The first official day of Summer just came and went. This is my first posting on Orthodox Parker since April the 13th.
That's quite a long time between postings. Too long, in fact.
Since my last posting, I've set up a "trading months" situation for the Adult Sunday School Class at our parish. The other teacher is our assistant priest, Fr. John Falconi.
I've settled in to my second position at Dish Network, which is a Materials Handler position at Corporate Headquarters. In this position, I have all the old duties I used to have when I was a corporate mail clerk for ten years.
Lord willing, this position looks to be stable and long-term.
Between my last posting in April and this one, I briefly kicked around an idea for an Ecumenically shared ministry. I learned about a new Lutheran denomination called the LCMC which came about as a direct result of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's decision to ordain actively homosexual pastors.
A local Lutheran church in Parker voted to stay in that denomination, prompting the orthodox (with a small "o") pastor to leave, move down the street and begin a new parish.
So now there is a Lutheran version of the Anglican Mission in the Americas.
I had the novel idea of a ecumenically shared parish made up of an AMIA group, an LCMC group, and an Orthodox group.
The idea is especially novel because it is the least likely to happen from the Eastern Orthodox side of things.
The fictional parish would be created along the lines of the Church of the Apostles parish in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. That parish is shared by Episcopalians and Roman Catholics. They do communion apart, but do everything else together.
My concern is that christianity is getting more and more subdivided into smaller and smaller groupings. This means less impact on our culture, more unproductive competition with each other, and diminished opportunities for growth and stability.
I am a sucker for christian architecture and art. I have a nostalgia for "good old days" when a more united christendom built churches like the Hagia Sophia and the great cathedrals of Europe.
The smaller we are, the harder we fall?
This may seem like a silly concern, but as an Eastern Orthodox Christian, I am, by definition, not an Iconoclast in any way.
Christianity has a visible and physical presence in the world. Jesus Christ came in the flesh to save us. This means it is a-okay to have a Christianity with maximum amounts of sacred images and art.
Of course, from the Orthodox perspective, The Church is not divided. This is true, but christianity with a small "c" is certainly divided whether we acknowledge it or not.
The divisions in christianity still harm the Orthodox, even if supposedly we're "not involved" in those
divisions per se.
Divide and Conquer. I'm sure our enemy the devil is still using this time - tested strategy against us to great effect.
I'm tired of the balkanization of christianity. I dream of the time when christianity is more unified, even if some of the groups have to remain apart during communion.
If we could marshall our efforts as much as possible, what might be accomplished?
I would like to see what Dr. Francis Schaeffer once called "an ecumenicism of orthodoxy."
The splits between conservative christians and liberal christians have created an unbridgeable chasm between Lutherans and Episcopalians, but perhaps the conservative Lutherans and Anglicans could work together with Western Rite Orthodox Christians . . .
If only there was the vision for it.
Blessings in the Holy Trinity, One God.
Columba Siluouan
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Modern Language Liturgies Pro and Con
Recently, the subject of Elizabethan English language usage in the Western Rite was discussed on westernriteorthodoxy@yahoogroups.com. The question about the possibility of a Modern Language version of the Western Rite Liturgies was raised, and this wasn't the first time.
I mentioned this discussion in our Adult Sunday School class at our parish, where I am currently the teacher. I had two ideas at the time. The first was to develop a Modern Language version of the 2009 Book of Common Prayer published by Lancelot Andrewes Press for the purpose of a one year "transitional period" for new WR parishes. This idea wasn't enthusiastically received.
My other idea was for us to develop an "Elizabethan English for Dummies" booklet for new convert parishes. This idea was well received.
My current thoughts on this subject are as follows:
On the one hand, I have a question. Why is it that many people are eager to discard the Old English for the Liturgy of the Church, when those same people would probably object to attending a Shakespearian play that was done in Modern English? Isn't part of the charm of experiencing Shakespeare wrapped up in the cadences and beauty of the older language?
On the other hand, I've concluded that a carefully produced and thoughtfully rendered Modern English version of each Western Rite Liturgy would be a good idea in light of the fact that less and less people have been exposed to an Old English version of scripture.
Also, those of us in the Western Rite ought to produce a Modern Language version while we have control over such a project and before it might be taken out of our hands.
I believe that at some point in the future, this issue will stare us squarely in the face. if the Saint Chrysostom Liturgy is being used in Modern English, pressure will someday be brought to bear on us to do the same with our Liturgies.
Grist for the mill, to be sure.
Columba Silouan
I mentioned this discussion in our Adult Sunday School class at our parish, where I am currently the teacher. I had two ideas at the time. The first was to develop a Modern Language version of the 2009 Book of Common Prayer published by Lancelot Andrewes Press for the purpose of a one year "transitional period" for new WR parishes. This idea wasn't enthusiastically received.
My other idea was for us to develop an "Elizabethan English for Dummies" booklet for new convert parishes. This idea was well received.
My current thoughts on this subject are as follows:
On the one hand, I have a question. Why is it that many people are eager to discard the Old English for the Liturgy of the Church, when those same people would probably object to attending a Shakespearian play that was done in Modern English? Isn't part of the charm of experiencing Shakespeare wrapped up in the cadences and beauty of the older language?
On the other hand, I've concluded that a carefully produced and thoughtfully rendered Modern English version of each Western Rite Liturgy would be a good idea in light of the fact that less and less people have been exposed to an Old English version of scripture.
Also, those of us in the Western Rite ought to produce a Modern Language version while we have control over such a project and before it might be taken out of our hands.
I believe that at some point in the future, this issue will stare us squarely in the face. if the Saint Chrysostom Liturgy is being used in Modern English, pressure will someday be brought to bear on us to do the same with our Liturgies.
Grist for the mill, to be sure.
Columba Silouan
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Another Summer's Approach
Spring begins on Monday, March the 15th. It won't be too long before another Summer is here, with new opportunities to write about Orthodoxy and promote a potential church plant in Parker.
Going into this new Spring and Summer I have some advantages that I lacked one year ago at this time.
The first new advantage is that my new job is much more secure than it was even a few months ago. May the Lord continue to have mercy.
With my transfer to the Facilities department at my company with duties I have performed well in previously, I can turn my attention back to projects such as Growing Up Christian in America and Saint Ambrose Orthodox Church.
To get a new church going won't be easy at all. But I still believe the goal is worthwhile.
One need I see is to find a younger point man to help with this effort.
I'm not old by any means at the age of 44, but a younger person might be more inspirational than a middle aged and balding forty something.
This will be a matter for prolonged prayer.
If this Spring and Summer season is to be any more productive than last Spring and Summer, time will need to be spent once a week in Parker promoting the idea for a new parish.
Again, the model for a new Orthodox parish in Parker is as follows: The Parish will be a "Western Rite" parish and can either be an Antiochian, an OCA, or a ROCOR parish. The most likely home for such a parish would be in the Antiochian Archdiocese, but if the opportunity presents itself, membership in the OCA or ROCOR might also work very well.
Rumors have persisted for months that the OCA is looking at opening up a Western Rite of its own, and ROCOR already has a Western Rite presence.
The local diocese of Antioch has an excellent bishop as its head, Bishop Basil Essey. Any church under Bishop Basil would be blessed to have him as Bishop.
However, at the present time there continues to be controversy within the larger Archdiocese, and perhaps a new start under a different Orthodox jurisdiction would be a fruitful move for the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in this area.
Whatever God allows to happen will happen.
My hopes for the "DNA" of a new Parker mission parish are as follows:
1. A thriving church school program with excellent classes at all levels of the parish.
2. A strong and sustained small group Bible Study program where the scriptures are studied from an Eastern Orthodox perspective using The Orthodox Study Bible and various Orthodox Bible Study guides by authors such as Fr. Patrick Henry O'Reardon and others.
3. A strong and sustained small group fellowship setup where people can meet on a regular basis and share their lives with each other.
4. A monthly or twice-monthly praise and worship session that stands apart from the Divine Liturgy as a means of ongoing encouragement and inspiration for the faithful.
5. Maintaining an excellent liturgical and musical life for the parish during the central service of the Mass, along the lines of the venerable tradition at Saint Mark's Orthodox Church.
6. Practice of the Divine Liturgy using the 2009 Book of Common Prayer and the Saint Dunstan's and Saint Ambrose Psalter and Hymnbook. All services will be in English. Those who desire Latin Masses are free to repair to Saint Mark's Orthodox Church.
7. Continued use of the discipline of Morning and Evening Prayer / Matins, again using Anglican Plainchant as found in the Saint Dunstan's Psalter.
8. Faithful Observance of all Orthodox Holy Days and Feasts as possible at the new parish, but if not possible, encouragement of mission members to attend the same events at Saint Mark's.
9. Outreach to the surrounding community including establishing a regular presence at the Steaming Bean Christian Coffee Shop at the intersection of Parker Road and Mainstreet.
10. The eventual construction of an Orthodox Temple friendly to Western forms while maintaining the iconographic and liturgical standards that Eastern Orthodoxy requires.
11. A parish that reaches out to unchurched people as well as to disaffected christians of all stripes.
12. A parish that practices hospitality.
13. A parish that has regular prayer services during the month where healing is sought for the sick and all night prayer is available.
These are some starting points to ponder and this is not meant to be an exhaustive list.
The Peace of Christ be with you!
Columba Silouan
Going into this new Spring and Summer I have some advantages that I lacked one year ago at this time.
The first new advantage is that my new job is much more secure than it was even a few months ago. May the Lord continue to have mercy.
With my transfer to the Facilities department at my company with duties I have performed well in previously, I can turn my attention back to projects such as Growing Up Christian in America and Saint Ambrose Orthodox Church.
To get a new church going won't be easy at all. But I still believe the goal is worthwhile.
One need I see is to find a younger point man to help with this effort.
I'm not old by any means at the age of 44, but a younger person might be more inspirational than a middle aged and balding forty something.
This will be a matter for prolonged prayer.
If this Spring and Summer season is to be any more productive than last Spring and Summer, time will need to be spent once a week in Parker promoting the idea for a new parish.
Again, the model for a new Orthodox parish in Parker is as follows: The Parish will be a "Western Rite" parish and can either be an Antiochian, an OCA, or a ROCOR parish. The most likely home for such a parish would be in the Antiochian Archdiocese, but if the opportunity presents itself, membership in the OCA or ROCOR might also work very well.
Rumors have persisted for months that the OCA is looking at opening up a Western Rite of its own, and ROCOR already has a Western Rite presence.
The local diocese of Antioch has an excellent bishop as its head, Bishop Basil Essey. Any church under Bishop Basil would be blessed to have him as Bishop.
However, at the present time there continues to be controversy within the larger Archdiocese, and perhaps a new start under a different Orthodox jurisdiction would be a fruitful move for the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in this area.
Whatever God allows to happen will happen.
My hopes for the "DNA" of a new Parker mission parish are as follows:
1. A thriving church school program with excellent classes at all levels of the parish.
2. A strong and sustained small group Bible Study program where the scriptures are studied from an Eastern Orthodox perspective using The Orthodox Study Bible and various Orthodox Bible Study guides by authors such as Fr. Patrick Henry O'Reardon and others.
3. A strong and sustained small group fellowship setup where people can meet on a regular basis and share their lives with each other.
4. A monthly or twice-monthly praise and worship session that stands apart from the Divine Liturgy as a means of ongoing encouragement and inspiration for the faithful.
5. Maintaining an excellent liturgical and musical life for the parish during the central service of the Mass, along the lines of the venerable tradition at Saint Mark's Orthodox Church.
6. Practice of the Divine Liturgy using the 2009 Book of Common Prayer and the Saint Dunstan's and Saint Ambrose Psalter and Hymnbook. All services will be in English. Those who desire Latin Masses are free to repair to Saint Mark's Orthodox Church.
7. Continued use of the discipline of Morning and Evening Prayer / Matins, again using Anglican Plainchant as found in the Saint Dunstan's Psalter.
8. Faithful Observance of all Orthodox Holy Days and Feasts as possible at the new parish, but if not possible, encouragement of mission members to attend the same events at Saint Mark's.
9. Outreach to the surrounding community including establishing a regular presence at the Steaming Bean Christian Coffee Shop at the intersection of Parker Road and Mainstreet.
10. The eventual construction of an Orthodox Temple friendly to Western forms while maintaining the iconographic and liturgical standards that Eastern Orthodoxy requires.
11. A parish that reaches out to unchurched people as well as to disaffected christians of all stripes.
12. A parish that practices hospitality.
13. A parish that has regular prayer services during the month where healing is sought for the sick and all night prayer is available.
These are some starting points to ponder and this is not meant to be an exhaustive list.
The Peace of Christ be with you!
Columba Silouan
Monday, February 15, 2010
A Final Piece of the Puzzle?
Well it's finally happened. Be careful what you wish for.
After two years of career upheaval and struggle in my life, an Internal Transfer to a Materials Handler 1 position at Dish Network Corporate Headquarters has been approved for me. I started my new position last week.
I've done most of these duties EXCEPT for driving the corporate mail van to locations all around town. This aspect of the position is sure to be a challenge for me. Two other major challenges will be working with three other mail clerks (in my previous mail clerk position, I was the only mail clerk), and the high volume, faster pace of the Dish Network mail center.
Lord willing, this can be my last job stop for quite a while.
There is a Deacon at my parish who works for UPS while serving the church. His example is one to emulate for me.
As far as my hopes and dreams for deep involvement in church activities are concerned, I will need to take this as it comes to me. For now, I will continue to teach our Adult Sunday School at Saint Mark's, as well as serve as an Acolyte and Tonsured Lay Reader.
May anyone who reads this have a blessed and Holy Lent.
Sincerely in the Holy Trinity, One God
Columba Silouan
After two years of career upheaval and struggle in my life, an Internal Transfer to a Materials Handler 1 position at Dish Network Corporate Headquarters has been approved for me. I started my new position last week.
I've done most of these duties EXCEPT for driving the corporate mail van to locations all around town. This aspect of the position is sure to be a challenge for me. Two other major challenges will be working with three other mail clerks (in my previous mail clerk position, I was the only mail clerk), and the high volume, faster pace of the Dish Network mail center.
Lord willing, this can be my last job stop for quite a while.
There is a Deacon at my parish who works for UPS while serving the church. His example is one to emulate for me.
As far as my hopes and dreams for deep involvement in church activities are concerned, I will need to take this as it comes to me. For now, I will continue to teach our Adult Sunday School at Saint Mark's, as well as serve as an Acolyte and Tonsured Lay Reader.
May anyone who reads this have a blessed and Holy Lent.
Sincerely in the Holy Trinity, One God
Columba Silouan
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Qualifications of a Bishop or Priest
Good day, readers.
Even though he's ticked me off in recent days, the Ochlophobist did post a link to a superb new Orthodox website:
This was a convicting post and the website as a whole is sorely needed.
I fall short in a number of ways according to this post.
I've never really blown the doors off of a secular career, as one example.
Time to seek greater mercy and repentance.
This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. (1 Tim. 3:1-7, NKJV)
Columba Silouan
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Ivory Tower Orthodoxy
My previous post perhaps seemed a bit harsh. It was probably sinful, too. But the Ochlophobist's attitude towards Fr. Ken and Emmanuel Orthodox Church made me as angry as I've been in a long time.
If I recall correctly, Owen is married but has no children of his own. Perhaps if he had children of his own, he would have less time to pontificate on certain Orthodox subjects.
It is precisely those of us with young families who cannot afford to indulge in what I call "Ivory Tower Orthodoxy." This is a substandard practice of Orthodoxy more concerned with academic discussions than with changing lives.
The CULTURAL practices of singing praise music, meeting for small group bible studies and the other things evangelicals do are greatly beneficial to young families with children. Some of these young families lack a deep background in biblical knowledge and need more than lectures on what is or isn't kosher when it comes to the challenging religion that is Eastern Orthodoxy.
We all can't be monks and oblates. Some of us have to live and work in the world.
Doing so requires a certain ongoing level of encouragement that some of our parishes aren't good at providing.
I will pray for the Ochlophobist, but it will take me a while to get over my anger towards him and how unjust he seems to be with his criticisms.
I will have to be angry and sin not. My anger will have to be righteous anger directed against the small mindedness of what I read over the weekend.
It is opinions like the ones Owen White voiced that tempt me at times to return to Anglicanism, and specifically the Anglican Province of North America. I know I should never do this, and that I should stick with Eastern Orthodoxy for life, but such opinions don't help.
Saint Columba and Saint Silouan pray for this wretched sinner.
Columba Silouan
Saturday, December 12, 2009
THE OCHLOPHOBIST IS A JERK DOT COM
In one of his latest posts, Owen White has decided to take on Emmanuel Orthodox Church and Saint Stephen's Orthodox Church to task because they sing praise music. Evidently, these two parishes that came to us from the Charismatic Episcopal Church are just not Orthodox enough for Owen.
Emmanuel as you may recall from an earlier post has a period before their Divine Liturgy and after Matins where they sing praise music for around 30 minutes.
If I recall correctly, parish members of Saint Stephens sing praise music during the week in small group settings.
Owen White treated Father Ken Devoie in a condescending manner in the comments section after his critical posting.
I will post more about this story later.
Brother Owen needs to quit acting like such a pompous ass. Again, this is only my own opinion.
Forgive me.
Columba Silouan
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