Encyclical July 31/August 13 2008

Details: By Metropolitan Pavlos; Created on Wednesday, 13 August 2008 14:09

The Holy Metropolis of the G.O.C. of America
2268 26 Street * Astoria, NY. 11105

July 31/August 13, 2008

From: The Office of the Metropolitan

Re: Encyclical for the Youth Conference of 2008

Beloved Children in Christ,

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

I am very pleased to announce a tremendous undertaking in our Metropolis: The convocation of our fifth annual Greek Orthodox Youth Conference, which is going to be hosted by our two Chicago Parishes of St. John the Forerunner and the Holy Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian.

The topic of this year's conference will be the Divine Liturgy, the greatest mystery of the Church, which unites men to each other and to God as the Body of Christ. It is very important that our youth understand and appreciate this marvelous gift that God has given His beloved Church. Even more, it is of the essence that we teach our children how to participate more and more in this mystery, sacramentally, noetically, and even bodily and vocally in hymns and spiritual odes.

There will be sessions for all ages, for the children of the elementary grades, for middle school, and for our young adults in High School and College. Likewise there will be three parent sessions, where spiritual fathers of our Church will lecture on helping our children participate more in the Divine Services of our Church?at home and in church.

This is why I ask you all, the pastors and parents of our Metropolis, to lay aside other worldly concerns and devote the time and funds to bring your children to our spiritual gathering in Chicago on October 11, 2008. It is one of the greatest experiences for our young people to see fellow young Christians and strugglers their own age; to meet them and become friends; to be united in the Spirit, one Body in Christ. Let us give our children this tremendous spiritual comfort and consolation with joy and love.

I encourage you to contact His Grace Bishop CHRISTODOULOS of Theoupolis and the conference organizers Ms. Alexandra Evangelou and Ms. Eliana Pittos for more information.

Rejoice and be glad in the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

+Metropolitan PAVLOS of America.

This encyclical shall be read from the ambo after the Divine Services of Sunday, August 4/17, 2008, and shall be made available to the parents of every parish and mission in our Diocese.

Orthodox Awareness

A Miracle of Saint Spyridon

This miracle of Saint Spyridon took place in Mandra, Greece in 1926.

It was 12/25 December, 1926. The state Church of Greece adopted the Papal calendar and with the help of the Greek government persecuted all those who did not accept the Papal calendar. The faithful Orthodox Christians of Mandra woke up and headed to their Church to celebrate the Feast of Saint Spyridon. When they reached the Church they saw that the door to the Church had been secured with chains and the faithful could not enter. Before leaving the Church to return to their homes they stuck their candles on the door. As soon as the last person placed his candles on the door

the chains broke and fell. The faithful, confirmed in their Faith, entered the Church and celebrated the Feast of Saint Spyridon.

The miracle was reported the next day by the newspaper Skrip.

Missions

Saint Matthew the Evangelist, Jonesboro, Arkansas

Jonesboro is a town located near the Eastern border of Arkansas, with a population of approximately 60,000. From a human standpoint, it’s not the most likely candidate for a traditional Orthodox mission, but for an Orthodox Christian who orders his priorities around Christ and His Church, it makes perfect sense. Read more...

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