A Steward of St. Andrew is also an Ambassodor of the Church

My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

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A STEWARD OF SAINT ANDREW IS ALSO AN AMBASSADOR OF THE CHURCH

Every year the parish conducts elections for the new members of the parish council and every year following the ratification of the elections by His Eminence Metropolitan Nathanael the new members of the parish council take the oath of office before God and fellow parishioners.

As leaders of the parish, the parish council members are on the front lines and are able to have a long-term positive effect on their parish. To serve on the parish council is a ministry and those who serve are called to represent Christ to all whom they meet in all aspects of life.

The holy mission of the parish as defined in the Uniform Parish Regulations - and therefore the mission of the Parish Council -- is "...to keep, practice and proclaim the Orthodox Christian Faith pure and undefiled."

Above and beyond the many and various responsibilities of the members of the parish council, they also represent the community, and therefore, become the ambassadors of the church wherever they go. However, they are not the only ambassadors of the parish. Every steward of the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Andrew in South Bend is an ambassador. By being an Ambassador you, the individual member, must also reflect the Orthodox Christian values, conduct, proclaim the Faith and keep it pure and undefiled. Every Orthodox Christian should be a supporting member of the parish, in other words, everyone should make a financial commitment to the operating needs of the church.

I find it alarming and astonishing that there are still Orthodox Christians attending the divine services, receiving the sacraments, are served by the parish priest of Saint Andrew and yet do not think that they too have the same responsibility as everyone else of supporting the church financially. No parish is self-sustaining! Only those people that attend once a while may not think of it but not someone who attends frequently. 

There are always those individuals who are indifferent, those who do not practice the Faith, those who are not willing to support financially the local church, those who have no commitment to Christ, those who find a million excuses of not giving to the church, individuals who pretend not to know. No one with common sense or any interest or concern in the church can ever believe that the local church is self-sustaining and does not need assistance.

You, the existing and supporting members of the church, the stewards, should, as the ambassadors of the parish, inform others of how the local parish functions and the responsibility of not only to support the parish financially but also to contribute and work to raise funds. It is not what the parish can do for you but what you can do for the parish!

The mistake that everyone in the parish makes is to place all the community responsibilities, all concerns, all financial obligations, all fund-raising, etc. on the shoulders of the volunteer members of the parish council. That is unjust and totally wrong. We must all share in the great responsibility of running the local parish and to restrict our support by just giving an annual donation and nothing more. Remember that Stewardship means, Time, Talent, and Treasure!

May our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ bless all of you as you continue to serve Him with selfless love, faith, and humility.

In Christ's Divine Service,

+Father George

Orthodox Christian Understanding of the Significance of Prayer

My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

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ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN UNDERSTANDING OF THE SIGNIFICANCE OF PRAYER
What Prayer Is

Prayer is a universal, spiritual phenomenon, the fundamental and inseparable element of every religion and every personal piety. As such, prayer has appeared in the history of mankind with an astonishing multiplicity of forms and expressions that range from the most crude and primitive to the most spiritually sublime. The tradition of the Holy Bible and of Orthodox Christianity provides an extraordinary perspective from which to see not only the nature and meaning of prayer but also its concrete expression in practice. The basic presupposition of any real and true spiritual prayer is the belief in the existence of the Living God. The believer not only believes that the Infinite and invisible God exists, but that He also reveals Himself to people. It is through this revelation of God that it becomes possible for man to have a personal communion with God. When, therefore, the believer prays, he or she speak directly to God and become aware of a communication with Him. Consequently, prayer presupposes faith in the reality and the presence of God, and means primarily that living relationship between man and God, which is nothing less than a direct and real spiritual contact and personal conversation between persons, between an "I" and a "You". The person who prays is the "I" and the God Who is addressed in prayer is the "You".

When therefore we say that we are praying, we mean that we are talking with and having a relationship with God, as a child speaks and relates to a father or a mother.

Types and Levels of Prayer

In the Orthodox spiritual tradition, prayer has a broad, comprehensive and profound meaning. To pray does not mean simply and only to petition and to beseech, that is, to ask for something from God. This is, of course, the familiar meaning of prayer, and certainly one of the types of prayer. It is important to note, however, that there are various types of prayer, as well as various levels of prayer, which are always analogous to the spiritual experience and progress of each praying person.

The Prayer of Supplication. Prayer begins as petition and supplication when we express our needs and our deficiencies to God. This type of prayer is the most familiar to all of us because this is the type we use most often. We are always aware of our needs and weaknesses.

The Prayer of Thanksgiving. After the prayer of supplication what usually follows is the prayer of thanksgiving. This is a higher type of prayer because the believer does not any longer seek something from God but rather expresses gratitude and thanksgiving to Him for the benefits and the gifts already received. When the prayer of supplication receives its necessary response, the believer usually expresses a prayer of thanksgiving to the God who loves mankind and grants requests. We respond with a prayer of thanksgiving because we recognize and acknowledge the grace of God, which we have received in the past or in the present.

The Worshipful Prayer of Doxology. The worshipful prayer of doxology and praise confirms in a way the following affirmations: "You Lord are God and I am a human person, Your creation. You exist forever and eternally, while I have been created by You and depend upon You." Our life must always be based upon the truth. And the basic truth in this instance is that God is God and man is man, God is the Creator and man is the creation, and not the other way around. When we, therefore, accept this fundamental truth and worship selflessly our most Benevolent Creator, we secure our authenticity and spiritual freedom, our health, and maturity as human beings. The free and selfless worship and praise of God make us truly free and enlightened human beings, who reflect that glory and that honor with which our Creator has endowed us from the beginning. God Himself, of course, does need to be glorified by us. But it is proper and right precisely for the regenerated human nature of mankind to praise and to worship God, using the most pure and most perfect type of prayer. Holy Scripture is full of hymns and praises with which to worship God. When God is praised and glorified by man it is the human person that is magnified and honored precisely because we are able to recognize and honor God Who is infinitely superior to us. By glorifying God the human person fulfills his or her destiny - to be and to act like a child of God, who turns to God in humble yet confident prayer of love and selfless devotion.

Difficulties and Demands of Prayer

It should not be a surprise to anyone that such an important gift of God and such a privilege of man, as is prayer, with its various types and various spiritual levels, should also be accompanied by certain concrete difficulties and demands as we seek to cultivate and develop it in our life.

We should from the star confess that prayer is essentially a daring and dangerous undertaking for man. When a person conscientiously attempts to encounter the Living God and converse with Him, admittedly such a person is actually undertaking an awesome adventure! Every encounter with God is also a crisis, an ultimate event, because truly "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Hebrew 10:31). When we seek to enter into the presence of God through prayer, we are actually approaching Divine fire, which at the same time both attracts us and repels us. During the time of prayer we are required to place ourselves without reservation, but with humility, contrition, and love, before this Divine fire and to become like that biblical bush that burned but was not consumed (cf. Exodus 3:2). This daring undertaking means that we must remove from our old selves everything that separates us from God, that we may rediscover our life anew and regenerate in Christ.

"...When we are truly near to God, we can see far more clearly the great difference which exists between Him and us. But when we are at a distance from God and do not have a relationship with Him, then we cannot successfully distinguish this difference. This happens because the image of God in us is badly distorted, not only our thoughts and our understanding but also in personal reality of our being. This means that the presence of God is absent from our life, and the reality of God is for us nothing but a fleeting fantasy and a discordance, with no resonance in our personal experience. But the closer we come to God, the clearer becomes our understanding of our own sinfulness before the Holy God. Without the Light of the Holy and Divine Presence, our sins seem insignificant, while under the most bright light of Divine Truth and Life our sins acquire all of their tragic depth. Consequently, a desire swells up in us for repentance and spiritual regeneration. (Source: A Prayer Book - An Anthology of Orthodox Prayers by Reverend Father Peter A. Chamberas)

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" - Saint John Chrysostomos

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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George

Fanari Camp at Saint Iakovos Retreat Center



My dear brothers and sisters in Christ God,
Glory Be To God!

Our Chicago Metropolis has been blessed with the wonderful St. Iakovos Retreat Center in Wisconsin known also is Fanari Camp.

What is Fanari Camp?

Fanari Camp is a ministry of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago and offers the youth of the Metropolis entering their 6th grade school year through their 12th grace school year the ability to share their common faith and heritage through its many sessions and activities.

Mission

Engaging Orthodox Christian youth in exciting, Christ-centered camp experience.

Vision

To bring Orthodox youth closer to God, the Church, and their community.

Values

Safe and supportive. Worship and Prayer. Living the Faith. Love and Fellowship.

Transformation, education, mentorship, service, compassion, joy.

Saint Iakovos Retreat Center

Fanari Winter Camp

Seeing that waiting an entire year for the next session of camp is just too long, Fanari Winter Camp brings all the fun of Fanari Summer Camp to the winter months. Fanari Winter Camp offers two sessions, the first for Senior GOYAns (High Schoolers) and the second for Junior GOYAns (Middle Schoolers). Our most enjoyable activities include: Worship, Orthodox life, Winter Olympics, and much more! Our 2020 Fanari Winter Camp sessions are as follows:

* Fanari Winter Camp/Senior GOYA (High School):  January 17-20, 2020 - $225/per camper.

* Fanari Winter Camp/ Junior GOYA: February 28-March 2, 2020 - $225/per camper.

Please note: The Fanari Summer Camp is over $500 per camper.

https://www.fanari.camp/

Only a few of our parish children had the opportunity to enjoy our Metropolis Fanari Camp  It would be wonderful if not for the Winter program to at least have in mind the Fanari Summer Camp program and send as many of our young people there as possible.  However, we need sponsors and donations to help especially children of families that cannot afford to send their children to the camp.

Our parish children will experience something awesome and wonderful at the camp.  For the first time, they will be in the company of young people their age and young people who have so much in common.  The camp has a wonderful program and facilities and their time at the camp will be memorable for all of them plus they will make new friends from other parishes throughout the Chicago Metropolis.

Please let me know if you wish to sponsor a child/children to the Winter and/or Fanari Summer Camp.

Another wonderful Camp Program is at the Ionian Summer camp in southern Greece.  I will be informing you also about that beautiful Camp and its program very soon.

With love,

+Father George

Worship in the Orthodox Church

My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

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WORSHIP IN THE ORTHODOX CHURCH
By Reverend Father Thomas Fitzerald

O Come, let us Worship and bow down before our King and God. O Come, let us Worship and bow down before Christ, our King, and God. O Come, let us Worship and bow down to Christ Himself, our King and God.

This invitation marks the beginning of each day for the Orthodox Church. It comes from the office of Vespers (Esperinos), and it expresses the attitude which is at the heart of Orthodoxy. The Worship of God - the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, - is fundamental to the life and spirit of the Orthodox Church.

Since Worship is so important to Orthodoxy, the best introduction to the Orthodox Church is for the non-Orthodox to attend the Divine Liturgy or the celebration of the major Sacraments (Mysteries). At first, the visitor may be overwhelmed by the music and the ceremonies, but it is in Worship that the distinctive flavor, rich traditions, and living faith of Orthodoxy are truly experienced.

Dimensions of Worship

Worship is an experience that involved the entire Church. When each of us comes together for Worship, we do so as members of the Church which transcends the boundaries of society, of time and of space. Although we gather at a particular moment and at a particular place, our actions reach beyond the parish, into the very Kingdom of God. We worship in the company of both the living and the departed faithful.

There are two dimensions to Orthodox Christian Worship which are reflected throughout the many Services of the Church. First, Worship is a manifestation of God's presence and action in the midst of His people. It is God who gathers his scattered people together, and it is He Who reveals Himself as we enter into His presence. The Worship of the Orthodox Church very vividly expresses the Truth that God dwells among His people and that we are created to share in His life.

Second, Worship is our corporate response of thanksgiving to the presence of God and a remembrance of his saving actions -- especially the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Orthodox Christian Worship is centered upon God. He has acted in history, and He continues to act through the Holy Spirit. We are mindful of His actions and we respond to His love with praise and thanksgiving. In so doing we come closer to God.

Expressions of Worship

Worship in the Orthodox Church is expressed in four principal ways:

The Eucharist, which is the most important worship experience of Orthodoxy. Eucharist means thanksgiving and is known in the Orthodox Church as the Divine Liturgy. The Sacraments (Mysteries or Mysteria), which affirm God's presence and action in the important events of our Christian lives. All the major Sacraments are closely related to the Eucharist. These are: Baptism, Chrismation, Confession, Marriage, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the sick.  Special Services and Blessings, which also affirm God's presence in all the events, needs and tasks of our life.

The Daily Offices, which are the services of public prayer which occur throughout the day. The most important are Orthros (Matins), which is the morning prayer of the Church, and Esperinos (Vespers), which is the evening prayer of the Church.

Characteristics

Although Orthodox Services can very often elaborate, solemn, and lengthy, they express a deep and pervasive sense of joy. This mood is an expression of our belief in the Resurrection of Christ and the Deification (Theosis) of Humanity, which are dominant themes of Orthodox Worship. In order to enhance this feeling and to encourage full participation, Divine Services are always sung or chanted.

Worship is not simply expressed in words. In addition to prayers, hymns, and Scripture readings, there are a number of ceremonies, gestures, and processions.  The Church makes rich use of non-verbal symbols to express God's presence and our relationship to Him. Orthodox Christian Worship involves the whole person; one's intellect, feelings, and senses.

Services in the Orthodox Church follow a prescribed order. There is a framework and design to our Worship. This is valuable in order to preserve dimension and maintain a continuity with the past. The content of the Services is also set. There are unchanging elements; and there are parts which change according to the feast, season, or particular circumstance. The regulating of the Services by the whole Church emphasizes the fact that Worship is an expression of the entire church, and not the composition on a particular priest and congregation.

An important secondary purpose of Worship is the teaching of the Faith. There is a very close relationship between Worship and the teachings of the Church. Faith is expressed in Worship, and Worship serves to strengthen and communicate Faith.  As a consequence, the prayers, hymns, and liturgical gestures of Orthodoxy are important mediums of teaching. The regulating of the Services also serves to preserve the True Faith and to guard it against error (heresy).

The celebration of the Divine Liturgy and the Sacraments (Mysteries) is always led by an ordained clergyman in the local parish, this will generally be a priest who acts in the name of the bishop, and who is sometimes assisted by a deacon. When the bishop is present, he presides at the Service. The vestments of the clergy express their special calling to the ministry as well as their particular office.

Since Worship in Orthodoxy is an expression of the entire Church the active participation and involvement of the congregation is required. There are no "private" or "said" Services in the Orthodox Church and none may take place without congregation (lay Orthodox Christians). This strong sense of community is expressed in the prayers and exhortations which are in the plural tense. The congregation (the faithful Orthodox Christians) is expected to participate actively in the Services in ways such as: singing hymns; concluding the prayers with "amen"; responding to the petitions; making the sign of the Cross; bowing; and, especially, by receiving Holy Communion at the Divine Liturgy. Standing is the preferred posture of prayer in the Orthodox Church. The congregation kneels only at particularly solemn moments, such as the Invocation (Epiklesis) of the Holy Spirit during the Divine Liturgy.

The Litany is an important part of Orthodox Services. A litany is a dialogue between the priest or deacon and the congregation, which consists of a number of prayer-petitions, followed by the response "Kyrie eleison" ("Lord, have mercy") or "Paraschou Kyrie" ("Grant this, O Lord.") Litanies occur frequently throughout the Services and often serve to distinguish particular sections.

Orthodox Worship has always been celebrated in the language of the people. There is no official or universal liturgical language. Often, two or more languages are used in the Services to accommodate the needs of the congregation. Throughout the world, Services are celebrated in more than twenty languages which included such diverse ones as Greek, Slavonic, Arabic, Albanian, Rumanians, Russian, English, and Luganda. (Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America)

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" -- Saint John Chrysostomoas

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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George

On Generous Giving...

My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

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ON GENEROUS GIVING...
Jesus Gives His life for the Sheep

"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (St. John 10:10).

We are already nine days in the New Year and we are blessed with new opportunities to express our gratitude to our Creator and to our Holy Orthodox Church.

We have spoken many times about what stewardship is and I feel the need to once again explain its significance and necessity to our local church. Father Anthony Coniaris provides his reflection: "Christian Stewardship is about becoming good caretakers of all that God has given us. God has given each of us special and unique gifts. And through Holy Scripture, He teaches us all that we have is a loan. He lends everything to us and reminds us that one day He will ask us to give a detailed accounting of what we have done with the gifts He has given us. His Eminence Archbishop Anastasios of Albania has noted that "we find ourselves by offering ourselves."

Have we learned the blessedness of generously giving to others of all we have?  

He continues: "One day, a person complained to his priest that the Church and Christianity is one continual "give, give, give". To which the priest replied, "Thank you very much for the finest definition of Christianity I have ever heard. You're right, Christianity is all about a constant "give, give, give". God giving His Only-Begotten Son to the world to show His unconditional love. His Son Jesus giving His life on the Cross to forgive our sins and destroy death. Then our Lord's disciples giving all they had to make sure God's Good News of love was preached to all people everywhere.

They not only gave their homes and businesses but even gave up their very lives as Martyrs in gratitude to God! It is by offering our blessings back to God that He will be able to continue His forgiving, healing, liberating, empowering, transforming, loving ministry through the Church. For God, Infinite though He is, has chosen to work through us, through our gifts, to continue His saving work in the world today.

Your generous offering of treasure allows our faith community to grow physically and spiritually.

As important as your financial contributions, your commitment of time and talent not only supports the parish but helps you grow spiritually as well. As has been said, "To serve is a joy and a privilege, and in serving we grow spiritually. It is not enough for our love of Christ to remain hidden only within our hearts. It must be expressed outwardly as well. Please seek out ways to offer yourself to our holy church through our various Parish Ministries.

Thank you for your generous stewardship, your love offering to our beloved Saint Andrew parish.

With genuine love in Christ,

+Father George

The "Little" or "Domestic" Church According to St. John Chrysostomos

My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

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THE "LITTLE" OR "DOMESTIC" CHURCH ACCORDING TO SAINT JOHN CHRYSOSTOMOS

In recent contemporary Church history, there have been a considerable examination and inquiry on the family as the home church. Saint John considered the baptized Christian families to be what he named "mikra" or "little" churches. The Christian family is for the Holy Father a community "koinonia" of persons in love and in unity like the Holy Trinity.

The Christian family, for Saint John, is like the Church as a communion of baptized persons living in unity under the Headship of our Lord Jesus Christ that has visible and invisible dimensions. Two types of activities make homes as churches, he writes, prayer and the centrality of the Holy Scripture. Saint John taught, "Let the household be a church consisting of men and women..." "For where two", He writes, "are gathered in My Name, there am I in the midst of them" (St. Matthew 18:20). Where Christ, our Lord is in the midst, there is a great multitude. The Christian family is Christ-centered and the entire life of the family revolves around Him and His Divine Commandments. Where Christ is, there needs must Angels be..." He advocates praying frequently according to hours and to let the children participate as much as possible. Along with prayer studying and meditating about the Divine revelation in the Holy Scripture is the key to keeping the Evil One at bay.

According to Saint John Chrysostom, a parent is not one who brings children into the world, but one who expends the energy and love to raise them. Not "child-making" but "childrearing" is the mark of a parent. "For a person does not become a father or mother simply because the parents helped to bring about the birth of a child, but by raising the child correctly."

The development of the child's character takes place through Christian parents. The child's spiritual development must be the parents' main concern. Raise an athlete of Christ and teach him or her like a person living in the world to be pious and moral from an early age.

Unfortunately, a humanistic approach to life rules the world today, whose goal is human prosperity. Many teach that we need to become good people and that this will bring peace and happiness. However, this is, essentially, nothing, if we do not become grace-filled people, vessels of Divine Grace, "we have done nothing."

Why am I bringing to you, the Christian parents, the teachings of the Great Holy Father, Saint John Chrysostom? The reason is that the Holy Father who is filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit and inspired by Him shares God's wisdom with us. He makes known to us how to view life and understand the ultimate and deeper goals and purposes of the Christian family living in a secular world. Just as our Lord is the Head of the Church so is the father of the Christian household the head of his family. He, the Christian father, rules with justice and mercy. And as the father is the head than the mother is the body of the family, sacred and full of love. The children become like the heavenly host obedient, and willing to unconditionally serve their parents. Therefore, the Christian home, e kat' oikon ecclesia (the domestic church), becomes a reality, a holy dwelling.

It is my personal appeal to all of you to live up to your Christian vow to bring up the children in the Holy Church of God. The children can only develop spiritually by participating in the Divine Liturgy, in the reception of Holy Communion, in prayer, and by being in the presence of God Who is always in our midst when we are assembled together in His Name.

I will like to see all of our children in church services and in our Church School on Sundays.

With agape in our Merciful Lord,
+Father George