within the Orthodox Church.As an example, see the book entitled: The Odysseyof a New Religion: The Holy Order of MANS fromNew Age to Orthodoxy by Philip Charles Lucas,associate professor of religious studies at StetsonUniversity in DeLand, Florida (Indiana UniversityPress; (April 1995), ISBN: 0253336120).

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Educated at Harvard and Yale, it would be easyto imagine that Professor John Erickson, the newDean of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, is primarily anintellectual. Yet, while there is certainly an intellec-tual side to him, those who have known him overthe nearly 40 years since his recep-tion into the Orthodox Faith, orothers who have just had casualconversations with him, will rec-ognize a man with broad interestsand experiences in Orthodox life.

Well read in many areas, he ispersonable, a wonderful story-teller, and a remarkably goodcook (my wife uses his recipe eachyear at Easter for ‘cheese pascha’).Much to his surprise he is perhapsbest known to many lay peoplefor his work from the 1970s and1980s in church music, often done in collabora-tion with his wife Helen. He has, in fact, beengreatly influenced by “the aesthetic aspect ofOrthodoxy, of which music is such an importantpart; the affective aspect of Orthodoxy, the holisticapproach to life that one can see and feel inOrthodox worship.” Erickson remarks: “It may betempting to think that I read my way intoOrthodoxy. I would say rather that ‘I sang my wayinto Orthodoxy.’ Even though I don’t sing verywell, it was worship - the Church’s worship - thatformed me in Orthodox church life, and it’s cer-

tainly worship that I always turn to when I’mupset, when I’m worried, when I’m otherwise pre-occupied. It’s liturgical music that gives me somecomfort.”

Raised in northern Minnesota,far from any local Orthodoxchurches, he was limited to sim-ply reading whatever he couldfind about the Orthodox Faith.His first regular contact withOrthodox Christians took placeduring his college years atHarvard. He had an Orthodoxroommate whose father was apriest, as was that of another fel-low student, Serge Schmemann.While in college he began visitingSt. Vladimir’s Seminary where hemet Frs. Alexander Schmemann

and John Meyendorff, and Professor SergeVerhovskoy (whose daughter Olga was also atHarvard and was, coincidentally, Helen’s room-mate). “These people took theology seriously.They were concerned about ultimate questions.They were devoted to truth. They also were verymuch engaged with the real world. They were peo-ple with ideas of all sorts. They were at home withbooks. I got to appreciate much more aboutOrthodoxy then I had been able to gain by anybook knowledge.”

FIDELITY TO LIVING TRADITION: An Interview with Dean John Erickson

by Fr. John Shimchick

“Christians need not, indeed, must not waitfor an invitation to bring the message of the GoodNews of Jesus Christ to those who are looking forthe answers to their questions, for spiritual foodthat satisfies, for living water” (6.2).

The key is not in emphasizing the inadequacy ofother approaches, but instead to revisit the sourcesof our own faith, to offer “a good sound presenta-tion of the Christian message.” We may need torecover the symbolism and artistic traditions of theChristian culture. In dialogue with people attract-ed to the new age, Christians must appeal to whattouches the emotions and symbolic language.

We must begin with the Scriptures, the reportsays, but “most of all, coming to meet the LordJesus in prayer and in the sacraments, which areprecisely the moments when our ordinary life ishallowed, is the surest way of making sense of thewhole Christian message” (6.2). ❖

Fr. George Gray is the pastor of St. Nicholas Church,Patlow, Oregon. “Jesus Christ the Bearer of the Water ofLife” is available on the Jacob’s Well website at: JacWell.org- sidebar “Supplements.” See also the article by Fr. MichaelOleksa, “The Alaskan Orthodox Mission and CosmicChristianity,” available at the same location.

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“It may be tempting tothink that I read my way intoOrthodoxy. I would say rather that I sang my way intoOrthodoxy.”

The vision of the Seminary faculty also includ-ed their concern for the place of Orthodoxy with-in American life: “What was striking for me wasthe hope that St. Vladimir’s Seminary offered forOrthodoxy in America, for Christians in Americagenerally. They believed that Orthodoxy hadsomething to say to the world today, something tosay to the world I knew. And they presentedOrthodoxy as a place where even a plain oldAmerican like me could fit in. So, I entered theOrthodox Church in St. Vladimir’s Seminarychapel in 1964, nearly 40 years ago. It seems hardto believe it was that long ago, because I rememberit as though it were yesterday.”

His parents, while not familiar withOrthodoxy were nevertheless very supportive.His father, however, had one concern: “Myfather’s first question was whether I would havethe same patron saint and the same name’s day -because this was something we celebrated in ourfamily. I assured him that this was the case, andhe was very pleased.”

Erickson has been teaching Canon Law andChurch History at the Seminary since 1973, andbecame Dean in July 2002, following the retire-ment of Fr. Thomas Hopko. While there have beenlaymen who have served as dean at other Orthodoxseminaries throughout the world, he is the first atSt. Vladimir’s. What, given the personalities andstrengths of the former deans, does he bring to theposition, and how does being a layman shape thisrole? To such questions Dean Erickson repliesrather simply: “At this point, I suppose, the mainstrength that I bring to this position is that I’ve beenassociated with the seminary a long time and alsowith Orthodoxy for long time.” Also, being a con-vert immediately identifies him with what contin-ues to be a growing reflection of the Seminary com-munity and Orthodoxy in America. “1978 was thelast year that a majority of entering students at theSeminary were cradle Orthodox. Our parishesthroughout the United States, often across jurisdic-tional lines, are peopled by converts like me.”

As for being the Dean of the Seminary? “Iwould say that, being a convert and a layman, I canunderstand and speak to people who are also con-verts and laymen. In addition, in the actual oper-ations of the Seminary, in some ways being a per-son who is not immediately involved as a confessorof students and faculty is also an advantage - not

simply because of the time that might be involvedbut because it’s possible to avoid some of the con-flicts of interest that beset some of my predecessors.Poor Fr. Meyendorff would complain from time totime about students coming to Confession andthen ending by asking if they could have an exten-sion on a paper. I would not want to be in theposition of encouraging what would be called a‘bad’ confession on the part of a student who hadcheated in my class, for example.

“At the same time, in my relations especiallyOrthodox settings, it might be an advantage atsome point for me to be a priest. In my early yearsat St. Vladimir’s there was little need or reason forme to be ordained - I would have been the fifth orsixth priest in the Seminary chapel. I certainlydidn’t want to tempt students into thinking thatthe only way people can serve in the Church is bybeing ordained. At this point, however, the situa-tion may have changed, and certainly in some cir-cles it would be very useful for the Church and forthe Seminary for me to be a priest, to be able torepresent that pastoral ministry which is part of themain reason for our existence. Certainly this is notruled out even now. From time to time I even havedreams of retirement, and one of the most won-derful things being retired might offer would be tobecome a parish priest. The life of our parishes hasalways been for me very exciting. One of the greatjoys of being Dean is that I’ve had many moreopportunities to visit parishes in many parts of thecountry. I hope that this will continue, becausethis is where the life of our Church in America real-ly is going on and - I hope - going forward.”

Dean Erickson, his wife Helen, and others whoconverted in the 1960s represented a “first genera-tion” of converts to Orthodoxy in America, con-verts to a Church that was itself starting to becomemore open in many places - through the use ofEnglish, less emphasis on ethnic identify, etc. Canhe observe any noticeable differences in the motiva-tions or attitudes of those who convert today?

“Certainly when I became Orthodox, I had nodreams of becoming Dean of St. Vladimir’sSeminary. It never occurred to me as a possibility.In those days, it would have been very easy for aconvert like me to feel like an outsider. I was verythankful that this was not the case - that peopleencouraged me in various ways. In any case, inthose days people entering the Orthodox Church

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did so with the expectation of being transformedby the Church, of orienting their lives to theChurch, and not the vice versa. They had nograndiose dreams of transforming the Church.They had no grandiose dreams of settingOrthodoxy on a new and better path. Today, inmany cases, people enter with a lot of ideas of whatOrthodoxy is or what Orthodoxy should be. Theyare much more eager for an opportunity to demon-strate their own ability to transform and reformOrthodoxy.

“Another change, I would say, is that we find afar greater diversity in converts. Throughout thedecades people have converted to Orthodoxybecause of its claims to present Christian truths inintegral form, in their most compelling form. Buttoday converts come from a wider variety of reli-gious - or non-religious - backgrounds than onceupon a time, and very often they have less experi-ence of actual church life then even I had back inthose days. This means that at the Seminary, justas in church life generally, there is very little thatwe can take for granted any longer. There’s nolonger a shared educational background, there’s nolonger a shared experience of church life. New stu-dents no longer arrive at the seminary with a com-mon stock of conceptions and misconceptionsabout Orthodoxy. They arrive with an incrediblywise range of conceptions and misconceptions.This makes it necessary to spend more time gettingto know each person as an individual. This alsomakes it important to go back to basics. You caneasily find people with a fine ability to explain theessence and energies structure in the theology of St.Gregory Palamas but with very little practical expe-rience of church life. All this is relatively new.”

When theological education is discussed onesometimes hears that there are particular approach-es represented by different seminaries. Can it besaid that there is a St. Vladimir’s “school” or“approach” to theology, worship, and pastoral work?

“The answer has to be ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ Veryoften St. Vladimir’s Seminary is associated with‘Eucharistic ecclesiology’ as pioneered by the ‘ParisSchool’ at St. Sergius. At St. Vladimir’s this wasexemplified by people like Fr. Schmemann and Fr.Meyendorff. But anyone familiar with St.Vladimir’s Seminary in their days recognized thatthere was no one single approach to theology. Theapproach to theology of people like Professor

Verhovskoy and Professor Arseniev in many wayswas different, though not necessarily opposed. Inany case, certainly the Seminary was always muchmore diverse then people sometimes credit it.

“There were, however, some unifying ele-ments. First of all, there was the conviction thatOrthodox theology should be characterized byfidelity to a living Tradition. Fidelity to Traditionis not simply the repetition of past formulas. Itrequires that Orthodox theology be able to addressnew situations, including the situation ofOrthodoxy in America. In addition, there was anemphasis on the Seminary - and the Church itself- as a community, and above all as a worshippingcommunity. The idea that worship is a collectionof rites performed to serve God with no relation-ship whatsoever with the people present or absent- this was foreign to the Seminary. Emphasis wason the entire community - students, faculty, staff -gathered together for worship.

“In terms of pastoral work, the emphasis at St.Vladimir’s again was on fidelity to Tradition, butstudents were always reminded of how important itis to be able to articulate this Tradition - how impor-tant it is to put it into practice - in new situationsand new contexts, including our North Americancontext. The professors we all remember best fromthose days - Fr. Schmemann, Fr. Meyendorff,Professor Verhovskoy, Professor Areseniev and somany others - were Russians. In some cases theyspoke with very amusing accents. But their visionwas always global. They were not content simply totry to recreate Russia in America, and they weren’tcontent simply to emphasize one or another oldworld heritage. Their interest was the continuingrelevance of Orthodoxy for our world.”

You are a specialist in Canon Law and ChurchHistory. Are there lessons and mistakes from his-tory that we as Orthodox have not learned, andperhaps risk repeating ourselves?

“One temptation in the history of Orthodoxyhas been to identify this or that system of thisworld, this or that empire, with the Kingdom ofGod. And along with this have come the tempta-tion of ethnicism and the tendency to emphasizeour particularities. Another temptation commonenough today is a relatively recent one - the ten-dency to dichotomize, the tendency to emphasizehow different we are from everyone else, how dif-

Fidelity toTradition is not simply therepetition of pastformulas. Itrequires that Orthodoxtheology be able to addressnew situations,including thesituation ofOrthodoxy inAmerica.

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ferent we are especially from the West. This ten-dency to dichotomize very often leads to tri-umphalism - the idea that with us everything isright, with us everything is good, and that witheveryone else everything is bad. This triumphal-ism, on the one hand, is spiritually dangerous. Itcreates pride where maybe we should have morehumility; we should recognize the dark aspects ofour own past as well as its glorious moments. Thistriumphalism also undermines any evangelicalmessage that we have to the world. Very easily andall too often, we create stereotypes of others; wespend our time denouncing ‘straw men.’ Thismakes our witness to the world much less persua-sive than it would be if we were a little more hon-est about ourselves and more willing to see othersas they are rather than as we think they are.”

St. Vladimir’s Seminary is located within sev-eral hours driving time of the majority of ourdiocesan parishes. According to Dean Ericksonthere are a number of ways that we can mutuallyencourage each other’s work. One of the mostimportant things that parishes can do “is simply tobe open to visits from people from St. Vladimir’sSeminary. This may seem self-evident, but it’s notalways so. I have strongly encouraged faculty andstaff to be much more open to invitations and tovisiting parishes, whether in a formal or an infor-mal way, especially here in our New York/ NewJersey area. And how could the Seminary be ofsupport to our parishes? This is where we wouldappreciate input from the parishes themselves. Ihope that the parishes in our area will suggest whatwe here at the Seminary can do to help them inways that are truly meaningful. We don’t want tointrude, we don’t want to impose a program or anagenda. I hope that you will tell us what we can doto be most helpful to you.”

How can this be done? First, Dean Erickson isopen to being emailed directly at: jhe@svots.edu.In addition, the Seminary has, for many years now,been sponsoring lecture series at various sites herein the northeast, and it may be possible to haveeven more of these. In addition, there are usuallyquite a large number of priests attached to theSeminary chapel. Sometimes it’s been possible toutilize these clergy when diocesan priests need areplacement for vacation or illness.

Seminary students are also involved in ‘fieldeducation.’ It is hoped that there can be continued

placement of students in diocesan parishes, whichwill allow them opportunities to participate inmany aspects of parish ministry. Parishes areencouraged to support the summer internship pro-gram of the Orthodox Church in America, where-by seminarians are given the opportunity to spendan entire summer working in a parish, under thesupervision of the parish priest and helping theparish priest. This provides a wonderful experi-ence for our seminarians and would make themmuch more effective pastors in the future.

Parishes here in the New York/ New Jersey areaare encouraged to come to events at the seminary.Many people are familiar, of course, with theannual Education Day, held the first Saturday inOctober. People may be less familiar with themany events that take place in the new RangosBuilding. There is the annual Father AlexanderSchmemann Memorial Lecture, which this pastyear was delivered by Professor Albert Raboteau,an African-American Orthodox professor atPrinceton University and member of the diocese.One can learn about these events by checking theSeminary’s website: www.svots.edu. Finally, thereare the resources of St.Vladimir’s Seminary Pressand Bookstore (800-204-BOOK).

When I was one of his students, ProfessorErickson often suggested books that he hoped wehad read or, at least, should read. Besides theScriptures and the generally required theologicalliterature, what I wonder, would he like his stu-dents to be reading today?

“These days, there are more mainstream,mass-market books that touch on Orthodoxy orthat raise issues relevant to Orthodoxy in the worldtoday than was the case in the past. One of theseis Phillip Jenkins’ The Next Christendom: TheComing of Global Christianity, a book that cameout from Oxford University Press last year. Thisbook, I think, presents in a very convincing waythe great growth of Christianity in what was oncecalled the ‘Third World.’ It also demonstrates, invery gloomy ways, the decline of Christianity,especially in Western Europe, but also, very likely,a coming decline of Christianity and OrthodoxChristianity in Eastern Europe. It’s important thatOrthodox Christians be familiar with what’s goingon in our world today. I would hate to say that thebest thing we can do is get up in the morning andread the New York Times, but I do think that it is

I do think that it is more importantthan ever to be aware of theworld in whichwe live - theworld in whichare called towitness to ourfaith - and alsoto be aware of the many ambiguities of it.

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more important than ever to be aware of the worldin which we live - the world in which are called towitness to our faith - and also to be aware of themany ambiguities of it. We have to be aware of itswonderful accomplishments, but we also have tobe aware of the shallowness that one finds so often,and of the sense of hopelessness felt so often byyoung people today - and for that matter by manyothers. What do we have to say to the world inwhich we actually live? I would encourage peopleto read not only great classics now, but also booksof current interest.”

Finally, is there one thing that ProfessorErickson could identify now that, in his eventualretirement speech, he would like to say was accom-plished during his tenure as Dean?

“I would like to be able to say that, in my termas Dean, the Seminary remained true to its mostbasic principles, true to the vision that has guidedthe Seminary through so much of its history. Iwould identify at least three areas here. First of all,I would emphasize the Pan-Orthodox character ofthe seminary - the concern for Orthodox unitythat the Seminary has had through so much of itshistory. Second, I would emphasize the impor-tance of Tradition - of living Tradition - and there-fore the need for critical appropriation of thisTradition on the part of our students. They mustbe familiar with the Fathers of the Church, withScripture, with church history, etc., but they also

must be able to relate all this learning to our con-temporary situation. Finally, a third area - some-thing that for me and for the Seminary has alwaysbeen very important - would be an emphasis onthe holistic nature of Orthodox theology andOrthodox theological education. Seminary educa-tion is not just a matter of accumulating a certainnumber of credits. It involves formation in virtu-ally every aspect of life, in all of our reactions. Forthis reason participation in the worship life of theseminary community has been an integral part ofseminary education. This is also why communityservice, expressed in such humble things as workon the breakfast crew, has been an important andcontinuing part of seminary education. This iswhy we have always tried to maintain the residen-tial character of the seminary, with single studentswith us, married students, their families, the facul-ty and their families, living in close proximity.

“I would hope, at the end of my time as Deanof St. Vladimir’s Seminary, to say that we haveremained faithful to this animating vision of theSeminary: faithful to its concern for Orthodoxunity, faithful to its concern for appropriation ofour Tradition, and faithful to its emphasis oncommunity, all of which have provided the con-text for theological education.” ❖

[Special thanks to Anastasia Shimchick for help in tran-scribing this interview.]

Archbishop Peter was among the hierar-chs from the Standing Conference ofCanonical Orthodox Bishops in theAmericas (SCOBA) and the StandingConference of Oriental OrthodoxChurches (SCOOCH) who joineddozens of representatives from theUnited Nations and hundreds of clergyand faithful at Holy Trinity GreekOrthodox Archdiocesan Cathedral onOctober 6, 2003 for the third annualOrthodox Prayer Service for the UNCommunity.

HIERARCHS AT ORTHODOX PRAYER SERVICE

FOR THE UN COMMUNITY

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The story of the Spirit of Orthodoxy Choir’strip to Alaska for the St. Herman’s Pilgrimage is asimple one. It’s not about us, but about St.Herman’s legacy to the faithful Orthodox laity andclergy in Alaska and throughout the world. Oursmall mission was to bring what we had to offermusically to Alaska and its native peoples. We hadfive opportunities to sing responses at Vigils andLiturgies, and also two concerts in Alaska, but byfar the most spiritually uplifting were the Akathistto St. Herman in Kodiak and the Divine Liturgythe next morning served on Spruce Island. Manytimes we found ourselves overcome with joy dur-ing the service, surrounded by the other pilgrimsin prayer and hearing the wonderful words offeredby Bishop Nikolai.

At the conclusion of the Spruce Island events,tears were in many eyes as we boarded the smallboats for the journey back to Kodiak Island. Sorrowwas in our hearts as we saw the last spruce tree dis-appearing island on the sea’s horizon and we left witha deep, respectful understanding of the enormoustask of St. Herman and the monks who broughtOrthodoxy to North America as they lived on anisland that, even today has no modern conveniencessuch as electricity, running water and heat.

Our mission as a choir has always been to pre-serve the musical heritage of the Orthodox Church,specifically in the English language, and to growspiritually as a group by serving the church wherev-er we are needed. When we accepted BishopNikolai’s gracious invitation to participate in thepilgrimage, he assured us that we would leave for-ever changed by the experience. This was indeedtrue. We returned home uplifted and with yet

another goal. In our own small way we plan to ded-icate ourselves to the building up of God’s churchin Alaska, the birthplace of North AmericanOrthodoxy and the earthly home of St. Herman.

The hospitality shown to our choir and all thepilgrims was overwhelming, and we are deeplygrateful to all who aided us during our stay both inKodiak and Anchorage. We will treasure the iconsof St. Innocent that Bishop Nikolai gave to each

singer, as well as the large painting of St. Michael’sCathedral in Sitka, which he presented to theChoir. The Alaskan Church is very rich spiritually,but we hope to bring the message to the ‘lower 48’that much can be done to support it further. Theirfinancial needs are great with regard to maintain-ing their existing churches and seminary. Evenmore ambitious is the Alaskan church’s dream ofrestoring the chapel on Spruce Island and follow-ing St. Herman’s wish to establish a monastic com-munity there. Our choir hopes to establish anannual benefit concert and to record a new CDthis fall featuring musical selections from our trip;both undertakings will benefit the Diocese ofAlaska. Our status as a non-profit organization willallow your support to be tax deductible.

We encourage everyone to experience the pil-grimage at least once in his or her lifetime. To viewpictures from the pilgrimage, you can visit ourwebsite www.spiritoforthodoxy.com. ❖

ST. HERMAN’S PILGRIMAGE 2003by The Spirit of Orthodoxy Choir Members

Director Alexei Shipovalnikov, Bishop Kallistos Ware,Bishop Nikholai, Michael Geeza and Carol Wetmore.

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Fall 2003During this past Great Lent, Mother of God

Joy of All Who Sorrow Orthodox Mission movedfrom Rocky Hill, New Jersey to a new location inthe basement chapel of St. Joseph’s Seminary inPlainsboro. The story of this OCA mission’s jour-ney began about six years ago when three membersof St. Peter and St. Paul Orthodox Church inManville had the idea of starting an Orthodoxmission in the Princeton area. After several meet-ings with Orthodox from neighboring churchesand consultation with Fr. Paul Kucynda, Directorof Missions for the OCA, established the need forsuch a mission, Archbishop Peter of the New York-New Jersey Archdiocese, gavepermission to proceed.Seeking a place to worship,the organizers of the missionthought of St. James churchin Rocky Hill. St. James hadbeen built in 1908 to serveIrish and Italian Catholicswho had moved to the area towork in the rock quarry, theAtlantic Terra Cotta factory,and on local farms. In 1993the congregation, which had outgrown the smallchurch building, moved into a new church dedi-cated to St. Charles Borromeo and St. James wasclosed. The pastor and leadership of St. Charlesagreed to rent St. James church to the fledglingOrthodox congregation and on Sunday March 7,1998 they celebrated their first Divine Liturgy.

Five families attended that first service. Fiveyears later attendance at Divine Liturgy hadincreased to an average of sixty-five to seventy-five

people, with more on major feast dayslike Nativity and Pascha. The congre-gation experienced steady growthunder the leadership of Fr. JohnCassar, who commuted 110 mileseach way from Long Island for threeyears to serve the mission, until he andhis family relocated two doors from

the church two years ago. It became increasinglyclear that the size of the congregation would shortlyoutgrow the space at St. James. Enter St. Joseph.

St. Joseph’s Seminary located in Plainsborooverlooks the Delaware-Raritan Canal and Lake

Carnegie in neighboring Princeton. Founded bythe Vincentian fathers in the 1930s as a minor orpreparatory seminary, the faculty of St. Joseph’seducated several generations of high school stu-dents as potential candidates for the RomanCatholic priesthood. After the seminary closed, thefacility became home to the Vincentian RenewalCenter and hosted retreats, ecumenical confer-ences, and workshops on spiritual growth. Thebasement chapel had been unused for years. Alarge barrel vaulted space with side alcove chapelsand amazing acoustics, it seemed a very usablespace for the growing congregation of Mother of

God Mission. The idea ofmaking use of beautiful butunused liturgical space alsoproved attractive to Fr.Cassar and the mission lead-ership. And so Mother ofGod moved. An iconostasishas gone up and icons nowfill the alcoves whereVincentian priests said theirprivate masses in the pre-Vatican II era. For the first

time, the mission congregation has separate spacefor coffee hour and meetings. And slow but steadygrowth continues as the number attending DivineLiturgy averages approximately 85, topping a hun-dred during Holy Week and Pascha.

The majority of the congregation consists ofconverts to Orthodoxy with the remainder madeup of those born into Orthodox families of Greek,Russian, Bulgarian, and Romanian origins. Thecommunity has many children and identifies sup-porting the sacredness of the family as one of itscore missions. The name of the church, Mother ofGod, Joy of All Who Sorrow, expresses anothercore value of the community: imitating Christ andHis compassionate Mother by helping all thosewho sorrow due to spiritual, psychological, andphysical suffering. Hospitality to those of all races,ethnicities, and nations is also an important value.(As it turns out, St. Vincent de Paul, the 17th-cen-tury French founder of the Vincentians devotedhis life to the poor and articulated a very similarmission for his followers.) The community is cen-tered in the worship of God through the services.

A MISSION MOVES

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The Divine Liturgy is held each Sunday at 10amand the service of Vespers on Saturdays at 6pm(7pm from June to September.) Several smallgroup ministries, including Women’s Group, BibleStudy, Prayer Group, and Health class seek todeepen the spiritual life of members and visitors.Church School meets twice a month before DivineLiturgy and a class for toddlers on behavior inchurch is held 20 minutes before the beginning ofeach Sunday Liturgy. Recently, a group for moth-ers of small children has also been formed. Themission also accepts a special responsibility foreducation and has offered presentations onOrthodoxy to the wider Princeton area communi-ty by hosting a series of speakers including Fr.Thomas Hopko, Fr. John Chryssavgis, Jim Forest,Fr. Daniel Byantoro, and Bishop Kallistos Ware.

Visitors are warmly welcomed. For directionsand schedules of services, meetings and events seethe church website, www.mogoca.org.

Joy of all who sorrow art thou,

And protectress of the oppressed,

Feeder of the hungry,

Consolation of travelers,

Haven for the tempest tossed,

Visitation of the sick,

Protection and aid of the infirm,

Staff of old age,

O, all pure Mother of the Most High God,

Hasten, we pray, to save thy servants.❖

“They brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed -then He said to the paralytic, ‘Arise’” (Matt. 9:1,5)

Sitting at the piano for the first time in overthree hours, Bruce Springsteen began the third ofhis four sets of encores with the song, “My City ofRuins.” Originally dedicated to his beloved town ofAsbury Park but never recorded, it became syn-onymous with the events of 9/11. Springsteenopened the commemorative concert, “America: ATribute to Heroes,” on September 21, 2001 withthe song and called it, “a prayer for our fallenbrothers and sisters.”

He moves back to center stage during theencore as the song builds and takes on a new inten-sity. “Now with these hands, with these hands,with these hands, I pray Lord,” he sings and therefrain is picked up by his band and thousands inthe stadium. Then while everyone sings therefrain, he adds:

I pray for the strength, Lord,I pray for the faith, Lord, We pray for your love, Lord, We pray for the lost, Lord, We pray for this world, Lord, We pray for the strength, LordWe pray for the strength, Lord Come on, Come on, Come on,Rise up.

When Springsteen says, “rise up” - is it direct-ed to a city, to departed souls, to people brokenand paralyzed both physically and spiritually?Perhaps it’s to them all.

The Sunday after his album, “The Rising,”was released during the summer of 2002 theassigned reading was from the Gospel of St.Matthew quoted above. This describes Christ’sencounter with the friends of the paralytic, hold-ing in their hands the one they cared about, andChrist “saw their faith,” forgave the man’s sins,and called him to rise up.

Could we see ourselves as friends not just ofa particular man, but as those who bring toChrist their concerns and love for a paralyzedworld, maybe even for a paralyzed Church?

Springsteen, raised a Catholic, may not be“practicing” yet seems haunted by the words,images, and experiences he still knows somethingabout. Tom Moon, reviewing his album for thePhiladelphia Inquirer wrote: “Having spentdecades assuring millions that almighty rock-and-roll is their deliverance, he’s now beseechingGod for the miracle he can almost taste, the faithhe’s had trouble finding and the rising up hisheart craves.”❖

WITH THESE HANDSBy Fr. John Shimchick

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The Orthodox Church of the Holy Cross, Medford,NJ had anticipated that its new church building wouldbe completed and consecrated in October of this year.Several delays have prevented this from happening onschedule. While the parish hopes to occupy its struc-ture in early 2004, the actual consecration will takeplace in the Fall, 2004. Construction progress can be viewed on the parish’s website: www.ochc.cc ❖

Fr. Arkadiusz Mironko has been assigned to serve the parish of SS Peter and Paul, Bayonne,NJ. Father and Matushka Nella are originally from Podlaskie region in Poland, where Fr.Arkadiusz has completed his theological education: four years at Theological Seminary inWarsaw; two years at Higher Theological Seminary in Jableczna at the Monastery of St.Onuphrius (near Chelm); and two years at the Christian Academy of Theology, also inWarsaw. After finishing his education they came to the United States where Father has been

a priest for over ten years, serving parishes of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA: in SanFrancisco, California, and Clifton, New Jersey. Fr. Arkadiusz's father is a priest in Parma, Ohio. MatushkaNella is a graduate of the Christian Academy of Theology and works at Prudential Financial. Their plan isto continue to serve God and His people of the Orthodox Church in America. ❖

Because of the enormous expanse of this dean-ery, we actively take part in local region activitiesamong all the Orthodox. As in the past, we are stillable to gather as deanery, at least once a year on the5th Thursday of Lent, to celebrate the pre-sancti-fied liturgy and take part in the sacraments ofPenance and Communion. This year we were host-ed Fr. James Jadick and his parish of Ss. Peter &Paul, in Herkimer, NY. Fr. James had returnedfrom his extended tour of duty as an Air Forcereservist chaplain. From personal reports ofOrthodox stationed with him in Texas, his pres-ence was greatly appreciated as our young peoplewere preparing to be assigned to the Middle East.This deanery assembly was especially helpfulbecause of the numerous changes of clergy assign-ments that have taken place. Topics of concernsuch as Deanery-wide initiatives, OCF, FOCA,and local pastoral concerns were discussed.Likewise, it was recommended that we hold otherdeanery sessions in our various parishes so that ourlaity and clergy may become better acquainted.

We are especially thankful for our retired cler-gy - Frs. Daniel Pavelchak, Alvian Smirensky, andKyril Riggs - for their assistance in covering

parishes. We are blessed to have them availablewhen a priest is needed.

As mentioned, the expanse of the deanery pre-cludes much cooperative activity. In each of our fourregions that generally make up our deanery, the localparishes celebrated lenten mission vespers during theSundays of Great Lent. This year it was encouragedthat funds collected at the missions go to our missionparish in Oneonta, NY. Under the guidance of theirpastor, Fr. Tim Holowatch, the parish has begun tothrive and we are committed to support them.

Weather this winter and spring has wreakedhavoc with many plans. In the Capital of NY(Albany region), the scheduled Youth Day (whenover 100 youngsters gather) needed to be resched-uled due to an ice storm.

This past May, our St.Nicholas Parish inAuburn broke ground on their new hall facility. Ithas been needed for many years and we look for-ward to its dedication.

While news from our region has been limitedin the past, we hope that that will change as webring you up to date. ❖

UPPER NEW YORK STATE DEANERYBy Fr. Igor Burdikoff

NEW PASTOR IN BAYONNE, NJ

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As part of its continuing efforts to give the pasta future, the Saints Peter and Paul Churchannounces completion of the first phase of a two-part historic restoration project in downtownJersey City, N.J.

“In a way, we are what we are today because of thepast, “said Father Joseph, the parish rector. “Today,through the resources of the state,we have opportunity to give thepast a future. The preservation andrestoration of our temple marksthe continuation of our spiritualpresence in the diocese and his-toric residences and new develop-ment in Jersey City.”

Lift OffThe $1 million dollar restoration

began May 2002 with the removalof roofing and cupola material andthe first phase was completed inJune 2003. The first phase of therestoration included a new copperroof, three cupolas, new gutters, and lighteningarrestors. Previous stucco had to be tediouslyremoved with hand tools. One of the workers said,“By the time we are finished, we’re going to havearms like Popeye.” New brownstone colored stuccowas also added to the church’s upper portion. Thesecond phase began in May 2003 with the restora-tion of twenty stained glass windows of the upperportion of the church by Jersey Art Stained GlassStudio of Frenchtown, NJ. This involved leadingand altering some of the glass to permit additionallight. The second phase is also to include comple-tion of all stucco applications and leading ofremaining stained glass windows. The parish ispreparing to apply for funding of the second phaseof restoration when the Trust opens its next awardround in 2004. To date, the New Jersey HistoricTrust awarded a matching grant to the church for$268,424. New Jersey’s past acting governor,Donald Difrancesco, signed the legislation, whichcleared the way for the award. The Parish Councilwas especially delighted that very little unanticipat-ed costs were encountered.

The church located in the historic neighborhoodof Paulus Hook has enjoyed a long association with

the Jersey City community. The Orthodox congre-gation in 1907 purchased the church; it was builtas the First Reformed Dutch Church in 1859 onland given in 1830 by the developers, the JerseyAssociates.

Among the clergy who served the parish were:Archpriest Alexander Hotovitzky (Glorified by the

Russian Orthodox Church),Archpriest John Adamiak, ArchpriestEmilian Skuby, Archpriest MichaelDziama, Mitred Archpriest JohnSkvir, and Archpriest Daniel Hubiak.

The New Jersey Historic Trust is theonly non-profit historic organizationin New Jersey created by state law. It isaffiliated with the Department ofState. A board of trustees that repre-sents private citizens and state agencieswith related purposes governs theTrust. According to the Trust: “NewJersey’s historic sites open a windowon the past. The buildings, landscapes,

and monuments allow us to envision the aspira-tions of past generations, sense the rhythm of lifefrom a bygone time and wonder at the workman-ship of master artisans.”

The parish is deeply saddened by the loss of theproject’s architect Herbert J. Githens, ofMontclair, N.J., who died suddenly in August2003 at the age of 52. The Star Ledger remem-bered him “as a savior of history” for his expertisein performing numerous exterior restorations ofhistoric buildings. Father Joseph commented, “Itwas such joy to work with a man of such experi-ence and knowledge tempered with his personalmodesty and qualm.” The parish and architecturalfirm are to discuss future plans.

The parish council consisting of Laura Detke,Matushka Shirley Lickwar, Philip Hawriluk, andRaul Mattei has “diligently overlooked the projectwith enthusiasm and a great sense of accomplish-ment. For now the construction sounds are gone,but come spring of 2005 there will be a choir ofhammers and chisels tapping our song for thefuture,” comments Father Joseph. ❖

HISTORIC CHURCH UNDER RESTORATION

The Tikhvin Mother of God, one of the most renowned icons in Russian Orthodox spirituality, wasmade available for veneration this Spring at the Annual Pilgrimage held at St. Tikhon’s Monastery. On

June 3rd while the icon was at Holy Trinity Church, East Meadow, NYan Akathist service was offered, followed by a special presentation byDr. Paul Meyendorff on “The Veneration of the Virgin Mary inOrthodox History” In attendance were Archbishop Peter, diocesanclergy, and lay people.

Fr. Alexander Garklavs, pastor of Holy Trinity Church, who serveswith his father, Archpriest Sergei, as a guardian of the icon while in theUnited States, took off the protective and symbolic covering (“riza”) toallow those present to see the icon in its original form. The pictures tothe left show the icon with and without the riza.

Kept in safety here in the United States since World War II, the iconis being prepared to be returned in 2004 to the Tikhvin Monastery inRussia. In order to assist in the restoration of the Tikhvin Monastery,

His Beatitude Metropolitan Herman, has blessed the establishment of a special fund that will enable thefaithful in North America to contribute to the rebuilding of the Monastery. Contributions could be sentto: Tikhvin Monastery Fund, 369 Green Ave., East Meadow, NJ 11554. Fr. Alexander Garklav, the Fund’sCoordinator, can be reached at: 516-483-3649. ❖

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W A T E R F R O M T H E W E L L

Jesus is back-he’s harvesting the dead.He’s pulling them up out of the dirt like leeksBy the scruff of the neck, by the wispy hair on the head,Like bulbs in darkness sallowly starting to grow

From deep down in the earth where the lost things go -Keys and locks, small change, old hinges, nails.(That’s why the living beseech the dead, who know Where missing objects lie.) Jesus has a grip

On Adam by the left wrist-he will not slipAnd Eve, by her right. They’re groggy and don’t understand,They died so long ago. With trembling lip,Adam surveys the crowds of new people. And Eve

Looks up the emptiness of her limp left sleeveFor the hand that was unforgiven and is no more, Ages since withered to dust, and starts to grieveThe sinister loss, recalling the heft in that hand

Of the flesh of the fruit, and the lightness at the core.

-A. E. STALLINGS ❖

A. E. Stallings is an American poet who live in Athens. Her first collec-tion of poetry, Archaic Smile (1999), won the Richard Wilbur Award.This was first published in The Atlantic Monthly, May 2003, pg 101and is reprinted with her permission.

THE TIKHVIN MOTHER OF GOD

(From the Church of the Mother of God,Mays Landing, NJ)

AMATEUR ICONOGRAPHY: RESURRECTION

P A R I S H N E W S

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Protodeacon Alexander Krafchak fell asleep inthe Lord on June 24, 2002 at the age of eighty-five. For the Orthodox community in WesternNew York he was one of the senior clerics, a well-known and well-respected figure. He was born andlived his entire life within two blocks of SS. Peterand Paul Church in the East Lovejoy neighbor-hood of Buffalo, New York. For thirty years heserved at SS. Peter and Paul Church as deacon.

Protodeacon Alexander was the youngest offive children born to John and Karolina (Geryak)Krafchak, who immigrated to Buffalo fromSlovakia. Their life revolved around the Church andthey passed on their love for family and for theirfaith to their children. Protodeacon Alexander wasan excellent student at the local school, graduatedfrom Burgard Vocational High School and wasemployed at the Greater Buffalo Printing Press,where he eventually became a foreman.

The Church was an important part of his lifefrom his youth. He sang in the church choir, par-ticipated in Parish Council meetings, variousparish affairs and was a member of the local “R”Club chapter. While Fr. John Tkachuk was Rectorof SS. Peter and Paul Church, ProtodeaconAlexander accepted the call to become a Deacon.With diligence and humility he studied and pre-pared himself, and was ordained by MetropolitanIreney. He would serve his Church and his congre-gation with fervor, obedience, faithfully and withzeal. He was the source of stability in the parishduring the transition of more than a dozen priests.He also served countless hierarchical services bothat his parish and other local Orthodox communi-ties. He loved to serve in the Holy Sanctuary anddid so with much reverence, rarely missing a serv-ice except when his health failed in his latter years.During the celebration of SS. Peter and PaulChurch’s 90th Anniversary in 1984, he was elevat-ed to the rank of Protodeacon by MetropolitanTheodosius. Proficient in Church Slavonic, he wasalways willing to welcome and assist Slavic immi-grants who formed a sizeable portion of the parish.In addition to his work at SS. Peter and PaulChurch, Protodeacon Alexander was very active inthe Council of Orthodox Church on the Niagara

Frontier and frequently was invited to serve at themany Orthodox Churches in the area.

Protodeacon Alexander was married tohis beloved wife and faithful partner Mary(Denis) for sixty years. In addition to hiswife, he leaves behind three children,David, Mary Ann and Carolyn. His largeextend family was always a close part of hislife. During the course of his last years,when he was afflicted with sickness, healways remarked, “I’ll endure what I must.I am in the hands of the Lord and I amthankful for all that has been given to me.”

A final wish to serve one more timewas not granted. But as he lay in state inhis beloved church, his funeral was anoccasion of an impressive outpouring of love andgratitude. The Dean of the New York StateDeanery, Fr. Igor Burdikoff officiated at theFuneral Service and Divine Liturgy. Assisting himwere former Rectors Fr. Alexander Garklavs andWiaczeslaw Krawczuk, guest and local clergyincluded Fr. George Aswad, Fr. James Doukas, Fr.James Dutko, Fr. Steven Dutko, Fr. John Hutnyan,Fr. Donald Koch, Fr. Herman Schick, Fr. PaulSolberg and Fr. Rastko Trbuhovich.

May God grant to his faithful and worthy ser-vant, the Protodeacon Alexander, abode with theSaints and make his memory to be eternal. ❖

IN MEMORY OF

PROTODEACON ALEXANDER KRAFCHAK

APOLOGIES

The following Clergy will be more fullyacknowledged in our next issue:

Archpriest Nicholas Fedetz, former pastor of SS Peter and PaulChurch, Bayonne, NJ has retired;Archpriest Thomas Edwards,pastor of Holy Apostles Church,Saddlebrook, NJ has announced hisplans to retire; Archpriest Cyril Stavrevsky,recently departed, was the pastor of St.John the Baptist Church, Rochester, NY.

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P A R I S H N E W S

The cooling Autumn Sun had the OrthodoxChristian Church of Christ The Saviour shininglike a cathedral on Sunday morning October 5,2003. His Eminence, Archbishop Peter of theNew York and New Jersey Diocese celebrated the

Divine Liturgy. Afterwards, the V. Rev. JohnNehrebecki, Pastor Emeritus, and his wife,Matushka Eugenia, were honored as they celebrat-ed a new beginning after 51 years of dedicatedservice to Christ’s Holy Church. Father Johnremains with the Christ the Saviour Church asPastor Emeritus. The Very Reverend David Vernakhas assumed the responsibilities as Pastor with hiswife, Mariam Vernak.

Concelebrating the Divine Liturgy withArchbishop Peter were Protopresbyter Robert S.Kondratick, Chancellor of the OCA; V. Rev. DavidVernak, new rector of Christ the Saviour Church;V. Rev. John Nehrebecki, retiring rector of Christthe Saviour Church; V. Rev. Michael Dahulich,Dean of St. Tikhon’s Seminary; V. Rev. Paul Lazor,Dean of Students at St. Vladimir’s Seminary; Rev.Alexander Atty, of St. Michael Antiochian Church;and Rev. Samuel Kedala, of Holy Trinity Church,Deacons Michael Sochka, Jesse Greendyk andVictor Gorodenchuk. Seminarians Paul Witek,Jason Vansuch, Andrew Romanov, and JohnMindala. Following the Divine Liturgy, a banquetwas held in honor of the Nehrebecki’s at TheBrownstone, Paterson, New Jersey.

At the banquet, the Nehrebecki’s were warmly

greeted. Father John was uncharacteristically briefin his opening statement and he quickly turned theprogram over to Matushka Eugenia. She seemedvery humbled when she received a standing ovationfrom the assembly after her opening remarks. Theother speakers were introduced by the VeryReverend David Vernak.

Councilman Leon Brasowski who, on behalfof the Parish, presented the Nehrebecki’s with aceremonial key to their new house being built onthe church property. The toast was offered byMichael Vlachos who spoke about the work thatstill needs to be done in Christ’s vineyard and thatthere is no retirement from the Christian life.Professor David Drillock recalled Fatherís firstassignment at Osceola Mills and his many visits toSaint Vladimir’s Seminary. Professor JohnErickson, Dean of Students at St. Vladimir’sSeminary acknowledged Father John’s andMatushka Eugenia’s influence on, and dedicationto, the Seminary.

Fathers Samuel Kedala (Holy Trinity Church,Wantage), David Garretson (SS Peter and Paul,South River), and Joseph Frawley (West Point,NY) gave anecdotal references as to how Fatherand Matushka impacted their lives; New JerseyDeanery’s acting Dean Joseph Lickwar (SS Peterand Paul, Jersey City) recalled the Nehrebecki’sservice to the Deanery.

The Very Reverend Michael Dahulich, Deanof St. Tikhon’s Seminary, spoke eloquently of theirmarriage, quoting from the book of Ecclesiastes(4:9-12, NJB) to describe their personal relation-ship and their dealings with other people, andtheir commitment to Christ: “Better two than onealone, since thus their work is really rewarding. Ifone should fall, the other helps him up; but whatof the person with no one to help him up when hefalls? Again: if two sleep together they keep warm,but how can anyone keep warm alone? Where onealone would be overcome, two will put up resist-ance; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”The third cord, of course, being Christ Jesus.Protopresbyter Rodion Kondratick, Chancellor of

A NEW BEGINNING FOR ARCHPRIEST JOHN AND

MATUSHKA EUGENIA NEHREBECKIBy Michael Vlahos

P A R I S H N E W S

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the OCA, spoke of the Nehrebecki’s service to theOCA and how much more we can expect fromthem now that they are released from their respon-sibility to the parish.

Tatiana Nehrebecki introduced the Familyprogram. Mark Jacobs (Louisville, KY) spoke ofcourting the last nubile Nehrebecki (Anastasia) andhow much Father John and Matushka Eugeniawould be welcomed in Louisville and at the SaintMichael Parish (the present Rector, FatherAlexander Atty, not withstanding) and then thegrandchildren, Anastasia (Vernak) Gorodenchuk,Justin Gramkow, and John Della Pesca, recalled thekindness of both grandparents and the wisdomthey had imparted to them.

Archbishop Peter spoke of their service anddedication to Christ and His Holy Church and herecalled that even while living in France he hadheard of their work and ministry in the UnitedStates. Finally, Dr. Joan Kakascik presented procla-mations from the Bergen County Board ofFreeholders and the New Jersey State Assembly andSenate for the years of selfless service to the com-munity. The Nehrebecki’s spoke again and thankedeveryone for their kindness and graciousness andaffectionately dismissed the guests.

Father John and Matushka Eugenia foundedChrist the Saviour Church on August 7, 1960. Its40th Anniversary was celebrated in 2000. In thecourse of his ministry at Christ The Saviour parish,Father John founded nine Orthodox parishes inNew Jersey and the Orthodox Chapel at UnitedStates Military Academy, West Point. Churcheswere established in Wayne, Randolph, MaysLanding, Pearl River (NY), Rahway/Clark,Bricktown, Saddle Brook, Cherry Hill/Medfordand Flemington/Lebanon.

The Nehrebecki’s have led their parishioners toa rich and full life in both theological and culturalactivities. Prelates from Poland, Russia and Japanhave visited with parishioners. Leading theologiansfrom Saint Vladimir’s Seminary, NY, and SaintTikhon’s Seminary, PA, have been regular guests.For the past 15 years, iconography classes thatstudy the Byzantine/Russian style of icon paintinghave been held at the church.

Believing that “the hand that gives must meetthe hand that receives,” Father John and MatushkaEugenia have engendered continuous programs of

charitable works personally and through TheMartha and Mary Altar Society and the parish’sYouth Group. Parishioners have contributed toParamus and Bergen county projects such as foodbanks and senior citizen programs.

Father John also stepped down as Dean of theOrthodox Clergy in New York and New Jersey, aposition to which he had been elected and re-electedto for 40 years. He was among the Commission ofBishops from the United States that received theTOMOS, the granting of autocephaly to theOrthodox Church in America, from Patriarch Pimenof the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow in1970. In 1958, Father John successfully besought theNew Jersey State Assembly to recognize the Orthodoxas the fourth major faith in New Jersey.

John Nehrebecki graduated from DonoraHigh School in 1946, Saint Tikhon TheologicalSeminary in 1950, and received a BA degree fromDavis and Elkins College (Elkins, West Virginia).While Father John was Orthodox Chaplain atColumbia University, he received his Master’sDegree in Russian studies from City University ofNew York. He then completed course work atSaint Vladimir Theological Seminary and inRussian literature and history in the FordhamUniversity doctoral program.

Fr. John and Matushka Eugenia were marriedon Thursday, May 22, 1952 so that all the priestscould attend the Sacrament (about 20 priests sangthe responses). Father John was ordained on July 4,1952 at Saint Mary Church, Lynn, Massachusetts,by Archbishop Dimitri of New England. FatherJohn’s first parish assignment was at St. Mary’sOrthodox Church in Osceola Mills, a little town incentral Pennsylvania. From there in 1953, the cou-ple traveled to Garfield, New Jersey (The ThreeSaints Church) and finally in 1960, they foundedChrist The Saviour parish in Paramus, New Jersey.

The Nehrebecki’s have six children: Vladimirof Bayonne, Mariam Vernak of Paramus, Olga Attyof Louisville, KY, Anastasia Jacobs of Louisville,KY, Tatiana Nehrebecki of Fair Lawn andTheodora Gramkow of Fair Lawn. Both MariamVernak and Olga Atty are married to priests serv-ing in the Orthodox Church. The Nehrebecki’s areblessed with 19 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. ❖

Dr. Joan Kakascik contributed to this article.

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The young couple sat stunned into speechless-ness as their ears heard the words the doctor spoke,but did not comprehend what he was saying abouttheir newborn son. Awful silence filled the neatpink and brown colonial kitchen of their first home.

Down’s Syndrome? What did those strangewords mean? How could this happen to their son?

What could they expect,medically and develop-mentally through the com-ing years? On and on wentthe questions. Most ofthem, forty years ago, thedoctor could not answer,but they were answered inGod’s good time. His timetable is never our own. Wecannot absorb all God hasfor us in one month, norone year, but must openour hearts and minds with

prayer and leaning on the Everlasting Arms. It is alife long task this growing to know His will.

Craig was a sweet pink cheeked boy with beau-tiful almost translucent white skin. He seldom cried,everything made him smile and coo and everyoneloved him. Yes, he was slow at mastering all the basicskills of life, but learn he did. His family perseveredalong with Craig and clapped their hands with himas each new challenge was met and mastered.

When it was time for school, his mother visit-ed the local principal and engaged her help inestablishing the first classroom for mentally chal-lenged youngsters in the community. There was lit-tle help available forty years ago. Today the futureis bright with help and hope.

And so Craig traveled to school on a small yel-low school bus and triumphantly brought homewonderful colorful pictures with ragged edges, redpaper hearts, orange pumpkins and sparklyChristmas trees. Life was good for several years.

Other needs cropped up and soon it was timefor Craig to live apart from us for awhile. It was adark period in our life, but God made it good asHe comforted wounded hearts, bound up hurtsand gave us some extraordinary moments. Did youever hear a chorus of mentally retarded children,who could hardly speak coherently, sing theHallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah? I did.There was not a dry eye in the audience that day.

There were funny moments too. My sister’sfamily used to come with us for picnics at Craig’sschool. On one occasion, when we unloaded ourpicnic baskets, out wiggled a black snake. He fledquickly to the screams of the picnickers. Craig’scousins brought the snake along to show Craig.That was truly an act of love, but Craig was notimpressed.

Today, Craig serves with our Priest duringLiturgy. He can hardly wait for Sunday, so he can“give Father a hand” as he phrases it. The hand hegives Father is indeed the hand that God made.Father Siniari, the Priest who first helped Craig toserve, once commented that as he looked at Craighe knew the Father spoke through Craig and thenthrough that hand that was extended toward him.How marvelous in God’s eyes are these who are likelittle children.

“Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall notreceive the kingdom of God as a little child shall inno wise enter thereinî (Luke 18:17). ❖

THE HAND THAT GOD MADEBy Jacqueline Mullen Niederberger

Fr. Gary Joseph Breton has been assigned to serve Annunciation Church,Brick, NJ. He and Matushka Mary (Buletza) have two children, Mary andAlexander. Fr. Gary was ordained on November 30, 1991 at Holy TrinityCathedral in Boston by His Grace, Bishop Job. He was then assigned to HolyAnnunciation Orthodox Church in Maynard, Massachusetts where he serveduntil September 31, 2002. ❖

NEW PASTOR IN BRICK, NJ

Craig, farthestright, served at thehierarchical liturgyon September 13,at whichArchbishop Peterblessed new iconog-raphy at theChurch of theMother of God,Mays Landing, NJ.

P A R I S H N E W S

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Jabril was trying to grab the wheel that Sundaynight when she crossed at high speed into the oncom-ing lanes. James cowered in the back. He was the onlyone who made it.

Monday morning everybody played what if -James, the Counselors, me, all the kids at the shelter.

The most important time is the only time wehave.

There was no answer for the straw hat. Lucindadidn’t say much. Her and the baby walked me to mycar. She was very kind to me and thanked me forbringing her stuff. She had a pretty face. It wasswollen from crying. I gave her an Icon card of theTheotokos weeping. She asked if we could pray. Myhands were free. We made the Cross. How could wefail? It seemed most important above all now. Shesaid, “Jesus, have mercy,” before the wall with Jabril’sname, newly painted, “fam - god and earth.” ❖

After serving as a priest in the OrthodoxChurch in America for 55 years and after servingas pastor of St. Vladimir Orthodox Church inTrenton, NJ for 53 years, Fr. Paul Shafran retiredas pastor of his church at the end of July 2002. Inorder to express their appreciation and gratitude,the parishioners held a special banquet for Fr. Pauland Matushka Mary on Sunday, October 6, 2002,at Daria Hall adjacent to the church. Prior to thebanquet, a service of thanksgiving was sung in thechurch that was filled with worshippers. The cele-brants at this service were the Very Rev. SergeiKuharsky who delivered the homily, the Very Rev.Nicholas Fedetz, a seminary classmate of Fr. Paul,the Very Rev. Thomas Edwards, the Very Rev.Steven Belonick, the Very Rev. Daniel Skvir, theRev. Fr. Martin Kraus, the newly appointed pastorof St. Vladimir Church, and the Rev. Fr. DeaconMichael Sochka.

At the conclusion of the Molieben Service, theclergy and congregation proceeded to Daria Hall.The hall was filled to capacity and many more peo-ple requested banquet tickets, but tickets were soldout. The table decorations and ambience were ele-gant. The banquet committee, consisting of alarge group of people, received high complimentsfor the excellent arrangements. Fr. Daniel Skviracted as master of ceremonies. Eloquent speecheswere delivered by Fr. Nicholas Fedetz, Fr. SergeiKuharsky, Fr. Thomas Edwards, Fr. StevenBelonick, Fr. Martin Kraus and Fr. DeaconMichael Sochka.

During the program representatives of theWomen’s Altar Society, the St. Vladimir Men’s

Society, the Senior R Club, the Church Choir andthe Church School came forward and presented Fr.Paul and Matushka Mary with many gifts and kindwords of appreciation. The biggest surprise waswhen Fr. Paul was presented with a large envelopecontaining a printed certificate informing him thata new 2003 Toyota Camry automobile was await-ing him outside! Fr. Paul and Matushka Marythanked all the people for their participation, theirloyalty and love. Followingthe closing prayer, parish-ioners approached Fr. Pauland Matushka Mary and per-sonally thanked them fortheir years of devoted serviceand love. During Fr. Paul’spastorate, the parish grew innumber requiring theenlargement of the church in1952 and 1968. Duringthese years a new altar table,iconostas and other appointments were installed.Also the entire church was beautified by therenowned icononographer Pimen Sofronov. In1964, Daria Hall, the education and social build-ing, was constructed adjacent to the church.Additional land was purchased to enlarge theparish cemetery, and a recreational park was con-structed on land donated by a parishioner.

Fr. Paul was designated as Pastor Emeritus byArchbishop Peter. Father Paul and MatushkaMary reside in their own home in Ewing, NJ in thevicinity of the College of New Jersey. ❖

AFTER 55 YEARS:

THE RETIREMENT OF FR. PAUL SHAFRAN

continued from back page

JACOB’S WELLDiocese of New York/New Jersey24 Colmar RoadCherry Hill, NJ 08002

Non-ProfitOrganizationUS Postage

PAID

Three questions, a short story by Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy:

“It once occurred to a certain king that if he always knew theright time to begin everything, if he always knew the right peopleo listen to, and whom to avoid, and above all, if he always knew

what was the most important thing to do, he would never fail inanything he might undertake.” Time, people, and above all, task,how could he fail?

The ghetto gets hot with summer anticipation once Easter’s over.Boys play halfies curb to curb in cobble narrow streets. Jokers loungeon greasy steps beside mustard ugly corner stores and make noisesike a mob atop broken down bleachers. Girls dress tight and strollby. Guys yelling, “Let me holla’ at chu’” - critique the piercing,parade, and new tattoo. “Let me peek your sneakers.” The girls slowdown and laugh.

Rooftops come alive with shoot new weed. Every lot turns cur-rency green. Porches full of pit bulls. Babies wail. Mothers cry out toheir children. Their voices echo in vain down decrepit city blocks.

Diptychs in brick, RIP memorials tag the scattered buildings leftstanding with spray paint portraits looking grander than life. Andnames, endless names, with dates too pitiful to even calculate, wasted,beautiful young lives, now nothing more than fading urban graffiti.

Freak eighty-four degrees in April. The screens in every house rever-berate with their own special rhythm. Speakers are loud, but they’recheap. Somebody’s cooking in tin. The smoke is acrid. It vanishes andchokes. Creeps me out, passing the desecrated temple again, dank anddark inside, mildewed piles, strewn crumpled vestments, tabernaclesbrutalized, doors gaping, iconostasis smashed, Typicons torn to sheds.Under the rubble two young pilgrims brought me the abandonedAntimension, who could have left them? Inside, a single shaft of sun-ight pierces the ruptured cupola. Holy Resurrection is still one longweek away. I bow my head amid the sadness and strain to hear thePaschal verses “come forth from the tomb like a bridegroom in pro-cession.” Placing them in our parish altar, I keep moving; you can onlydo what you can do.

My hands are full. My attention’s rapt. A suitcase weighing medown on one side, and trying to find a place to grip an overly awk-ward car seat overflowing with diapers, straps, and formula, is taking

up the hand I make the Cross with. And right here, I’d like to makethe Cross. My shiny car with the out of state tags is parked on 5thStreet, two blocks away. My pockets are full of prescription meds andI’m looking for Lucinda and her baby who got booted from the shel-ter for holding for Jabril, her baby’s father, who was dealing wet, weed-infused, jet fuel laced, embalming fluid marijuana, him and James, afriend Jabril called “fam.” Family, they call each other - “god andearth,” boys are god, girls are earth.

I spot the address painted on a porch... The one with the ladysmoking crack on a sat-out beach chair, the one next door to the pitbull synod.

“You da’ priest?” says a guy with gold teeth on a kitchen chairwith an accent from the islands. Ordinarily I avoid inner city person-alities in broad straw hats. My eyes are fixed on a barefoot kid tryingto hold back a black and white pit straining his leash to get down thesteps and introduce himself to me. “Don’t mind the dog,” says thestraw hat. “Come up. Why you put out ‘dis baby and her mama?”

The Chapel was dark when I sat with Jabril. Every counselor hadcome and said he’s out. Don’t you dare let this one back until he’sdone his card. Failure to follow case plan for the third time in a rownets a thirty-day card. He’s out for a month. It was Friday in theevening. He had eight days left on his card. I hated beingOmbudsman. Gather all the facts, who, what, where, when, how,what if, and why, both sides, and you still just don’t know.

I said, “Let me send you to our place at the Shore. I’ll give youthe six bucks.” “I have school on Monday, I can’t go that far.” washis reply. “I graduate in a week.” “Ruben said you could stay at hisplace. Here’s a fifty dollar grocery gift certificate.” Jabril said nothanks. “There’s plenty other ways if they won’t let me back early.”When I told him God created him for good, he said he’d get back tothat, eventually.

He had some money coming no one knew about. Sunday nighthe went with James to see a woman in a red Chevrolet about a deal.Saturday at the end of her shift she lit an eight-day candle and placedit on her suicide note on top of the toilet tank in the ladies room inthe plant where she worked with James’ mother.

PIT BULLS, PASCHA, & PRETTY FACESBy Fr. Stephen Siniari

G O O D & F A I T H F U L S E R V A N T

Continued on page 31