The Orthodox Vision

Summer 1998

OR THODOX MISSIONS IN THE WEST

ORTHODOX
A Look at the Amazing Growth of the Diocese Over the Last Ten Years
The Orthodox Vision

In This Issue
V olume 3, Number 2

The Of ficial Publication of the

Official
Diocese of the W est of the
West Letter fr om His Grace Bishop TIKHON
from 1
Or thodox Chur
Orthodox ch in America
Church America..

Diocese of the West Or thodox Mission in the W

Orthodox est:
West: A Look at the
650 Micheltorena Street Amazing Growth in the Diocese Over the Last Ten Years 2
Los Angeles, CA 90026
Phone: 1-800-323-6921
Or thodox Stewar
Orthodox ds of the W
Stewards est
West 4
Publisher
His Grace Bishop TIKHON
Bishop of San Francisco and Fir rinity Cathedral
Firee Strikes Holy TTrinity 5
the Diocese of the West

Editor-in-Chief Diocesan Council News 5

Priest Eric G. Tosi
Address all stories and
editorial comments to: Diocesan Financial Repor
Reportt 6
14 Shadow Place
Billings, MT 59102
Phone and Fax: (406)254-1194 First Annual Cler gy W
Clergy ives Retr
Wives eat
Retreat 7
Email: marsaba@aol.com

Address all circulation T ar zana Mour

arzana ns Loss of Choir Dir
Mourns ector
Director 7
and advertising to:
Office of the Chancellor
5400 Annie Oakley Drive Por tland Chur
Portland ch Consecrated
Church 8
Las Vegas, NV 89120
Phone: (702)898-4800
Fax: (702)898-0303 St. Innocent Mission Society For med
Formed 9
The Orthodox Vision is published three times
a year by the Diocese of the West. It is free to
all parish members and outreach within the
What Do All Those Colors Mean? 10
Diocese. Subscriptions outside the Diocese
is available for $10 per year in the United
States and $15 per year in Canada. Hesperia Recieves Six into Chur ch
Church 11
The articles contained herein do not neces-
sarily reflect the views or policies of the Dio-
cese or the editors. The advertisements con-
Fr om The Fathers
From Backpage
tained herein are not necessarily endorsed
by the Diocese or Editorial Staff.

Fr om His Grace Bishop TIKHON
From
I am an Orthodox Fundamentalist
Over the past decade, the volume of “public discourse” among the
Orthodox, mostly but not only in America and Western Europe, has
risen to such high levels as to become what I call “spiritual deafen-
ing.” Our fundamental Gospel teachings, our doctrinal definitions,
our ethics and morality, even our liturgical life are rather straightfor-
ward, edifying, in essence: salvific. Our public discourse should be,
given the vision of the Church that has been passed on to us, the
Holy Tradition, a clear proclamation of the Good Tidings and Beati-
tude Commandments, full of the Kingdom and the outpouring of
love based on a life of prayer, fasting, and alms-giving in today’s
terms. Within this discourse, the canons and Church discipline, are
clearly the servants of the Church’s mission, not salvific in them-
selves, but insuring the “decency and good order” that makes the
full proclamation of the Gospel possible.
But in the present climate, the discourse falls far short of what it
should be and too often becomes simply ideological combat – a far
cry from spiritual warfare. But in this present climate, ideology is
everything, and for ideology to thrive and flourish there must be
ideologues: those skilled in debate, argument, hurtful combat, even
“school spirit” rather than allegiance to the Holy Spirit the Heav-
enly King.
Decades ago, a group of Protestants drew up a list of a certain
minimum fundamentals of doctrine to which one must subscribe in
order to be considered a “real” Christian. These fundamentals in-
cluded, among other things, Biblical inerrancy, the Virgin Birth, Bodily
Resurrection of Christ, and seven days of Creation. Those that held
to those fundamentals listed with any degree of strength and tenac-
ity were termed “Fundamentalists.” That’s the origin of our word
Fundamentalist.
What would a “fundamentalist” be outside that well-defined, tradi-
tional category? It seems to me that a fundamentalist would have to
adhere to some other kind of list of basic teachings by which one
might identify a “real” member of a given group. What then would
an Orthodox Fundamentalist be?
It seems to me that any list of Orthodox Fundamentals would have
to include the Symbol of Faith, the Holy Gospels, the Ten Com-
mandments, the Doctrinal statements of the Ecumenical and Local
Councils and of the Fathers approved by them. One might find
summaries of these Orthodox Fundamentals in the office of Receiv-
ing Heretics in the Orthodox Church as printed in Hapgood’s Ser-
vice Book, and also in the Confession of Faith that are made by
Orthodox hierarchs on the eves of their Consecrations. In that
sense, I believe that any hierarch that is zealously and with tenacity
holding to all those points he confessed, must be an Orthodox Fun-
damentalist. However we are not governed so much by such rea-
sonable definitions as we are governed and defined by the media,
and those that consider anyone at all that is more zealous about
religion or anything else as they are as the Enemy.
1
The Orthodox Vision
Thus an Orthodox monas-
tic belonging to a commu-
nity that eschews fasting
from meat year round would
consider other communities
that do fast from meat year
round to be “Orthodox Fun-
damentalists,” and by that
is meant “unreasoning and
unreasonable fanatics,
probably prone to violence.”
That, of course, I am not, but
there is no rationality what-
soever in any discourse
that labels those who are unreasoning, unreasonable, irrational, fa-
natical and violent as “Fundamentalists.” I suppose that, with refer-
ence to Islam and the idea of Holy War or jihad with which the
Western European crusaders infected it, some violent Islamic sects
are fundamentalist, but only with regard to their fundamental con-
fession of the virtue of violence.
Fundamentalist….this truly innocent term has lost all meaning in
public discourse. It has become a bludgeon with which to beat
down opponents when rational discourse or arguments are want-
ing. Only one word is more misused than “Fundamentalist,” and
that is “Uncanonical.” Basically, “canonical” in terms of real usage
now means “I, me, mine, us and ours.” “Uncanonical” in terms of
real usage means “they and theirs.” The canons themselves in such
discourse are missing or irrelevant. Thus, the discourse (or lack of
it) between ROCOR and OCA over the years has been notable for
this peculiarity: both base their “canonicity” not on any canon at
all, but on their own interpretation of an official instruction of the
then Patriarch of Moscow, Saint Tikhon!! (And each very notably
recognizes the canonicity of the others’ ordinations whether to
Diaconate, Presbytery or Episcopate!)
Often the word “canonical” is used to disguise something on which
the canons are completely silent: such as the method of transfer of
laity from parish to parish. I have even read a relatively long “opin-
ion from the canonical point of view” on that topic that carefully
managed to avoid mentioning any canons at all! This low level of
discourse is not only a matter of hierarchical conversations and
dialogue/dispute; it has now filtered down to the basic parish level.
What young matron or teenage girl that wears a cloth on her head in
Church is not now liable to be labeled a Fundamentalist? What
Priest that tries to do away with pews is not labeled a Fundamental-
ist by those holding to congregationalist ideology? What about
Fasting? What about going to spoken Confession before a priest?
What about a priest that prays his rule every Saturday night or
Sunday morning? What about a priest that is never “off-duty” or
never tries to conceal that he is a priest? “To do good and to
communicate forget not, for with such sacrifices, God is well-
pleased.” What sacrifices are we prepared to make with Joy?
@ TIKHON
Bishop of San Francisco and the West
The Orthodox Vision

Orthodox Missions in the West

A Look at the Amazing Growth in the Diocese Over the Past Ten Years
by Peter Schwalbenberg

Imagine it this way: It is a rallied the mission, which,

September morning in the like too many of our mis-
gulf of Alaska. A small sions, had lost a pastor to a
boat approaches the shore, sudden illness. It’s a hard life!
carrying six monks, whose
eyes are scanning the trees Famous missionaries are no
for the school and cells they strangers to the west. St.
had been promised. As the INNOCENT, Enlightener of
boat grinds up on the Alaska, came to Fort Ross
beach, they put out a hand and the San Francisco Bay
to grasp the gunwale and area in 1836. The only mis-
steady themselves, and sions there were run by
their eyes are still scanning Holy Apostles’ Bookstore in Portland Franciscans, with whom he
the trees. First one leg goes out into the cold water, so talked at length, using the Latin he had learned in semi-
like Valaam, then another, and the monks climb up the nary. St. TIKHON, later Patriarch of Russia, was Bishop
beach towards the trees, grateful to be on ground at last. in San Francisco until he moved the see to New York in
They disappear into the trees. They never find the school 1905.
and cells they had been promised, for the promoter of
their expedition, the energetic Shelikov, was quite proud In our times, mission work milestones begin with the
of getting the monks to come at all, and then found that founding of the mission in Encino, CA in 1955 by Fr.
he had other more important things to do than keep his Sergei Glagolev. Given the Great Russian character of
glowing promises to them. What did the monks do? They the Diocese of the West at the time, this mission was a
built the school and cells themselves. They found local departure in that it was conceived as community whose
people who heard the good news and gathered with them services would be in the English language. This mission
into a Eucharistic community. They planted the Ortho- is now a parish of 150 members. Many missions have
dox faith in the new world. followed this pattern. Notable, is St. Paul in Las Vegas,
NV which was founded by Archimandrite Nikolai
This story has been repeated with different faces in dif- (Soraich) and is now our largest community at 300 fami-
ferent places all over America, and in our days the dedi- lies. St. Michael in Walnut Creek, CA was founded in
cation and perseverance of missionaries who work with 1974 and has grown. The church in Las Vegas was dedi-
what they find is still planting the Orthodox faith. Espe- cated in 1995, the same year as St. John of Damascus in
cially in the Diocese of the West in the past several years, Poway, CA which also began as an English language mission.
the dedication of missionaries and the response of people
to God’s word which they bring has founded many mis- Mission work in the diocese was organized under Met-
sions and revived others. More and more of the faithful ropolitan Vladimir, who was bishop of San Francisco and
are involved in this work all the time. Berkeley,1972-1975. In 1986 a Mission Board was
formed to aid the development of missions. It supported
Just this year a new mission community formed in Bozeman the work of Fr. Alexander Golitsyn, who in the 80’s served
Montana. Families who made the 2-hour drive to St. the Diocese as a “circuit rider.” With his station wagon
Nicholas in Billings, MT formed a nucleus, and now there packed with a folding iconostasis, he tirelessly criss-
are 20 people in the Bozeman community worshipping crossed the remote and not so remote parts of the Dio-
with Fr. Eric Tosi . In Merced, Fr. David Thatcher has cese bringing to fledgling communities the sacraments

2

and services. This tradition survives. Fr. David Fox, starting
a mission in Ashland, OR still carries the entire church in the
back of his car, until the mission can find a permanent home.
Fr. Jonah (Paffhausen) recently was a circuit priest for sev-
eral years, serving missions from Sonora to Chico to Eu-
reka. No one can keep this exhausting pace for long. Now
that Fr. Jonah is acting head of the monastery at St. Eugene’s
in Inverness, CA the position is open once again.
Bible Study in Fremont With Fr. Leo Arrowsmith
Given the vast area of the Diocese of the West, local deans
must play an important part in the life of the Diocese. In
1994 Bishop TIKHON formed the Mission Deanery, to
fosters and oversee communities in the mission field and is
now the largest of the deaneries. Fr. Ian MacKinnon is the
dean. Fr. Ian served in the mission in Santa Maria, CA and
is now at Exaltation of the Holy Cross Mission in Sacra-
mento, CA. In 1995 there were 11 missions in deanery.
Since that time, there have been added 10 new missions,
and four missions have ‘graduated’ in status and become
members of the local deaneries. The total of missions now
is 17. In November of 1995, Bishop TIKHON called to-
gether a Mission Board to help Fr. Ian in planning and ad-
ministration for the missions. The 10 member board of clergy
and laity brings together years of experience in mission work.
The Orthodox Church in America’s Mission Unit has been
generous in helping missions in the Diocese. St. Innocent in
Fremont, CA and St. Nicholas in Billings, MT received mis-
sion planting grants. These grants are designed to pay part
of the salary for a priest during the critical time in a mission’s
life when a full time priest can take it to a whole new level.
For both of these missions, the grants were essential in weath-
ering the hardships of losing their pastors and finding a new
one. Both parishes are now financially stable, led by effec-
tive pastors and growing well. The Orthodox Christian Mis-
sion Center, a pan-Orthodox agency supporting foreign mis-
3
The Orthodox Vision
sions, and on which Archimandrite Nikolai serves, has be-
gun to take an interest in domestic missions.
The Mission Deanery sponsors an annual retreat, which pre-
sents speakers on the Church and the spiritual life, and gives
participants a chance to talk about and learn about life in the
missions. Past speakers have been Bishop BASIL
(Rodzianko), Fr. Daniel Sichiu on ministry to the sick, Fr.
John Chakas on the spiritual life, Fr. Stephen Meholick on
liturgical life, author Collette Janopolos on converting from
Mormonism. These retreats have been so enthusiastically
received that the deanery wants to invite members of all dean-
eries. The next annual retreat will be in Burlingame, CA (20
minutes south of San Francisco) and will feature Fr. Thomas
Hopko as the speaker.
The Mission Deanery has been a host deanery for whole
parishes joining the Diocese, such as Holy Apostles in Port-
land and Annunciation in Milwaukie, OR. These two par-
ishes, and Annunciation Mission in Santa Maria, CA and St
George in Hesperia, CA, this year graduated from the Mis-
sion Deanery and joined the local deaneries. Fr. Lawrence
Russell from Annunciation in Santa Maria and Fr. Matthew
Tate from Annunciation in Milwaukie have generously agreed
to continue to serve on the Mission Board. Fr Lawrence
has been a leader in the Mission Board’s mentoring program.
Hesperia was the last of three missions founded by
Fr. John Schreiber of blessed memory. Fr. John la-
bored tirelessly for missions in this and other Dioceses,
and is greatly missed. The Mission Deanery has also
provided support for Sts. Peter and Paul in
Phoenix,where Archimandrite Gabriel (Cooke) serves.
In return, one of the parish leaders serves on the Mis-
sion Board. Fr. Rodion Pfieffer is the chaplin at the
Whole Life Foun-
dation in Phoenix,
a halfway house.
Between Phoenix
and Las Vegas lies
Lake Havasu,
AZ, a mission that
now is finishing its
building program.
The new missions in
Sonora is served
by Fr. Tom Renfree
See Missions on p. 11
Fr. Lawrence Russell in Santa Maria
The Orthodox Vision

MANY THANKS TO O.S.W. MEMBERS!

It is with heartfelt gratitude that we recognize the following individuals and parishes for their kind and generous
support of the Diocese of the West. All those here listed have contributed or pledged $100 or more to assist in the
important work of the Diocese and have therefore been enrolled as members of Orthodox Stewards of the West.

Would you like to join their ranks and help those helped by the Diocese? If so, please complete the form below and return
it to the Office of the Chancellor as soon as possible. Your charity makes a difference. It enables our Church to expand
and enrich its ministry throughout the western United States and to properly care for those in need. God bless you and all
our stewards for responding to this most important call with faith and with love!

St. Anne’s Orthodox Church Agnes Rentz VREV Gregory Szyrynski M/M Oscar Abdoulah
M/M Jospeh Kurowski M/M Mark Linnehan REV Gregory Safchuk K. Sakovich
VREV Kirill Hartman Irene Koulichkov Marold Homyak Los Angeles Orthodox Club
M/M Eugene Nowik Maha Adranly Jospeh Vranesh Lois Herring
M/M Robert Bliss Sisterhood HVM Cathedral Thomas Borer M/M Mike Kaymonacky
Natalie Vasilev M/M Victor Gromadski M/M Nicholas Popsuy Mary Caetta
St. Andrew’s Orthodox Church M/M Kevin Dorning M/M Constantine Chekene M/M Jamie Campbell
M/M Leon Snyder M/M Joseph Eurich Vera Wasacz Madeleine de Somov
Alexia Popov M/M Dennis Seitz D. Sekella M/M Anthony Dyl
St. Barabara Monastery M/M Nicholas Work M/M Alexander Teshin DN Paul Erickson
James Evangeline Holy Apostles Mission M/M Peter Radjenovich REV David Brum
M/M Paul Kopcha M/M Thomas Kvamme Carmine Donaruma DN David Fabula
Marina Beld Joanna Fortnoy Genvieve Essa M/M Leo Gregory
Alexander Kharitonoff George Ksenick M/M Joseph Duncan Edith Kaplan
St. Herman Orthodox Church Draginja Surbatovich Svetlana Thompson Carolyn Kimberly
M/M Jospeh Merculieff VREV Boris Symeonoff M/M Robert Hughes VREV Ian MacKinnon
M/M David Hooper M/M Hennok Soot M/M Peter Schwalbenburg M/M Johann Morse
George Artemoff M/M Erik Worth REV Daniel Jones Barbara Owens
M/M Richard Jaeger REV John Anderson VREV Eugene Tarris Ivan Pouschine
St. Paul Orthodox Church Theodore Lapp Julia Azrael ARCH Nikolai (Soraich)
Lillian Hasko Kay Buchanan M/M Blair Body REV Paul Waisanen
Nina Hartwell Our Lady of Kazan Skete Sarah Oftedal Nadine Wood
Bill Macrides Helen Kulina M/M Alex Prescop Daniel Sekella
M/M Carl Sechrist Nikola Maslov REV Eric G. Tosi

O.S.W. MEMBERSHIP FORM

Please enroll me/us in Orthodox Stewards of the West as one of the following:
[ ] Sustaining Member ($100 per year) [ ] Standard Bearer ($500 per year) [ ] Torch Bearer ($1,000 per year)
[ ] Lifetime Member ( $10,000 one-time gift or $25,000 bequest by will or trust)

Contribution Plan (Please select one.)

[ ] The full amount of my pledge is enclosed.
[ ] I will be sending in the full amount of my pledge by ____/____, 1998.
[ ] I will be making monthly installments beginning ____/____, 1998.
[ ] I will be making quarterly installments beginning ____/____, 1998.

Please make checks payable to the “Diocese of the West” and mail to: The Office of the Chancellor, Diocese of the West c/o St. Paul
Orthodox Church, 5400 Annie Oakley, Las Vegas, NV 89120. THANK YOU!

4
 The Orthodox Vision

Fire Breaks Out at Holy Trinity Cathedral

By Priest Eric G. Tosi
“While Barbara took the little children outside I tried to
do something about the fire, but when I kicked open the
door to the room, the smoke and heat were too horrible.
I joined my son who was trying to save the sacred items
from the main altar (he
managed to evacuate
an amazing number of
holy things)...before
the main church was
filled with smoke... We
Fire Trucks at Holy Trinity expected the whole
The celebration of the Great and Holy Pascha was tem- church and the at-
pered at Holy Trinity Cathedral in San Francisco when a tached rectory to be
fire broke out that morning. It is reported that the fire gone. I didn’t believe
started around 6:00 AM following the Paschal evening the fire could be con-
service. A member of the parish was cleaning the kitchen tained and stopped.”
and bringing items to his car when he noticed flames
shooting out of the basement window. He awoke Fr.
Viktor and his family who called the fire department. See Fire on p. 12 Smoke pours out of Bell Tower

Diocesan Council Holds Spring Meeting

by Erik K. Worth
The Diocesan Council met on Monday May 11th, 1998 at pairs and the continued maintenance of the OCA facilities.
She reported that the next All-American Council meeting is
the Diocesan Office in San Francisco for one of its regular
scheduled for July 1999 in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. She
quarterly meetings to conduct Diocesan business. His Grace,
Bishop TIKHON presided at the meeting. Bishop TIKHON also indicated that the OCA administration is trying to deal
reflected that there are several problems being addressed with a decline in the reported membership of our parishes.
right now, and that having problems is a sign that we are It is felt that this decline is merely a “paper” decline and not
moving ahead and making progress. He thanked an actual decline in membership, however, it has had a sig-
Archimandrite Nikolai (Soraich), our Chancellor, for the nificant impact on the income of the OCA administration.
many hours spent traveling to over ten different locations in
Mrs. Teshin also related that St. Valdimir’s Seminary has
our Diocese in service the flock over the last few months.reported a lower student entry rate and the OCA is experi-
encing a clergy shortage (even though the Diocese of the
Mrs. Mary Caetta, our Diocesan Treasurer, reported that West is not experiencing this shortage). Fr. Joseph reported
the diocese is financially doing very well right now. She that a study is under way to see how the OCA can increase
indicated that in past years the Diocese has had a diffi- enrollment in the clergy life insurance program. The pro-
cult time meeting its appeal income objectives, however vider needs a higher participation level to make sure the
due to an increased focus on stewardship this year, we plan is secure for the future. Fr. Joseph also reported
have already achieved our 1998 objectives. that the clergy pension plan is healthy.

Mrs. Natalie Teshin and Archpriest Joseph Hirsch re- Archpriest Ian MacKinnon indicated in his report on the
ported on the activities of the Metropolitan Council. Mrs. Las Vegas Mission Deanery that four parishes have trans-
Teshin reported that work is needed on the Chancery ferred into their geographical deanery: Annunciation in
buildings and that a study was initiated to plan for re- See Council on p. 12

5
The Orthodox Vision

Diocesan Financial Report

by Mary Caetta, Diocesan Treasurer
I welcome this opportunity to present to you one of the four compensated for by additional income. Currently we still
monthly reports submitted to the Diocesan Council. This re- expect an additional $3,000 in stewardship pledges to be forth-
port is called the Year to Date Performance Against Budget. coming.
You will see in the first column the operating income and ex-
pense categories. In the second column, you will see the amount Because of income from the Long Beach Parish mortgage,
we have received or spent in these categories from January 1, we were able to make a lump sum payment to the Mission
1998 through May 28, 1998. The next column lists the bud- Board. We are making headway in repaying the funds bor-
geted amounts that were approved at the last Diocesan As- rowed from the Mission Board to pay for the Patriarchal visit
sembly. The last column shows how much of the budgeted a few years ago.
amount we have received or spent.
The bottom line is that income to date of $171,498.88 versus
The good news is that we have received more from steward- expenses of $154,295.27. I wish to thank those parishes who
ship than was budgeted! It was a great relief to have that promptly sent in their 1997 annual report and membership
added income, since we were running very low at the begin- numbers. This year I even received some via electronic mail!
ning of the year. The added appeal expenses were more than What progress we have made in the last five years.
YTD Performance Against the Budget as of May 28, 1998
Jan-Dec ‘98 Budget % of Budget
Ordinary Income/Expenses
Income
Appeals 16,434.37 15,210.74 108.0%
Chancellor Salary Support 12,500.00 30,000.00 41.7%
DPA 70,662.52 154,000.00 45.9%
HVM Stipend Payments 2,500.00 6,000.00 41.7%
Interest 111.60 130.00 85.8%
Long Beach Parish 10,000.00
Pass Through Income 59,194.39
Saints of America Sales 96.00
Total Income 171,498.88 205,340.74 83.5%
Expenses
Appeal Expenses 1,679.00 1,000.00 167.9%
Bookkeeping 1,250.00 3,000.00 41.7%
Charities 0.00 1,000.00 0.0%
Deaneries 2,500.00 7,200.00 34.7%
Department of Communications 217.41 3,204.00 6.8%
Diocesan Outreach to Refugees 0.00 1,000.00 0.0%
DOW Bishops’ Cemetery Maintenance 0.00 300.00 0.0%
Employee Benefits 4,386.76 11,939.64 36.7%
Gifts 350.00
History & Archives 0.00 100.00 0.0%
Insurance 2,063.00 2,000.00 103.2%
Late Vocations Program Support 0.00 1,000.00 0.0%
Mission Board Repayment 5,940.00 2,256.00 263.3%
Missions 8,335.00 20,000.00 41.7%
Music Department 0.00 1,000.00 0.0%
OCA Liturgical Donation 200.00 200.00 100.0%
Office Supplies and Expenses 369.75 2,800.00 13.2%
Pass Through Expenses 62,190.20
Patriarch Athenogoras Institute 0.00 1,000.00 0.0%
Payroll Expenses 42,510.80 102,025.84 41.7%
Payroll Taxes 1,836.18 4,223.26 43.5%
Personal Assistance Program 0.00 2,000.00 0.0%
Postage 447.24 1,000.00 44.7%
Property Taxes 251.32 500.00 50.3%
Saints of America Booklets 2,991.15
Secretarial Stipend 5,000.00 12,000.00 41.7%
Telephone 1,284.18 3,592.00 35.8%
Travel 8,481.28 16,250.00 52.2%
Unbudgeted Expenses 1,512.00
Workmans Comp. 0.00 750.00 0.0%
Youth 500.00 4,000.00 12.5%
Total Expenses 154,295.27 205,340.74 75.1%
Net Ordinary Income 17,203.61 0.00 100.0%
Net Income 17,203.61 0.00 100.0%

6
 The Orthodox Vision

Diocese Holds Clergy Wives Retreat in Las Vegas

By Matuska Elizabeth Lien
Fourteen clergy wives from throughout the Diocese of Fr. Lawrence’s presentation, “Women and the Salvation
the West gathered in Las Vegas, May 1 through 3, for of the World,” focused upon the role of women through
their first annual retreat. Held the example of the Theotokos.
within the context of the Pas- Her role as protectress was
chal season, the retreat provided highlighted through inspiring
the assembled presenters and readings from various sources.
women an opportunity to be- Mother Cassiana further devel-
come acquainted and to con- oped this theme in her subse-
template their roles in the quent talks. She urged retreat
Church. Archpriest Ian participants to pray the
MacKinnon and Matushka Joan Paraklesis (a canon to the
Rhodes directed the event. It Theotokos) at least weekly.
was clear to all participants that
it was an inspiring event. St. Paul the Apostle Orthodox
Clergy Wives Gather in Las Vegas Church in Las Vegas was
Introductory remarks were made by Fr. Ian concerning gracious host to the clergy wives. Following Great
the role of the Matushka in parish life and his observa- Vespers, Archimandrite Nikolai (Soraich) hosted a dinner
tions from visiting parishes throughout the mission field. for the retreat participants. Sunday Liturgy was observed at
Presentations to the assembled wives were made by St. Paul’s after which the women of the parish hosted a
Mother Cassiana of the Protection of the Holy Virgin brunch. An informal gathering concluded the retreat at the
Orthodox Monastery in Lake George, Colorado and home of Deacon Paul and Julia Erickson.
Priest Lawrence Russell of Annunciation parish in Santa
Maria, California. Many of the participants commented on the spiritual lift
received as the most outstanding feature of the retreat.
Mother Cassiana provided an inspiring view of the role It provided the clergy wives with an opportunity to come
of the Matushka. Using the example of the Theotokos, together to learn to support one another and to share
she highlighted those unique attributes of women in the resources, insights and experiences in our calling to serve
spiritual life. Noting that the life of the Matushka is one God. It was clear that though there are many differences
of service to God, she provided some suggestions for in our parishes, we all face similar challenges. The in-
deepening our understanding of our role as a support to sights shared by the seasoned clergy wives were invalu-
our husband’s priesthood. She urged the Matushki to able for those less experienced. One participant summa-
find ten minutes each day for quiet reflection and prayer. rized the retreat as a “fantastic blessing!” A committee
Her presentation was concluded with a discussion of those was formed to plan the next retreat and it is hoped that
aspects of the spiritual life that maintain growth in Christ. more clergy wives will attend next year.
Gene was the youngest of six children born to The Very
Tarzana Mourns Loss Reverend Theodore and Mary Geeza. Among his four
of Choir Director surviving siblings is His Grace Bishop BORIS (Geeza),
By Nina Kirsanoff retired Bishop of Chicago, now residing in Southern
California. He served as a choir director at St. Innocent
It is with deep regret that we for many years. He was adamant about singing in En-
of St. Innocent Orthodox glish as the Orthodox Church became more fluent. He
Church announces the passing retired as choir director for the third time in 1994, and
of our beloved parishioner, despite his failing eyesight, was looking forward to the
Subdeacon Eugene S. Geeza possibility of directing again.
on May 3, 1998. May His Memory Be Eternal!

7
The Orthodox Vision

St. Nicholas Church in Portland Consecrated

by Jan Bear

The rite of consecration involved the reception of the saint’s

relics into the church, completion of the building of the altar,
the washing and vesting of the altar and the chrismation of
the walls of the church itself. Immediately following the con-
secration there was a hierachical Divine Liturgy as a fullfillment
of the consecration.

Parishioners did most of the handicrafts in preparation

for the event. The altar and iconostasis were built by
wood craftsman Lee Frazier. The altar is made from
alder, a tree that commonly grows along the stream beds
St. Nicholas Celebrates the New Church in the Northwest. Irene Humphrey sewed the vestments
Parishioners and friends from around the country gath- for the altar. Heather McKean, a nationally known ico-
ered here on June 13 for the consecration of the new St. nographer who has become a member of the parish
Nicholas Church. His Beatitude Metropolitan through her long works on the frescoes of the church,
THEODOSIUS celebrated the Liturgy of consecration has written the Communion of the Apostles, the
in a packed church on Sunday morning, along with 17 Theotokos for the sanctuary and Christ Pantocrator which
priests, 6 deacons, 4 subdeacons and a gaggle of altar will be placed in the central dome of the nave. She will
servers. Priest George Gray is the rector of the 150 also paint the icons for thr iconostasis and the walls.
member parish. Archimandrite Nikolai (Soriach) Chan-
cellor of the Diocese represented His Grace Bishop St. Nicholas parish originated in 1895 when
TIKHON who was prevented from attending due to Archimandrite Sebastion Dabovich, the first Orthodox
medical problems. He sent His archpastoral blessings. priest born in the contentantal United States passed
through on a mission trip from San Francisco to Seattle.
Protopresbyter Robert Kondratick, Chancellor of the He celebrated the Liturgy for 12 Serbs, Aleuts, Arabs
Orthodox Church in America and Priest John Pierce, Dean and Russians. Parishioners later built a small church in
of the Northwest Deanery were among the honored what is now southeast Portland. In the 1920s they bought
guests of local and visiting clergy. Members of the Port- a church in northeast Portland and placed a cupola on
land area Orthodox parishes joined in the celebration as the steeple. This church is now a landmark in that part
well as delegations from Wikeson, Tacoma and Seattle. of town. In 1979, the parish bought land in southwest
Portland and prepared to build a new church. The parish
The $400,000 church which was completed in 1996 was celebrated its first Pascha in the new building in 1996.
designed by Archpriest Alexis Vinogradov of Wappingers
Falls, N.Y. Built to be faithful to traditional Orthodox
architecture and to fit with the design ethos of the Pa-
cific Northwest, it is the first Orthodox church in the
Portland metropolitan area designed and built with spe-
cifically Orthodox architecture. The new church received
an award of excellence from the Portland chapter of the
American Institute of Architects.

The consecration celebration began with Vespers on Fri-

day after which His Beatitude toured with groups of
people throughout the church explaining the symbolism
of the consecration rite that would take place. His Beatitude Consecrates the Altar of St. Nicholas

8

St. Innocent Missionary
Society Formed
by Priest Lawrence Russell
The Diocese of the West has a new society, one which
focuses on missions and missionary labors. The creation
of the St. Innocent Mission Society is the latest in a se-
ries of Diocesan decisions to provide greater focus on
Diocesan missions and missionary labors. The society
invokes as its patron the sainted 19th century Russian
missionary to America, Innocent— whose fiery, apos-
tolic love and zeal led him to organize a similar society in
Russia to respond to growing missionary opportunities.
We will come back to the Society later on. Let us first
briefly address some particulars about our growth and
opportunities. There is no doubt that both our Diocese
and our missionary possibilities are growing. Consider
the following. In just eight years, thanks be to God, the
number of missions has grown from nine to twenty one,
with an overall increase in the number of parishes and
institutions in the Diocese of the West of over 25%. This
growth happens to correspond with the fact that during
the last fifteen years the population of the ten states in
our Diocese has grown, on average, by about 20%.
When, however, we consider that the 20% increase means
one in five Americans, roughly 50,000,000 souls, now
live in our Diocese, we begin to realize the magnitude of
our missionary task and responsibility: The harvest truly
is plenteous (Matt.9:37).
We are now in a historically unique position to gather
the fruits of over two hundred years of apostolic work in
our land. Virtually all objective, preparatory criteria of
St. Innocent’s program for bringing Orthodoxy to conti-
nental America have been or are now being fulfilled (see
Alaskan Missionary Spirituality, pg. 251-2). Especially
notable is the fact that the Service books (not to mention
the writings and lives of the Saints) are now available in
their entirety in the English language. While pondering
this spiritually fruitful and arduous accomplishment, the
words of another missionary saint came to mind: Na-
ked, indeed, are all nations without their own books.
Who, being without arms, cannot fight the adversary of
our souls and are ripe for the dungeon of eternal tor-
ments (“Prologue to the Gospels,” by St. Cyril, Apostle
to the Slavs).
9
The Orthodox Vision
Now, back to the Society. The charter of the Society is the
same as that of its Russian predecessor: namely, prayer,
united effort and financial support, in that order. A contem-
porary Orthodox theologian has observed that preaching
Christ is not a “Christian commercial,” it implies love for
those to whom the message is directed, and love means
self-giving, not simply giving something (Witness to the
World, pg.188). With the help of God, the St. Innocent
Mission Society hopes to provide a greater means for self-
giving. We hope to bring together greater participation in
the work of intercessory prayer, a more focused and united
usage of our God-given talents and increased financial re-
sources with which to work. Based on the generous re-
sponse at our inaugural membership drive (held at a recent
Mission Deanery retreat), it appears that many in our Dio-
cese are looking for just such a vehicle for missionary work.
Beginning this Fall, members of the Diocesan Mission
Board will be traveling parish to parish with a slide pre-
sentation on the work of the Society. The presentation
will provide you with information about membership,
plans for the advancement of the Society’s work, and
how membership revenues will be expended. We hope
you will join us in this God-given task. For those of you
who would like to join, please fill out the enclosed card.
I would like to join the St. Innocent Missionary
Society and support the works of the Diocese
in the missionary field.
Levels of Support
qCharter Member..................................$2,500
qSustaining Member...................$500 per year
qSupporting Member..................$250 per year
qStudent Member.........................$50 per year
Name:____________________________
Address:__________________________
City:___________State:_____Zip:______
Phone:___________________________
Mail to:
St. Innocent Mission Society
P.O. Box 5032
Santa Maria, CA 93454
(805)928-7386
The Orthodox Vision

What Do the Color Changes Mean Today, most parishes use White for Holy Pascha and the
Pentecost season. Red is normally used for the Holy
In The Church? Apostles and other Martyrs. Light blue is often used for
By Archpriest Joseph Hirsch feasts of the Holy Theotokos, Green for the Feast of
This will seem like a strange way to begin an answer, but, Pentecost and Sundays following and Dark Blue, Violet,
when my son began Karate lessons, I discovered that there Purple or Black for the Lenten Season. Additionally, Gold
were a number of ranks in the ancient sport, each of which or Red are sometimes used for Autumnal weeks after
was accompanied by its own peculiarly colored belt. The Pentecost while many Greek Churches follow the Ro-
first belt he received was white and these were followed, in man practice of wearing Violet for the pre-Christmas fast
turn, by yellow, green, blue, purple, brown and black. My and some traditions use Red for the Sunday of the Holy
son explained that, while the colors might vary from sport to Cross in Lent and Green for the Sunday of Palms. Bright
sport, they derived from the changes in appearance of a Red or Red and White are also not uncommon usage for
new “white” belt as it is worn over many years. Pascha.

The connection with your question is this: the original
church vestments worn by clergy were all white. The
undergarment or STICHARION was and is, simply, “The
Robe of Light” or baptismal robe. Over this, were worn
the ordinary street clothes of the first through third cen-
tury lower social classes. The FELONIAN or PLANETA
was a form of “poncho” worn over the head. The
DALMATIC or Deacon’s Sticharion (Named for the
wool of the province of Dalmatia from which it was
woven) was a form of TUNIC or large outer shirt, etc.
We know that special clean clothes of these kinds were
kept at the place of worship, so that the Bishop, Presby-
ters, Deacons and other ministers could be fastidiously
dressed. In time, it seems, these garments would age and
discolor so natural dyes seem to have been used to ren-
der the old gray vestments more seemly. It must be re-
membered that, for most of Church history, most par-
ishes could only afford two or three sets of vestments so,
few if any parishes had all of the possible colors.
The Orthodox service books direct that the brightest
vestments, usually white, should be worn for the highest
festive days and second best sets for lesser feasts. It is
sometimes directed that a dark vestment (dark red, blue,
purple, violet or even brown) should be worn. I under-
stand that black did not enter as a liturgical “Color” until
the reign of Tsar Peter when it may have been imported
from the Roman Catholic color scheme, which had only
become standardized itself after the Reformation. As ar-
tificial dyes made more brilliant colors possible, it was
probably natural that meaning would be attached to the
various colors and that Altar and Analoi covers would
also be made in matched sets.
In any case, the colors are intended to be evocative of
the theme or mood of the feast or season. White is light,
Green is life, Red is blood, Violet is mourning, etc. When
we enter the Temple and see a change in color, it should
be one more lure to draw our attention Godward. I might
add the note that every Sunday is a “Little Pascha” and
that White or at least Bright Vestments are always ap-
propriate on Sundays. It is also good to recall that White
is the original color of all vestments. My son reminded
me that the oldest and most venerable teachers of Karate
wear simple white belts. We should also aspire so to pass
through all of the ordeals and trials of this earthly struggle,
that, at the end, our garments (Our spiritual robes) may
be “White with wear”.
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10
 The Orthodox Vision

Missions [cont. from p. 3] Hesperia Recieves Six Into Church

by Priest Michael Spainhoward
an assistant at Holy Cross in Sacramento. Chico now is
served by Fr. Michael Rome. Eureka joined the OCA as
a parish, and Fr. Jonah works with Deacon David Bower
to shepherd the parish. Arcing up from Sonora and Chico
through Eureka brings us to St. Anne’s in Albany OR,
which has been growing solidly for a long time under the
steady care of Fr. Stephen Soot, and to our newest mis-
sion station in Longview, WA. Winner in the ‘farthest
from any other’ category is Salt Lake City, where Or-
thodox roots go back a surprisingly long way, to Serbian
immigrants in the 1860s. The Salt Lake community is
growing, and is looking for a priest. Fr. Michael with the Newly Received Servants of God

The diversity and vitality of our mission communities can
come as somewhat of a surprise to many in the Diocese.
In February of 1998, the Mission Board received Bishop
TIKHON’s blessing to found the St. Innocent Mission
Society, which helps our people get more involved in the
work of the missions. Missions mean growing the Dio-
cese and everyone has a stake in this labor and its suc-
cesses. The society aims to keep people aware of what
is happening in the missions so that they can understand,
appreciate and support the work being done. The most
important way to support this work, as St. Innocent him-
self said in founding the prototype mission society in Russia
130 years ago, is to pray for the success of the missions.
It is hard and often enough discouraging work—Our Lord
himself had surprisingly little success (as St. Innocent
points out)—but it is the work the Church is sent to do.
For the new rector, Fr. Michael Spainhoward and the faith-
ful of St. George the Great Martyr Church in Hesparia, CA,
Palm Sunday this year was quite special. This small mission
in the high desert of California celebrated not only the Feast
of the Entrance of our Lord into Jerusalem, but also the en-
trance of six people into the Church through the Holy Mys-
teries of Baptism and Chrismation.
Basil and Debra Thomas along with their two daughters
Ann and Bethany first came to St. George out of their
desire to offer to God their family’s love and happiness.
They wanted to honor the faith of Debra’s parents who
are Orthodox. Innocent and Irene Campbell, who drive
nearly an hour to attend Church, came to Orthodoxy from
a Protestant Evangelical background. They were seek-
ing, as so many have, the faith of the Fathers.

If you would like to know more about the missions,
or the St. Innocent Society, please drop a line to St.
Innocent Mission Society at P.O. Box 5032, Santa
Maria, CA 93454, or call Fr. Lawrence at (805) 928
7386. You can also email Fr. Lawrence at
sped@www.sbceo.k12.ca.us, or Peter Schwalbenberg
at lershov@wco.com. Please do keep the missions
in your prayers daily.
The procession around the baptismal font was a won-
derful experience with the priest, the newly illuminated,
and their sponsors forming a complete circle. The words
of the hymn, “As many as have been baptized into Christ
have put on Christ. Alleluia.” took on a new meaning
for the faithful who witnessed, with many tears in their
eyes, this singular event in the life of a mission. May
God Grant Them Many Years!

The 1998 Annual Diocesan Assembly and Retr eat

Retreat
will be held on TTuesday
uesday
uesday,, September 22 to Friday
Friday,, September 25
at the Menucha Retr eat and Confer
Retreat ence Center outside of Por
Conference tland, Or
Portland, egon
Oregon
Contact the Chancellor
Chancellor’’s Of fice at (702) 898-4800 for details.
Office

11
The Orthodox Vision

Fire [cont. from p. 5] Council [cont. from p. 5]

By 7:15 AM the fire department had managed to put the Santa Maria, CA; St. George in Hesperia, CA; Annun-
fire out. In the process they had to break all the doors ciation in Milwaukie, OR; and Holy Apostles in Port-
and many of the original 1909 stain glass windows. Ap- land, OR. He stated that it is the natural progression for
parently they came just in time as the old all-wooden a mission parish in the Missions Deanery to develop to
structure was ready to be engulfed in flames. Specialists the point where it joins its sister parishes in the geographi-
cal deanery where it resides. Fr. Ian reported that Mis-
have testified that literally 2 minutes later the flames would
have covered the remaining structure. If that had happened, sion Deanery held a successful Deanery Retreat in Boul-
the entire block would have been in jeopardy not just the der City, NV with over forty-five clergy and faithful in
church. attendance. In addition, Fr. Ian related the success of
their first Clergy Wives Retreat held in Boulder City, NV
Details of the fire are still sketchy. It apparently started on May 1-3 with fifteen clergy wives in attendance.
in a small room adjacent to the altar. The room had been
used as a chapel many years ago but was recently con- Archpriest Michael Regan highlighted two areas of con-
verted to a meeting room and storage of liturgical items. cern in his report on the Pacific Central Deanery: (1) the
Many of the church’s older and special items were stored Fire at Holy Trinity Cathedral in San Francisco, and (2)
there. Sources confirm that there were neither flammable the status of the members of the SS. Peter and Paul
items nor electrical cords in the area that could have Antiochian parish (about 350 people) attending at St.
started the fire. There is some concern by the authorities Nicholas Orthodox Church in Saratoga, CA.
that the fire may have been arson and some one was seen
walking away from the church just before the fire was Fr. Michael reported that the situation at Ben Lomand is
noticed. Authorities have called in specialists to investi- delicate and stressful. His Grace Bishop TIKHON in-
gate. formed the council on measures taken to address this
situation and indicated that it was being resolved at the
Initial estimates put the damage at $200,000, however highest levels in the OCA and Antiochian Church admin-
considering all repair work for the building close to istrations. Fr. Gregory Safchuk indicated in his report on
$500,000 may be needed to spent. The cathedral did the Pacific Southwest Deanery that the two parishes
have adequate insurance which may cover a large por- brought into the deanery have become a catalyst instill-
tion of those repairs. In conjunction with this tragedy, ing new energy into the deanery.
there was a benefit dinner on June 14 at St. Nicholas
Antiochian Orthodox Church in San Francisco to raise Fr. John Pierce indicated in his report on the Pacific North-
money for the repairs. west Deanery that they are experiencing growth in the
Northwest. The two additional parishes in Oregon (An-
Fr. Viktor states thankfully, “But God was merciful to nunciation in Milwaukee and Holy Apostles in Portland)
us, and the cathedral survived. We lost the space under have increased the deanery from three to five parishes.
it. Everything is covered with blackness. Our bookstore All of the parishes are either renovating, building or land-
is gone and all items in our gift store are useless…But scaping. In addition, the deanery parishes are support-
we are all alive, as is our beloved cathedral…the next ing a few young missions.
day we sang the Paschal Vespers and the church was as
full as it is usually on Sundays. With tears we praised the Archpriest Joseph Hirch indicated in his report on the
Resurrection and salvation.” Rocky Mountain Deanery that the deanery is a healthy
area within the diocese. The deanery has a good sum-
mer camp, holds a series of youth and adult retreats and
If you are interested in helping Holy activities, and other activities throughout the year. His
Trinity Cathedral with repairs, please Grace Bishop TIKHON encouraged the Diocesan Coun-
contact Priest Viktor Sokolov at cil members to promote the July 4th celebration at Fort
(415)673-8565 Ross. The next Diocesan Council meeting is scheduled
for August 21st at the Diocesan facility in San Francisco.

12

Exhortation to a New Priest by His Grace TIKHON, Bishop of the Aleutian Islands and Nor
Exhortation
Saint and Patriarch of All Russia) at Holy TTrinity
Patriarch rinity Cathedral in San Francisco on April 9, 1900.
I greet you, beloved brother, on receiving the grace of the priest-
hood. When our souls come in contact with Divine Grace, our usual
hardness is softened, as wax before a flame. Since, I believe, your
soul is also experiencing the same at this sacred and unique moment
in your life, I shall take advantage of this opportunity to exhort you
concerning your new ministry.
....Your flock is composed of Arabs, Greeks and Slavs. For many
years they managed without a priest. Having come here in search of
a living, of their daily bread, perhaps they ponder little over the
Bread of Heaven, the one thing needful (Lk.
10:42). Because of this their hearts have in-
evitably become hardened. And when they
were given spiritual comfort in the person of a
priest, their hearts were perhaps not sufficiently
touched by the sacred flame and did not burn
with love for the Divine. They know that Di-
vine Wisdom has built itself a house amongst
them, too, and sacrificed itself and prepared a
feast, but we must call them by the way and at
the gates and from the tops of the high places
(Prov. 8:2-3); call them to forsake the foolish
(Prov. 9:6) and to prefer the knowledge of the
divine to pure gold (Prov. 8:19). Well, shall we
be burdened by this? After all, we are but ser-
vants of Wisdom which sends us out for this
purpose. For this It is sending you now. There-
fore, preach not only to those who thirst, but
try to find those who are not seeking you, re-
veal yourself to those who do not ask for it,
and stretch your arms to the rebellious and dis-
obedient (Is. 65:1-2). Others have compassed sea and land to make
one proselyte (Mt. 23:15). Hurry to help, and try to persuade all
those who are cold towards their Mother, the Holy Orthodox Church.
What I have said so far refers to your future external work. But do
not think that you can limit yourself to this. The external may be
sufficient in other vocations, but never in the priesthood, although
there are some pastors who devote themselves wholly to external
works. Beloved brother, did you ever take note of the Saviour’s
words: Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not
prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils?
and...done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto
them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity (Matt.
7:22-23). Is it possible to be a pastor, preach Christ, work wonders
in his Name, and yet not be recognized by the Lord? Yes, it is! Fear
this, lest it be your lot! Remember that the success of ministry de-
pends not so much upon external works as upon spiritual exploits
and the life of grace of the pastor himself. A priest can be a builder
of souls and their guide to Christ only if he builds himself up spiritu-
ally and conscientiously follows the path of Christian self-perfec-
tion. Indeed, it cannot be otherwise, for such is the law of spiritual
life. It is necessary, says St. Gregory Nazianzus, first of all to purify
oneself, and only then purify others; to gain wisdom and then instill
wisdom; to become the light and then illumine. An elder experi-
enced in spiritual life once said: one cannot do more good to an-
12
The Orthodox Vision
The Orthodox Vision
th America (the futur
North futuree
other than there is in oneself. Therefore, in order to make your
ministry successful, you must above all see to your own enlighten-
ment and purification. The Most Holy Chief Shepherd, Christ Him-
self, spent forty days in the desert fasting and praying before begin-
ning His ministry to mankind. Thus, looking upon the Chief Shep-
herd, all true Christian pastors began their ministry with the act of
inner self-perfection.
Now, through the laying on of my unworthy hands, Divine grace
has descended upon you. May it not be in vain (I Cor. 15:10)!
Quench not the Spirit which you have received
(I Thess. 5:19), but kindle it in every way (II
Tim. 1:6). I shall tell you in brief some means
to this end. First of all, prayer. As our bodies
cannot live without air, so our souls cannot
live without the breath of the Almighty, with-
out Divine Grace; and grace is best drawn to
man through fervent prayer to God. St. John
Climacus, whom we commemorate today, calls
prayer the intercession for the gifts of grace.
Prayer is the food, power, and strength of the
soul; the air, the light, the life-giving warmth,
and heavenly rain which freshens and fertil-
izes our souls. In a word, without prayer there
cannot be real spiritual life, and if prayer is nec-
essary for every believer, how much more so is
it for a priest who is there to offer prayers to
God for himself and for the people (Heb. 5:3).
That is why you must pray constantly. Do not
limit yourself to public services, but in the cell
of your home, in quiet and solitude, warm and
cleanse your soul with prayer to God.
In order to kindle in yourself Divine Grace make it a practice to read
the Holy Scripture. For the Word of God is a hammer that breaks up
and softens our stony hearts; it is fire that burns out sinful impuri-
ties and warms our cold hearts (Jer. 23:29). It is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteous-
ness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished
unto all good works (II Tim. 3:16-17). Therefore study the law of
the Lord...day and night (Ps. 1:2). Make it your rule to read the
Word of God daily, and read it with reverent attention. Then what
seemed to you long ago evident, what earlier did not impress you
greatly, will acquire suddenly a new and great meaning and signifi-
cance; it will seem to you that you are hearing it for the first time;
your soul will be stirred and your heart will be filled with peace,
happiness and compunction.
There is much else I could tell you, but perhaps you are now too
weary to absorb it all. Instead, take the Hierarchical Instructions to
a Newly-Ordained Priest, and by reading it, edify and affirm yourself
in salvation! And I shall pray to the Lord to make you a good pastor,
“rightly directing the word of truth.”
Translated from Russian and first published in the Holy Trinity Cathedral LIFE,
Vol. 1, No. 8, April 1994
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In The Next Issue:

West:
....Stability in the W Historyy of the Diocese
est: A Look at the Histor

tland, Or
Portland,
....Diocesan Assembly Held in Por egan
Oregan

Anniversaryy
ransfiguration Cathedral in Denver Ceklebrates 100th Anniversar
....Holy TTransfiguration

....And Mor om Ar
From
Moree News Fr ound the Diocese
Around