EASTER EPISTLE OF HIS GRACE GEORGIJE BISHOP OF CANADA

by

NOW WHEN THERE IS NO DEATH

“It is a joyous day,

Let us be illumined, O People!

Pascha, the Lord’s Pascha”

(The beginning of the Resurrection Canon)

Dear brothers and sisters, my dear diocesan members!

The joyous day approaches, the day of celebration is coming. The day of victory over death is before us, let us rejoice and celebrate, for Christ having risen, brings us joy. “It is the day of Resurrection, let us be illumined by the joy of the feast, and say to each other, even to those who hate us: Brethren! Let us forgive all by the Resurrection!” (Paschal Verse)

Let us forgive, for God forgives us the ancestral sin, destroys hell and announces to us the joy of the Resurrection – so that all who live in Christ and believe in Him will be resurrected with Him. He shows Himself as the victor, as the Conqueror of the most terrible and difficult enemy – sin and death. For the cause of death is sin, Christ defeats sin, and this is our victory.  “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory” (1 Cor. 15:55)

The Lord on the Cross carries our sins on the tree. Just as Adam by the tree in paradise tasted death, now Christ by the tree of the cross returns us to the lost paradise!

Night becomes day, light overcomes darkness, sadness is displaced by joy. “As the word of the Cross produced sadness, may also the joyful news of the Resurrection bring joy. May crying be transformed into joy, melancholy into celebration; let our mouths be filled with joy and celebration, for the Resurrected One said: Rejoice!” (St. Cyril of Jerusalem)

O brothers and sisters, o God-loving people, it is necessary to observe this feast in piety, serenity, in an all-joyful feeling of expectation, for we are invited to participate in it. But, it is necessary to prepare and truly calm ourselves – so that we can joyfully await the Feast of Feasts. The Holy Church with divine wisdom prescribes fasting, forgiveness and prayer so that through these God-given weapons we might more intimately draw near to our Lord and Saviour – the Risen Christ.Let us transform a hard and stone-like soul into an aromatic soul, for the Risen Lord renews and deifies for “ the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised” (Matthew 27:51-52). For this reason “Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth!

Sing out the honor of His name; Make His praise glorious” (Ps. 66:1-2).

The great Abba Macarius says, “Everything begins to speak and all creation trembles, for Christ changes the course of nature, for He is found to be the Saviour and the expect Messiah”. Thus, in the words of the great Church Father, St. Gregory the Theologian, we sing on the day of Pascha, “let us forgive all by the Resurrection”. Therefore, let us forgive all and everyone for Christ’s sake, that we may become humble victors for the sake of Christ.

May the Light of the Resurrection shine in our souls. And may witness to Christian compassion shine with hope on the numerous unfortunate people in the world today. Let us by our deeds bear witness during these festive days to the truth of our Orthodox Faith.

I greet you, my spiritual children, with the all-joyous, exalted shout, the salutary greeting of greetings:

Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!

Your intercessor before the Risen Lord+Georgije

Bishop of Canada

Eight Annual Orthodox Men’s Retreat of St. John The Baptist

by

With the Blessings and support of our Bishops, and the support of our parishes and parish clergy, Very Reverend Father Taras Krochak, and Reverend Father Timothy Charpko – St. Vladimir’s Ukrainian Orthodox Congregation, Reverend Father Ibrahim Chahoud – Antiochian Orthodox Church of the Annunciation, Reverend Father Obrad Filipovic – Serbian Orthodox Church of St. Simeon, Reverend Father Demetrios Rougas – St Demetrios Greek Orthodox Congregation, Very Reverend Father Larry Reinheimer – St. Peter the Aleut OCA Congregation, and Very Reverend Father Michael Lupu – St. Mary’s Romanian Orthodox Congregation, the Orthodox retreat committee invite you to the seventh annual Orthodox Men’s Retreat of St. John the Baptist – 2010.
.
Through you, Parish Priests and Parish Council Presidents, we invite all men of good faith to the fifth annual Orthodox Men’s Retreat of St. John the Baptist, which will be held from April 9-11, 2010 at the Sanctum Retreat Centre, Caroline, Alberta. The fee for this years retreat is $ 200.00 to $ 300.00 per individual, depending on the room (see attached)
The theme of this years retreat will be “How do Orthodox Christians Evangelize?” The quest speaker for this years retreat will be Reverend Father Joseph Huneycutt.

Upcoming Services for the Month of January 2011

by

  • Sunday, January 2. Holy Liturgy at 10 AM. St. Ignatios of Antioch
  • Thursday, January 6. Vespers with the blessing of the badnjak at 6 PM (Christmas Eve).
  • Friday, January 7. Holy Liturgy at 10 AM (Nativity of Jesus Christ-Christmas).
  • Saturday, January 8. Holy Liturgy at 10 AM (Synaxis Of The Most Holy Theotokos).
  • Sunday, January 9. Holy Liturgy at 10 AM. (St. Stephen, Archdeacon).
  • Friday, January 14. Holy Liturgy at 10 AM. (Circumcision of Our Lord, St. Basil The Great, New Year).
  • Sunday, January 16. Holy Liturgy at 10 AM.
  • Tuesday, January 18. Holy Liturgy with Blessing of Water at 10 AM (Feast of the Holy Cross).
  • Wednesday, January 19. Holy Liturgy with the Great Blessing of Water at 10 AM (Theophany-Epiphany-Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ).
  • Thursday, January 20. Holy Liturgy at 10 AM (Synaxsis of St. John, Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist).
  • Sunday, January 23. Holy Liturgy at 10 AM.
  • Thursday, January 27. Liturgy at 10 AM (St. Sava).
  • Sunday, January 30. Holy Liturgy at 10 AM (St. Sava celebration)

In our Holy Church Holy Liturgy is served every Sunday and on great feast days (those days are written in red letters in the calendar) beginning at 10 AM.

There is an evening service in our Church every Saturday starting at 6PM. This is a good opportunity for those preparing for a Holy Communion to have a confession.

St. Theophan the Recluse – About Forgiveness

by

Tuesday. [I Cor. 12:12-26; Matt. 18:18-22; 19:1-2, 13-15]

Wanting to know how many times one should forgive his brother, Saint Peter asked with the suggestion: forgive till seven times? Saying this, he thought that he chose the greatest amount. How short is human patience! The Lord, applying His longsuffering to our infirmities, determined, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but Until seventy times seven. This is the same as saying: always forgive and do not think about not forgiving. All-forgivingness shall be the distinctive feature of a Christian spirit, as all-forgivingness is the source and constant support of our life in the Lord, from God Himself. Customary forgiving everyone of everything is the outer clothing of Christian love, which according to the Epistle, suffereth long, and is kind, is not easily provoked, beareth all things (I Cor. 13:4-7). It is the most faithful guarantee of forgiveness at the last judgment; for if we forgive, our heavenly Father will also forgive us (Matt. 6:14). In such a manner, if you want to go to heaven—forgive everyone, sincerely, from the bottom of your heart, so that not even a shadow of hostility remains.

Nativity of St. John the Baptist

by

On Wednesday July 7, 2010 our Holy Church celebrates Nativity of St. John The Baptist. fr. Obrad will serve the Holy Liturgy starting at 10am.

Here is what about this holiday says in Prologue:

Six months before his appearance in Nazareth to the All-holy Virgin Mary, the great archangel of God, Gabriel appeared to Zacharias the high priest in the Temple at Jerusalem. Before he announced the miraculous conception to the unwed virgin [Mary], the archangel announced the miraculous conception to the childless old woman [Elizabeth]. Zacharias did not immediately believe the words of the herald of God and this is why his tongue was tied with dumbness and remained as such until eight days after the birth of John. On that day, the relatives of Zacharias and Elizabeth gathered for the young child’s circumcision and for the sake of giving him a name. When they asked the father what name he wishes to give to his son and being dumb, he wrote on a tablet: “John.” At that moment his tongue became loosed and he began to speak. The home of Zacharias was on the heights between Bethlehem and Hebron. The news of the appearance of the angel of God to Zacharias was spread throughout all of Israel, as well as of his dumbness and the loosening of his tongue at thee moment when he wrote the name “John.” The news concerning this even reached Herod. Therefore, when Herod sent soldiers to slay the children throughout Bethlehem, he directed men to the hilly dwelling place of the family of Zacharias to kill John also. However, Elizabeth promptly hid the child. Enraged, at this King Herod sent his executioners to Zacharias in the Temple to slay him (for it happened that it was Zacharias’ turn again to serve in the Temple of Jerusalem). Zacharias was slain between the court and the temple and his blood coagulated and petrified on the stone pavers and remained a perpetual witness against Herod. Elizabeth hid with the child in a cave where she died soon after. The young child John remained in the wilderness alone under the care of God and God’s angels.