First church kindergarten opens in Kyiv

SOURCE:  National Radio Company of Ukraine (NRCU)

Head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Volodymyr has consecrated the first church kindergarten in Kyiv. The developer of the Pechersky Kvartal housing complex in the city center passed the children's institution to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Metropolitan Volodymyr consecrated the building of the kindergarten, and wished the kindergarten's team good spirit and many years of work for the benefit of the Ukrainian society.The kindergarten is integrated into the construction complex. The institution is designed for 50 children of three age groups.

"He may be a murderous pedophile but, you know what, he’s cool!”

SOURCE:  BreakPoint


Yesterday’s taboos: Torchwood, pedophilia, and a dying culture

Four years ago, the BBC decided to capitalize on the immense popularity of the long-running Doctor Who series by creating a spin-off called Torchwood.

Whereas Doctor Who is, apart from the intensity of its stories, safe for the whole family, producers said that Torchwood would be “dark, clever, wild, [and] sexy.” "Doctor Who for adults” is what they called it.

As a colleague wrote at the time, a better word to describe the show is “nihilistic” — it’s a judgment that’s reinforced by the show’s newest character.

While Torchwood is certainly dark, it’s rarely, if ever, been all that “clever,” especially when measured against the standard set by Doctor Who and other science fiction classics.

Instead, the show has substituted transgression for originality. Specifically, sexual transgression. The lead character, Captain Jack Harkness, can best be described as an “omni-sexual.” While the rest of his team, all but one of whom were killed, may not have successfully emulated his alien-fighting skills, they did manage to learn from his sexual example: extramarital affairs, same-sex experimentation were all in a day’s work for the Torchwood team.

For the fourth season, entitled “Miracle Day,” the writers ratcheted up the transgression: The newest character, Oswald Jones, is a pedophile. Yes, you heard me correctly.

Jones, played by actor Bill Pullman, is a convicted pedophile-murderer who is released on a technicality. While he’s far from the first pedophile to be depicted on television, he is undoubtedly the first depicted in a way that prompts the audience to root for him.

John Barrowman, the openly-gay actor who plays Harkness, said: “The interesting thing about [having a pedophile man character] that is that the audience is going to be torn, because they’re going to not like him for what he’s done — but they’re gonna like him.”

Let’s be clear, “liking him,” in the sense that Barrowman means is not the same as being able to see past Jones’ horrible crimes and understand that he is also created in the image of God. It’s not the same as believing that even the worst of sinners can repent and be transformed by the power of God.

It’s saying, “he may be a murderous pedophile but, you know what, he’s cool!” That’s not a matter of grace, that’s indifference. It’s a kind of kind of nihilism, where in the absence of moral truth, the kind that Christianity provided the West, we evaluate things by how this make us feel – in this case, whether they are entertaining.

For people who have come of age when what Freud once called “Totems and Taboo” are increasingly subject to revision, it’s hard to entertain people. As they say “been there, done that, got the t-shirt.” So we ratchet up the transgression.

Of course, there are limits: You couldn’t imagine Barrowman substituting “homophobe” for “pedophile” in what he said. After all, some things are beyond the politically correct pale at least. And, lest we forget, there are people who insist that sex between adults and children can be consensual. Thankfully, public opinion is nowhere near that point. Yet. Because as we’ve seen, yesterday’s unthinkable taboos have a way of becoming today’s “alternative lifestyles.” It is a sad sign that our culture may be dying.

Patronal Feast of the Holy Dormition Monastery, Univ

Source:  Website of the UGCC in Lviv

On the eve of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the traditional night vigil was held under the stars at the Univ Monastery (20th Anniversary.) More than 1500 pilgrims from Western regions of Ukraine, Kyiv, Kirovograd, Odessa, Sumy, and  guests from Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Germany, France and Switzerland walked the 60 km route.

On Sunday, Benedict, Auxiliary Bishop of Lviv headed Solemn prayers in concelebration with Fr. Zeno Horkavoho from Australia, Fr. George Kolasa - vicar general for the faithful of the Eastern rite in Vienna (Austria) Roman Catholic vicar of Peter and Paul parish in Peremyshliany bhp. Jerzy Glinka and numerous clergy.

"The Grace of God has gathered us together to celebrate the great feast" - Bishop Benedict

New Bishop for Melkites in US

SOURCE:  theBostonPilot.com

WEST ROXBURY -- A New Jersey native was installed as the first American born eparchial bishop in the United States for the Greek Melkite Catholic Church on Aug. 23.

Bishop Nicholas J. Samra, 67, was installed as the Eparch of Newton during an elaborate service, called an Enthronement Liturgy, at the Melkite Cathedral of the Annunciation in West Roxbury.

The Melkite Church is an Eastern rite of the Catholic Church.

Pilot photo/ by Justin Bell

Bishop Samra was first ordained as an auxiliary bishop of Newton in 1989 and went into retirement in 2005, until his appointment as eparch this June.

After an entrance procession that included many bishops, priests, and deacons, Exarch Joseph Haggar read a letter from Pope Benedict XVI, called the Papal Bull of Designation, which declared the appointment of Bishop Samra.

"May the lights and joy of the Holy Spirit and under the protection of the most holy Mother of God, be always with you and with your ecclesial community which is so very dear to us," stated Pope Benedict in his letter.

The previous Eparch of Newton, Metropolitan Archbishop Cyrille Bustros of Beirut and Jbeil, thanked Bishop Samra for his work as a priest and auxiliary bishop. He also thanked the clergy, religious, and laity of the Newton Eparchy and pledged his prayers for them, while asking for their prayers in turn.

Archbishop Bustros then read a letter from Patriarch Gregory III, the head of the Melkite Church who resides in Damascus, Syria.

The patriarch wished Bishop Samra "a successful pastoral ministry founded on strength and faith in the hearts of the believers in your vast country."

"We pray that he will continue to find those we call the hidden Melkites, whom we do not know, so we can serve them the holy mysteries and that they will not feel lost in their Church, but have one Church to belong to," stated Patriarch Gregory.

Following the letter, Bishop Samra approached Archbishop Bustros to receive the shepherd's staff, escorted by various clergy. Prayers were then invoked by a deacon and the choir that the new bishop may be preserved by God for many years.

In the vesting ceremony of the liturgy, Bishop Samra received and blessed seven distinct vestments, a pectoral cross, and medallion called an engolpion. He also blessed his crown--similar to a bishop's miter in the Roman rite -- and his staff.

Following these rituals, the Divine and Holy Liturgy of John Chrysostom began. After a Gospel reading, Bishop Samra addressed the congregation.

He noted that the date was the closing of the eastern feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God, marking the death or "falling asleep" of Mary. Bishop Samra called it probably the most important day of commemoration for Mary. In the Roman rite, the Dormition is celebrated as the Assumption, when Mary was taken into heaven.

In his remarks, he repeatedly pointed to Mary as an example for Christians to follow in giving flesh to Jesus. Bishop Samra cited Sacred Scripture and the Eucharist as ways for the faithful to bring Christ to others.

"Not only should we hear it, but we should digest it into our hearts and then when we leave the church, we become the word of God to the community outside," said Bishop Samra.

He noted that when the bread and wine are brought to the altar prior to the consecration, these items also represent the gifts of the people assembled.

For the rest of the story, click HERE

Centralia church commemorates 100th anniversary

SOURCE:  newsitem.com

CENTRALIA - Nestled on a hill overlooking the once-thriving town of Centralia, a small church was packed Sunday afternoon to commemorate its 100th year.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church held Mass Sunday to celebrate its founding on its feast day, when The Bible says the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, was taken to heaven after her death, body and soul.

The church, which consists of around 100 to 150 parishioners, was packed Swith a number of former pastors and the Metropolitan Archbishop Stefan Soroka from Philadelphia concelebrating the mass.

It was Soroka who gave the sermon, first joking if everyone could hear him in the back with no sound system in the church.

"The main thing is that I want you to hear beyond the words," the archbishop said. "This church is standing after 100 years, despite the mine fire and the town leaving, to deliver a message to the world: We are to be like your namesake, the Mother of God, to be servants to others."

The archbishop praised the members for sticking with the church, some traveling several miles from other communities to attend mass on Sundays.

"After 100 years, you are all doing the work the founders of the church wanted to do as well, you are giving service to others, coming together in hard times and good."

He then blessed the church and offered his best wishes for the next 100 years.

"May this anniversary celebration serve as a revitalization of this church once again, bringing all of the generations together," Soroka said.

Even the inclement weather could not put a damper on the spirits of those in attendance, but it did cause a change in plans, according to the church's pastor, the Very Rev. Archpriest Michael Hutsko.

"Today we have many guests from across the country and one uninvited one - that would be Irene," Hutsko said.

The storm caused part of a tent set up on the church grounds to fall. That was where the refreshments were to be served after the mass before a banquet later in the afternoon.

The congregation was then invited to SS Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church in Mount Carmel, where Hutsko also serves as pastor, for the cocktail hour.

After churches were established in Shamokin, Minersville, Mount Carmel and Marion Heights, the Greek Catholics in Centralia decided that they would have their own church. On Aug. 15, 1911, a committee decided to form their own parish and build their own church.

After parishioners contributed money, the committee found a lot of land north of Centralia, and the foundation was dug by the parishioners. Construction was completed in 1912 and the charter was obtained on Jan. 12, 1912, and blessed by the Diocese in 1916.

Former pastors of the church include their first resident pastor, Rev. Kyrylo Perizok, Rev. Jeremiah Onuferko from 1954 to 1956 and the Rev. John Chervinsky from 1959-1982.

After the Rev. Edward Levandusky served the parish from 1982 to 1987, it returned to the tradition of the pastor serving both Assumption and SS Peter and Paul Church in Mount Carmel. The Rev. David Chabin was the first to do so, followed by Rev. Daniel Troyan in 1988.

Other pastors to serve Assumption were Revs. Bohdan Kudleychuk, Vitaliy Demaynets, Mark Fesniak and Stepan Bilyk, before the current pastor, the Very Rev. Archpriest Michael Hutsko.

In 2010, the church and the rectory suffered a number of break-ins, including the theft of a newly donated gold-plated gospel book. That book was replaced in the past year by donation from Anna and John Lynn, along with new chalices and diskos from anonymous donors.

For more on this parish, click HERE

The Chariot of Israel and Its Horsemen – The Repose of +Archbishop Dmitri of Dallas

SOURCE:  fatherstephen.wordpress.com

And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?” Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.” So he said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.” Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” So he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces. (2 Kings 2:9-12)

+++

These verses came to mind when I heard the news this morning of the repose of Archbishop Dmitri of Dallas. There are a number of saints within Orthodox history who are given the title: “Equal to the Apostles.” I cannot rush beyond the Church and declare a saint where the Church has not done so, but I can think of no better description of the life and ministry of Vladika Dmitri here in the South than “equal to the Apostles.”

Many people whose familiarity with the presence of the Orthodox faith in English-speaking lands are unaware that until 1962 there was no particular standard work of introduction to Orthodoxy available in English. Thus pioneers, such as Met. Kallistos Ware in England (who wrote that first standard work), or Archbishop Dmitri (who entered the faith along with his sister – as teenagers – in 1941) were extremely rare individuals and generally found conversion a nearly impossible feat.

Vladika Dmitri began life as a Texas Baptist, and, in my experience, never spoke ill of his background. I can recall him saying, “I like Baptists – they make great Orthodox!” accompanied by a sly smile. Indeed, I frequently heard him caution converts to Orthodoxy to refrain from disparaging their roots: “Most likely, it’s where you first heard of Christ.” His conversion as a teen led to a life as a scholar, missionary, teacher, leader, pastor – all in the context of kindness and love.

He cared deeply about the Christian faith and expressed concern, even dismay, as he saw many surrounding Churches that once would have been considered “traditional,” moving away from many of the primary teachings of the Christian faith. He was particularly expressive about the weakening of the doctrine of Christ’s Incarnation. He insisted that the understanding of God becoming Man was the only possible foundation for the dignity of human beings. It was a thought shared by men such as C.S. Lewis.

His advice to priests was very clear: “When you have opportunity to speak about the faith, never turn it down. And when you speak, don’t waste time on ethnic concerns. Preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ – that is the great treasure of Orthodox and that is what you have to offer.”

In 1977 he was almost elected as the Metropolitan of the newly-autocephalous Orthodox Church in America. The Holy Synod seemed less than sure that the OCA was ready for a convert-bishop to be Metropolitan. In 1978, the Holy Synod formed the Diocese of the South, with Dallas as its see city. Bishop Dmitri was appointed as its first diocesan bishop. The new diocese had little more than a half dozen parishes, strung from Florida to Virginia to New Mexico (mostly Florida). Vladika Dmitri would always smile and call it his “consolation prize.”

However, it became a great apostolic opportunity for a man uniquely suited to its apostolic task. He saw the Diocese grow over ten-fold with a remarkable spirit of kindness and hospitality. During World War II he met an Orthodox priest in California who spoke about a vision of an American Orthodox Church. It was the first time the young Dmitri had encountered the concept. It became his vision as well. In the course of a life-time, he saw that vision mature in his beloved South. Having been its apostle, he now becomes its intercessor. May his memory be eternal!

'Sex box' to get new name as parents revolt

SOURCE:  "The Local" Switzerland's New in English



Officials in Basel have agreed to rename the "sex box" after receiving some 3,000 letters of protest from parents angered by the controversial trove of wooden penises and fabric vaginas set to be used in a new sex education programme for playschool and primary school kids.

Christoph Eymann, Basel education minister and member of the liberal democrat party (LDP), responded to parent's protests in an interview with SonntagsBlick.

“It was no doubt stupid to call it a ’sex box’ – we will change that. But we will stick to our goal: to get across to children that sexuality is something natural. Without forcing anything upon them or taking anything away from their parents,“ he said.

Many parents say they do not understand why sex education needs to be taught to children as young as four.

“There are usually two reasons why sexuality becomes a topic in kindergarten: either the teacher is pregnant or one of the children will soon get a new sister or brother. In such cases, it is correct that the teacher can respond“, Eymann told SonntagsBlick.

Eymann said he understood that one line in the programme, “touching can be enjoyed heartily“, could be misconstrued, but insisted: “It is not about 'touch me, feel me'. We want to tell the children that there is contact that they may find pleasurable, but some that they should say ’no’ to. Kids can unfortunately can become victims of sexual violence already at playschool age.“

Eymann said he would prefer if sex education was taught to children at home but argued that education officials needed to respond to the realities of today.

"We currently live in an oversexualised society. There is uncontrolled distribution of pornographic material that can reach young children. Some primary school children know the TV schedule until 2am. We would like to offer these children firm support, which is often not available in the family. The box is only an aid. I trust the teachers to approach the material with care."

Despite this, Eymann said he takes critics' arguments seriously, and has ordered the contents of the box to be examined after finding the cover of previous teaching material tasteless. (see link above for photos I would not post to the St. Elias Blog)

Some parents have called for their children to be exempted from sex education. Eymann says he is strictly against exemptions, although he is aware this will not make him many friends:

"Primary school may be the only big audience that our society has. The shared values that it teaches are very important. I would definitely like to keep this. The explanatory lesson can be portrayed in a way that doesn’t offend“, he said.

Comparing religious faith to a belief in the existence in space aliens

SOURCE:  Strange Herring Blog

Since I am rarely prepared to give a journalist the benefit of the doubt when it comes to his or her objectivity or fairness, I have prepared three possible answers to Mr. Keller’s questions. Also, I am assuming these questions are directed at Christians only, for reasons too obvious to explain:

1. Is it fair to question presidential candidates about details of their faith?

a. Yes, assuming it is a fair-minded attempt to accumulate either biographical information—better insight into what has informed a candidate’s worldview—or to determine whether answers to questions that faith provides are also answers to questions most people assume science or history or common sense provides.

b. No, because that is private, and you’re only trying to ridicule me and thereby discourage other Christians from running for public office, which is their right.

c. Don’t worry, Bill: I’m an atheist just like Than Shwe.

2. Is it fair to question candidates about controversial remarks made by their pastors, mentors, close associates or thinkers whose books they recommend?

a. Yes, assuming it is, again, to get a better idea of what has influenced candidates’ thinking and whether they can think for themselves. If the questioner believes every Christian takes as Holy Writ every word that drops from a minister’s or priest’s lips, or for that matter, that drops out of text written by Martin Luther, John Calvin—or, God help us, John Hagee—then he is an idiot and should probably not be asking these questions of anyone.

b. No, because what goes on within the walls of a church is fit only for members/believers, and can only be misconstrued by outsiders.

c. Don’t worry, Bill: I’m an atheist just Benito Mussolini.

3. (a) Do you agree with those religious leaders who say that America is a “Christian nation” or “Judeo-Christian nation?” (b) What does that mean in practice?

a. No, if by that you mean there is a national creed to which all good citizens—and candidates for elected offer—must adhere. Christianity is a faith for persons, not governments. But with that said, it must simultaneously be acknowledged that many of the founders—Patrick Henry, George Mason, Benjamin Rush, John Witherspoon—and the overwhelming majority of American citizens have been and continue to be Christians of one denomination or another, which means that the broad lineaments of the Christian faith remain important guidelines for the U.S. citizenry in how they live their lives.

b. Yes, because it is the only way to protect freedom of religion from people like you.

c. Don’t worry, Bill: I’m an atheist just like Timothy McVeigh when he blew up the Murrah Federal Building.

4. If you encounter a conflict between your faith and the Constitution and laws of the United States, how would you resolve it? Has that happened, in your experience?

a. By either adhering to the Constitution and laws of the United States or changing them so that you will stop killing the little babies. Yes, which is why I both believe in the separation of church and state, and vote.

b. By adhering to my conscience. Remember the Germans of the 1930s, who put law before conscience. Yes, but I never talk about it. Cognitive dissonance kills.

c. Don’t worry, Bill: I’m an atheist just like both Jacques Hebert and Napoleon Bonaparte.

5. (a) Would you have any hesitation about appointing a Muslim to the federal bench? (b) What about an atheist?

a. As to a Muslim, no, if he or she did not advocate Shariah law. As to the atheist, I probably already have. I don’t have religious litmus tests like some people.

b. Never. The Muslims will attempt to raise a mighty army to take control of the nation’s Capitol and kill everyone who does not convert to Islam. I’ve never met a real atheist.

c. Don’t worry, Bill: I’m an atheist just like Jeffrey Dahmer when he ate all those people.

6. Are Mormons Christians, in your view? Should the fact that Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman are Mormons influence how we think of them as candidates?

1. No. Christianity as a faith distinct from Judaism has a discernible history, including a theological history. That history begins in the middle of the first century (although, it is rooted in the Hebrew Bible, which is much older). That history clearly states that Christians believe in one God in three persons–Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Light from light, very God from very God. Mormons reject this. Mormonism is one of several new religions born in the 19th century. It is a quasi-Christian sect, like Christian Science and the Jehovah’s Witnesses. They may be fine people and fine citizens. They should be free to practice their religion without interference, so long as they are subject to the same laws as everyone else. Just because someone says he’s a journalist does not make him one. Uh, I meant Christian. Just because someone says he’s a Christian… As for Romney and Huntsman, only if they believe that their faith or their church should somehow be granted special status or its doctrines enshrined in civil law.

b. No. But then neither are Catholics or Eastern Orthodox, so that doesn’t make me an anti-Mormon bigot.

c. Don’t worry, Bill: I’m an atheist, just like Pol Pot.

7. What do you think of the evangelical Christian movement known as Dominionism and the idea that Christians, and only Christians, should hold dominion over the secular institutions of the earth?

a. It’s poop.

b. We already do. You’d know that if you were a Christian.

c. Don’t worry, Bill: I’m an atheist, just like Josef Stalin.

8. (a) What is your attitude toward the theory of evolution? (b) Do you believe it should be taught in public schools?

a. My attitude is that those facts that are generally agreed upon should be taught in the context of the sciences but that teachers have no business importing their religious beliefs into the classroom, for example, telling students that we now know there is no God based on the fossil record, or that anyone who espouses a faith in the Divine is a threat to the republic. It should be taught in public schools but not until students have been taught to read and count. And good luck with that.

b. My attitude is that it remains controversial enough as to its factual basis that it should be either ignored in favor of other useful subjects or countered with some form of intelligent design theory. The chance that students will leave school believing they are the products of mere cosmological/biochemical accidents, and therefore without purpose and meaning–and without an ultimate judge–can lead only to chaos and despair, which is a form of abuse.

c. Don’t worry, Bill: I’m an atheist who thinks society should be built on sound scientific principles, like eugenics and lysenkoism.

9. Do you believe it is proper for teachers to lead students in prayer in public schools?

a. No. It can only be one of those “To whom it may concern” prayers, which is worse than no prayer at all. Even if sectarian, it can only be implicitly coercive in regard to non-adherents. Parents who want their children to pray in school should either put them in parochial schools or make sure they are supplied with plenty of pop quizzes. They’ll be plenty of praying.

b. Yes. It acknowledges that even Teacher has a master.

c. Don’t worry, Bill: I’m an atheist just like Madalyn Murray-O’Hair.

Now for the Sacramone Questionnaire for Nontheists:

1. Do you think that anyone who believes in the supernatural is delusional? If so, do you believe they should be treated medically? Do you believe they should be allowed to adopt children?

2. Do you think anyone who believes in six-day special creation should ipso facto be barred from holding public office?

3. Do you believe the religious beliefs of historical figures should be eradicated when discussing them in schools? For example, that Louis Pasteur was a devout Catholic who prayed the Rosary daily?

4. Do you believe that the religious faith of those responsible for the birth of modern science—Galileo, Copernicus, Robert Boyle, Isaac Newton, Gregor Mendel, George LeMaitre (father of the theory of the big bang), Jesuit priests too numerous to mention, et al.—should be eradicated when discussing them in schools?

5. Do you believe that it should be noted that the rise of modern science occurred in the context of a civilization that was still explicitly Christian when teaching either European history of the history of science?

6. Do you think homeschooling should be illegal, as it is in some European countries?

7. Do you believe vaccines are a factor in the rise of autism cases? Do you believe parents should be allowed to opt out of vaccine programs?

8. Do you believe that climate-change skepticism is the equivalent of Holocaust denialism or racism?

9. Do you believe churches and all religious institutions should be taxed?

10. Do you believe that there is such a thing as life unworthy of life? Explain.

11. Do you believe assisted suicide and euthanasia should be made legal either on a state-by-state basis or by federal fiat?

12. Do you believe infanticide should be made legal? If not, when is a baby a human being protected by the rights any other human being enjoys?

13. Is there any point when an adult human being loses the right to life? If so, under what circumstances?

14. Do you believe polygamous marriage should be legalized, either on a state-by-state basis or by federal fiat? Do you believe that “minor-attracted adults” should be protected by law as a perfectly valid expression of human sexuality that was much more common in ancient Europe and among non-Western cultures? Do you believe incest and/or bestiality should be protected by law as perfectly valid expressions of human sexuality?

15. Do you believe that individuals are ultimately responsible for their behavior, or do you believe they are subject to too many internal (biochemical, psychological) and external (social pressures, strange belief systems) factors to be held accountable, such that many of our criminal laws should be seriously reformed or eradicated?

ADDENDUM: Based on some of the comments I have received, including some submitted privately, allow me to reiterate the point I made in the very first question: It is perfectly legitimate to ask candidates about their religion if done in good faith, pun somewhat intended—especially if a candidate has emphasized the role faith plays in his or her life. I would go even further and say that if a candidate has said publicly that he believes God told him to run for office, it is incumbent upon journalists—hell, even supporters—to ask, “Really? And how exactly did God tell you? Did you hear a voice? Does this mean you will inevitably win? Does God speak to you about other issues in this way?” Pat Robertson, when he ran for president in 1988, stated explicitly on The 700 Club (I was watching when he said it to Ben Kinchlow) that he believed God was telling him to run. Now maybe God wanted to humble Robertson by setting him up for failure. Or the man is/was privy to a kind of special revelation the overwhelming majority of Christians believe ENDED with the death of the last apostle. But it was certainly something journalists, opponents, AND supporters should certainly have asked hard questions about.

I didn’t ask my mechanic whether he was a Christian. I didn’t ask my dentist. I didn’t ask the guy who installed my Verizon FIOS setup. (Time Warner Cable is a satanic cabal, I know that.) There is a practical knowledge, as well as a kind of wisdom, that is to be gleaned from humdrum earthly study of secular materials, and subjects on which the Bible and systematics are silent. As C.S. Lewis wrote:

…Modern Industry is a subject of which I know nothing at all. But for that very reason it may illustrate what Christianity, in my opinion, does and does not do. Christianity does not replace the technical. When it tells you to feed the hungry it doesn’t give you lessons in cookery. If you want to learn that, you must go to a cook rather than a Christian. If you are not a professional Economist and have no experience of Industry, simply being a Christian won’t give you the answer to industrial problems. My own idea is that modern industry is a radically hopeless system. You can improve wages, hours, conditions, etc., but all that doesn’t cure the deepest trouble: i.e., that numbers of people are kept all their lives doing dull repetition work which gives no full play to their faculties. How that is to be overcome, I do not know. If a single country abandoned the system it would merely fall a prey to the other countries which hadn’t abandoned it. I don’t know the solution: that is not the kind of thing Christianity teaches a person like me. Let’s now carry on with the questions.
“Answers to Questions on Christianity,” God in the Dock (Eerdmans: 1970) 48.

BUT, when Bill Keller begins this discussion by at least implicitly comparing religious faith to a belief in the existence in space aliens, you know good and well that there’s another agenda at work here, and it’s not one rooted in good faith.

Feast of the Dormition at Optina Monastery

For more photos and information about Optina Monastery (in Russian), click HERE

To see a video recorded at Optina in July, click HERE

ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH TO TRAVEL TO THE U.S.

SOURCE:  wikiLeaks
Viewing cable 09ISTANBUL310

The Patriarch shared that he would be in the United States between October 20 and November 5, attending the Eighth Symposium of Religion, Science, and the Environment scheduled in New Orleans October 18 - 25. His All Holiness is scheduled to address attendees at the official opening October 21 after visiting Memphis. He is also scheduled to travel to New York, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C. He reported that "his people in America" had arranged for a lunch for him with Secretary Clinton and a meeting with POTUS and VP while he is in Washington November 2 - 5.

Another Planned Parenthood manager quits and converts to pro-life

DALLAS, Texas, August 25, 2011 (SOURCE:  LifeSiteNews.com) – In a story with clear echoes of the now famous conversion of former Planned Parenthood director Abby Johnson, four months ago a manager at a Planned Parenthood facility in Sherman, Texas resigned from her position with the abortion giant and is now speaking out about her pro-life conversion.

In a press release from 40 Days for Life-Dallas, Ramona Trevino explains that although the particular Planned Parenthood where she worked did not perform surgical abortions, she was struggling “with [her] conscience . . . on contraception, abortion and [her] role in it all.”

Just like Abby Johnson, Trevino credits a 40 Days for Life campaign outside her Planned Parenthood facility with helping her movement towards a pro-life way of thinking.

After the 40 Days campaign came to Sherman, she says she went from believing she was providing a service to women in need, to realizing that Planned Parenthood “treated women like cattle and how they only cared about making money” – a realization she says was “long overdue.”

Interestingly, Planned Parenthood closed its Sherman clinic (the clinic where Ramona was the manager) on August 23, 2011, after Texas Governor Rick Perry signed into law a bill that stripped the organization of its funding, and prohibited the state government from contracting with any organization that provides abortions.

Six other Texas PP clinics - in Gainesville, Arlington, Mesquite, Plano, Terrell, and Waxahachie - have closed, or are scheduled to be closed by the end of September.

Trevino will be speaking about her conversion to the cause of life at a rally to be held in front of the former Sherman Planned Parenthood (2114 Texoma Pkwy) from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 28. David Bereit, National Director and co-founder of 40 Days for Life, will also be a guest speaker at the rally held to commemorate the closing of the facility.

“We want to bring pro-life members of the Sherman community together to reflect upon the blessings received during our 40 Days for Life campaign . . . to rejoice in the victories that God has accomplished,” said Gerry Brundage, spokesperson for the Sherman 40 Days for Life campaign.

In addition to her Sherman appearance, Ms Trevino will also be the keynote speaker at the 40 Days for Life-Dallas Kickoff Rally on September 27 at 6:30 p.m. at Harry S. Moss Park, 8000 Greenville Avenue in Dallas.

“Beginning at midnight, Dallas will join over 300 cities worldwide in the Fall 40 Days for Life campaign through November 6, including a 24/7 peaceful, prayer vigil outside the Southwestern late-term abortion center at 8616 Greenville Ave. in Dallas,” 40 Days for Life-Dallas Communications Coordinator Becky Visosky said.

Information about the 40 Days for Life campaign in Dallas is available here.

Information about the world-wide 40 Days for Life campaign, starting September 28 and adding 46 first-time campaigns – including locations in Puerto Rico, Argentina and Germany – is available here.

The Repose of His Eminence, +Archbishop Dmitri, DALLAS, TX [OCA]

SOURCE:  Orthodox Church of America

His Eminence, the Most Reverend Dmitri, 87, retired Archbishop of Dallas and the Diocese of the South, fell asleep in the Lord at his home here at 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning, August 28, 2011.

May His Memory Be Eternal

His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah, and many priests and faithful had kept vigil in Dallas during Archbishop Dmitri’s final days. The Metropolitan was to have traveled to the Czech Republic with a delegation from the Orthodox Church in America, but remained in Dallas to be with the Archbishop.

Funeral services will be celebrated at Dallas’ Saint Seraphim Cathedral—the parish Archbishop Dmitri founded as a mission shortly after his ordination in 1954. Days and times will be posted at oca.org as they are received.

Consecrated to the episcopacy in 1969, Archbishop Dmitri’s ministry spanned 57 remarkable years.

Archbishop Dmitri was born Robert R. Royster into a Baptist family in Teague, TX on November 2, 1923. He often credited his mother with providing him and his sister with a strong, initial faith in Christ. After discovering Orthodox Christianity as teens, he and his sister asked their mother for a blessing to convert, whereupon she asked one basic yet predictive question: “Does the Orthodox Church believe in Christ as Lord and Savior?” As it turned out, a specific emphasis on the person and work of Jesus Christ became the hallmark of the future hierarch’s ministry, profoundly influencing his preaching and writing. The Archbishop would later recall that an Orthodox clergyman and mentor advised him early on in his priesthood to include always the name of Christ in every conversation, to make Him the focus of every sermon.

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This Week in Christian History-August 28

August 28

August 28, 430: As Vandals invade Roman North Africa and overwhelm Hippo refugees, St. Augustine dies of a fever. Miraculously, his writings, including City of God survived the Vandal takeover, and his theology became one of the main pillars on which the church of the next 1,000 years was built (see issue 67:Augustine).

Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy

August 28, 1828: Leo Tolstoy, Russian novelist and social reformer, is born. Though the Russian Orthodox Church excommunicated him in 1901, his later works emphasized Christian love and the teachings of Jesus.

August 29

August 29, 29: Since the fifth century, tradition has this as the date for the beheading of John the Baptist.

August 29, 70: Romans burn the gates, enter the Temple courtyards of Jerusalem, and destroy the temple by fire. Within a month, Jewish resistance ends.

August 29, 1792: Charles Grandison Finney, the father of modern revivalism, is born in Warren, Connecticut. The Old School Presbyterians resented Finney's modifications to Calvinist theology. The revivalistic Congregationalists, led by Lyman Beecher, feared that Finney was opening the door to fanaticism by allowing too much expression of human emotion. Others criticized his "scare tactics." Nevertheless, Finney paved the way for later mass-evangelists like Dwight L. Moody, Billy Sunday, and Billy Graham (see issue 20: Charles Grandison Finney).

August 31

August 31, 1535: Pope Paul II excommunicates English King Henry VIII, who had been declared by an earlier pope as "Most Christian King" and "Defender of the Faith" (see issue 48: Thomas Cranmer).

September 1

September 1, 256: North African bishops vote unanimously that Christians who had lapsed under persecution must be rebaptized upon reentering the church. The vote led to a battle between Cyprian, one of the North African bishops, and Stephen, bishop of Rome, who disagreed with the vote. Cyprian yielded, precipitating a longstanding argument for the Roman bishop's supremacy in the early church (see issue 27: Persecution in the Early Church).

September 1, 1159: Adrian (or Hadrian) IV, the only English pope in history, dies.

September 1, 1957: At a massive rally in Times Square, Billy Graham concludes his 16-week evangelistic crusade in New York City, attended by nearly 2 million people (see issue 65: The Ten Most Influential Christians of the Twentieth Century).

September 2

September 2, 459 (traditional date): After spending 36 years on top of a pillar praying, fasting, and occasionally preaching, Simeon Stylites dies. At first he sat on a nine-foot pillar, but he gradually replaced it with higher and higher ones; the last was more than 50 feet tall. After his death, the Syrian ascetic—who had won the respect of both pope and emperor—inspired many imitators (see issue 64: Antony and the Desert Fathers).

September 2, 1192: The Third Crusade, which had the mission of retaking Jerusalem (it had fallen to Muslim general Saladin in 1187), ends with the signing of a treaty. Though Christians had not won back Jerusalem, Richard I (later king of England) negotiated access to the holy city (see issue 40: The Crusades).

September 2, 1973: Scholar, novelist, and devout Catholic J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954-55), dies at age 81 (see issue 7: C.S. Lewis; issue 78: J. R. R. Tolkien).

September 3

September 3, 590: Gregory I ("the Great") is consecrated pope. Historians remember him as the father of the medieval papacy and last of four Latin "Doctors of the Church." He was the first pope to aspire to secular power, the man for whom Gregorian Chant is named, and one of the main organizers of Roman liturgy and its music. He was also one of the prime promoters of monasticism.

September 3, 1752: This day and the next 10 never happen in Great Britain as the kingdom adopts the Gregorian Calendar (developed by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582) to replace the inaccurate calendar created by Julius Caesar in 46 B.C. Riots break out as Brits argue the government just stole 11 days from their lives.

Mass Baptism In Chechnya

Grozny, August 26, SOURCE: Interfax – Archbishop Zosima of Vladikavkaz and Makhachkala performed the first mass baptism ceremony in the history of Chechen republic in the river Terek of Naursky dirstrict.

35 citizens of Naursky and Shelkovsky districts were converted to Orthodoxy, press service of Chechen leader reports Friday.

“Keep your Orthodox faith, live in peace with each other, avoid evil, make your families and grow your children,”  Father Zosima wished to the young Christians.

Archpriest Amvrosiy (Marchenko) of Naursky okrug thanked Archbishop on behalf of all parishioners for the ceremony. He expressed hope that such mass baptism in Terek water would become a tradition.

This even was reported by anti-Christian elements in Chechnya as “Russian polytheists carried out rite of Christian baptism in Chechnya. Kadyrov’s followers kill Muslims” (note that other than the misleading title, the actual article says nothing about anyone doing anything to muslims – other than baptizing them because they are no longer believers in Islam)--see article below:

_______________________________________

Russian polytheists carried out rite of Christian baptism in Chechnya. Kadyrov's followers kill Muslims  SOURCE: KavkazCenter.com

According to sources of Russian aggressors, Russian infidels carried out a rite of baptism on the Terek River in Naur district of Chechnya. A so-called ritual "sacrament" has been given to 35 people of Naur and Shelkovskoy districts. Click to view video. (or see below)






A Russian Orthodox pope who carried out the rite of baptism welcomed the newly-baptized and addressed them with parting words. "I congratulate you on taking the holy baptism in the waters of the Terek River in the blessed land of Chechnya. Preserve the Orthodox faith, and live in peace and all good, avoid evil, create a family here and raise your children".
 
At the same time, the ringleader of Chechen apostates Kadyrov and his entourage said on local television that only one "version of Islam", Sufism, is allowed to be practiced in Chechnya. Kadyrov once again proclaimed Muslims, followers of monotheism, as enemies who are to be physically eliminated.

Kadyrov demanded to report on all those who wrongly, according to apostates, profess Islam and eliminate them. Against this background, the ringleader of the apostates is actively building Christian churches and gives public promises "to revive Christianity" in Chechnya to Russian Christian priests of various ranks.

Fewer OB-GYNs commit abortions than previously thought: study

August 25, 2011 (SOURCE:  LifeSiteNews.com) - Although abortion is frequently labeled an essential component of women’s health care, a study published this week has thrown new light on the procedure’s actual acceptance level among America’s OB-GYNs.

According to the study published in the Obstetrics and Gynecology journal this week, 97 percent of OB-GYNs have met patients wanting an abortion, but only 14 percent are willing to perform them.

Religious affiliation was a major predictor of abortion compliance: the study found 1 percent of evangelical OB-GYNs were abortionists, while 9 percent of Catholics/Eastern Orthodox and 10 percent of non-evangelical Protestants fell in the same category, according to NPR’s report on the study.

Despite a surge in pro-life medical groups in recent years, most notably Medical Students for Life, the pressure to normalize abortion in the medical community remains high.

Dr. Lorna Cvetkovich

Dr. Lorna Cvetkovich, medical director of Sanctity of Life Ministries in Fairfax, Va., told a bioethics conference audience in July that many medical programs in the U.S. pressure students to perform abortions as a part of their medical training.

“Many programs are not open to pro-life candidates,” said Cvetkovitch, who also noted that the issue of conscience rights now looms large on the national scene under the Obama administration.

“We will have the choice to either practice anti-Hippocratic, pro-choice type medicine and keep our jobs - or practice Hippocratic, Catholic, pro-life medicine and lose our jobs,” she said.

Thousands of faith-based doctors protested after President Obama rolled back federal health regulations instituted by President George W. Bush to help pro-life doctors assert their right not to participate in abortions, including by dispensing the abortifacient morning-after pill.

A 2009 poll found that 90 percent of faith-based doctors would leave medicine if forced to give up practicing according to their moral beliefs.

The battle for conscience rights heated up recently with the imposition of the federal health care law’s essential “preventive services” mandate, which requires private health plans to cover all FDA-approved contraceptives without co-pay. Officials representing the U.S. Catholic bishops, which lobbied vigorously to keep contraceptives out of the essential package, expressed outrage at the skimpy conscience protections included in the mandate.

“Health and Human Services must think Catholics and other religious groups are fools,” wrote USCCB Communications Director Sr. Mary Ann Walsh on her official blog August 1.

Pressure to conform stems also from within the medical establishment. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG), the nation’s leading nonprofit group of OB/GYNs, has reaffirmed that, “although respect for conscience is important, conscientious refusals should be limited if they constitute an imposition of religious or moral beliefs on patients.”

Feast Day of St. Job of Pochaev, Jordanville, NY

Source:  Media Office of the Eastern American Diocese, ROCOR

Every year in September, on the closest Sunday to Labor Day, Holy Trinity Monastery celebrates the memory of its heavenly intercessor, St. Job of Pochaev. This year, the feast day will fall on Saturday the 3rd and Sunday the 4th of September.
The Very Reverend abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Luke, invites all clergy and faithful children of the Eastern American Diocese to the feast day of St. Job of Pochaev in Jordanville. Clergy are asked to bring their blue vestments.

A schedule of the festal divine services at Holy Trinity Monastery is as follows:

Saturday, September 3, 2011

3:00 PM: The festal procession with the two wonderworking icons of the Mother of God – the Kursk Root Icon and the deeply venerated copy of the Pochaev Mother of God – from the Dormition Church at the monastery cemetery to Holy Trinity Cathedral, where an Akathist to St. Job of Pochaev will be served, followed by preparatory prayers for Holy Communion.

7:00 PM: All-Night Vigil in Holy Trinity Cathedral.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

6:00 AM: Early Liturgy in St. Job of Pochaev Church

9:00 AM: Divine Liturgy and procession.

After the Liturgy, a festal luncheon for clergy and pilgrims will be held.

6:00 PM: Vespers

7:00 PM Dinner

7:30 PM Small Compline.

Procession of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord

SOURCE:  Media Office of the Eastern American Diocese, ROCOR

Brooklyn, NY: Parishioners of the Church of Our Lady "The Inexhaustible Chalice" held a procession and the blessing of the ocean on the first day of the Dormition Fast

In keeping with annual tradition, on the feast of the Procession of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, the parish of Our Lady "The Inexhaustible Chalice" held a procession to the ocean for a blessing of the waters, led by parish rector Priest Vadim Arefiev. This year, the participants were met by driving rains, which nonetheless failed to drown out the prayerful enthusiasm and the blessing of the waters. A video news clip of the event is available here. (or below)







В греческом часослове 1897 года так объясняется происхождение этого праздника: "По причине болезней, весьма часто бывавших в августе, издревле утвердился в Константинополе обычай износить Честное Древо Креста на дороги и улицы для освящения мест и в отвращение болезней. Накануне (31 июля), износя его из царской сокровищницы, полагали на святой трапезе Великой церкви (в честь Святой Софии - Премудрости Божией). С настоящего дня и далее до Успения Пресвятой Богородицы, творя литии по всему городу, предлагали его потом народу для поклонения. Это и есть предъисхождение Честного Креста".

В Русской Церкви это празднество соединилось с воспоминанием Крещения Руси 1 августа 988 года. В "Сказании действенных чинов святыя соборныя и апостольския великия церкви Успения", составленном в 1627 году по повелению Патриарха Московского и всея Руси Филарета, дается такое объяснение праздника 1 августа: "А на происхождение в день Честного Креста бывает ход освящения ради водного и просвещения ради людского, по всем градам и весем".

Известие о дне Крещения Руси сохранилось в хронографах ХVI века: "Крестися князь великий Владимир Киевский и вся Русь августа 1".

По принятому ныне в Русской Церкви чину малое освящение воды 1 августа совершается до или после литургии. Вместе с освящением воды совершается освящение меда (т. н. первый медовый Спас: "Спас на воде", "Мокрый Спас"). С этого дня благословляется вкушение его нового сбора.

Historic Church of St. George in Tripoli Ransacked

SOURCE:  Greek Reporter

The historic church of St. George located in Libya, in Tripoli, dating back to 1647 was ransacked. The church is the oldest Orthodox church in North Africa.

The president of the Greek community, Dimitris Anastassiou transferred the news to the Metropolitan of Tripoli Mr. Theophylaktos, who has been in Greece since late June.

“I am feeling heartbroken for what is happening in Libya, this beautiful country which was destroyed and whose people are noted for their hospitality,” stated Metropolitan of Tripoli, who settled in Libya in 1991.

”I was sad to hear the news from Mr. Anastassiou. The thieves stole the shrine of our patron saint which I had brought from Mount Athos. Old Gospels, chalices, cherubim, censers, one of which we had been given by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Those who stole the holy objects contacted the president of the community and asked for money in order to return them. Mr. Anastassiou reported the incident to the police, but as things are at the moment, noone will deal with this matter,” he said.

School reinstates teacher who dared to criticize homosexuality on Facebook

SOURCE:  beliefnet

A social studies teacher who was suspended from the classroom due to comments he made on his private Facebook page condemning same-sex “marriage” is now being allowed to return to his teaching duties.

Jerry Buell’s re-instatement was announced in a press release issued by Liberty Counsel, the non-profit legal organization that represented him when the Lake County School Board launched an investigation after receiving a complaint about his post.

What exactly did Buell do to be suspended? According to LifeSiteNews:

Commenting on New York’s legalization of same-sex marriage, Buell had written: “I’m watching the news, eating dinner, when the story about New York okaying same sex unions came on and I almost threw up.”

He went on to post: “And now they show two guys kissing after their announcement. If they want to call it a union, go ahead. But don’t insult a man and woman’s marriage by throwing it in the same cesspool as same-sex whatever! God will not be mocked. When did this sin become acceptable???”

According to Liberty Counsel’s statement, the complaint was lodged by a 2002 graduate of Mount Dora High School, who had never had Buell as a teacher.

Buell is a veteran teacher at the Florida high school, and chair of the school’s social studies department. He was named teacher of the year in 2010.

CLICK HERE to read more

After a weeklong investigation to determine whether the comments constituted an ethics code violation, Buell was re-instated three days after the school year began.

“This is a great day for the Constitution. By fully exonerating Mr. Buell, the Lake County School Board has reaffirmed what the rest of Americans already knew. The First Amendment protects the right of public servants to express their personal opinion without any fear or intimidation. It is a shame that Mr. Buell had to miss three days of teaching for his employer to learn this lesson,” Harry Mihet, Senior Litigation Counsel for Liberty Counsel, commented.

According to an Orlando Sentinel report, Buell met with Lake County School Superintendent Susan Moxley for about an hour before Moxley announced her decision. It was also announced that a “written directive,” the contents of which will be available to the public in ten days, has been placed in Buell’s file.

Although Buell has said that he is taking down his Facebook page, he told CNN in an interview earlier this week that he stands by the comments he made there.

Apple is Catholic--PC is Protestant (lol)

SOURCE:  Catholic Herald UK  (click for complete story)
 

The affinity between Catholicism and the Apple computer was explicitly assserted by no less a literary luminary than Umberto Eco (The Name of the Rose, etc) in an article written in 1994 entitled “The Holy War: Mac vs DOS” (Today, he would undoubtedly have amended this to Mac vs. PC) in which he argues that:

The fact is that the world is divided between users of the Macintosh computer and users of MS-DOS compatible computers. I am firmly of the opinion that the Macintosh is Catholic and that DOS is Protestant. Indeed, the Macintosh is counter-reformist and has been influenced by the ratio studiorum of the Jesuits. It is cheerful, friendly, conciliatory; it tells the faithful how they must proceed step by step to reach – if not the kingdom of Heaven – the moment in which their document is printed. It is catechistic: The essence of revelation is dealt with via simple formulae and sumptuous icons. Everyone has a right to salvation.

DOS is Protestant, or even Calvinistic. It allows free interpretation of scripture, demands difficult personal decisions, imposes a subtle hermeneutics upon the user, and takes for granted the idea that not all can achieve salvation. To make the system work you need to interpret the program yourself: Far away from the baroque community of revelers, the user is closed within the loneliness of his own inner torment.

You may object that, with the passage to Windows, the DOS universe has come to resemble more closely the counter-reformist tolerance of the Macintosh. It’s true: Windows represents an Anglican-style schism, big ceremonies in the cathedral, but there is always the possibility of a return to DOS to change things in accordance with bizarre decisions: When it comes down to it, you can decide to ordain women and gays if you want to.

It all makes sense to me. But what do I know? How many Catholics out there have gravitated naturally to Mac rather than some kind of PC? How many Catholic PC users are in favour of ordaining women? We need to know more: these are deep waters.

Ukrainian Catholic, Orthodox leaders talk of easing tensions

SOURCE:  Catholic Culture

Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of the Ukrainian Catholic Church met on August 23 with the leader of the Russian-backed Ukrainian Orthodox Church, for a friendly conversation that contrasted with past bitter exchanges between the Ukrainian Catholic and Orthodox hierarchies.

Metropolitan Volodymyr of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow patriarchate) welcomed the Catholic leader to his residence, and Major Archbishop Shevchuk congratulated his Orthodox counterpart on the 45th anniversary of his episcopal ordination, before the two settled in to a more substantive discussion of relations between their churches.

The Ukrainian Catholic Church—the largest of the Eastern churches in communion with the Holy See—has frequently been the focus of complaints from Orthodox leaders, especially in Moscow. After years of Communist repression, the Ukrainian Catholic Church burst vigorously into public life after the fall of the Soviet regime. The Russian Orthodox Church has complained about this Catholic activity in a land that the Moscow patriarchate regards as its own “canonical territory.” Ukrainian Catholic leaders, in turn, demanded the return of Catholic parish churches that had been confiscated during the Stalinist persecution and handed over to local Orthodox communities. During their meeting, Metropolitan Volodymyr and Major Archbishop Shevchuk agreed that future conflicts should be handled through friendly dialogue.

The Orthodox Church in Ukraine is also divided, with Metropolitan Volodymyr heading the group that has maintained its alliance with Moscow. Another group, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev patriarchate, is headed by Patriarch Filaret. Once recognized by Moscow as the Metropolitan of Ukraine, Filaret broke away from the Russian Orthodox Church to establish a separate Ukrainian patriarchate after the country won independence.

Source(s): these links will take you to other sites, in a new window.
Heads of UOC-MP and UGCC meet at Kyiv Cave Monastery (RISU)
Ukrainian Catholic leader hopes for reconciliation with Orthodox (CWN, 5/12)

Forensic experts to recreate Andrey Rublev's portrait

Moscow, August 25, Source:  Interfax - Forensic experts are creating a sculpture portrait of Andrey Rublev as there is no painted image of the artist.

The experts demonstrated the first outcomes of their work which lasted seven years.

The 15th century icon writer as depicted in Andrei Tarkovsky's epic film (see below for DVD)

The expert team includes Sergey Nikitin, chief expert of the forensic medical expert bureau of the Moscow Health Department, who helped to reconstruct portraits of the Tsar's family and some saints of Kiev Laura of the Caves in 1990s.

"First, we reconstruct the main masseter muscles - masseter and temporalis - which define facial contours. Then we put in eye-balls. I have developed some methods to define eye-ball protrusion. One of them is to take a simple meat grinder and make 5-millimeter strips. I put the strips together and then apply lips, about ten millimeters thick," he says.

The relics which are attributed to the icon painter were discovered during excavations in the Spassky Cathedral of Andronikov Monastery, Russia-24 TV Channel reports.

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Andrei Rublev DVD Review

SOURCE:  The Film Pilgrim

Andrei Rublev is our Highlight of the Tarkovsky box set now available on DVD, as at last the master of cinema’s films are released together – order it here

Andrei Rublev charts the life of the greatest medieval Russian painter during the 15th century, as well as observing the rise of Byzantine Christianity and the constant violence that marked the period – a product of rivalling Princes and a ceaseless Tartar invasion.

Contrary to what the title implies, far more screen time is given to the invasion and violence content than to Rublev’s life itself. The three hour film is split up into numerous parts, each titled. Most of these depict peasants being attacked or belittled and ridiculed by foreign or native aggressors. Having the relevant historical knowledge prior to watching this film is thus something that will help immensely, and knowing little of this period is likely to leave you a slightly lost in most of these scenes.

The Andrei Tarkovsky Collection
Box Set (7 Discs)

As the film progresses, Rublev’s life and the invasions start to intertwine, but even in light of this comprehensive convergence, the film never achieves any real sense of story. Unlike Tarkovsky films such as Solaris and Stalker, Andrei Rublev is highly disdainful of traditional narrative form in the sense that it simply refuses to tailor towards such. Due to this it thus fails to incite any real engagement from the audience. It holds the same kind of detachment found in Akira Kurosawa’s Ran. Both are by accepted masterpieces by two of cinema’s greatest directors, who have have made highly engaging films with tangible stories elsewhere in their careers, yet their unique efforts Ran and Andrei Rublev share many similarities – their detachment from enjoyable narrative, numerous extras engaged in violence, severe bouts of overacting, much shaming and ridiculing of certain characters, yet also elegant and poetic visuals (even more so in this film), acute historical relevance and an epic scale and feel to them. The point being that every great director might verge into trying at least one film like this in their career – an epic work that puts history and visuals before content.

Thus Andrei Rublev can be enjoyed from a historical, filmmaking (with it’s difficult, beautiful and poetic shots – most of these collected for us in the background of the menu screen) and even philosophical point of view (Rublev debates the nature and future of man with ‘Theopanes the Greek’, but these intelligent musings still fall short of those in some of Tarkovsky’s other films), but it is a tremendously hard film to absorb, to truly get into and to love, due to its disjointed and unwelcoming narrative form, its unwillingness to allow us to truly get to know any of the characters, and its intent focus on how Russia was crafted during this period, rather than how Rublev himself became the greatest medieval Russian painter.

Only in the film’s close do we revert back to Rublev’s art as the focus, when a series of shots languidly pan over one or several of Rublev’s finished pieces – allowing us to absorb every minute detail. After this there is one very cryptic shot of horses standing in the rain, then the credits roll.

This is a work that should be admired and respected, and Tarkovsky fans will find his usual genius present here, it just unfortunately is a film that remains so aloof and detached that it is hard to enjoy in the way that we can so easily enjoy many of Tarkovsky’s other masterpieces.

The Andrei Tarkovsky Collection Box Set (7 Discs) includes Ivan’s Childhood, Andrei Rublev, Mirror, Solaris, Stalker, Nostalgia and The Sacrifice and is available now 

Timoshenko sprinkled with Holy Water to get her more courage

Kiev, August 25, Source: Interfax - Mikhail Niskoguz, a uniate (sic) priest of the Lviv diocese, blessed and sprinkled Holy Water on Yulia Timoshenko, the leader of Batkivshina party, and the court room of Pechersky dictrict court of Kiev which hears the "gas case" against Timoshenko.

According to Interfax, when the Chair Rodion Kireyev adjourned the court session for technical reasons Father Mikhail approached the barrier which separates the session participants and offered to sprinkle Yulia Timoshenko with Holy Water.

"God, we believe that You give strength to this courageous woman and she will stand the challenge," he said.

Orthodox "Well-Meaning Graffiti" painted in Yekaterinburg

SOURCE:  Interfax

Yekaterinburg, August 25, Interfax - Parishioners of St. Nicholas-the-Wondermaker are implementing their own "Well-Meaning Graffiti" project.

Members of the parish youth club paint quotations from the Holy Scripture on buildings and decorated one school with a Paradise scene.

According to Archpriest Alexy Yakovlev, rector of St. Nicholas church, the mission of such "well-meaning graffiti" is quite evident, "a person passes it by, reads it and it makes him or her think."

Orthodox graffiti painters propose anyone who liked the project to paint something good next to his or her parish church or school, press service of Yekaterinburg diocese reports Thursday.

New Greek Catholic Catechism Presented in Argentina: "our unique Kyivan identity and spirituality"

SOURCE:  RISU

On 25 August, 2011, in the Eparchy of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Argentine, the Eparch for Catholic Ukrainians in Australia, New Zealand and Oceania and the Head of the Patriarchal Catechetical Committee, Bishop Petro (Stasiuk) presented a new UGCC Catechism: Christ is our Easter.” The meeting with the faithful of the eparchy was held at the conference hall of the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin in Buenos Aires.

As he presented the new catechism, which was proclaimed by Patriarch Sviatoslav in Lviv on 24 June, 2011, Bishop Petro stressed that the catechism “expresses the heart and soul of our Church, explains the charisma of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in line with the Eastern Church Fathers and the spirituality of the Catholic Church.”

“The new Catechism of UGCC presents our understanding of ourselves, identifies us as the Eastern Catholic Church, as the Church of our fathers and mothers,” noted the hierarch.

In conclusion, Bishop Petro added: “The Ukrainian Catechism is an important means of understanding of our unique Kyivan identity and spirituality. Therefore, we hope that it will help us to see clearly how our spiritual identity is expressed in the yearly cycle of Christmas, Theophany, Lent, Pentecost and the life cycle marked by the sacraments. Without our new catechism, it would be difficult to understand who we are as a Church and a nation.”

According to the Information Department of UGCC, the new Catechism will be translated into English, Polish, Russian, Portuguese and Spanish.

NYC: St Agnes Parish a Model for Others

ROME, AUG. 25, 2011 (SOURCE:  Zenit.org).- In New York City, advertising is an art. Along every street, vendors, lights and store windows entice passersby with food, clothing, technology and every other desire. Should one be so surprised to find alongside these signs that hawk sales, special offers and great values, a big red billboard promoting confessions outside a Roman Catholic Church?

Frankly, it stopped me dead in my tracks. Rushing from museum to library to friends to dinners, the last thing on my mind was repentance and reconciliation -- like paying a hotel bill, accounting always comes at the end.

St. Agnes' Parish on 143 E. 43rd Street, an elegant church on what former New York mayor Ed Koch described as the "busiest pedestrian street in the world," offers three hours a day of confession, as well as seven Masses.

The interior of St. Agnes Roman Catholic Church in New York City.  For over 50 years, the church was known as
the location of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen's radio and television broadcasts. Later, John Cardinal O'Connor led an anti-abortion march from this church.

Intrigued, I returned to see this remarkable parish. Anna Megan, who manages the parish, was kind enough to talk to me about the church and its history. She immediately noted the significant location of the church. "Half a block from Grand Central station and across the street from the Chrysler building," Megan pointed out, "St. Agnes sits at a hub of commuter and tourist traffic."

St. Agnes' number of registered parishioners is a small but steadfast group of about 400, although the number of attendees can swell to as many as 10,000 over holidays, with people coming in for Masses and confessions around their festivities and travels. Thanks to the intense flux of people, the intersection by the church was renamed Fulton Sheen Place in 1990, bestowing the name of a great Catholic communicator on this busiest of crossroads.

St. Agnes was built in 1873 for the workers at Grand Central Station, but burned down in 1992. The present church, rebuilt in 1998, was modeled after the Gesu, one of Rome's best known basilicas for the sacrament of penance.

For 30 years, St. Agnes has been offering regular hours of confession daily. This is not only a result of pastoral initiative, but also of the insistence of the parishioners. I visited the parish at 1 p.m., when a three-quarters full church was beginning Eucharistic adoration. All the extraordinary ethnic, economic and aesthetic diversity of New York City knelt side-by-side in the pews. Young next to old, tattoos by lace veils, designer purses next to paper bags, here was God's limitless creative expression all worshipping their Creator together.

There are of course several other churches in New York City that offer regular confession: St. Patrick's Cathedral has confessions every morning and at lunch hour, and the Shrine to St. Anthony on W. 31st Street offers confession so frequently it's been dubbed New York's confessional. But after seeing so many churches closed all day in the U.S., and parish bulletins discreetly indicating confession time on Saturdays from 3:15 to 3:30 (or by appointment), and after calling only to be greeted with discomfiting questions such as, "What is this in regard to?" or "Will it take long?" St. Agnes seems like a marvel (and model) for many others.

I asked about the difficulties in keeping a church open all day and providing priests for the sacraments. Mrs. Megan told me that parishioners help out in keeping an eye on the Church, remaining during the day to safeguard the tabernacle. While there is only one diocesan priest in the parish, Fr. Richard Adams, usually five or six visiting priests from places like the Philippines, Ghana or Burma are on hand to help out with the sacraments.

This availability of sacraments has become so popular that lines form outside the two confessionals and many a priest has been called from his lunch or dinner (apparently New Yorkers do not indulge in the Latin siesta) to tend to a passing soul. St. John Vianney must be very proud.

In a city where every other store front offers grooming -- whether for hair, feet, nails, or eyebrows -- to keep one's exterior always ready for a "close up," St. Agnes promotes a deeper and richer cleansing treatment, that of the soul.

For more on St. Agnes Church, visit their website here
* * *

Elizabeth Lev teaches Christian art and architecture at Duquesne University's Italian campus and University of St. Thomas' Catholic Studies program. She can be reached at lizlev@zenit.org

Dormition Procession in Jerusamen

 Orthodox nuns hold candles and flowers as they take part in a procession to bring the icon of the Virgin Mary to the tomb where it is believed she is buried, through Jerusalem's Old City, Israel, on August 25. Every year before the Feast of the Assumption, the icon is brought from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to the tomb of the Virgin Mary to honor her Assumption (Dormition).

SOURCE: MSNBC Photoblog

Visitors “profoundly shaken” by “evil” at academic pro-pedophilia conference

SOURCE:  beliefNet

As a former law enforcement officer I’ve dealt with situations involving suicide, homicide and other violence. That said, I’ve never felt the level of spiritual oppression and evil that I felt in that room,” says Liberty Counsel attorney Matt Barber.

Barber is describing attending a pro-pedophilia conference in Baltimore last week.

A group of academics called “B4U-ACT” classifies pedophilia as simply another sexual orientation and decries the “stigma” attached to adults having sex with children.

B4U-ACT science director Howard Kline challenged supporters to pressure the American Psychological Association to stop defining the sexual compulsions of “minor-attracted persons” as a mental disorder.

Similar lobbying in 1973 by homosexual activists led to the APA’s declassification of homosexuality as a mental disorder. As a result, debate regarding homosexuality and the many documented harms associated with the homosexual lifestyle were all but shut down in academic psychological circles.

That’s the goal of B4U-ACT — normalizing pedophilia and changing the public discussion away from protecting children and instead to giving rights to pedophiles since they were “born that way” and can do nothing about their sexual orientation.

“These mental health ‘professionals,’ and self-described pedophile and ‘gay’ activists were inexplicably able to cavalierly discuss, in an almost dismissive way, the idea of child rape,” Barber told LifeSiteNews. “They used flowery, euphemistic psychobabble to give quasi-scientific cover to a discussion about the worst kind of perversion.”

The event, attended by pro-pedophile activists and mental health professionals, examined the ways in which “minor-attracted persons” could be involved in pressuring the APA to revise its classification of pedophilia.

LifeSiteNews reports:

Conference panelists included Fred Berlin of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Renee Sorentino of Harvard Medical School, John Sadler of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and John Breslow of the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Speakers addressed the around 50 individuals in attendance on themes ranging from the notion that pedophiles are “unfairly stigmatized and demonized” by society to the idea that “children are not inherently unable to consent” to sex with an adult. Also discussed were arguments that an adult’s desire to have sex with children is “normative” and that the APA’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) ignores the fact that pedophiles “have feelings of love and romance for children” in the same way adult heterosexuals and homosexuals have romantic feelings for one another.

Liberty University Visiting Professor of Law Judith Reisman, who attended the conference, noted ”that educated professionals have largely been trained to be a form of sexual anarchists.”

“I, for one, have had enough,” Barber told LifeSiteNews. “These sexual anarchists, whatever their perverse stripe, need to leave our children alone and let kids be kids.”

However, she noted, that’s not likely to happen.

“They know that to own the future, they must own the minds of our children,” he said. “Hence, groups like B4U-ACT, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, Planned Parenthood and the like, utilize academia, from pre-school to post-graduate, in order to brainwash and indoctrinate.”

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