Sunday, October 31, 2010

Monastery

Just got back from an amazing weekend at All Saints Greek Orthodox Monastery on Long Island. I don't have time now to write a blog about it but I can't wait to blog in the next few days and write all my experiences :)

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Readers' Services

Sorry it's taken so long to write this blog...I had the intention of writing it last week but one thing after the other came up and I haven't had time.

Last summer (2009), at CrossRoad, there were a few times that we didn't have a priest for one of the daily services. We did Readers' services, which basically means that you can do any service except Liturgy without a priest. The litanies/petitions are omitted, in some traditions substituting 3 or 12 Κύριε ελέισονs, depending on the length of the litany. Where the priest says "Blessed is our God," "For Thine is the Kingdom," or another short priest prayer, the Reader says "Through the Prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen."

Over the summer, on Project Mexico, I was talking to Demitra, a CrossRoad friend of mine who is a sophomore at Hellenic College this year. I was asking her all kinds of questions about life here. Once I asked her if they ever do not have a priest; if they ever do readers' services like we did at CrossRoad a few times. She said not, but sometimes there is no deacon so the priest takes the deacon's parts. I was excited, not having expected a deacon to serve for daily services...I would assume they would only serve on Sundays. Regardless, the point is that Demitra had not experienced a readers' service on campus during her freshman year. I haven't experienced one yet this year either.

So remember about the ecumenical people that were here for meetings last week? Well, they were here for Orthros the following morning, as well. We were all sitting in the chapel, waiting patiently for Orthros to start. Around 8:05, Deacon Jim (Demetrios) comes to the center of the solea and says "Good morning. My name is Deacon Demetrios. Our priest just called in sick." There were no priests floating around the sides of the chapel, as there usually are. Deacon Jim was getting ready to explain readers' services, and I was thinking, "Just great! The first time we don't have a priest is when we have sixty non-Orthodox visitors and they're going to wonder what's wrong with us!"

Just then the front door opens, Deacon Jim turns his eyes to the narthex, and says, "Glory be to God. we have a priest!" and walks back to the side of the church. Fr. Milad had just walked in, exhausted from a recent trip, but as a faithful servant, ready to serve Orthros.

That was an interesting experience that I wanted to share :)

By the way, we do readers' services all the time in the dorm chapel (e.g. Compline, Paraklesis), but as I said, we haven't done Vespers or Orthros as a readers' service since I've been here. Understandably, too...there are many priests on campus! If one doesn't show up, there's a zillion others :)

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Dinner with an Anglican bishop

So there's some ecumenical world churches' organization humanitarian relief something or other, having some meetings today and tomorrow here on campus. It's always funny seeing how Protestants react to Orthodox worship. There's about sixty of them. They came to Vespers. They ALL came to Vespers. Late.

"O Lord, I have cried unto you...", a few people walk in.

"Κατευθυνθήτω ἡ προσευχή μου, ὡς θυμίαμα ἐνώπιόν σου...", Deacon Nick starts censing. The rest of them [about 40-50] come in. 

"Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth...", Deacon Nick comes out of the Altar, ready to cense every which way and they're just getting situated, some still in the aisle trying to find a seat. I was worried Deacon Nick would run into them censing. He didn't.


At the end of the Trisagion (after "Lord, now let Your servant depart in peace") towards the end of Vespers, we hear:
Everyone: ...but deliver us from evil.
Visiting non-Orthodox: For Thine is... [they trail off, as Fr. Nick's booming voice cuts them off]
Fr. Nick: For Yours is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages.
Chanters: Amen.


Afterwards I decided to welcome them and shook a lot of hands. I ate dinner with an Anglican bishop, an Anglican priest's wife, an ex-Catholic Protestant guy, and another Protestant guy. We talked about all different stuff and it was nice.


Now off to read Nicomachean Ethics.

St. Vladimir, the Patron Saint of College all-nighters

So it's been decided that St. Grand Prince Vladimir is the Patron Saint of college all-nighters. His dusty icon was lying around one of the lounges, where Evan was trying to pull an all-nighter and falling asleep. Evan took the icon, dusted him off, and set him on the psaltirion (chanter's stand) in the lounge, asking him to help him stay awake. Evan made it through the night :)

(Only at HC/HC do you have random icons lying around in lounges; AND, only at HC/HC is there a chanter's stand in the first floor lounge :) I love it!) :)

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

HC/HC is getting sick all over the place!

Photios (who incidentally took Sebastian to the hospital yesterday morning) was taken to the hospital last night for kidney stones. He is back now. Please pray for him.

Oh, and I've discovered that I can walk (on the treadmill) and read at the same time. So I think I'll do that for most of my readings, and get some double benefit :) Philosophy seems hard to do that with, though, maybe b/c of the style of Nicomachean Ethics that we are reading now. Other books, though... yay! :)

Monday, October 18, 2010

Appendicitis (not mine)

Please pray for my friend Sebastian (a Hellenic College student) who was having a lot of pain and couldn't sleep last night (Sunday night). He went to the hospital at 5am this morning, had surgery for his appendix around midday, and returned to campus around 8pm.

Anecdote: We went to visit him at around 7:00-ish tonight, after dinner. We got to his wing, said "We're here to visit Sebastian," and they freaked out and said "only two at a time," seeing 10 or so of us haha. Another receptionist heard us and said, "Oh, are you here to take him home?" We were like "uhhh...." The receptionist said, "Oh yeah, if he hasn't gone already, he's leaving real soon." We were like "oops." He wasn't in his room, so Irene called him and told him. He laughed. We decided that we probably missed each other in different elevators. I felt bad for Sam, who was our driver in the school van. Oh, well. We had good intentions. Sebastian appreciated it. Now he's safe and sound, hanging out on campus, a little out of it, in some pain, but doing fine. Thank God. Please pray for his complete recovery.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Challenge Liturgies

I work in the Computer Lab at school on Friday nights and Saturday afternoons. I'm there right now, typing away. :)

Last night, at work, I was looking through my archived emails and came across one from this past week about "Challenge Liturgies," which were geared towards "physically and developmentally challenged Orthodox Christians." I was interested and wanted to go, and realized that the first one was today, so I frantically emailed Becky, who was in charge of the HC/HC aspect of it, and thankfully heard back from her. I got up this morning, and Becky and I were picked up by Mary Lynn, who lives in Brookline, who went this morning. Mary Lynn's daughter Angela has downs syndrome, and Mary Lynn helped organize these Challenge Liturgies.

The Liturgy was at Transfiguration Church in Lowell, about 45 minutes away. There was a small crowd. Two priests served - Fr. Steve, who is the priest at Transfiguration, and Fr. Anastasios, an older priest from a neighboring church, whose grown son Johnny also has downs syndrome and served in the Altar today.

In his sermon, Fr. Steve said that, when planning these Liturgies (scheduled to happen on the third Saturday of every month), some people gave him flack for doing a "separate" Liturgy for special needs people. However, the point was not to do a "separate" Liturgy: the Divine Liturgy is public worship, open for everyone. All they are trying to do is to make families with special needs people feel welcome, and create an environment where they are comfortable coming to church. Hopefully they will get used to coming to church, and will start coming on Sundays. That is the goal. And, glory to God, today I met Niko, an old man from Greece with multiple physical problems. Niko had not been to church in a long time, but his sister is now planning on bringing him to Challenge Liturgies.

I feel that "Challenge Liturgies" are a great idea! They originated in New York (for those interested, contact me and I'll let you know the parts of the history that I remember) and are branching out. I told people today that I would try to take it back to Pittsburgh and get something started there. I intend to mention it to a few priests when I'm home sometime.

Below is a picture of Transfiguration Church in Lowell:


On another note, PLEASE leave me comments on my blog, even if it's just a few words. I feel lonely haha. Also, I'm experimenting with the background. Right now I have a picture of the Orthodox Monastery of the Transfiguration in Ellwood City (my monastery <3) If you like it or have other suggestions, let me know. If you don't like it, or think a different layout would be good, let me know :)

I'm coming home on November 10-14, so if anybody in the Pittsburgh area wants to hang out, let me know and we can probably arrange something. :)

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

It feels like Pascha

I've been trying to dress up for weekday Liturgies. Right now I'm getting dressed...I'm wearing khakis with a white shirt, tie, and black sweater. I'm putting on the tie now. it is 6:05 AM and it's dark out. I'm tired. I'm reminded of Pascha...dressing up in the dark :)

Now off to Orthros and Divine Liturgy for St. Symeon the New Theologian! :D

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Ordination (not mine, of course!!!)

Last Sunday, James said, "Hey! There's a Ukrainian Hierarchical Liturgy and Ordination on Saturday! Anyone wanna come?" James is a first year seminarian and Ukrainian subdeacon. Many were interested but for various conflicts I was the only one who was able to go. I had been told it would be all in Ukrainian so I was a bit disappointed when it was half and half, English and Ukrainian. The Ukrainian was still cool, though. Please keep newly-ordained FATHER BORISLAV, his wife PANI IZABELA and their daughter ANNA in your prayers, as well as the parish to which they will be assigned beginning next Sunday (Oct 17).

I'm staying on campus tomorrow for Liturgy and the memorial for Bishop Gerasimos (on what would have been his 100th birthday). I hope to get off campus on Sundays more often, beginning next week. I think I'll make my rounds to different parishes and experience the various cultural expressions of Orthodoxy. Please add your private prayers for the repose of the soul of Bishop Gerasimos, and ask his intercessions before God for all of us. Blessed Bishop Gerasimos, if you have boldness, pray to God for us! Memory Eternal!

I'm now working in the computer lab six hours a week - Friday nights and Saturday afternoons. If I need to go away for the weekend, it's very easy to find a replacement, and I get to sit at the desk and study for about 95% of the time. The other 5%, I'm opening up, locking up, turning computers on, turning computers off, and helping with the occasional technical issue (which printer to print to). It's a great job, although five hours last night was a little long and tiring because Seraphim called off, who was supposed to work after me for two hours, and I volunteered to take his shift.

That's it for now! Bedtime! :)

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

hand-kissing; pink underwear; early Liturgies

Wow it's been a long time since I blogged. I don't have a lot of time now, but I just wanted to do a quick update. In the past few weeks, my schedule has been pretty full. Overall I love school. It's work, and it's a LOT of reading, but I hope I'm managing ok...I guess we'll see when the tests come. I've talked to several friends nation-wide about various subjects, from advice-giving, to advice-getting, to mission trips, to chit-chat, and everywhere in between. I wish I had a bit more free time, though. I hope to make a schedule before the end of the week, so I can manage my time and my work.

Prayer life is a bit more regulated than it was at the beginning of the year...as we are all so busy, there is rarely time for the unexpected Paraklesis (unfortunately). Small Compline and Akathist have been set for 10 pm each night, thanks to one of my friends. Have I mentioned that we have a chapel in the dorm? It's in between the men's and women's sides of the dorm, so it's co-ed, and we meet there for reader's services (without a priest). Last Saturday, after Vespers and dinner, we had a real treat. For the first time, Fr. Evangelos, a student priest from Africa (with a really cool accent) served Paraklesis for us in the dorm chapel. It was great!

We had an early Liturgy this morning. There is usually at least one weekday Divine Liturgy each week. Wednesday is the default day when there is no major feast, plus today is the Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle. Liturgy was nice, but I was half asleep, so... yeah. Orthros started at 6:15, I arrived around 6:40, and "Blessed is the Kingdom" was around 7:15. we were done by 8:30, and I took a PLN (Post-Liturgical Nap) before my 10:40 Biblical Heritage class, which was a bad idea because I was awake after breakfast, then I slept and was tired during class.

I have mixed feelings about early Liturgies. They remind me of some monasteries I've been to, where Divine Liturgy is super-early (sometimes 4 am!). I like it early, except when I'm not rested and have to force myself to get up. The plus side is it's Divine Liturgy and it's amazing, and we're out early, in time for a full day of class and stuff. The down side is, I'm often tired and oversleep and get there late. Another plus, though, is that the default celebrant for weekday Liturgies is Fr. Demetri, a hieromonk from Crete, who is a student here. He is an amazing priest, and I love the way he serves the Liturgy. There are no monasteries around here, but weekday Liturgies give me a monastic "teaser," if you will.

A little anecdote: I washed my new red sheets a few weeks ago, and there weren't enough pink and red clothes to fill up the load, so I stuck in some white underwear and washcloths that I didn't care about. Now they have the slightest pinkish hue to them. It's pretty cool :)

I went to a symposium last night, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Bishop Gerasimos of blessed memory, who lived here for 43 years. I heard stories and WOW he's cool! and holy! and awesome! His 100th birthday is on Sunday, 10-10-10, and this week is dedicated to his memory and talks about him and such.

I've met Fr. Kalivas (sp?) a renowned professor emeritus of the school. He seems like a cool guy, and it's nice that he still comes around and visits. One thing I don't like, though, is that some of the priests around here (Fr. Kalivas included), aren't big on the priestly hand-kissing. Sometimes I'll hold out my hands to get a blessing, and they do a little "teaser" and slap my hands with their right hand, quickly pulling it away. Or one priest refuses completely, with the excuse of "I am not an icon!" I don't want to sound judgmental, I'm just disappointed, as I have tremendous respect for the priesthood and I'm prevented from showing it sometimes.

Now off to get a shower before 5:00 Vespers :)

I hope I blog again soon!