LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Archbishop Timothy

As it does every political season, the subject of abortion rears its ugly head. This year we are faced with two presidential candidates who both support the law allowing this, yet claim to have personal convictions against abortion. Obviously the Orthodox Catholic Church opposes this practice as it is, in her eyes, tantamount to murder. The subject has a new twist this year as religious bodies across the country have bucked at the current administration's push for nationwide mandates on insurance providers to cover abortion, as well as other methods of birth control. Although the Orthodox Church has a relaxed position on birth control that prevents fertilization, it has always vehemently opposed the destruction of a human from the point of conception.

The abortion debate has many facets. One question has always been about cases where the mother's life is at risk. One expert put it in perspective saying "I will certify that any pregnancy is a threat to a woman's life and could cause grievous injury to her physical health." The Church recognizes the right to self-defense, or self-preservation, and theologians have vacillated over the issue, but the truth of the matter is that the overwhelming majority of all abortions, (95%), are done as a means of birth control. Only 1% are performed because of rape or incest; 1% because of fetal abnormalities; 3% due to the mother's health problems. In fact, for every two babies born in the United States another baby dies in an abortion. Is the debate then about the sanctity of  life or the sanction of promiscuity?

The largest point of contention has (and probably always will be) the point at which we, when given life by God, become a human being, with all the rights granted onto us by law. Science has faltered over this question as the search for an arbitrary point at which to label us a person. The embryology textbook Before We Are Born: Essentials of Embryology and Birth Defects states: "The zygote and early embryo are living human organisms." Those who think abortion should be generally legal often use the word "fetus," a clinical term derived from a Latin word meaning "offspring" or "newly delivered." These terms all refer to specific stages of development. Scientists cannot agree as to whether a zygote, embryo, or fetus is human, nor where the exact point between these distinctions lie.

Are we then a person when we have a heartbeat, or brainwaves, or when we have fully formed fingers and toes? Are we only a person when we are born? What then of a fetus which can live independently of its mother, such as in a Cesarean section or in an emergency premature birth? Where is the empirical tipping point? The Church has, and always has had a definitive answer to this: Conception.

Then there is the sociological context. "Pro-choice" advocates are always touting a "woman's right to choose". That begs the question, what of the choice of the unborn woman? Who speaks for them? There are many cases where aborted fetuses have been viable at 'birth', some just left outside the mother's body to die. Gianna Jessen was born in 1977 after surviving an abortion at seven-and-a-half months gestation. She has cerebral palsy as a result of the procedure but has run marathons and traveled "the world to campaign against abortion." When a woman gets pregnant and the father does not want the baby he cannot force her to have an abortion (thank God), but he will be forced by law to care for the child for eighteen years. Yet if the situation is reversed, and the father wants to keep, care for, and love the child, but the mother wants an abortion, he has no choice in the matter. Where is the equity in the law on which  our country has always prided itself?

Of course most importantly to me is the personal aspect. Sin diminishes us, it tarnishes the soul. The emotional scarring of sin can be long-lasting far beyond the forgiveness we seek from God. The remorse and regret that tugs on us after our affront to God leaves us many times with the difficult task of forgiving ourselves. Make no mistake, abortion is murder, murder is sin. If in fact the pregnant woman thought of the life inside her to be no more than an extra piece of flesh, then why do so many suffer so much for so long after? The country of Finland has socialized medicine and keeps detailed records of its citizens. A search of these records over the years 1987-1994 found that 1,347 women of reproductive age committed suicide. A 1996 study of this data found that women who had an abortion were 5.9 times more likely to commit suicide in the year following this event than women who delivered a child. A similar study in California in 2002 showed an almost 3 times higher rate of suicide.

This is, always has been, and always will be a loaded issue with passions that run deep, but it is not our job to judge nor condemn. We do not seek the death of the sinner, but that they should turn away from sin and live. It is our job to educate and inform, and I pray to save souls. The following article is from orthodoxwiki.org. I hope you will be enlightened so that you may enlighten others. "Therefore is my people led away captive, because they had not knowledge. . . Woe to you that call evil good and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness" Isaiah 5:13,20

Article found at http://orthodoxwiki.org/Abortion

Definition

Abortion is the medical termination of a pregnancy either by surgical procedure or other means, commonly performed by doctors in the developed or western world. It is generally available in private clinics and hospitals. Abortion has become the most debated of all sexual health issues by medical professionals, women's liberationists and religious and social groups.

Overview

The abortion debate became prominent, in the western world, in the 1930's when the decriminalisation of abortion was advocated as a result of many women losing their lives during attempted non-medically endorsed abortions by 'abortion practitioners' who often had little or no medical knowledge and experience. The history of abortion and its practice however outdate this debate by nearly three thousand years. The Hippocratic Oath clearly forbids the practice of abortion when it makes reference to ("… nor should I give to a woman something corruptible in order to abort…"), while the International Code of Medical Ethics states "a doctor must always bear in mind the importance of preserving life from the moment of conception until death". Unlike today however, where abortion is a simply a moral dilemma, the termination of pregnancy in antiquity was seen as an abominable crime given that it was not a medical problem but a social problem in which medical practitioners were asked to become social executioners.

Current estimates indicate that the number of abortions among adolescent women globally (WHO 1986 definition of adolescent is used here referring to those 15-24 rather than the traditionally accepted 10-19) is approximately 4.5 million (UNFPA 1998). There are no precise figures for women of all ages although the World Health Organisation estimates that some 27 million abortions are carried out each year (WHO 2004). The total number of abortions performed are not known because of the numbers of unsafe abortions that go unrecorded predominantly in developing countries estimated in the tens of millions (Benagiano 2000).

Abortion statistics can be studied as incidences or they can be looked at in comparison with birth rates. A population study Benagiano refers to highlights this. While showing the Russian Federation's abortion rate, which was relatively low compared to other European countries in 1995, it revealed that 179 abortions were performed per 100 births therefore nearly two for every one birth (Monnier 1998). It is therefore imperative that abortion statistics are not viewed as either incidences or rates, but as both.

Abortion has been a major political, moral, and emotional issue in the United States for decades now. We have seen too often political slogans such as:

    "It's a child, not a choice;"
    "Abortion stops a beating heart;"
    "Against Abortion? Don't have one;" and
    "I'm pro-choice and I vote."

Abortion has been legal in the US since 1973 with the now-famous decision in the Roe v. Wade case of the US Supreme Court. The justices, by split decision, declared that a fetus in the early stages of pregnancy is considered a nonperson and therefore part of the woman's body. The woman was then given the choice, the right, to keep or remove the fetus. This decision and the development of abortion clinics has divided the nation into pro-choice and pro-life constituents. These constituents have created catchy but divisive slogans such as the ones above.

Depending upon whom you ask, there are many different stages during which an unborn life may be aborted upon request. For example, the unborn child might an embryo, it may have not implanted in the womb, it may still be without a heartbeat, it may not have a distinct human form yet, or it may be too young to survive outside the womb. Almost all people agree that the unborn child is a human by the time of birth. However, it is the Orthodox Christian belief that a human is made after the image of God at the moment of conception. In fact, all people are temples of the Holy Spirit once they are conceived. Additionally, the Orthodox Church has feast days celebrating conceptions: Annunciation to the Virgin Mary on March 25, the Conception by St. Anna of the Theotokos on December 9, and the Conception of St. John the Forerunner and Baptist on September 23.

Fr. Stanley S. Harakas (For the Health of Body and Soul: An Eastern Orthodox Introduction to Bioethics, 2002) states the following about the question of abortion:

Because our humanity is a psychosomatic unity and because Orthodox Christians see all of life as a continuous and never ending development of the image and likeness toward theosis and full humanity, the achievement of particular stages of development of the conceptus is not ethically relevant to the question of abortion.

In his second canon, St. Basil specifically rules out the artificial distinction between the "formed" and "unformed" conceptus (The Rudder, pp. 789-790). Thus, any abortion is seen as an evil. Since the physical and the personal aspects of human existence are understood as essential constitutive elements of our humanity, the conceptus—unfulfilled and incomplete as it may be—may not be destroyed under normal circumstances. Eastern Orthodox ethicists reject as unworthy those counterarguments which appeal to economic and social reasons and so hold life to be less valuable than money, pride, or convenience. Armed with modern genetic information, they also reject the argument that an abortion may be justified because a woman is entitled to control her own body. That basic affirmation of self-determination is not rejected; what is rejected is the claim that the conceptus is a part of the mother's tissue. It is not her body; it is the body and life of another human being entrusted to her for care and nurture.

Besides family, parish, and community support, the pregnant woman can find healing through the sacraments of the Church. When she participates in the Divine Liturgy, Holy Confession, and the other sacraments, it will help her find the proper balance between the Death and Resurrection of life and find the true good life. Such an ethical action transfigures our nature and further purifies our will. When we participate in and live out these sacraments in our daily lives, we allow God to transform us. We then can make the right choices because we follow God's will and we do it with joy.

Bibilical & Patristic Quotations

From the earliest of Christianity, there was a strong opposition to abortion. Very early on in Canon law, those who committed abortion were excommunicated for life—this was the same penalty as for murder. Later on, out of mercy, excommunication was limited to ten years.

In the second century, Athenagoras, a philosopher and a convert to Christianity addressed charges of cannibalism among Christians by saying:

What reason would we have to commit murder when we say that women who induce abortions are murderers, and will have to give account of it to God? For the same person would not regard the fetus in the womb as a living thing and therefore an object of God's care, and at the same time slay it, once it had come to life. Nor would he refuse to [leave infants out in the woods to die], on the ground that those who expose them are murderers of children, and at the same time do away with the child he has reared. But we are altogether consistent in our conduct. We obey reason and do not override it.

In the fourth century, St. Basil the Great addressed those who wanted to draw an arbitrary line concerning the beginning of human life by saying: "The woman who purposely destroys her unborn child is guilty of murder. The hair-splitting difference between formed and unformed makes no difference to us."

DEATH OF DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA

Submitted by: Dr Charles Merceica

Written by: Dr. Terrence Edward Paupp
Public Relations Officer
International Association of Educators for World Peace

Dedicated to United Nations Goals of Peace Education,
Environmental Protection, Human Rights & Disarmament

Bend, Oregon, USA

Note: The views expressed in this article are not necessarily those of the editor or the "Orthodox Christian Herald."

Democracy in the United States is completely dead. The American people are living under the tyranny of an oligarchy that is run between the financial sector on Wall Street and its bought-and-paid-for minions in Washington, D.C. With the exception of a few elected officials, the main concern of senators and congressmen is not the welfare of the people but the business interests of US big corporations, generally headed by the weapons industry and the military industrial complex. This explains why nobody dares to be openly critical of wars regardless of the extent of their disastrous consequences.

Criminals Escaping Prosecution

 Very sadly, the people everywhere have been raped. If anyone of us were to steal a loaf of bread one has to do time in jail, while the Goldman Sachs thieves have stolen our homes, as an uncontrolled and unreformed banker class has continued foreclosures, and do risky derivatives. As a result, the entire US economy continues to sink into a greater Depression, taking the European Union down with it. Those government officials who speak of the importance for the United States to be and to remain a strong nation are not referring to the people as a whole but rather, they have in mind the rich and gigantic corporations that ruthlessly control the entire country, as well as the political apparatus in Washington---along with many states. The American people do not seem to exist---except to be taxed as wage-slaves--- for all practical purposes. In Citizens United, the US Supreme Court decided that money is speech, that there should be no limitations placed on the exercise of that speech, which reveals the hidden powers of the very wealthy. Unfortunately, the US Supreme Court stated that corporations should be viewed as people.

This encouraged corporations and lobbyists to continue to contribute campaign money to both Democratic presidential candidate Obama and Republican presidential candidate Romney to "cover their bets." This explains why, for the first time in my life, I decided not to vote during this 2012 year. It is really a worthless exercise under these conditions. Until the Obama administration actively works to prosecute and jail these felons and white-collar criminals, what is the use of it all? It just does not make sense any longer. This is not a matter of life and death. It is a matter of death either way. The so called "laws" we live under are worthless or selectively enforced. Romney hides his hundreds of millions in off-shore accounts--- all around the world. His money is tax free, just at a time when it is needed to invest in jobs and higher wages for working poor and working middle class people. Where is the money? This important question needs an answer now not at some time in the distant future. Where are the investigative journalists of the "Fourth Estate" in all of this? Most of them have been fired while others are fully afraid to ask and find out. The money which average Americans desperately need is now found locked up in the coffers of thieves who are the financiers that took our TARP bailout money and gave it to their banking cronies.

Holding Authorities Accountable

In other words, we are all slaves of the bankers. Further, ever since World War II ended in 1945, the United States has been involved in numerous wars, almost single-handedly. In violation of the war-making powers enumerated in the US Constitution, the US Presidents (except for JFK), have trumped up lies to invade Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Grenada, and other nations. The US Congress has largely abdicated its constitutional duties, thereby caving in to a skewed definition of the "Commander-in-Chief" language of the US Constitution---thereby subverting their oath of office to uphold the Constitution of the United States. All hail the Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), as they go out into the world to torture people in violation of international law and the 8th Amendment of the US Constitution. Once again, the military-industrial complex wins and the cause of peace and the rule of law suffer while it is diminished and violated. The objective of such wars was virtually always the same, to exploit the resources of other nations. For the rich and the big corporations in particular, this meant that a transnational capitalist class (TCC) has set out to control the wealth of the entire world--- to the best of their ability.

The Federal Reserve, Central Bankers, and the Rockefellers should all be damned to Hell---after doing jail time in prison. But, like Jaime Diamond at JP Morgan Chase, they can "loose" $3-billion dollars in a week and claim that they are "too big to fail! Yes, they are too big to fail! That is because Washington, D.C. and the Executive Branch have deemed them as "too big to jail." In this regard, the Department of Justice should be re-named as the Department of Injustice, "with liberty and justice for some."  "The current US Attorney General Erich Holder has been viewed by many as a living joke. He has not only the contempt of Congress charge, but also the contempt of the American people as well. So, this is the end of the US Empire---as I stated in my last three books and numerous articles which I have written and published on this subject. Just for general information, here below are the last six books that I wrote. The first four are already in circulation while the last two will be in circulation in 2013.

METROPOLIS ASKS PRIESTS TO BE FAITHFUL TO OBLATION

[Sharon PA] His Beatitude Metropolitan Stephen wants all clergy who are able to comply with the monthly oblation and annual obligations assigned to all clergy of the Church. Some are becoming very relaxed on their obligations according to the financial registry of the Archdiocese, and the Chancery Office. There is no room in the Church for clergy who disobey the decrees of the Holy Metropolis, the policies and traditions of the Church, and their sacerdotal responsibilities, without a dispensation from the Church.

Clergy of the Archdiocese must, except when it can be proven that there is a hardship, do the following. (1) Support the Holy Metropolis and Archdiocese with a monthly oblation, especially those with a secular employment. (2) Attend and participate in the annual Synod and Conference of the Archdiocese. (3) Perform all the Sacerdotal Obligations or Diaconal Obligations required of clergy. The Church does not want just "priests" but rather "honorable and dedicated priests." We receive information from various persons throughout the year who advise that occasionally, or more often in some cases, that when they try to locate a parish it is fruitless (because of no signage), or they find one but the priest is nowhere to be found. This cannot be tolerated! The Archdiocesan Chancery will be contacting those clergy who are failing in one or more the responsibilities they accepted when ordained. This matter is not to be taken lightly any longer.

If a member of the clergy is have financial difficulties, they are to communicate this in writing to the Archdiocese Chancery, offering facts and verification of the facts as to why they cannot participate, and asking for a dispensation. They are not to simply ignore requests or policies as though they are the Archdiocese or exempt from participating. This advisement and the policy implied in it go into effect on January 1, 2012.

CHURCH vs. PRESIDENT OBAMA – CONSTITUTION MUST BE UPHELD

Posted on May 20, 2012

by Scott Johnson

This past Friday we had another Obamacare against the Church moment, this one facilitated by Georgetown University. Georgetown invited HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to give the commencement address to graduating public policy students. Sebelius's commencement speech faithfully followed the traditional form. It was just boring and humorless enough to sound like she may have had a hand in writing it herself.

Politico easily extracted the theme from the complete text of the speech: the response of the Church to Obamacare's assault on Catholic institutions evokes JFK's famous 1960 Houston speech to the Protestant ministers:

When I was in junior high, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was running for president. I wasn't old enough to vote, but it was the first national campaign I really remember. Some of then-Senator Kennedy's opponents attacked him for his religion, suggesting that electing the first Catholic president would undermine the separation of church and state, a fundamental principle of our democracy. The furor grew so loud that Kennedy chose to deliver a speech about his beliefs just seven weeks before the election.

In that talk to Protestant ministers, Kennedy talked about his vision of religion and the public square, and said he believed in an America, and I quote, "where no religious body seeks to impose its will directly or indirectly upon the general populace or the public acts of its officials – and where religious liberty is so indivisible that an act against one church is treated as an act against us all." For while this year it may be a Catholic against whom the finger of suspicion is pointed, in other years it has been, and may someday be again, a Jew — or a Quaker or a Unitarian or a Baptist. It was Virginia's harassment of Baptist preachers, for example, that helped lead to Jefferson's statute of religious freedom. Today I may be the victim, but tomorrow it may be you — until the whole fabric of our harmonious society is ripped at a time of great national peril.

Does Obamacare's "preventive services" mandate raise an issue of religious liberty for believing Catholics, or does the Church's response represent ecclesiastical authorities seeking to impose their will upon the general populace? Sebelius herself did not say, but she followed up her quotation from JFK with this observation:

Kennedy was elected president on November 8, 1960. And more than 50 years later, that conversation, about the intersection of our nation's long tradition of religious freedom with policy decisions that affect the general public, continues.

Contributing to these debates will require more than just the quantitative skills you have learned at Georgetown. It will also require the ethical skills you have honed – the ability to weigh different views, see issues from other points of view, and in the end, follow your own moral compass.

These debates can also be contentious. But this is a strength of our country, not a weakness. In some countries around the world, it is much easier to make policy. The leader delivers an edict and it goes into effect. There's no debate, no criticism, no second guessing.

Sebelius also did not say, but it is nevertheless true, that Obamacare is moving us decisively in the direction of the unnamed "other countries around the world." In the case of Obamacare's "preventive services" mandate, the leader has delivered an edict and it is going into effect, after the election. Wake up, sheeple!

Sebelius's appearance at Georgetown, under the auspices of an ostensibly Catholic institution, has not gone unnoticed by the Church or its faithful. As Politico noted, The Archdiocese of Washington said it was "shocking" that a Catholic institution would invite Sebelius to give a commencement address, and the conservative Cardinal Newman Society collected more than 27,000 signatures on a petition asking the university to withdraw its invitation. Georgetown alum William Peter Blatty also made his voice heard. He plans to sue the school in church court, charging that his alma mater has strayed so far from church doctrine that it should no longer call itself Catholic.

[ROMAN] CATHOLIC BISHOPS TAKE ON OBAMA

by Vincent Phillip Munoz - [April 23, 2012]

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has taken a bold stand for religious freedom. In a recent statement, titled "Our First, Most Cherished Liberty" the bishops call for repeal of contraception coverage mandated by the Department of Health and Human Services. The clarified position sets up a dramatic confrontation with the Obama administration—and would, if the bishops prevail, help preserve the religious liberty of all Americans.

The HHS mandate requires employers to provide insurance coverage for contraception and sterilization services. It is, according to the bishops, an "unjust law." They write: "It cannot be obeyed and therefore one does not seek relief from it, but rather its repeal." The statement is a rebuke of President Obama and the so-called accommodation his administration proposed in February. It also raises the stakes between the president and the leaders of America's Catholic Church. The bishops call on Catholics in America, "in solidarity with our fellow citizens," not to obey the law. They implicitly compare the HHS regulation to a segregation-era statute, and even cite Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from a Birmingham Jail." In a not-so-subtle manner, the bishops tell the Obama administration that they are willing to go to prison rather than comply with the mandate's provisions.

In doing so, the bishops are ruling out the possibility of a compromise that might preserve the mandate by expanding possible conscience exemptions from it. Most discussion had been over how far the religious liberty exemption should extend—but with the bishops calling for repeal, that all could change. The Obama administration was not against an exemption per se, it just wanted a narrow one that only covered church employees serving members of their own faith with jobs pertaining to the inculcation of religious belief. The Catholic bishops, it seemed, wanted a more robust exemption that covered institutions of faith, including hospitals, universities, and other social service providers. Now the bishops have made clear that the contraception mandate must be rescinded, because, in their view, even a more expansive exemption cannot sufficiently protect religious freedom. The bishops did not have to take this route, but all those who cherish religious liberty should be glad they did. If the bishops settled for a more expansive accommodation, they might have been able to get an exemption for their hospitals and universities (including my own, Notre Dame). That would have been the easy way to "preserve" religious liberty while also retaining the mandate. But what, then, would the bishops have said to business owners who likely would not have been covered by a more expansive exemption? How could church leaders say that it's wrong for church institutions to pay for contraception and abortifacients, but that Catholic business owners must cover these costs?

The exemption approach might have allowed the bishops to secure religious liberty for their institutions, but not for all their followers. That would have been a failure of moral authority and political strength to protect the common good. To their credit, the bishops appear to understand this and are now willing to lead the battle to preserve religious liberty for all, Catholics and non-Catholics, church institutions and private employers. But it won't be without confrontation. This statement from the bishops sets up a dramatic showdown between the leaders of the Catholic Church and the Obama administration, a confrontation that may not be good for either side. It is hard to see what middle ground exists, or even if it does. The Constitution was designed to prevent such fundamental clashes between church and state. Perhaps the best way out of this thicket would be for the Supreme Court to step in and stop it from happening. Striking down the contraception mandate would avert the disastrous situation of the president sending bishops to jail for being faithful witnesses to their religious convictions. HT:

For more information go to American Center for Law and Justice:  to see what more is being said and done.

US ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN BISHOPS PROTEST OBAMACARE RULING

Obamacare Abortion/Contraception Ruling

Filed under at February 14th, 2012 - 3:00 pm Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops February 2nd, 2012

The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America, which is comprised of the 65 canonical Orthodox bishops in the United States, Canada and Mexico, join their voices with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and all those who adamantly protest the recent decision by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and call upon all the Orthodox Christian faithful to contact their elected representatives today to voice their concern in the face of this threat to the sanctity of the Church's conscience.

In this ruling by HHS, religious hospitals, educational institutions, and other organizations will be required to pay for the full cost of contraceptives (including some abortion-inducing drugs) and sterilizations for their employees, regardless of the religious convictions of the employers.

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees the free exercise of religion. This freedom is transgressed when a religious institution is required to pay for "contraceptive services" including abortion-inducing drugs and sterilization services that directly violate their religious convictions. Providing such services should not be regarded as mandated medical care. We, the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops, call upon HHS Secretary Sebelius and the Obama Administration to rescind this unjust ruling and to respect the religious freedom guaranteed all Americans by the First Amendment.

The Supreme Court's refusal to overturn President 's health law (commonly referred to as "Obamacare") last week has set the stage for another legal battle over the law's onerous, liberty-trampling provisions. Now, the fight for freedom turns to the 23 lawsuits filed thus far on behalf of dozens of victims of Obamacare's disregard for religious liberty, who will be forced to comply with the mandate to provide and pay for abortion-inducing drugs, contraception, and sterilization—regardless of moral objections. Obamacare's anti-conscience mandate displays the Administration's offensively constricted view of faith in public life, affording the narrowest religious exemption in federal law that effectively only applies to formal houses of worship. Schools, soup kitchens, health clinics, and countless other "Good Samaritan" groups are left completely unprotected by the exemption simply because they serve vulnerable individuals without regard to their creed or background.

• During the over the past two weeks, Heritage has profiled just a few of the organizations that are helping sustain civil society—whose important work is threatened by Obamacare:
• Geneva College, a small Presbyterian school in western Pennsylvania and a plaintiff in one of mandate cases, will be forced to make difficult decisions about what resources, athletic programs, and maybe even scholarships should decrease to pay the government's fine on faith.
• Ave Maria University, a Catholic school in Naples, Florida, has already decided to drop student health plans for the next school year because of increased costs of insurance under Obamacare and the mandate's trampling on the school and students' religious liberty.
• The Eternal Word Network (EWTN), available in almost 150 million households around the world, exists to educate viewers on the Catholic faith. Yet, under the Obamacare anti-conscience mandate, EWTN will be forced to teach one thing and practice another as it is coerced into providing and paying for coverage of life-ending drugs and services in direct contradiction to Catholic beliefs.
• St. LouisCatholic Charities is just one of many organizations connected to dioceses around the country that serve tens of thousands of people every year regardless of creed or background. Because Catholic Charities steps outside the four walls of a Church to serve non-Catholics, the Obama Administration refuses to protect their religious freedom to work in accordance with the Catholic faith.
• William Newland and his family, who own an HVAC company in Denver, are just some of many for-profit, non-religious business owners who will be forced to violate their conscience by providing and paying for coverage of the mandated services against their personal moral or religious beliefs.

As Dr. Ken Smith, president of Geneva College, explained: "The issue that we have with the entire law is that the Obama Administration has tried to define religion as being that which churches do. We believe that religion takes us into the marketplace. There is both an internal community of faith responsibility of religion, but there is also an external service to community. That is religion." policymakers and national leaders should understand the primacy of religious freedom in the American constitutional order and work to protect that freedom, not undermine it. A robust conception of religion is an important anchor for religious freedom—freedom not merely to believe or teach certain doctrines but to live out one's faith in all aspects of life.

Editor's Note: I, as do many others, wonder what Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Dwight D Eisenhower, John F Kennedy, and many others would say about Obamacare? How have we come so far from what these honorable men defended?

For more information go to American Center for Law and Justice to see what more is being said and done.

HANDMADE ITEMS FROM UGANDA ON SALE AT BOOKSTORE/GIFT SHOP

[Sharon PA] Father Christopher Tamale sent some beautiful handmade items from Kiboga Uganda to be sold at Holy Trinity Bookstore & Gift Shop in Sharon Pennsylvania. 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 Brother Vincent Cappabianca CSB, 456 Nimick Street, Sharon PA 16146, and a catalog will be sent. You can call (724) 308.6218. You can also just send a cash donation by check or via PayPal. Please mark your donation for Uganda Vicariate and payable to "EOCC."

SYRIAC-GREEK ANTIOCHIAN ORTHODOX CATHOLIC STATEMENT ON "CHRISTOLOGY"

The Holy Metropolis of St Peter of the Syriac-Greek Antiochene Archdiocese

In terms of Christology, the Oriental Orthodox () understanding is that Christ is "One Nature—the Logos Incarnate," of the full humanity and full divinity. The Chalcedonian understanding is that Christ is in two natures, full humanity and full divinity. Just as humans are of their mothers and fathers and not in their mothers and fathers, so too is the nature of Christ according to Oriental Orthodoxy. If Christ is in full humanity and in full divinity, then He is separate in two persons as the Nestorians teach, according to the Oriental Orthodox (the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic, as well as most Protestants, vigorously deny this, teaching that Christ is a single Person or "hypostastis" who is in two natures which are hypostatically joined in His single Person). This is the doctrinal difference which separated the Oriental Orthodox from the rest of Christendom.

The Syriac-Greek Antiochian Orthodox Catholic Church believes as does the Holy See of the Syrian Patriarchate of Antioch. It believes and teaches that Christ is "from" or "of" two natures but not that He is "in" two natures. It stands among all the other Oriental (Non-Chalcedonian) Orthodox Churches, e.g., Armenian, British, Coptic, Eritrean, Ethiopian, Indian (Malankara), Syrian, and some of the "Old" Catholic Churches, e.g., the Antiochian Catholic Church in America. We believe in all that was expressed and approved at the first Three Ecumenical Councils. As stated in the previous edition on this matter, In recent theological discourses, some Old-Catholic, and Anglican theologians have begun to embrace this Christology as being consistent with, though different from, the Chalcedon formulation. The Oriental Orthodox Churches accept only "of or from two natures" but not "in two natures." However, Nestorianism was understood as seeing Christ in two separate natures, human and divine, each with different actions and experiences; in contrast St Cyril of Alexandria advocated the formula "one nature of the Incarnate Word of God," stressing the unity of the Incarnation over all other considerations. Miaphysitism holds that in the one person of Jesus Christ, (the nature of) Divinity and (the nature of) Humanity are united in one or single nature ("physis"), the two being united without separation, without confusion, and without alteration.

Two positions in particular caused controversy:

   1. Nestorianism stressed the distinction between the divine and the human in Christ to such an extent that it appeared that they believed there were two persons living in the same body. The view was condemned at the Council of Ephesus.

   2. 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.

In summary, the Syriac-Greek Antiochene Archdiocese accepts that Jesus Christ is "of or from two natures" but not "in two natures." The Only Son of God came into this world from two natures, that of His Divinity from God, and that of His human from the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, and that He remains always and from all times very God and very Man. It rejects the teachings of Nestorianism and Eutychianism. The Syriac Orthodox Church calls Mary "Yoldath Aloho", 'Bearer of God', because she gave birth to Christ, God truly incarnate. Therefore the Blessed Mother is rightly accorded the title of "Theotokos" in Greek, "Mother of God." This was another theological dispute in the 5th century that occurred over the teachings of Nestorius, the Patriarch of Constantinople, who taught that God the Word was not hypostatically joined with human nature, but rather dwelt in the man Jesus. As a consequence of this, he denied the title "Mother of God" (Theotokos) to the Virgin Mary, declaring her instead to be "Mother of Christ" (Christotokos), which Oriental Orthodox reject. The Syriac-Greek Antiochian Orthodox Catholic Church believes in the mystery of the Incarnation. That is, the Only Son of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, took to Himself a body and became man. He was embodied in flesh while in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  He is the "Son of God who became the Son of Man." It further believes that at the time of Annunciation, when the Angel Gabriel was sent to the Virgin Mary, the Holy Spirit came upon her and cleansed her of all natural impurity, filling her with His grace. She is not given the title of "Immaculate Conception" making her equal to Christ as the only human ever born without original sin. Then the Only Son of God came down and entered her immaculate womb, and took to Himself a body through her, thus becoming a perfect Man with a perfect Soul. After nine months, He was born of her and her virginity was maintained contrary to the laws of nature. It further believes that His true Godhead and His true Manhood were in Him essentially united, He being one Lord and one Son, and that after the union took place in Him, and that Jesus Christ had but one Nature Incarnate, was one Person, had one Will and one Work. Being a natural union of persons, free of all separateness, mixture, confusion, mingling, change and transformation that mark this union. After His resurrection and ascension the apostles wrote of Jesus as "the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). The Syriac-Greek Antiochian Orthodox Catholic Church believes that the death of Christ was the separation of His soul from His body, but His deity did not at any time leave either His body or His soul. It further believes that by His death for us, He conferred upon us salvation from eternal death and reconciliation with His Heavenly Father. The Blessed Virgin Mary is called Theotokos, and she was Ever-Virgin.

ANOTHER DISCOURSE IN CHRISTOLOGY

By Reverend Fr Seraphim Kanagaratnam CSB
Priest of the Syriac-Greek Antiochian Archdiocese in Malaysia

Christ is in our midst! In one of my earlier emails, I informed you that the article on Miaphysitism (sometimes called Henophysitism) that appeared in the last edition of OCH was par excellence. I truly enjoyed reading that article and am grateful to the editor.

Please can I expound further on this subject i.e., Miaphysitism and  Theosis (Deification). But before I expound this subject let us study the thoughts of the two (2) Ancient Theological School of the early Church, namely the Antiochian and Alexandrian. The thoughts of the Antiochian Theological School. This School stressed the literal -historical interpretation of Holy Scriptures and the completeness of Christ humanity. They put a primacy on emphasizing the distinction of natures. Their literal - historical interpretation of Holy Scriptures incited them to assert the reality of the historical Christ in His "Human nature" independent of the Divine Logos, who dwells in  Him (according to their  expression). The Antiochians thereby adopt "Word-Man" scheme and the formula "Two Natures". Divinity and humanity of Christ can be distinguished in Christ actions, Christ has a real, complete and independent humanity. The Antiochian school starting point of its Christology is "For in Him dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily"- (St. Paul to Colossians : 2:9)

The thoughts of the Alexandrian Theological School stressed the allegorical interpretation of Holy Scriptures and  Christ's Divinity. They put a primacy on emphasizing the Unity of person (much the way we emphasize the unity of human person, despite being composed of a dual nature sorts, the spiritual and physical). The Alexandrians thereby adopts "Word-Flesh" scheme and the formula  "The One Nature of God Incarnate".The Alexandrians school starting point of its Christology is "And the Word became flesh" (St.John 1:14).

Now let us discuss miaphysitism and theosis (Deification). The Alexandrian school because of its allegorical interpretation of Holy Scriptures adopts "Word-Flesh (St. John 1:14) scheme and the  formula "One Nature of God Incarnate ". Divinity and Humanity of Christ united in one Hypostatic Union. Two natures are united so close that they cannot be distinguished in the union. If Christ's suffering and saving works are not those of the divine but only of the Man, the redemption is undermined. Hence, the divine must unite with His flesh and must be involved in the suffering and saving works. Moreover, because Christ is the second Adam and a new regenerated race of mankind, the union of the divine with the flesh must close as one. In the process of the hypostatic union, the Word of God changes body, soul and spirit and thus transformed human nature itself. Now Christ can change the humanity and situation of every human being. All human beings have possibilities of immortality and perfection through Christ. The transformation of a person (believer) nature takes place through the union with Christ in the rituals of baptism and Eucharist. The dying and rising with Christ in baptism have a transformative effect on the soul and body of the person. The bread and wine in Holy Eucharist is mysteriously changed to Christ's Body and Blood after the celebrant's prayer of invocation to the Holy Spirit (Epiclesis). When a communicant eats Christ's body and drinks His blood, the person receives Christ's divine life through Christ's flesh.

We can see that the core of Alexandrian theology is Deification or the grace of renewal. The renewal of human nature as a whole, to attain sharing in the characteristics of our Savior in place of the corrupt human nature, or as the Apostle state that the believer may enjoy " the partaking in the Divine Nature" (2 Peter:1-4) or "the new man in the image of His Creator "(Col: 3:10).

The Core of Alexandrian theology can be revealed through St Athanasius statement that " The Word of God became man (enethraposen)so that we might be made gods (theopiethomen)". (On the Incarnation  PG. ch 54,{3  Vol xxv, col. 192B).

Humbly,
Fr Hieromonk Seraphim

ORTHODOX BITS N' PIECES

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Q. How is the Sign of the Cross made by Syrian Orthodox? Andrew Stephanou (Palatine IL)

A. Syrian Orthodox and Syriac-Greek Antiochian Christians make the sign of the Cross, especially when the Holy Trinity is mentioned. The index and middle fingers of the right hand are usually pressed against the thumb, and the two little fingers are pressed against the palm. With the hand held in this fashion, the worshiper touches head, stomach, left shoulder, and right shoulder, and then bows. Making the sign of the Cross in this way confesses the Orthodox Christian's faith in the Holy Trinity (3 fingers) and Christ's incarnation in two natures (2 fingers) as perfect God and perfect man.

Q. What is Miaphysitism?  Christina Masalla (Chicago IL)

A. The Miaphysite position is held by Oriental Orthodox such as the Coptic Orthodox Church. They confess that our Lord Jesus is both true man and true God, just as do both Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches do, except only that the divine and the human nature is but ONE nature in Christ. Those holding to the Miaphysite view are called Non-Chalcedonians" because they are in disagreement with the 4th Ecumenical Council (The Council of Chalcedon) concerning the Christology of Jesus Christ. The Coptic Orthodox Church says that their Miaphysite tradition has ALWAYS been that teaching of the Church since the apostles. However, it is evident that both the Chalcedonians and Non-Chalcedonians agree on the following points:

1. They all condemn and anathematize Nestorius, Apollinarius and Eutyches.
2. The unity of the divinity and humanity of Christ was realized from the moment of His conception, without separation or division and also without confusing or changing.
3. The manhood of Christ was real, perfect and had a dynamic presence.
4. Jesus Christ is one Hypostasis in real oneness and not mere conjunction of natures; He is the Incarnate Logos of God.

Q. What are the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit? Andrew Sarkepian (Los Angeles CA)

A. The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit is an enumeration of seven spiritual gifts originating with patristic authors, later elaborated by five intellectual virtues and four other groups of ethical characteristics. They are:

• wisdom,
• understanding,
• wonder and awe,
• right judgement,
• knowledge,
• courage,
• and reverence.

While many Roman and Orthodox Catholics and some other Christians accept these as a definitive list of specific attributes, others understand them merely as examples of the Holy Spirit's work through the faithful, or consider that there is no such thing as seven gifts of the Spirit in the Bible.

Q. What are the current fast and abstinence laws of the Syriac-Greek Antiochian Archdiocese since its decision to return to the Holy Patriarchate of Antioch? Andrea Molinas (Portage IN)

A. The Syriac-Greek Antiochian Orthodox Catholic Church now follows the custom of the Holy See of the Patriarchate of Antioch in this matter. We abstain from eating meat on Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year, but we are allowed to eat fish on these days, as well as during all fasts of the Church including the Great Lent. During Great Lent it is important that we try to fast, i.e., one full meal with two smaller ones, as often as we can except on days when this rule is relaxed.

Q. If a priest is deposed or defrocked is he still allowed to perform the Holy Mysteries? William Jones (Parma OH)

A. The Orthodox Catholic doctrine states that the priesthood confers an indelible character on the man's soul but the privileges of such can be taken away due to serious wrongs.

Laicization removes the ordained status completely. All sacred actions of a former cleric are normally considered invalid (beginning from the time of laicization). Laicization of a cleric may come as a result of a request for removal from sacred orders, or as an ecclesiastical punishment. In the first case, very often, the cleric may ask to be laicized in order to enter a second marriage after the divorce or the death of the spouse. In this case, the man remains in good standing with the Church but is no longer a cleric.

 Forced laicization or removal from sacred orders is a form of ecclesiastical punishment, imposed by the ruling bishop of the cleric for certain transgressions. According to the canonical procedure, if the cleric is found guilty of an infringement of a sacred vow, unrepentant heresy, breaking of canon law or ecclesiastical discipline, he can be suspended from exercising all clerical functions. If, disregarding his suspension, he continues to offer the Holy Mysteries or does not repent of his actions, he may be permanently deposed from the sacred orders (in common parlance - "laicized"). Strictly speaking, the deposition can be appealed at the ecclesiastical court of his jurisdiction, but, in modern practice, the bishop's decision is usually final.

 Clergy who are deposed or defrocked are stripped of their priestly rights and privileges and these are not usually requested by the cleric, but they are juridical rulings of the Church against them because of serious infractions against the canons, or against the Church. Laicization is always a part of either process that removes the priest from his sacerdotal status and returns him to the laity. Laicization as an ecclesiastical punishment may carry with it the excommunication of the former cleric from the church for a certain period, or indefinitely. The anathema, the permanent act of excommunication, against a member of the Church or a former cleric is usually imposed by the decision of the synod of bishops or the ecclesiastical council. In such cases, this not only defrocks the former cleric but also banishes him from entering an Orthodox  church, receiving the Eucharist and other sacraments or being blessed by a priest. A priest who has been laicized, deposed, or excommunicated, who goes to another jurisdiction and is received, remains as such until the action is lifted by the issuing jurisdiction. The receiving jurisdiction cannot lift such an action and because of this, should not receive the man into their jurisdiction.

 Q. How does one address a clergyman in letter form? Joann Forell (Lincoln NE)

 A. When we write to a clergyman (and, by custom, monastics), we should open our letter with the greeting, "Bless, Father." At the end of the letter, it is customary to close with the following line: "Kissing your right hand...." It is not appropriate to invoke a blessing on a clergyman, as many do: "May God bless you." Not only does this show a certain spiritual arrogance before the image of the cleric, but laymen do not have the Grace of the Priesthood and the prerogative to bless in their stead. Even a Priest properly introduces his letters with the words, "The blessing of the Lord" or "May God bless you," rather than offering his own blessing. Though he can do the latter, humility prevails in his behavior, too. Needless to say, when a clergyman writes to his ecclesiastical superior, he should ask for a blessing and not bestow one. It is appropriate, however, for a layman to extend a "God bless you" to another layman, or when one sneezes as has become custom.

 If you have a question about the faith or the Orthodox Catholic Church, please send it to:
OCH Editor
456 Nimick Street
Sharon PA 16146.

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 Excellency Bishop Timothy at rbsocc@juno.com or St Nicholas Center, 456 Nimick Street, Sharon PA 16146. If you are interested in assisting the Archdiocese in establishing a mission parish in your area, please write to us.

ORTHODOX CHURCH IN AMERICA ARCHBISHOP REMOVED FOR HIDING ALLEGED RAPIST PRIEST

by Stoyan Zaimov, Christan Post Reporter
July 18, 2012

The presiding archbishop of the Orthodox Church in America has been dismissed for failing to remove from his post a priest who has been accused of raping a woman and arrested in relation to other alleged crimes.

"Metropolitan Jonah has repeatedly refused to act with prudence, in concert with his fellow bishops, in accordance with the Holy Synod's policies," the Orthodox Church in America said in a statement .

Metropolitan Jonah, 52, stepped down on Saturday from his position as archbishop of the 85,000-member church, which covers both the United States and Canada. He had served the Diocese of Eastern Pennsylvania, which comprises half the state, and about 2,000 members in the Philadelphia area.

"In light of the recent widely publicized criminal cases involving sexual abuse at Penn State and in the Philadelphia Archdiocese and the Kansas City Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church, the extent of the risk of liability to which Metropolitan Jonah has exposed the church cannot be overstated," the statement added.

So far, reports that the priest under Jonah's care raped a woman are only allegations, but church leaders said they would fully cooperate with the law to investigate the matter through. The man in question was not identified, but the synod shared further information of the link between the priest and Metropolitan Jonah.

"At some time after his enthronement as our primate, Metropolitan Jonah unilaterally accepted into the OCA a priest known to him and others to be . . . severely abusing alcohol, which more than once was coupled with episodes of violence and threats toward women," the church revealed. The priest allegedly raped the woman in 2010, and was arrested for incidents of discharging a firearm and brandishing a knife.

The Orthodox Church in America continued by outlining the various ways in which they feel Jonah has let down the church and his fellow bishops and all those who trusted in him – highlighting the fact that he was made aware of the accusations surrounding the priest, and not only did not act on them but concealed this information from everyone.

"We continue to pray for Metropolitan Jonah's spiritual needs even as his brother bishops have provided for his immediate material needs. He has no church assignment obligations, allowing him to focus on himself and his family," the lengthy statement concludes.

Metropolitan Jonah was ordained priest in 1994, before being named bishop in 2008.

Read more at http://global.christianpost.com/news/orthodox-church-in-america-archbishop-removed-for-hiding-alleged-ra pist-priest-78503/#OVBdO0k0JJ5WeOHA.99

HOMELESS PROGRAM NEEDS DONATIONS
PLEASE CONSIDER A DONATION

[Sharon Pennsylvania] St Nicholas Center offers homeless men a home and guidance in return for work on the grounds. This program of the Archdiocese has helped over fifty men in the last four years. Nine of these men have been chrismated into the Orthodox Catholic Church coming from pasts that did not include any church affiliation. Currently, several men are being cared for at St Sophia's that includes their room, food, their prescriptions, toiletries, personal needs, the outings they enjoy, and the new life they have found centered on Christ. However, this is costing the Archdiocese much money and we are now brought to our knees asking for your assistance. We are in need of donations here so that our work started can continue. In addition to the homeless, we have also adopted seven kittens/cats that were destined to die without intervention. If you can find it in your heart to help with our expenses please send you donation to St Nicholas Center, 456 Nimick Street, Sharon PA 16146, or you may do so on your credit card through PayPal. Please make checks payable to "EOCC." We are 501(c)(3) tax exempt. Thank you.

HELP FORM MISSION PARISHES & PRAYER GROUPS

The Syriac-Greek Antiochian Archdiocese of the 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 Communities 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 456 Nimick Street, Sharon PA 16146. If you are interested in assisting the Archdiocese in establishing a mission parish in your area, please write to us.

DONATIONS TO THE METROPOLIA

"Giving to Glorify God" (Matthew 6: 1-4). The Syriac-Greek Antiochian Orthodox Catholic Metropolis would like to thank the following for their generosity and love shown to God and His Church. Those wishing their names withheld are shown as "Anonymous." Those not wanting their location known are left blank. Donation statements upon request. You are asked to consider a donation to help the Church with all its missions and programs by sending yours to the Metropolis of St Peter, 456 Nimick Street, Sharon PA 16146; or by using your credit card to make a donation through PayPal. All donations are tax-deductible. Please make your check payable to "EOCC." Those making a donation of $100.00 or more will receive a gift made by parishioners of St Paul's Church in Uganda.

Our appreciation to the following for their support:

• Anonymous $25.00
• Archpriest Stephen Lawrence $25.00
• Chorbishop Haralambos Winger $150.00
• Father Demetrios Eric Wruck $100.00
• Father Stephen Russo $50.00
• Dr Bruce Wright $15.00
• Dr Janet Maus $25.00
• Drs Mark & Jana Green $100.00
• Dr Sandra & Albert Dobiash $150.00
• Dr Stephen Duncan $400.00
• Mrs Gretchen Lejeune $50.00

MONASTIC RECEPTIONS + PROFESSION OF VOWS

• Lay Brother Christopher Andonian will be admitted into the Community of St Basil as an Aspirant Lay Brother on September 14, 2012 by His Eminence Archbishop Timothy Kjera at St Nicholas Chapel, Sharon PA. He was approved by His Beatitude Metropolitan Stephen.
• Lay Brother Martino Nathen Smith will be admitted into the Community of St Basil as an Aspirant Lay Brother on September 14, 2012 by His Eminence Archbishop Timothy Kjera at St Nicholas Chapel, Sharon PA. He was approved by His Beatitude Metropolitan Stephen.

APPOINTMENTS & ASSIGNMENTS

• Brother Vincent Cappabianca CSB appointed Chief Assistant Chancellor of the Archdiocese with oversight of Archdiocesan Files and Communications. This becomes effective on April 11, 2012.
• Brother Andrew Trinh CSB assigned to St Nicholas Center in Sharon Pennsylvania effective October 15, 2012.
• Father Seraphim Kanagaratnam of Kuala Lumpur Malaysia assigned to St Nicholas Center of Sharon Pennsylvania effective December 23, 2012 by His Beatitude Metropolitan Stephen.
• Very Reverend Archimandrite Padraig Kneafsey appointed Vicar of Ireland and the United Kingdom on April 2, 2012 by His Beatitude Metropolitan Stephen. He was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite by His Beatitude.
• Rt Reverend Chorbishop Haralambos Winger appointed Chancellor of the Archdiocese by His Beatitude Metropolitan Stephen on Saturday February 1, 2012. His Chancery Office will be located in Anchorage Alaska.

OFFICIAL FROM HOLY METROPOLIS OF ST PETER APOSTLE

REVISED LITURGIKON – (03.01.12.1) The Holy Metropolis will have completed the Syriac-Greek Antiochene Rite of the Liturgy (Mass) of St Gregory and Liturgikon. Clergy are encouraged to order this newly revised Liturgikon by October 1, 2012. It also contains the Rite of Benediction, Mystery of Confession (Penance), Morning Prayer, and other services. The Liturgikon will be added to without charge as necessary and when new additions are completed until completed in full. Contact the Archdiocese at . The cost for the 2012 Liturgikon is $175.00 and payable to "EOCC." This new Liturgikon supersedes all previous ones and is the official Liturgikon of the Holy Metropolis of St Peter the Apostle.

ANNUAL DAY OF COMMEMORATION – (09.17.11.1) Ordered by His Beatitude Metropolitan Stephen V Primate of the Church - St Julius of Goa, Archbishop (B. April 29, 1836 - D. September 23, 1923) will be commemorated annually by the Liturgy of the Mass in all parishes. Our jurisdiction has much to be proud of. St Julius of Goa, Archbishop, should have a place in the hearts of all that belong to the Malankara and Syriac-Greek Antiochian jurisdictions. 120 years ago it was from the saintly hands of St Mar Julius of Goa that Archbishop Timotheos Vilathi became our first Archbishop Primate in the United States. May their memories be eternal. We, too, shall celebrate his eternal reward on September 23 annually along with the Malankara Goan Diocese. May he protect us all who call upon him to intercede for us to God.

NEW RULING FOR CANONICAL INCLUSION – (08.23.12.1): The Holy Metropolis of the Syriac-Greek Antiochian Church has now accepted a proposal from the clergy of Africa and the United States to establish more than just vicariates where there exist an adequate amount of faithful that would constitute diocese. It has also approved another proposal to appoint an "Auxiliary Archbishop" to be the spiritual overseer of the Church in Africa for the Holy Metropolis, and as representative of the Archbishop. It is further understood that all such dioceses, eparchies, exarchates, or other such geographical establishments within the Holy Metropolis are subject to the Holy Metropolis and function at its pleasure, and are also under the guidance of the Archdiocese of the Americas & Dependencies and its Archbishop. All bishops will now be greeted as "Your Grace." All auxiliary archbishops as "Your Excellency." The Archbishop of the  Archdiocese of the Americas & Dependencies continues to be called "Your Eminence." The Metropolitan Primate continues to be called "Your Beatitude."

• Vicariate: a geographical province within a diocese or the archdiocese that is headed by a priest or chorbishop but  answerable to a local bishop. Some vicariates may also be independent of a local diocese and directly under the oversight of the archdiocese or the Holy Metropolis.
• Eparchy: a general term for an ecclesiastical province, though often used technically to refer to the territory over which the Primate or the  Archdiocese has immediate jurisdictional authority.
• Exarchate or Diocese: often a missionary diocese, though traditionally referring to a diocese in which there is only one bishop, (or other cleric) with authority who is often referred to as an exarch.
• Archdiocese: the main diocese consisting of other dioceses whose ruling bishop is an . In the Syriac-Greek Antiochian Orthodox Catholic Church there is, and has always been, one archdiocese. A diocese is headed by a Bishop Ordinary or an Auxiliary Archbishop. An archdiocese may have constituent dioceses.
• Holy Metropolis (or Metropolia or Metropolitanate): the See of the Church, the residence of the Primate, where His Beatitude the Metropolitan Primate governs the Church from. The Holy Metropolis oversees all the above provinces of the Church.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Baptisms & Chrismations:

• Zachary Michael Battiato was chrismated into the Orthodox Catholic Church on Sunday February 12, 2012 by Bishop Timothy at St Nicholas Chapel in Sharon Pennsylvania. His godfather is Christopher Andonian.

Prayers Requested:

• Father George Lutaya of Kampala Uganda who is very ill with terminal cancer as a result of liver cancer. He is assistant pastor of Ss Joachim & Anna Parish in Kampala. His Beatitude has requested that all clergy offer prayers for him.
• Tiffany Rae Green the daughter of Drs Mark & Jana Green of Broken Arrow OK. She has been hospitalized for a serious illness. Please pray for her and her son Brayden.

INCARDINATIONS PENDING / APPROVED
– REINSTATEMENT OF FACULTIES

• Father Gorgi Pacemski from the Macedonian Orthodox Church. (Pending since 02/12)

PAROCHIAL CHARTERS

Established:

• Holy Nativity of Our Lord Mission, Iganga Uganda (11.28.11)
• St Moses the Ethiopian Mission, Tanzania (03.09.11)
• St Stephen Protomartyr Parish Cameroon (08.20.12)

Dissolved:

• St Cyril of Alexandria Parish of Salem-Winston NC (03.03.12)
• St Stephen Protomartyr Mission of Hemet CA (06.01.12)

DISCIPLINARY MATTERS

• Note: Steven Matthew Johnson of St Cloud Minnesota is a defrocked priest of the Syriac-Greek Antiochene Archdiocese who is still using his title and dressing as a priest. Please be advised that he was defrocked due to very serious reasons and the Holy Metropolis has not lifted this action.
• Seraphim James Reed, deposed priest, excommunicated for abandonment of faith and joining the Jehovah Witnesses denouncing beliefs of the Creed and Faith, and for his inappropriate leaving of the Archdiocese without going through the appropriate channels. This having been done on June 27, 2012 by His Eminence Archbishop Timothy Kjera.

PRAY FOR THE SICK AND SUFFERING

• His Holiness Patriarch Ignatius Zakka I of Antioch
• His Beatitude Metropolitan Stephen (Ohio)
• His Eminence Archbishop Timothy (Pennsylvania)
• 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)
• Father George Lutaya (Uganda)
• Father Sebastian Robles (Canada)
• Father Paul Jensen (Texas)
• Father Seraphim Kanagaratnam CSB (Malaysia)
• Father Luis Nazario CSB (Puerto Rico)
• Father Padraig Kneafsey CSB (Ireland)
• Father Patrick Lemming (Tennessee)
• Father Vladimir Raasch (Minnesota)
• Rev Mother Helena (Bofey) SSB (African Congo)
• Sister Anna of the Convent of the Holy Virgin Mary (California)
• Sister Katherine (California)
• Brother Vincenzo Cappabianca CSB (Pennsylvania)
• Mr Maximus Daven Powe (Minnesota)
• Seminarian Cyril Shazad (Pakistan)
• Ms Tiffany Rae Green (Oklahoma)
• Mr Maximus Donald Seipke (Minnesota)
• Dr Joseph Bannon DCh (California)
• Mrs Gretchen Lejeune (Texas)
• Mr Hampton Bumgarner (New Jersey)
• Mr Brandon Green (Oklahoma)
• Mr Dominic Winger (Alaska)
• Mr Vincent Colombo (Indiana)
• Dr Audrey Daniel DCh (South Carolina)
• Dr Marge Ebeling DCh (Arizona)
• Mrs Sherry Ellison (South Carolina)
• Mr Andrew Lucas (Illinois)
• 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 Syria, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, and all countries where citizens are fighting for their freedom, lives, and a positive change in their government.
• 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!

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!

Advertise in the HeraldYou 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 3,000 people and growing.

Framed Icon of St Panteleimon, Patron of Healers Available from the Archdiocesan Chancery, 456 Nimick Street, Sharon PA 16146, 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.

Meal Blessing Cards For clergy, monasteries, and homes of the faithful and include the variations for holy days. Order from Holy Myrrhbearers Monastery, 144 Bert Washburn Road, Otego NY 13825.

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 St Nicholas Center, 456 Nimick Street, Sharon PA 16146.

ANTIOCHIAN PARISHES AND ORGANIZATIONS OF THE ARCHDIOCESE

Archdiocese of the Americas & Dependencies - Write to His Eminence Archbishop Timothy, 456 Nimick Street, Sharon PA 16146.

Commission on Religious Counseling and Healing CRCH.RBSOCC.ORG For information write - Archbishop Timothy, 456 Nimick Street, Sharon PA 16146. 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, 456 Nimick Street, Sharon PA 16146.

Community of St Basil is open to those who wish to follow a monastic way of life. Write to Community of St Basil, 456 Nimick Street, Sharon PA 16146. The Community has monastic centers in the African Congo, Nigeria, Alaska (USA), and Pennsylvania (USA). The Sisters of St Basil are headquartered in the African Congo. His Eminence Archbishop Timothy is the interim Archabbot.

All Saints Antiochian Orthodox Catholic Chapel, 2216 Culver Avenue, Anchorage Alaska, Chorbishop Haralambos Winger, Pastor.

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

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

St Andrew the Apostle Antiochian Orthodox Catholic Church located at 5907 Grand Avenue, Duluth Minnesota 55807.  Sunday Liturgy: 10:30 A.M.  To reopen later in 2011.

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

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

St Nicholas of Myra Antiochian Orthodox Catholic Chapel , 456 Nimick Street, Sharon PA 16146. 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 First Wednesday of Month at 7:00 p.m.

Ss Vladimir & Olga Chapel, St Paul Minnesota. Father Vladimir Raasch.  (Send email to Chancery for more information. This mission is not under the omophor of the Archdiocese, but is in association with it.