Page 1   Page 2

GREAT LENT AND HOLY PASCHA

The Orthodox Catholic Paschal (Easter) season starts with The Great Lent, beginning on a Monday (Clean Monday, March 7^th, 2011) and ends on Holy Saturday the day before Holy Pascha (Easter) Sunday. Traditionally, the Syriac-Greek Antiochene Rite celebrates the resurrection of Christ at a Midnight Liturgy, and the faithful should adhere to the Eucharistic Fast before receiving Holy Communion at the Pascha Liturgy. It is customary for many to have an Agape Meal after the Paschal Liturgy at the homes of families, and often at the parish church. The Syriac-Greek Antiochene Rite follows a modified Julian calendar to establish the date of Holy Pascha (Easter) each year and it must fall after Passover, so it does not always or often coincide with the date of Easter in other faiths. This year the Orthodox Catholic and Roman Catholic Churches will celebrate Holy Pascha (Easter) on the same date.

The Duration of Great Lent - The Weeks of the Great Lent:

   1. First Sunday (Sunday of Orthodoxy)

   2. Second Sunday (St. Gregory Palamas)

   3. Third Sunday (Adoration of the Holy Cross)

   4. Fourth Sunday (St. John of Climax)

   5. Fifth Sunday (St. Mary of Egypt)

   6. Palm Sunday through Holy Saturday before Pascha (Easter) Sunday

Fasting:

Orthodox Catholics of the Syriac-Greek Antiochene Rite realize that Great Lent is a time of fasting and abstinence on all Wednesdays and Fridays, and all the days of Holy Week. This usually calls for all those of good health and age of reason to abstain from foods that contain red meat (and blood) from animals, i.e., meats, poultry, and game, and to observe the fast. It also includes of products from animals with red blood (milk, cheese, eggs, etc.). Fish and seafood are allowed during Great Lent except for Holy Week. It also requires a fast, i.e.; the number of meals on each day is also limited to one full meal and two lesser meals. Note: Vegetable margarine, shortening, and oils are allowed if they do not contain any dairy products. The purpose of fasting is to cleanse the body as well as the spirit in preparation for accepting the Resurrection at Pascha (Easter), which is the most sacred of all observances in the Orthodox Catholic faith. Pascha ranks above the twelve major Holy Days and for this reason is not classified with them but stands alone.

"Fasting was devised in order to humble the body. If, therefore, the body is already in a state of humbleness and illness or weakness, the person ought to partake of as much as he or she may wish and be able to get along with food and drink" (Canon 8 of St. Timothy of Alexandria, 381).

A TRIBUTE TO ARMENIAN ARCHBISHOP PAPKEN VARJABEDIAN

A good friend of His Beatitude Metropolitan Stephen

By His Beatitude

This coming July 25th (2011) will be the eleventh anniversary of the repose of His Eminence Archbishop Papken Varjabedian. I first came in contact with this truly honorable man in February of 1991. He was very happy to establish a friendship with the Archdiocese and me. During the time we communicated his words to me were always charitable and most sincere. When in May of 1994 he learned of our problems with the State of Colorado he became most upset and concerned. He wrote me often to give me some consolation and encouragement. On September 16, 1994, after the State of Colorado became very aggressive and rude in their dealings with our Notre Dame de Lafayette University in Aurora Colorado, he wrote the following letter to me with copies mailed to the Colorado Attorney General's Office. The letter was sent from him through the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, Alexandria Virginia. A copy of this letter exists in many offices of the Church, and the original is maintained in Tribunal Archives.

September 16, 1994

To Whom It May Concern:

   The Mercian Orthodox Catholic Church [Name of the Church at that time] being faithful to the divine message of Jesus Christ exists to train its members through the practice of the presence of God. "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations … teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you" (St Matthew 26: 20), is the guideline of this Church. The spiritual leader of the Mercian Church, His Eminence Archbishop Stephen Robert Thomas is a good pastor of said Church, a servant of Jesus, and of his flock, to the end that Christ likeness may become common property. The motto of the Church has been the following: "Enter expectantly. Breathe prayerfully. Worship reverently. Relax restfully. Greet others cordially. Leave thoughtfully."

      Peace, prayer, and blessing,

                Bishop Papken Varjabedian

The "motto" was actually coined by His Eminence Archbishop Papken about six months before his letter above. The Syriac-Greek Antiochian Orthodox Catholic Church, and especially me, never forgets the love and kindness shown by Archbishop Papken of Blessed Memory. His letter and those sent from other clergy of the Roman Catholic, Episcopalian, Autocephalous Orthodox, Philippine Independent Catholic, and others, fell upon deaf ears. May his soul rest in peace and eternal comfort in the hands of Our Lord. You remain alive in my heart, my brother in Christ.

Armenian Reporter, The

08-12-2000

In Memoriam: The Most Reverend Archbishop Papken Varjabedian

May 5, 1918 – July 25, 2000

Archbishop Papken Varjabedian, christened Armen, was born on May 5, 1918 in Aintab, Turkey. His parents were devout Christians and dedicated Armenian educators, and young Armen began his education at the school in Aleppo, which they established. He later attended the national Grtatsiratz School, from which he graduated in 1932. From 1932 through 1936 he studied at the seminary of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, where Patriarch Torkom Koushagian ordained him as a deacon in 1936. Deacon Armen Varjabedian continued his education from 1936 to 1939. The Primate and Diocesan Council of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America deeply regret to announce the passing of the Most Rev. Archbishop Papken Varjabedian. Archbishop Papken, a venerable and beloved figure in the Armenian Church of America for more than half a century, was called to his eternal rest on Tuesday, July 25, 2000, after a long illness. His sister and brother, Hyarpi Garibian and Kegham Varjabedian survive him.

ORTHODOX BITS N' PIECES

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Sent by Dr Charles Mercieca on Jesus' Death

At the age of 33, Jesus was condemned to the death penalty. At the time, crucifixion was the "worst" death. Only the worst criminals were condemned to crucifixion. Jesus was to be nailed to the cross by His hands and feet. Each nail was 6 to 8 inches long. The nails were driven into His wrists – (not hands). There's a tendon in the wrist that when it tears and breaks, forcing Jesus to use His back muscles to support himself so that He could breathe. Both of His feet were nailed together. Because Jesus' legs were in great pain, He was forced to alternate between arching His back then using his legs just to breathe. Jesus endured this reality for over 3 hours. Before a guard pierced His side with a spear, Jesus was beaten so badly that his flesh was torn and his beard ripped off. The crown of thorns cut deeply into His scalp. Jesus poured all 3.5 liters of his blood; He had three nails hammered into His members; a crown of thorns on His head and, His chest stabbed with a spear. Jesus Christ died for the salvation of the world. All these without mentioning the humiliation He passed after carrying His 30 kg of cross for almost 2 kilometers, while the crowd spat in his face and threw stones. Jesus had to endure this experience, so that all humans, especially the sinners, may have free access to God. In brief, Jesus Christ died for the salvation of the world.

Q. When does the Church approve the indissolubility of marriage? John Kerlin (Ft Wayne IN)

A. The Church will usually dissolve or annul the marriage vows or a marriage when at least one of the following circumstances can be proven beyond a doubt. When adultery has been committed. When it has been destroyed by conditions of life, e.g., the spouse is incarcerated for life, or a long absence without word. The entrance into a second marriage after the death of a spouse ends the first marriage. In some cases, at the discretion of the local bishop after consultation with the Metropolis, a marriage can be dissolved where they have been reoccurring cases of extreme spousal abuse.

Q. What does "Oriental Orthodox" mean? Anonymous (Cleveland OH)

A. The word "Oriental" is just another term for "Eastern." It is used to show a difference between the Eastern Orthodox (Chalcedonian) and the Oriental Orthodox (Non-Chalcedonian). Historically, Chalcedonian Christians have considered Miaphysitism in general to be amenable to an orthodox interpretation, but they have nevertheless perceived the Miaphysitism of the non-Chalcedonians to be a form of Monophysitism. The Oriental Orthodox Churches themselves reject this characterization.  Miaphysitism (sometimes called henophysitism) is a Christological formula of the Oriental Orthodox Churches and of the various churches adhering to the first three Ecumenical Councils. Miaphysitism holds that in the one person of Jesus Christ, Divinity and Humanity are united in one or single nature ("physis"), the two being united without separation, without confusion, and without alteration.  In this respect it is widely agreed that both Churches mean essentially the same but the semantics used differ.

The term "miaphysitism" arose as a response to Nestorianism. As Nestorianism had its roots in the Antiochene tradition and was opposed by the Alexandrian tradition, Christians in Syria and Egypt who wanted to distance themselves from the extremes of Nestorianism and wished to uphold the integrity of their theological position adopted this term to express their position. The theology of miaphysitism is based on an understanding of the nature (Greek ¥¥¥¥¥ physis) of Christ: divine and human. After steering between the doctrines of Docetism (that Christ only appeared to be human) and adoptionism (that Christ was a man chosen by God), the Church began to explore the mystery of Christ's nature further. Two positions in particular caused controversy: Nestorianism stressed the distinction between the divine and the human in Christ to such an extent that it appeared to be that two persons were living in the same body. The view was condemned at the Council of Ephesus. Eutychianism stressed the unity of Christ's nature to such an extent that Christ's divinity consumed his humanity as the ocean consumes a drop of vinegar. The view was condemned at the Council of Chalcedon. The Eastern and Oriental Churches are now resolving the issue of semantics to overcome the separation existing between them. The Roman Church and the Oriental Church have already made great strides to communion between the two.

Q. What is meant by "parts of the liturgy"? George Melendez (Miami FL)

A. There is a difference among the various jurisdictions, but "parts of the liturgy' refers to how the Liturgy is divided. The Syriac-Greek Antiochene Rite divides the Liturgy of the Mass into 4 main parts including the dismissal. The first part is the "Enarxis" (Greek word meaning "in the beginning") of the Liturgy" that is the portion, which begins with the "Proskomide (Preparation)" and ends with the Trisagion. The second part is referred to as the "Liturgy of the Word" that begins after the Trisagion, includes the Epistle and Holy Gospel, and ends at the Great Entrance. The third part is referred to as the "Liturgy of the Faithful" and begins with the Offertory Prayers and ends with the conclusion of Holy Communion. The Syriac-Greek Antiochene Rite classifies everything after Holy Communion until the end of the Liturgy of the Mass as the fourth part known as the "Dismissal." In some jurisdictions this is added to the Liturgy of the Faithful.

Q. Who is St Stephen Protomartyr? Cynthia Winters (Portage IN)

A. St Stephen is called the "Protomartyr" because he was the first to be martyred for the Christian Faith. The word itself means "first martyr." The name "Stephen" comes from the Greek, "Stephanos" which means, "Crown" or "Crowned One." He was born in the 1^st Century. He died a martyr from stoning in about 34-35 A.D. He was stoned to death just outside of Jerusalem. He is the patron saint of deacons, those with headaches, and masons. He was an archdeacon of the Church. For centuries the location of St. Stephen's tomb was lost sight of, until (415) a certain priest named Lucian learned by revelation that the sacred body was in Caphar Gamala, some distance to the north of Jerusalem. The relics were then exhumed and carried first to the church of Mount Sion. Then, in 460, to the basilica erected by Eudocia outside the Damascus Gate, on the spot where, according to tradition, the stoning had taken place. The opinion that the scene of St. Stephen's martyrdom was east of Jerusalem, near the Gate called since St. Stephen's Gate, is unheard of until the twelfth century). The site of the Eudocian basilica was identified some twenty years ago, and the Dominican Fathers have erected a new edifice on the old foundations. It draws thousands upon thousands of people annually who come from all over India and many other countries. The government in India has recognized the site as the International Pilgrim Center. The tomb is also visited daily by thousands of pilgrims from all over who come to pray at the tomb of this great saint. Miracles and many other wonders have been witnessed at his tomb. He was a holy man who fought for social reform and served humanity without ceasing and doing all he could.

 If you have a question about the faith or the Orthodox Catholic Church, please send it to OCH Editor, 7815 Akron Canfield Road, Canfield OH 44406.

DOMESTIC PARISHES & PRAYER GROUPS

The Syriac-Greek Antiochian Archdiocese of the Eastern Orthodox Catholic Church, like other small Orthodox jurisdictions, realizes that there are members who live far away from the nearest parish to them. In some cases, there are parishes of other jurisdictions that are in communion with us or in which mutual recognition has been exchanged. In such cases our members may attend those churches until one of ours is opened in their locality. In other cases, there are those living in an area with no parish at all to attend, and for them they may belong to an existing parish and be on its rolls as a member. Such persons would be allowed to use the Typica Service within their homes on Sunday and Holy Days. Domestic Churches, Chapels, and Prayer Groups may be established in homes until a parish or mission can be officially established. "Distance Parishioners" would also be allowed to make their 10% tithe to the parish attached to uniting them to it in good standing. For further information contact His Eminence Archbishop Timothy at rbsocc@juno.com or St Sophia Monastery Inn and Retreat Center, 7815 Akron Canfield Road, Canfield OH 44406. If you are interested in assisting the Archdiocese in establishing a mission parish in your area, please write to us.

 APPOINTMENTS & ASSIGNMENTS

• Brother Vincent Cappabianca CSB appointed Assistant Chancellor for the Archdiocesan on effective March 2, 2011 by His Beatitude Metropolitan Stephen.
• Dr Vasilios (Basil) Gikas appointed Legate for Ecclesiastical Affairs in Greece for the Holy Metropolis, and Special Representative to Uganda, effective as of March 4, 2011.

OFFICIAL FROM HOLY METROPOLIS

Revised Divine Liturgy of the Mass – (10.09.10.1) The Holy Metropolis has completed the Syriac-Greek Antiochene Rite of the Liturgy (Mass) of St Gregory. Clergy are encouraged to order this newly revised Liturgikon by December 30, 2010. It also contains the Rite of Benediction, Mystery of Confession (Penance), and Morning Prayer. The Liturgikon will be added to without charge throughout the next year until completed in full. Contact the Archdiocese at rbsocc@juno.com.

Retirement Granted – (03.13.11) The Holy Metropolis has granted Father Patrick Lemming retirement and release from his Sacerdotal Obligations due to poor health. Consequently, the public Chapel of St James will also be closed in Sevierville Tennessee. We pray for Father Patrick and his presbytera, Josie, and daughter, Patsy. This takes effect immediately.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Father Patrick Lemming of Tennessee who is suffering from blindness in one eye due to glaucoma and his other eye is now being affected. He has also has problems with his heart and diabetes, and his daily mobility. Father has requested a release from his Sacerdotal Obligations from the Holy Metropolis, which is pending.

Father Vladimir Raasch of Minnesota who is hospitalized due to serious injuries from an accident in late February 2011. Also, prayers are requested for his father just diagnosed with liver cancer. The extents of Father's injuries are serious and include his back and legs.

Brother Vincent Cappabianca CSB of Ohio who is suffering from severe leg pain due to a fall that occurred in early 2010.

Seminarian Cyril Shahzad of Pakistan who is recuperating from leg and arm injuries due to an automobile accident that occurred in late February 2011.

Stewards of the Holy Metropolis

The following were inducted:

• His Grace Bishop Joshua Winters of North Carolina (02.23.11)
• Mr Skip Stokes of Youngstown Ohio (03.03.11)

Forthcoming Ordinations Announced

The Holy Metropolis has announced the approval of the following men to be ordained priests and deacons for the Syriac-Greek Antiochian Vicariate of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The date to be announced. Those subdeacons that will be ordained Deacon and then Priest on the following day because of the length of time they have been waiting are listed first.

Candidates for the Diaconate/Priesthood:

• Subdeacon Kabangi Floribert
• Subdeacon Laurent Kabosani
• Subdeacon Joachim Kingwesi
• Subdeacon Joseph Mabedi
• Subdeacon Denis Mpongo Malumba

Candidates for the Diaconate:

• Subdeacon Francois Bazaba
• Subdeacon Aime' Manzensa

PAROCHIAL CHARTERS

Established:

• Holy Trinity Gift Shop & Bookstore, Canfield OH (02.09.11)
• St Anthony the Great Parish, Zambia (01.05.11)
• St Catherine Mission, Tanzania (03.09.11)
• St Cyril of Alexandria Church, Uganda (03.02.11)
• St Joachim Mission, Tanzania (03.09.11)
• St John the Baptist Mission, Tanzania (03.09.11)
• St John the Russian Mission, Tanzania (03.09.11)
• St Monica Mission, Tanzania (03.09.11)
• St Moses the Ethiopian Mission, Tanzania (03.09.11)
• St Nectarios Church, Tanzania (01.26.11)
• St Paul the Apostle Church, Uganda (03.01.11)
• St Stephen the Protomartyr Mission, Hemet CA (03.11.11)

Dissolved:

• St Basil Church, Uganda (03.01.11)
• St James House, Sevierville TN

DISCIPLINARY MATTERS

Anthony Luebke, deposed priest, has been removed from the canonical registry of the Archdiocese on December 05, 2010 for serious acts of inappropriate conduct. He was found guilty of breaking policies regarding the Seal of Confession, and was accused of inappropriate conduct by several persons at St Sophia Monastery Inn that were investigated and found to have merit. This man should not be welcomed into any other jurisdiction without consulting with our Archdiocesan Chancery.

PRAY FOR THE SICK AND SUFFERING

• His Holiness Patriarch Ignatius Zakka of Antioch
• His Beatitude Metropolitan Stephen (Ohio)
• His Eminence Archbishop Timothy (Ohio)
• His Eminence Archbishop Anthony (New York)
• Chorbishop Haralambos Winger (Alaska)
• Chorbishop Kuriakos Thottupuram (Illinois)
• VR Archpriest Thomas Dillon (New Jersey)
• Archdeacon John DeMeis (New York)
• Fr Deacon Thomas Monroe (Colorado)
• Father Sebastian Robles (Canada)
• Father Paul Jensen (Texas)
• Father Seraphim Kanagaratnam (Malaysia)
• Father Padraig Kneafsey (Ireland)
• Father Patrick Lemming (Tennessee)
• Father Vladimir Raasch (Minnesota)
• Rev Mother Helena (Bofey) SCSB (African Congo)
• Sister Anna (Convent of the Holy Virgin Mary) (California)
• Sister Katherine (California)
• Seminarian Cyril Shazad (Pakistan)
• Dr Joseph Bannon DCh (California)
• Mrs Gretchen Lejeune (Texas)
• Mr Hampton Bumgarner (New Jersey)
• Mr Dominic Winger (Alaska)
• Mr Vincent Cappabianca (Ohio)
• Mr Vincent Colombo (Indiana)
• Dr Audrey Daniel DCh (South Carolina)
• Dr Marge Ebeling DCh (Arizona)
• Mrs Sherry Ellison (South Carolina)
• Mr Omar Esquilin (Ohio)
• Mr Andrew Lucas (Illinois)
• Mr Anthony Luebke (Ohio)
• Mr Alexi J Mason (Arizona)
• Mr Carl Maus (Maryland)
• Dr Karla VonEhrenkrook DCh (Arizona)
• Ms Sandra Wiechnik (Indiana)
• Mr Howard Youngheim (Indiana)
• For our Armed Forces everywhere, who are suffering, injured, or who have lost their lives protecting the freedom of others, and their families.
• For those suffering in Egypt and all countries where citizens are fighting for their freedom and a positive change in their governments.
• For all our God-loving Bishops, Priests, Deacons, Seminarians, Monks, and Nuns, both living and dead, especially our Most Reverend Primate, Metropolitan Stephen, that they will all have good health and many years!

Note: If you, or someone you know, is sick or suffering, please let us know and you (or they) will be added to the OCH Prayer List. Send full name, address and age. Thank you.

REST IN PEACE!

Antionette Toni (Colombo) Jovanovic, of Valparaiso Indiana, loving cousin of His Beatitude Metropolitan Stephen, passed away February 4^t 2011, age 64, into the hands of Our Lord from a long battle with cancer. May her memory be eternal.

Jim Glynn , loving stepfather of Father Vladimir Raasch, both of St Paul Minnesota, passed away from liver cancer on Tuesday March 15, 2011. May his memory be eternal.

Matthew Kropp , loving godson of Dr Hampton Bumgarner, passed away from possible heart failure on March 7, 2011. He was born on September 29, 1977. May he rest in the peace of Our Lord, now and always.

Tony Coburn DCh , Commission member from 1993–2003, passed away March 15, 2011. Grant him eternal rest, O Lord.

The Church remembers all those who have been killed in the defense of their country, especially those belonging to United States Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marines. May you find reward and peace in the kingdom of Heaven, and in the warmth of Our Lord's palms. Rest Eternal!

METROPOLITAN NICHOLAS SMISKO PASSES

(AP / JOHNSTOWN, PA) - Metropolitan Nicholas Smisko has died of cancer near the western Pennsylvania city where he served as spiritual leader of the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Diocese of the U.S.A. He was 75. Metropolitan Nicholas' body will lie in state Wednesday and Thursday at Christ the Savior Cathedral in Johnstown, where his funeral will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. Friday. Metropolitan Nicholas will be buried in Perth Amboy, but only after viewing and services at St. John's Orthodox Church there on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Metropolitan Nicholas died Sunday at the Windber Hospice, a few miles from Johnstown where he headed the diocese that includes about 10,000 members in 80 congregations nationwide. The Pocono deanery of the church is located in Taylor. He was known for quiet acts of charity and for his efforts to repair the nearly 1,000-year-old schism between the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches, as well as other divisions among Christian churches. He was known for co-sponsoring ecumenical services with Bishop Joseph Adamec, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, and Bishop Gregory Pile of the Allegheny Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He attended such a service at St. John Gualbert Cathedral in Johnstown as recently as Feb. 13. He made it a point to be there despite being very sick," said Tony DeGol, a spokesman for the Altoona-Johnstown diocese. "I think that speaks volumes about his commitment to ecumenism and unity." Metropolitan Nicholas received a standing ovation when he spoke about church unity at a 2005 memorial Mass for the late Roman Catholic Pope John Paul II. "John Paul reminded us we are a church of two lungs: East and West. Someday, we will end our division and become one," Metropolitan Nicholas said at that time. The Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches split during a dispute at Constantinople in 1054, and the diocese Metropolitan Nicholas headed also grew out of a smaller schism nearly nine centuries later.

He was born Feb. 23, 1936 in Perth Amboy, N.J. to immigrants from the Carpathian Mountains of Eastern Europe. His family had been Eastern Catholic, a branch of the church loyal to the Roman Catholic pope that nonetheless followed some Orthodox practices, including allowing its priests to marry. When the Roman Catholic Church forbade that in 1929, some Catholics left what had been the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh to form the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Diocese that Metropolitan Nicholas would eventually head. Metropolitan Nicholas graduated from Perth Amboy High School before entering Christ the Savior Seminary in Johnstown. He pastored churches in the Johnstown area and New York City before becoming bishop in 1983. Two years later, he became the ruling bishop in Johnstown and in 1997 was elevated to metropolitan as head of the church's American branch based in this city 60 miles east of Pittsburgh.

THE CHURCH IN TANZANIA GROWS WITH NEW MISSIONS

[Dar Es Salaam] Very Rev'd Archimandrite Filaretos William Kimaro, who recently incardinated into the Syriac-Greek Antiochian Archdiocese, advised the Holy Metropolis on March 9, 2011 that there are five mission communities and one parish in Tanzania that have entered the Archdiocese. Father Filaretos is pastor of St Nectarios Church in Dar Es Salaam, and there are six already established mission communities served by it. They are St Joachim Mission, St John the Baptist Mission, St John the Russian Mission, St Monica Mission, St Moses the Ethiopian Mission, and St Catherine Mission, all in Dar Es Salaam. Although they have been established for some time, they were chartered by the Archdiocese on March 9, 2011. Father also advised that two deacons who are ready to be ordained to the Holy Priesthood assist him. We pray for all our brothers and sisters in Tanzania.

METROPOLIS ASKS PRIESTS TO BE FAITHFUL TO OBLATION

[Canfield OH] His Beatitude Metropolitan Stephen wants all clergy who are able to comply with the monthly oblation policy, and especially those holding a secular job, to please participate in the oblation. The Archdiocesan Chancery and Holy Metropolis has to spend a great amount of money annually on missions, on maintaining the Archdiocesan offices, and paying many bills, on caring for those in our homeless program, and especially St Sophia Monastery Inn. The monthly oblation given to God and Church should be a priority. The amount given must come from a sincere heart. No matter what the amount, it will help us to continue our work and maintain viability within the Church. To give nothing at all only makes things harder for the Church. We realize that everyone has bills but certainly something can be sent to help us here.

His Eminence Archbishop Timothy reminds all clergy that the priesthood is a gift from God, and to let it remain idle is a sin against Him. Priests must be active in their ministry, i.e., going out and meeting people, helping those who are in need, teach others about the Holy Orthodox Catholic Faith, establishing and maintaining chapels and/or parishes. Visiting the sick is also important and there are usually several hospitals located in close proximity to all clergy. The Archdiocesan Chancery will give guidance to any priest who is having difficulty in organizing his mission simply by contacting us by email, mail, or by telephone. There are many ways to serve, e.g., hospital chaplaincies, nursing homes, prison ministry, and starting a religious education program in the rectory for those interested. Placing ads in the local papers is also a good way to let others know of your presence. Priests must reach out to others and be available to all that are in need.

HANDMADE ITEMS FROM UGANDA ON SALE AT BOOKSTORE/GIFT SHOP

[Canfield OH] Father Christopher Tamale sent some beautiful handmade items from Kiboga Uganda to be sold at Holy Trinity Bookstore & Gift Shop in Canfield Ohio. The profits from these items will be sent to Uganda to help the mission parishes there in their survival. If you wish to purchase some by mail, please contact the bookstore and ask for a catalog of items and price list. There are change purses, purses for women, hats, jewelry, coconut bracelets, and many other beautifully handmade gifts. The Metropolis has several very poor parishes in Uganda. There are also two schools for children in Uganda under our omophor. We are asking that all try to make a purchase to help with the great poverty being experience by the faithful. If you wish to assist please contact St Sophia Monastery Inn, Holy Trinity Bookstore, 7815 Akron Canfield Road, Canfield OH 44406. You can call (330) 533.4048 – Extension 102 or 100. You can also just send a cash donation by check or via PayPal. Please mark your donation for Uganda Vicariate.

Advertise in the Herald You can advertise your parish, center, club or other organization in this section for $10.00 plus $.50 (fifty cents) per word. The Orthodox Christian Herald is sent to every diocese, which copies it on to local members. It is read by over 2,900 people and growing.

Framed Icon of St Panteleimon, Patron of Healers Available from the Archdiocesan Chancery, 7815 Akron Canfield Road, Canfield OH 44406, these icons are suitable for hanging in counseling centers, clinics, and in the home. $40.00, postage and handling included. Commission members are required to have this icon hanging in their offices and clinics. Order yours today.

Handmade Nun Dolls from the Past Handmade nun dolls from the past. Full habits of many orders of nuns from various Churches including Orthodox, Lutheran, and Roman. Nostalgia brought to your doorsteps. These are beautifully created and show the exact habits of nuns worn many years ago. The wife of one of our priests makes them. You can write for a catalog or additional information to Father Patrick Lemming, St James House, 804 Catlett Road, Sevierville TN 37862.

Religious Articles Hand-Made. Prayer Beads from Uganda. Made of good quality materials and most beautifully done, coming in 50 ($15.00) and 100 beads ($25.00). For more information and prices on other items please write to Holy Trinity Bookstore, 7815 Akron Canfield Road, Canfield OH 44406.

SYRIAC-GREEK ANTIOCHIAN PARISHES
AND ORGANIZATIONS OF THE ARCHDIOCESE

Archdiocese of the Americas & Dependencies - Write to His Eminence Archbishop Timothy, 7815 Akron Canfield Road, Canfield OH 44406.

Commission on Religious Counseling and Healing CRCH.RBSOCC.ORG For information write - Archbishop Timothy, St Sophia Monastery Inn, 7815 Akron Canfield Road, Canfield OH 44406. This is an organization for licensed healing professionals in service to God. They serve through the Healing Ministry of the Church.

The Companions of St Basil is open to married or single men and women wishing to share in the good works and prayers of the Monastic Community of St Basil. Those interested in the Companions of St Basil should write to the Moderator, Father Steven Johnson, St Thomas House, 1719 South 7^th Avenue, St Cloud MN 56301.

Community of St Basil is open to those who wish to follow a monastic way of life. Write to St Sophia Monastery Inn and Retreat Center, 7815 Akron Canfield Road, Canfield OH 44406. The Community has monastic centers in the African Congo, Nigeria, and Ohio (USA). The Sisters of St Basil are headquartered in the African Congo. His Eminence Archbishop Timothy is the interim Archabbot.

All Saints Orthodox Catholic Chapel, Anchorage Alaska, Chorbishop Haralambos Winger, Pastor.

All Saints of Ireland Orthodox Catholic Parish, County Cork Ireland; Father Padraig Kneafsey, Pastor.

Holy Ghost Orthodox Catholic Chapel, Oceanside California, Very Reverend Archpriest Stephen Lawrence, Pastor.

St Andrew the Apostle Orthodox Catholic Church located at 5907 Grand Avenue, Duluth Minnesota 55807.  Sunday Liturgy: 10:30 A.M.

Ss Cosmas and Damian Orthodox Catholic Chapel, 785 Grand Avenue #206, Carlsbad California. Very Reverend Archpriest Stephen Lawrence, Pastor.

St George the Great Martyr Orthodox Catholic Parish, Pueblo Colorado, Fr Deacon Thomas Monroe, Administrator.

St Luke the Physician Orthodox Catholic Mission Parish, VR Father Paul Jensen, Pastor, 339 NE 8th Street, Paris Texas 75450.

St Michael & All Angels Orthodox Catholic Parish, St Cloud Minnesota. For information please call 330.533.4048.

St Nicholas of Myra Orthodox Catholic Chapel, 7815 Akron Canfield Road, Canfield Ohio. Sunday Liturgy of the Mass at 11:00 a.m.; Holy Days at 7:00 p.m. or as announced; and Holy Unction of the Sick on Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m.

Ss Vladimir & Olga Chapel, St Paul Minnesota. (Send email to Chancery for more information.)

HEALTH, HEALING, & WELLNESS SECTION
Commission on Religious Counseling and Healing

7 MINUTES A DAY WEIGHT LOSS FOR DIETERS

[From "RealAgeHealth"]

Something as little as this daily 7-minute ritual might help you get skinny. In a study, dieters who spent about 7 minutes meditating each day experienced far fewer food cravings than their nonmeditating peers. And the meditators were far more likely to resist their cravings.

Mind over Matter

Here's how it all worked: Over a 7-week period, a group of study participants was taught "mindfulness meditation." With this method, they practiced recognizing, accepting, and experiencing their cravings rather than trying to ignore or suppress them. As a result of this meditative practice, people did a better job of holding those cravings off. Researchers think the mindfulness meditation worked better than relying on sheer willpower because the practice helped minimize the frustration and obsessive preoccupation with food triggered by trying, often unsuccessfully, to suppress food cravings. (Find out how yoga helps you avoid overeating.)

Choose Your Method

Mindfulness meditation may not work for everyone. The key is to know what works for you. Maybe losing yourself in a gripping novel helps you resist cravings. Or taking a brisk walk. Or cooking. Or washing dishes. Just keep your chosen tricks handy. And if distraction, avoidance, and willpower fail you, consider giving meditation a try. Here are a few more strategies that can help you resist emptying the cookie jar:

• Instead of none, have just one. A single taste may put a craving in its place. Find out why having a little treat may keep you from overindulging.
• Instead of tuning in, tune out. With commercials, that is. Discover why muting commercials can help you eat less.
• Instead of stress eating, try stress walking. And know what emotions trigger the munchies. Here are some of the mechanisms behind emotional eating.
• Instead of eating in front of the telly, eat alone. And savor every bit. Discover why paying attention to your food helps you eat less.

Benefits of Calcium

Calcium is essential for strong bones and teeth, and it helps prevent arthritis. But that's not all this mineral is good for. Calcium helps your brain communicate with your nerves and regulates blood pressure, and it may reduce the symptoms of PMS and the risk of colon cancer.

Recommended Amount: How Much You Need

Government guidelines suggest 1,000–1,200 milligrams (mg) of calcium per day is adequate, but RealAge recommends a bit more: 1,000–1,500 mg per day from food and calcium supplements -- but not all at once. Your body can absorb only 500–600 mg at a time, so divide it into two or three doses over the course of a day.

Tip: If you take calcium supplements, take them with vitamin D (they're often combined in one pill) to help absorption -- and with a little magnesium to reduce the constipation sometimes caused by calcium. Don't pair calcium with iron or fiber supplements, which can interfere with your body's ability to absorb the bone-building mineral.

Good Sources of Calcium:

• Yogurt, plain, low fat (8 ounces)                       415 mg
• Ricotta cheese from part-skim milk (1/2 cup)    335 mg
• Soymilk, fortified (8 ounces)                             300 mg
• Spinach, cooked from frozen (1 cup)                290 mg
• Milk, 2% milk fat (8 ounces)                             285 mg
• Swiss cheese, shredded (1/4 cup)                     214 mg
• Cheddar cheese, shredded (1/4 cup)                204 mg
• Salmon, canned (3 ounces)                              181 mg
• Soybeans/edamame (1/2 cup)                          130 mg
• Tofu (3 ounces)                                               100 mg
• Parmesan cheese, shredded (1 tablespoon)      55 mg

BOCA BURGERS ADMITS IT USES
GENETICALLY ENGINEERED INGREDIENTS

"It's a fact that much of the high-quality soy grown in the U.S. has been genetically engineered, so the traditional BOCA line of soy-based products may contain ingredients derived from these crops."

BOCA Burgers is a popular so-called "natural" brand of veggie burgers owned by Kraft Foods. Companies like Kraft work hand-in-hand with Monsanto to lace common foods with GM (Genetically Modified) ingredients, with absolutely no labeling nor safety-testing required, and in many cases market these products as "natural." Kraft, North America's largest food company, has perfected the art of turning genetically engineered crops and animals raised in factory farms on GMO feed and injected with Monsanto's (now Elanco's) rBGH into "food." While Kraft/BOCA claims to offer what they describe as "non-GMO" versions of its soy foods, these products are neither certified organic (organic prohibits GMOs) nor monitored by the Non-GMO Project, so it's impossible to verify BOCA's non-GMO claims. Likewise, Back to Nature, another so-called "natural" Kraft brand, claims that some of the corn and soy ingredients in their non-organic foods are "non-genetically engineered," but these claims are not verifiable either.

DRINKING WATER ON EMPTY STOMACH FOR BETTER HEALTH

About the Author:
Junji Takano is a Japanese health researcher involved in investigating the cause of many dreadful diseases. In 1968, he invented PYRO-ENERGEN, the first electrostatic therapy device for electromedicine that effectively eradicates viral diseases, cancer, and diseases of unknown cause. Free health newsletter: http://www.pyroenergen.com/newsletter.htm

It is popular in Japan today to drink water immediately after waking up every morning. Furthermore, scientific tests have proven its value. We publish below a description of use of water for our readers. For old and serious diseases as well as modern illnesses the water treatment had been found successful by a Japanese medical society as a 100% cure for the many diseases. The diseases and illnesses effective on are: headache, body ache, heart system, arthritis, fast heart beat, epilepsy, excess fatness, bronchitis asthma, TB, meningitis, kidney and urine diseases, vomiting, gastritis, diarrhea, piles, diabetes, constipation, all eye diseases, womb, cancer and menstrual disorders, ear nose and throat diseases.

Method of Treatment

1. As you wake up in the morning before brushing teeth, drink 4 x 160ml glasses of water.
2. Brush and clean the mouth but do not eat or drink anything for 45 minutes.
3. After 45 minutes you may eat and drink as normal.
4. After 15 minutes of breakfast, lunch and dinner do not eat or drink anything for 2 hours.
5. Those who are old or sick and are unable to drink 4 glasses of water at the beginning may commence by taking little water and gradually increase it to 4 glasses per day. The above method of treatment will cure diseases of the sick and others can enjoy a healthy life. The following list gives the number of days of treatment required to cure main diseases:
• High Blood Pressure – 30 days
• Gastric – 10 days
• Diabetes – 30 days
• Constipation – 10 days
• Cancer – 180 days
• TB – 90 days

Arthritis patients should follow the above treatment for only 3 days. In the 1st week to be followed by daily treatment. This treatment method has no side effects, however at the commencement of treatment you may have to urinate a few times. The above excerpt came from 60-year-old information that is known in Japan. Probably, all Japanese citizens know of this. Just after World War II, this information was made known to the Japanese public through the newspapers. As you know, we have bathhouses (sento in Japanese) on every corner of streets. It is just like hot springs in the cities. These bathhouses are being used both for medicinal purposes and social gathering.

I myself followed this water therapy procedure back then, when I was so skinny. Nearly 50 percent of skinny people, who want to get healthy, practice it here in Japan. In addition, if you're suffering from a serious illness, we recommend you to use the PYRO-ENERGEN. PYRO-ENERGEN is proven effective in eradicating viral diseases, cancer, and diseases of unknown cause.

ORTHODOX THEOLOGICAL ROOTS OF HOLISTIC HEALING

By John Chirban, Ph.D.,Th.D.

Holistic healing has become a popular topic for healing professionals as well as patients today. Wherever we turn, modern—and now even traditional—healers appeal with confidence to the principle that healing the whole person is a greater value than healing a part. The theological area most closely related to understanding the nature of the person is anthropology. To understand holistic healing and discern its practice from traditional medicine, we must understand the differences in psychosomatic epistemologies in Eastern and Western Christianity. The debate in Western culture continues about whether traditional medicine and religion can play roles that are not mutually exclusive in healing. Throughout the Byzantine era, a majority of patients looked to both Orthodox faith and medical practices in order to satisfy their needs and rekindle their hopes for living and health. The Orthodox Christian approach to healing emphasizes that healing is an excellent and unique process towards wholeness, because the healing itself is directed towards the restoration of the psychosomatic unity of the human being. Orthodox Christian teachings emphasize that a person is "healed" only when he becomes one with God. This method of healing unites the physical, emotional, and the spiritual aspects of the person toward a more complete treatment. Both religious faith and the sciences of its day defined Byzantine culture, and no area showed the active engagement and integration of these fields more than healing. The ancient Greeks described medicine as the philanthropotate ton epistemon —"the most philanthropic of the sciences"—and, for them, faith expressed the instinctive quest of humans for wholeness through the divine. Both faith and medicine were viewed as gifts of divine origin, drawing on particular qualities of human nature— such as reasoning, creativity, and spirituality—as means for growth. Byzantines enjoyed an intimate alliance between science and religion. Many monks were trained in both theology and medicine and established hospitals that responded to both spiritual and physical needs. Byzantines professed a psychosomatic understanding of the human person – psyche meaning soul, soma meaning the body's material. Faith and healing became intertwined in Byzantine culture; the result was a cosmic view that emphasized a harmonious communion between the physical and metaphysical—the body, the mind, and the soul. Thus, the Byzantines moved far beyond delivering medical attention to the sick, generating clinical procedures, pharmacology, surgery, and many the foundations of medical care in place to this day Throughout Byzantium, hospitals were built next to churches and all hospitals had chapels and services for prayers (Miller, 1985). Though anti-medical sentiment did occur at times among conservative monks, physicians rarely criticized religion or spiritual healing as farcical or insignificant. The majority of Byzantines considered medicine's healing achievements to be the proof of God's philanthropy and the goodness of creation.

The integration of faith's provision for the soul and medicine's expertise on the body made intuitive sense to them. Holistic healing, which was part of the established Jewish tradition, had its earliest roots in the miracle accounts of healings by Jesus Christ. The Byzantine people placed healing in a scriptural context, understanding of which suffused Byzantine culture through icons, pictures, and all forms of art. And, as in the Bible, healing could have a miraculous quality: "Everything is possible to those who believe" (Mt 8:13; 21:22; Mk 9:23; Lk 8:50). Nothing is more certain than the fact that Jesus was a healer. No information about Jesus of Nazareth is so widely and repeatedly attested in the New Testament gospels as the fact that he was healer of people who suffered from physical, mental, and spiritual distress. From the synoptic tradition we hear that: "They brought to him all who were ill or possessed of by devils; and the whole town was there, gathered at the door.

He healed many who suffered from various diseases and drove out many devils…All through Galilee he went, preaching in the synagogues and casting out the devils…He cured so many that sick people of all kinds came crowding in upon him to touch him. Jesus can be seen as a physician. Indeed, three times he is reported to have used the term physician self-referentially. Mark reports that when he was criticized for dining with tax collectors and sinners he responded, "It is not the healthy who need a physician but the sick." At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus returned to Nazareth, where he had been raised, entered the synagogue there, and "stood up to read" (Lk 4:16). Handed the Isaiah scroll, he revealed his charge in life: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives And recovering of sight to the blind. To set at liberty those who are oppressed To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord (Lk 4:18-19). Echoing the prophet Isaiah, Jesus announced that "the Spirit of the Lord" was upon him) and anointing him to preach "good news," this passage establishes Christ's mission as the creation of a healing ministry, giving sight to the blind along with liberation to the oppressed. His model of healing answers the questions:

• What is healing?
• How are we to be healed?
• And how can we heal?

Similarly, Cyprian in 252 CE told his congregation to "accept the plague joyfully as proof of God's love: for by it the wicked were sent swifter to Hell, and the just would more quickly obtain their everlasting refreshment" (Nutton, 8). These calls raised a debate as to whether or not Christians should attempt to survive plagues using medicine or even go out of their way to avoid a plague-ridden city. Anastasios of Sinai argues that medicine is appropriate if the plague is due to natural causes such as filth and overcrowding. However, if the plague has been sent by God, "the wrath of God will seek out the sinner everywhere, even in the desert" (Nutton, 8). Vivian Nutton argues that Anastasios' answer is an attempt to appease clergy who believe that there are no naturally plagues occurring, and that even the idea of a natural plague is an affront to God's power. Therefore, according to Anastasios' view, all medical thinking would be irrelevant. A refusal to consider non-theological explanations for phenomena represents a religious version of the monolithic model. The majority of Byzantines preferred a more interdisciplinary approach to healing. There are, however, some notable exceptions. According to the records of Theodore Balsamon, a 12th century writer, the Patriarch Lukas Chrysoberges (ca. 1190) wrote an encyclical precluding deacons and priests trained in the medical profession from practicing medicine along with their religious ministry. The same encyclical also barred clergy from studying medicine. Chrysoberges considered it improper for persons of the cloth to change into medical robes and associate with layman physicians (Constantelos, 148). Chrysoberges' view—that medicine and religion were wholly separate and were not to be confounded—typifies the polarized model of methodology: both pursuits are understood as valid in their own right but entirely distinct from one another. While practitioners of the Orthodox Christian faith still hold fast to their belief in holistic healing, Orthodox Christian health professionals have largely neglected the spiritual dimension in practice. The spiritual dimension has been relegated to the teaching and practice of clergy – a rather "unorthodox" approach. More problematically, today, few Orthodox Christian laypersons are converts to the notion that they should pursue only one approach to healing – as offered by either modern medical, psychological, or spiritual interventions. They struggle in the dilemma of whom to call when not feeling well: a priest for prayer or exorcism; a psychologist for an antidepressant or psychotherapy; or a physician to treat a physical symptom of the ailment. Because of the fragmented approach to health, Orthodox Christians, who theoretically "believe" in a holistic, psychosomatic integration of personhood, are seldom clear about how to be healed or even what constitutes good health. Furthermore, inconsistencies and ambiguities often exist in what is said and what is done. For example, one may be told by a clergyman to have faith in order to be healthy, yet observe that the clergyman, himself, follows a predominantly scientific regiment when not feeling well. What spiritual providers are saying and what they are doing seem to be at odds with each other. While it would be an idealization to suggest that the holistic approach in Byzantium attended to possible differentiations that clarify the unique perspectives and guide the interdependent models for medical, psychological, and religious intervention that we seek today. Boundaries that typify turf war among these disciplines did not exist as they do in modern times. Our times demand that professionals remain open to each other and use the widest possible range of means available to understand one another as we all work to assist humankind to advance healing on a holistic continuum.

Bibliography

Chirban, John T. "The Path of Growth and Development in Eastern Orthodoxy," in

Sickness or Sin? Spiritual Discernment and Differential Diagnosis. Brookline, MA:

Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2001.

Constas, Nicholas. "An Apology for the Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity: Eustratius

Presbyter of Constantinople, On the State of Souls After Death." Journal of Early

Christian Studies 10 (2002): 267-85.

Miller, Thomas S. The Birth of the Hospital in The Byzantine Empire, Baltimore, Md.:

Johns

Hopkins University Press, 1985.

Nutton, Vivian. "From Galen to Alexander, Aspects of Medicine and Medical Practice in

Late Antiquity," in Symposium on Byzantine Medicine, ed. John Scarborough.

Dumbarton Oaks Papers 38 (Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research

Library and Collection, 1984):1-14

ST PANTELEIMON THE HEALER - PATRON OF THE COMMISSION

The holy, glorious and right-victorious Great Martyr Panteleimon (or Pantaleon) the Healer was martyred under the reign of Emperor Maximian (ca. 305 A.D.). His feast day is celebrated on July 27. The Syriac-Greek Antiochian Orthodox Catholic Archdiocese made him the patron saint of the Commission on Religious Counseling and Healing in 1997.

St Panteleimon's parents were Eustorgius, a pagan, and Saint Eubula (March 30). They named him Pantaleon, which means in all things like a lion, but when he converted to Christianity, he changed his name to Panteleimon, which means "all-merciful." He learned about Christianity from the priest who later baptized him, Saint Hermolaus. Hermolaus was living with two other priests, Hermippus and Hermocrates; the three were "survivors of the massacre of 20,000 Christians in 303 (December 28)." St. Panteleimon had been educated as a physician, and he "dedicated his life to the suffering, the sick, the unfortunate, and the needy. He treated all those who turned to him without charge, healing them in the name of Jesus Christ. He visited those held captive in prison. These were usually Christians, and he healed them of their wounds. In a short time, reports of the charitable physician spread throughout the city. Forsaking the other doctors, the inhabitants began to turn only to St. Panteleimon." Other physicians brought his case before the Emperor Maximian. St. Panteleimon confessed to being a Christian and refused to offer sacrifice to the state gods.     "[He] suggested that a sick person, for whom the doctors held out no hope, should be brought before the emperor. Then the doctors could invoke their gods, and Panteleimon would pray to his God to heal the man. A man paralyzed for many years was brought in and pagan priests who knew the art of medicine invoked their gods without success. Then, before the very eyes of the emperor, the saint healed the paralytic by calling on the name of Jesus Christ. The ferocious Maximian executed the healed man, and gave St. Panteleimon over to fierce torture."

Hermolaus, Hermippus, and Hermocrates were brought forth; they confessed and were beheaded. Throughout the many tortures, St. Panteleimon remained untouched. Enraged, Maximian ordered that St. Panteleimon be beheaded. The soldiers took him to an olive tree, but when they struck him while he was praying, the sword melted like wax. After he finished his prayer, "a voice was heard from Heaven, calling the passion-bearer by his new name and summoning him to the heavenly Kingdom." He instructed the soldiers to rise from their knees where they had fallen in fear and to complete the execution. After they followed his instruction, the olive tree became covered with fruit. Although his body was thrown into a fire, it came out unharmed and was buried by Christians. His head is located on the island of Andros at the Panachrantos monastery and, on occasions, is taken to other monasteries for veneration. Some of his relics can be found at the Putna Monastery (Bucovina, Romania), as well as in the Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Constan¥a, Romania.

"St. Panteleimon is invoked in the prayers at the blessing of water and the blessing of oil, together with St. Hermolaus and the other unmercenaries and wonder-workers." There is an Akathist hymn in his honor. Licensed Providers of the Commission call upon him when they are engaged in the healing arts of the Church.

VITAMIN D & COPD

SOURCES: 2011 American Thoracic Society International Conference, Denver, May 15, 2011.Miek Hornikx, physiotherapist; doctoral student, Department of Pneumology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium.Kevin K. Brown, MD, vice chairman, department of medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver.Menant, J.C. Osteoporosis International, April 20, 2011.Janssens, W. Thorax, March 2010. ©2011 WebMD, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

May 16, 2011 -- A small study that tested vitamin D against a placebo in patients with chronic lung disease found that those getting the vitamin D could breathe better and exercise more than those on the dummy pills. The 50 study participants were patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who were part of a three-month pulmonary rehabilitation program in Belgium. Half were randomly assigned to get a high-dose vitamin D supplement; the other half got a dummy pill on the same schedule. At the end of the study, those getting 100,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D each month had improvement in respiratory muscle strength and could exercise longer and more intensely than those who were not getting vitamin D.  "I think it's important," says study researcher Miek Hornikx, physiotherapist and doctoral student in the department of pneumology at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Leuven, Belgium. "But more studies are needed, mainly to look at the mechanisms by which vitamin D can improve muscular function." The study was presented at the 2011 American Thoracic Society International Conference in Denver.

Vitamin D and the Lungs

Studies show that people with COPD often have low levels of vitamin D, a vitamin best known for its role in keeping bones strong. A 2010 report in the journal Thorax, for example, found that 60% of patients with severe COPD and 77% with very severe COPD had blood levels of vitamin D under 20 ng/mL, a level experts say is insufficient. Some of the cause may be inherited. Certain gene variants have been shown to increase the risk of having low vitamin D levels. But many experts think people with COPD may have low levels of vitamin D simply because they get less sun. The body uses UV rays from sunlight to manufacture vitamin D. "Getting outside is hard if you're sick," says Kevin K. Brown, MD, vice chairman of the department of medicine at National Jewish Health in Denver. Vitamin D's benefits may extend well beyond bone health. It has also been shown to play a role in muscle health. Low levels have been shown, for example, to be associated with an increased risk of falls in men and slower walking speeds and poorer balanced in women. "Since vitamin D is often depleted in patients with COPD, we wanted to see if vitamin D supplementation would have a beneficial effect on rehabilitation among these patients, perhaps by increasing muscle strength," Hornikx says.

For the study, researchers enrolled 50 COPD patients whose symptoms, including shortness of breath and coughing and phlegm, had been getting worse. All the patients participated in a three-month pulmonary rehabilitation program. Half were randomly selected to receive once-monthly, high-dose vitamin D supplements; the other half were given a placebo pill. At the beginning of the study, and again at the end, researchers tested muscle strength in the lungs and the legs, vitamins D levels, and exercise capacity, which is a measure of how long and how intensely a person can exercise. Researchers also asked about improvements in quality of life before and after the study. By the end of the study, study participants taking vitamin D had significantly greater improvements in exercise capacity and respiratory muscle strength than those taking the placebo. Despite the fact that they could move and breathe better, however, study participants taking vitamin D didn't report any improvements in quality of life. Researchers think that may be because the study was relatively short. While it is still early, Brown says that based on the evidence he's seen, he's tempted to start testing his patients for vitamin D. "I'm not fully convinced of this issue yet," he tells WebMD. "But I think the totality of this information is really pushing us toward testing many patients, and if found to be deficient, trying to think about ways to replace them." Whether a person needs extra vitamin D will probably depend on the climate they live in, how much they're outdoors, and how much of the vitamin they get from their diet. The U.S. recommended daily allowance of vitamin D is 600 IU daily for adults up to age 70 and 800 IU daily for adults over 70.

ORTHODOX THEOLOGICAL ROOTS OF HEALING

The Ethos of Orthodox Christian Healing
By Fr. George MorelliEdited by OCH

To understand healing we must first understand sin, illness, death and love, a task that brings us back to Genesis. Genesis reveals that God created the world as good. He set mankind as the crown of His creation. Genesis describes the creation of man in this way: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them" (Genesis 1:27). The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being (Genesis 2:7).

Mankind is meant for paradise, and paradise is understood as life in and with God that lasts for all eternity. Who then, caused the rupture that introduced sin, illness and death into the world? The answer is the evil one, Satan, and his cohorts. Satan is the destroyer of goodness and order, the liar who fatally rebelled against God and looks forward only to eternal judgment and condemnation. The scriptures tell us that the devil has "sinned from the beginning" (1 John 3:8). Jesus told the Pharisees: You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it" (John 8:44). How did the rupture occur? It happened when Satan tempted Adam and Eve when they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The tree was planted in the primordial garden with fruit that God commanded was never to be eaten. "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die" (Genesis 2:16-17). Satan argued that if they ate of the fruit they would  ... be as gods, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:7). We know our ancestors failed to obey and the entire material creation fell into disorder. The Fathers of the Church wrote that the lie that Satan proffered hid a crucial dimension of God's original commandment not to eat of the fruit. Yes, Satan was correct in telling Adam and Eve that they would become like gods and therefore have knowledge of good and evil, but he withheld that they would also become captive to the evil. As for Adam and Eve, the nature of their sin was that they looked to the creation rather than the Creator for the life (which includes knowledge and wisdom) that can only come from God. In fact, the Fathers posit that if Adam and Eve had obeyed God, they would have matured in understanding and discernment and eventually would have come to know good and evil without becoming captive to the evil. The result of their disobedience was catastrophic. Adam and Eve lost the Spirit of God and became subject instead to the dust out of which they were created. Man became bound to the earth rather than its master. He was expelled from the Garden because knowing now only separation from God, he could no longer be part of its primordial harmony. Genesis tells of the tragedy:

God told them, "'For dust you are, and to dust you shall return" ... Therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life (Genesis 3:11, 19, 23, 24). St. Gregory of Nyssa lamented, "Thus man, who was so great and precious, as the Scriptures call him, fell from the value he had by nature ... by his sin, (and) clothed himself in an image that is of clay and mortal" (Musurillo, 1979). But God did not leave Adam and Eve desolate. He began the restoration of Adam and Eve (and all humanity) only moments after their expulsion. It started with the clothing of Adam and Eve in animal skins and continued through the covenant with Noah. It follows with a covenant that God made with Abraham that through him God would send a savior to heal the catastrophic rupture. It is completed in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. St. Basil expressed it beautifully: "Thou didst send forth the Prophets; You did perform mighty works by the saints ... who foretold unto us the salvation which was to come" (Anaphora Prayers of St. Basil Liturgy). We share in Adam and Eve's original sin, although the Eastern churches' understanding differs from the Western churches' in some crucial ways. The Eastern Church does not teach that we inherit the guilt of Adam. Rather, we share in the sin of Adam in that we are born into a world where the consequences of sin prevail. These consequences are not only the outward brokenness like disease and death, but interior disorder as well. Our nature is corrupted. We are subject to temptation, prone to sin, and share in death. The different emphasis on original sin in the Orthodox Church affects how the death of Christ impacts the redemption of mankind as well. Everyone is familiar with the verse taken from the Gospel of St. John that affirms God's great love for mankind by the coming of His Son. It goes: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Christ's voluntary sacrifice on the cross was not to satisfy God's vengeance, a desire to see sin punished (what Western theologians call "substitutionary atonement"). Rather Christ's death on the cross enabled Christ to enter death and destroy it, as evidenced by rising from the dead once and for all.

The rupturing of the relationship Adam had with God that affected all subsequent generations is the source of sickness and death. Christ, as the One who overcame death, restores the relationship by destroying death. He becomes the mediator between mankind and the Father, the bridge over the unbridgeable chasm, the conqueror of death, the Savior of soul and body. His obedience unto righteousness (Christ was the only man not to break the Law of Moses) annuls the penalty of death that fell on disobedient Adam, thereby making His death completely voluntary - a sacrifice -- and thus making His resurrection from death possible. St. Paul's message to the Romans summarizes the Orthodox view of illness and death and hints at how healing enters the world. Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God (Romans 6:6-10). We enter into the life of Christ through baptism; entering the waters enables a person to enter into the death of Christ and be raised in the likeness of His resurrection (Romans 6:1-10). Baptism is the first step in the restoration of body and soul, a return in some measure to the communion with God that Adam and Eve experienced before their disobedience. The promise from God is that this journey may end in His Kingdom, although this end is by no means automatic or guaranteed apart from testing and trial. Our faith in God has to be proven, that is, refined in the fire of tribulation as St. Peter taught, and not be found lacking. St. John summed it up in the final book of scripture: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God" (Revelation 2:7). The man who hears and obeys is the man who will receive the promise of eternal life at the last day.

In the Orthodox Church, healing of the soul ranks higher than the healing of the body. In fact, the healing of the body is offered as a sign of His mercy and blessing to the person experiencing God's healing and to inspire others to do His will. Healing is to be sought both through prayer and the application of physical sciences, but no complete healing is possible apart from the final resurrection of an individual because the sentence of death still reigns in the mortal body. Further, not all people are healed, despite fervent pleas to God and the applications of the best medicines. Sometime illness needs to be endured. The Church Fathers give us insight into how we can use illness and the acceptance of mortality (death) to grow in Christ. St Ilias the Presbyter wrote: "Suffering deliberately embraced cannot free the soul totally from sin unless the soul is also tried in the fire of suffering that comes unchosen. For the soul is like a sword: if it does not go 'through fire and water' (Psalm 66:12, LXX) -- that is, by suffering deliberately embraced and suffering that comes unchosen -- it cannot but be shattered by the blows of fortune" (Ilias the Presbyter, Philokalia III). We have to acquire an attitude of embracing both illness and the inevitable death of earthly life, as part of God's divine will for us. This is true not only for the sick, but also their loved ones who share in the suffering. In those cases where a healing does occur, it happens so that we may love God even more. Sometimes physical sickness is necessary to heal the soul. St. Maximus the Confessor wrote, "Suffering cleanses the soul infected with the filth of sensual pleasure and detaches it completely from material things by showing it the penalty incurred as a result of its affection for them. This is why God in His justice allows the devil to afflict men with torments." The acceptance of our illness and death as God's will is one means by which we embrace the saving grace of Christ. This is a hard saying to accept, but those who have suffered in Christ testify to its truth. Could we not allow that sometimes God understands what we do not understand? The subordination of physical to spiritual healing is derived from the Epistle of James. St. James said:     Is there any one among you suffering? Let him pray ... Is any among you sick? Let him call for the presbyters of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven (James 4.13 - 15).

The cooperation of man with God is recorded in the book of Genesis: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over all the earth" (Genesis 1:26). McGuckin (2004) noted that several Greek Fathers defined the term "image" by relating it to Adam's naming of the animals, thereby linking an attribute of the image of God in man to "mankind's dominion over the created order." In other words, the patristic exegesis highlights the different characteristics that man possesses over the animals such as understanding, rationality, and intelligence to conclude that these characteristics define in some measure the term "image of God." Evagrios the Solitary also, albeit indirectly, affirmed that the intellect reflects the image of God in man. When examining the causes of sin he asked, "Is it the intellect?" only to answer the query with another question, "But then how can the intellect be the image of God?" (Philokalia I). (Later he answered his question that sin is a "freely chosen noxious pleasure.") St. Maximus the Confessor, too, elevated intellect as an attribute of the image of God in man. "Naturally endowed with the holiness of the Divine Image, the intelligence urges the soul to conform itself by its own free choice to the divine likeness" (Philokalia II). As a golden seal to this plain homily, we will add a brief account of the way in which that is most precious of all that God has created -- the noetic and intelligent creature, man -- has been made, alone among created beings, in God's image and likeness (cf. Genesis 1:26). First, every man is said to be made in the image of God as regards the dignity of his intellect and soul ... and endowed with free will. Further, St. John of Damascus taught that the gift of the intellect carries with it a responsibility toward holiness: Every man possesses that which is according to the image of God, "for the gifts of God are irrevocable" (cf. Romans 11:29). But only a few -- those who are virtuous and holy and have imitated the goodness of God to the limit of human powers -- possess that which is according to the likenesses of God" (Philokalia III).

St. Nikitas Stithatos discussed how the responsibility to develop and use the gift of the intellect is met only by living in conformity with God's will: God is ... intellect, beyond every intellect ... He is light and the source of blessed light. He is wisdom, intelligence and spiritual knowledge. If on account of your purity these qualities have been bestowed on you and are richly present in you, then that within you which accords with the image of God has been safely preserved and you are now a son of God guided by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14) (Philokalia IV). Clearly, the Church Fathers teach that the intellect is a highly valued characteristic found in man. It is important to note that intellect does not mean high intelligence necessarily, but the faculty of the intellect, namely, the ability to reason, distinguish, create, and all the qualities associated with it. Further, there is a moral imperative implied in their assessment. Since the intellect is a gift from God, we must exercise the intellect to the best of our ability. Failure to responsibly apply our intellect in our lives means we are not conforming to the will of God. One area where the intellect must be applied is in the contemplation of life around us. Where does the ultimate meaning of the creation and our place in it come from: science and its offshoots including medicine and psychology -- or God? Science is empirical, it measures material objects and defines material processes. It describes the workings of creation but it can say nothing about its meaning and purpose. Materiality and meaning are two different things but nevertheless are woven together as the Psalmist told us: The heavens declare the Glory of God and the firmament proclaims His handiwork (Psalm 18:1). Since the rules that govern the world are written into the very fabric of creation and discerned by the intellect, they can be used for the healing purposes of God. Science and its applications are not static, but dynamic and ever changing, that is refined, as scientists get better at doing the "work of science." Its roots are ancient and continue to grow. The sciences applied to healing in the Early Church were crude in contrast to what we know today, but they were present nonetheless. If by God's will mankind continues for the next five centuries or so, the science (including healing arts) we practice today will look as crude then as the ancient practices look now. The Church Fathers understood this well. St. Gregory of Nyssa said: "Medicine is an example of what God allows men to do when they work in harmony with Him and with one another." Basil of Caesarea said: "God's grace is as evident in the healing power of medicine and its practitioners as it is in miraculous cures" (Demakis 2004).

It is not overstating the case to say that the emphasis on the healing of persons is one of the great gifts that Christianity has given the world. It started with Christ. The Gospels record numerous instances where Christ healed all manners of diseases, both spiritual and physical. St. Luke, himself a physician, recorded the most in his Gospel, and then later showed in his book "The Acts of the Apostles" how this power of healing was granted to the Apostles. It should be no surprise that at the end of the persecutions of the first early centuries, healing arts were developed and flourished even to this day.

Orthodox Christianity has a rich history of healers revered as saints. Twin brothers Sts Cosmas and Damian were physicians practicing during the reign of Diocletian and Maximianos in the era before the persecutions ended. Born in Arabia, they became known as "Anargyroi" (penniless) because they refused to accept any money for their service. They are venerated in both the Eastern and Western churches, but in the East they also carry the title "Wonderworker" because in addition to healing the body, they also cast out demons and removed other darkness from the souls of men just as Christ had done. They attributed their healing gifts to Christ, whom they called the "Great Physician," and regarded themselves simply as Christ's instruments of healing, comfort, witness, and sanctification. Orthodoxy had other great healer saints as well. Hronas (1999) detailed the life of St. Luke as well as twenty physicians of which eighteen were missionaries and two were priests. One of the priests was St. Sampson the "Innkeeper and Physician of Constantinople whose feast day is celebrated on June 17. St. Sampson was originally from Rome at the time when Saint Justinian the Great reigned, but settled in Constantinople. He became so respected for his healing power, prayer, virtue, and love of the sick and poor that Patriarch Menas of Constantinople ordained him a priest. In humility he often hid his prayerful healing by dispensing medication. He healed the Emperor Justinian who in gratitude donated a grand healing center to St. Sampson that came to be known as "The Hospice of Sampson." In the fourth century various healing centers were opened and administrated by the Orthodox Church, including homes for the poor, orphans, aged and hospitals (Demakis, 2004). Many of these centers were associated with monasteries. The health-care workers, the physicians, the nurses, and psychologists of the day were often the monks themselves. St. Basil of Caesarea (370-379) was trained in medicine and was reported to have worked with the monks in ministering to the ill and infirm.

St. John Chrysostom as Patriarch of Constantinople (390) used the wealth of the Church to open hospitals and other philanthropic institutions, which earned him great love from the people. Within two centuries, the rapid growth of these centers necessitated state funding although the Church retained the active administration and care giving in the arrangement. Emperor Justinian moved the most important physicians into the hospitals, which enhanced the reputation of these centers (Demakis 2004). The Pantocrator Monastery was a large healing center. Its Typikon (the book that explains how the monastery should be ordered) reveals that their benevolent work was complex and extensive. The remarkable hospital (xenon) associated with this foundation capped a long tradition of institutional philanthropy observed in these documents since Mount Tmolos in the late tenth century. Chapters throughout provide regulations for the hospital, the old age home, and lepers' sanatorium. The hospital was presided over by an overseer (nosokomos) and had sixty beds divided into five wards, one of which was to be reserved for women. Two non-resident doctors (serving in alternate months) and a complement of assistants and orderlies staffed each ward. The doctors were not to undertake any outside work even for unpaid service by imperial command. The women's ward had an extra female doctor. Four extra doctors, including two surgeons, staffed an outpatient department. Two of the outpatient doctors took turns providing services to the monks of the monastery in alternate months. There were also various service personnel, including a chief pharmacist and three druggists as well as two priests stationed in the hospital chapel. A teacher of medicine was to "teach the principles of medical knowledge" to student doctors, who were apparently chosen from among the hospital's auxiliaries. Salaries for the various hospital personnel were detailed as well as the supplies needed by the infirmaries and the superintendent, who served as a cellarer. The Emperor provided regulations for liturgical services, burials, and commemorations of the deceased. The director of the old age home was chosen from among the monks of the monastery. With the assistance of six orderlies, he would care for twenty-four aged and infirm men in the home; the healthy were specifically excluded, regardless of social class. As in the hospital, a chapel staffed by a priest and reader was available to residents. The emperor provided cash and in-kind allowances for both the staff and the residents. Lepers' sanatorium was established at a site away from the monastery. The emperor sought a "special remembrance" from its residents, but unlike patients in the hospital, he does not ask them to come to a church to pray for his soul.

Less institutionalized forms of philanthropy were practiced at the foundation as well. A bakery provided bread to nourish the residents of both the hospital and the old age home. For non-residents, there were to be charitable distributions at the gate in honor of the foundation's benefactors. Leftovers were to be collected for this purpose after both the midday and evening meals." They were committed to Christ and were holy men before they became healers. They lived as deeply committed Christians in personal prayer, meditation, fasting, and actively prayed for their patients. They were outstanding physicians often "first in their medical school class." Medical science was regarded as a serious academic discipline. They had a "deep and abiding love" for mankind and strove to see "the image of Christ" in every patient. This was shown in their actions including long working hours, refusal of any payment, turning their homes into hospitals, and the personal care they showed toward their patients ("fed and cared for their patients personally"). St John Chrysostom presented us with the idea that the entire Church of Christ is a hospital, thereby expressing in clearer theological terms the relationship between the healing of body and soul practiced by the early healers. The Parable of the Good Samaritan is the model St. John used (Luke 1:33ff) where the Good Samaritan exemplifies Christ who, as the Great Physician, comes to broken mankind (the man beaten by robbers lying on the road) in order to bring healing. The inn in which the Good Samaritan delivered the suffering man is the Church (Vlachos, 1994, 1994). The interrelationship between body and soul is noted in almost every liturgical prayer. Most corporate prayer begins with the Trisagion (Thrice-Holy) prayer that makes the relationship clear: "All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us, Lord, cleanse us from our sins. Master, pardon our iniquities. Holy God, visit and heal our infirmities for thy name's sake" (emphasis added).

Sometimes the healing of the soul calls for drastic measures. A guide for clergy of the Orthodox Church is the "Book of Needs" which includes prayers for expulsion of demons from the soul and for protection from such evil. Clergy entering this dimension of spiritual reality must exercise great discernment since many illnesses have natural causes and a misdiagnosis is easily made. Further, the mental status of anyone requesting such prayers also has to be considered. Pastorally, the best practice is to say a simple prayer for those requesting it, such as those found in the exorcism ritual in Holy Baptism. St. Basil, St. John Chrysostom, and several other noted saints wrote these prayers. A prayer by St. John Chrysostom that is included in "The Book of Needs" concisely states the goal of our earthly life. O Lord Jesus Christ ... We beseech You, look mercifully upon him (or her), and in your great love grant him (or her) relief from his (or her) pain. That restored to the vigor of health, he (or she) may serve you faithfully and gratefully all his (or her) life, and become heir of Your Kingdom. For You are the Physician of our souls and bodies, O Christ." Another exorcism prayer written by St. John Chrysostom reads: "Everlasting God ... command these evil and impure spirits to withdraw from soul and body ... so he (she) may live a holy, righteous and devout life deserving of the sacred Mysteries of Your only-begotten Son our God (Book of Needs, A Monk of St. Tikhon's Monastery 1987).

Human healing, then, when referenced to the victory of Christ over death, takes on an eternal meaning and purpose: chiefly, to partake of the deeper life found in God, to rise above the brokenness, sin, and death that holds the world in bondage since the sin of Adam and Eve long ago. In modern parlance we could say: "Is that all there is?" But the prayer does not end there. It concludes: "Yet, O Lord, give rest unto Thy servant with the righteous." Later in the funeral service we pray, "May Christ give thee rest in the land of the living, and open unto thee the gates of Paradise and make thee a citizen of His kingdom." The ultimate healing is victory over illness and death and leads us into eternal life. "Behold, I make all things new," (Revelation 21:3-5).