A Cloud of WitnessesAugust, 2008

In giving birth, O Theotokos, thou hast retained thy virginity, and in falling asleep thou hast not forsaken the world. Thou who art the Mother of Life hast passed over into life,

and by thy prayers thou dost deliver our souls from death.

All Saints Orthodox ChurchSalina, Kansas

All Saints Orthodox Church2818 Scanlan Avenue, Salina, KS 67401

Church: 823-3735 Home: 309-0858 Cell: (785) 820-0287E-mail: allsaints95@sbcglobal.net

St. Mary Magdalene Orthodox Mission, 913 Riley Lane, Manhattan KS 66502E-mail: stmmoc@sbcglobal.net Website: www.orthodoxkansas.org

Right Rev’d. Fr. Daniel S. Griffith, pastor

(E-mail: frdaniel@sbcglobal.net)Very Rev’d. Fr. Thomas Neustrom, (823-2410)

++++++++++++The following is a description of a visit by a Roman Catholic to the famed Orthodox Monastic Republic of Mount Athos in Northern Greece. I have seldom, if ever, read quite such a rhapsodic description of the Holy Mount. Therefore I thought that it would be good to share with you. First, some background information!Mount Athos is a mountain on the peninsula of the same name in Macedonia, in northern Greece, called the “Holy Mount”. Politically it is known as the Autonomous Monastic State of the Holy Mountain. This World Heritage Site is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries (although the majority of these are Greek, there is 1 large Russian monastery, 1 Serbian, 1 Bulgarian & an important Romanian skete. In nearly all of the communities there are monks from around the world, including a number of Americans.) plus a number of smaller monastic settlements & hermitages & forms a self-governed monastic state within the sovereignty of the Hellenic Republic. Spiritually, Mount Athos comes under the direct jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The peninsula, the easternmost “leg” of the larger Chalcidike peninsula (east of

Thessaloniki), protrudes into the Aegean Sea for some 37  miles & covers an area 129.59 square  miles, with the actual Mount Athos and its steep, densely forested slopes reaching up to 6,670 feet. Though land-linked, it is accessible only by boat. The number of visitors is restricted & all are required to get a special entrance permit before entering Mount Athos. Only males are allowed entrance into Mount Athos, which is called "Garden of the Virgin" by monks, & Orthodox Christians take precedence in the permit issuance procedure. Only males over the age of 18 who are members of the Eastern Orthodox Church are allowed to live on Athos. There are religious guards, who are not monks, that assist the monks, & any other people not monks are required to live in the peninsula's capital, Karyes. The 2001 Greek national census counted a population of 2,262 inhabitants.

Pentecost on Mount AthosA voyage to the holy mountain of the Orthodox Church. First conducted & recounted in 1997. That is to say, today, because on Athos, earthly

time is one & the same as the eternal today of heaven by Sandro Magister

When you see the summit of Athos emerge through the mist of the Aegean, stop the clocks. Because things are on another schedule there. The calendar is the Julian one, 13 days behind the Latin calendar that spread throughout the rest of the world. The hours are counted not from midnight, but from sunset. And it is not under the noon-day sun but in the dark of night that Athos is most alive & pulsating, in songs, lights & mysteries. Mount Athos is a truly holy land that inspires fear of God. It's not for everyone. At least it isn’t for women, & that's already a good half of the human race. The last authorized female pilgrim set foot there 16 centuries ago. Her name was Galla Placidia, depicted in the blue & gold mosaics of a church in Ravenna that is named after her. And being the daughter of the great Theodosius, the Christian emperor of Rome & Constantinople, was of no use to her. As soon as she entered one of Athos’ monasteries, an icon of the Virgin ordered her: "Halt!" & enjoined her to leave the mountain. From then on, it was to remain untouched by woman. Since the 11th century, they say, not even female animals – cows, goats, rabbits – have dared to climb the holy mountain with impunity.

URANÚPOLISUranúpolis, heavenly city, the last Greek village before the sacred border, is a frontier land of the most particular nature. Enameled iron signs inform you up to the last minute that you will not pass easily if you are a woman dressed as a man or if they discover you without the proper permits. The holy epistassía, the monks’ government, will hand you over to a Greek tribunal, which is always severe in safeguarding the extraterritoriality of Athos & its laws as an autonomous theocracy, sanctioned in the Hellenic constitution & internationally recognized.

Perspiring monks in tunics & round hats hold back the crush of travelers looking to gain access. Many are called but few are chosen, the Gospel says. And very few entrance visas are stamped each morning, with the seal of the Virgin. Those who finally receive the parchment that authorizes a visit race to the boarding dock, for Athos is reached only by sea, on vessels that are named after saints. The landing is a small harbor halfway up the peninsula called Daphne, like Apollo’s nymph. But forget about far-off Olympus, which one catches a glimpse of on windy days. A bulbous old bus, earth-colored, even in its windows, hobbles along the road that climbs toward Karyès, the administrative center of Athos & the seat of the holy epistassìa.

KARYÈSAt Karyès there is a police station, a pair of alleys with shops that sell spelt seeds, icons, incense grains & monks' habits; there is the end of the bus line & a trattoria. There's even a public telephone that has every appearance of being the first & the last. Karyès is a strange hamlet with no inhabitants. The few that turn up are all transitory: itinerant monks, policemen, day workers, lost travelers. From there one proceeds on foot – hours of walking on dirt roads without shade, in clouds of dust as fine as cocoa powder. Or in jeeps rented from another of the odd Greek transients. Or by

hopping onto passing jeeps owned by the more modernized monasteries. But it's always with great physical punishment. Athos is for strong, ascetic tempers. From the outset it puts you through the mill. Every day of your stay will have its "via crucis" of dust, stones & cliffs: Because on your precious permit, it is written that you cannot stop for more than one night in any 1 monastery, & between one & the other there are hours of walking. Pilgrimage is obligatory.

MEGISTI LAVRABut when you do arrive exhausted in one of the 20 great monasteries – what a paradise. Megisti Lavra, the 1st in the hierarchy of the 20, welcomes you within its walls that are suspended between heaven & earth toward the point of the peninsula just beneath the holy mountain. A young monk appears & takes your permit & passport. He reappears like the angel in Revelation after about a half hour's silence in heaven, restoring you with a glass of cool water, a little glass of anise liquor, a square of fruit jelly & spiced Turkish coffee. It's the sign that you have been

admitted among the guests. You are entitled to a bed in a room for 6 within the centuries-old walls, with freshly laundered sheets & a towel. From now on you will live the life of a monk. Or rather you will do as you please. The monasteries of Athos are not like those in the West – walled citadels where every move, every word is under communal rule. On Athos there is something for everyone. There is the solitary hermit on the rock precipice, whose food they send up little by little with a basket. There are the anchorites in their huts hidden among the brooms & strawberry trees on the coast of the mountain. There are those without a permanent dwelling, always on the move & ever restless. There are the solemn colonies of communal life ruled by an abbot, here called the “igoumenos”. There are the village monasteries where each monk keeps his own pace. Megisti Lavra is one of the latter types. Within its walls there are squares, alleys, churches, arbors, fountains, mills. The cells are in blocks like in an Eastern Kasbah. The blue plaster stands out, while red is the sacred color of the churches. When the call for prayer is made, with 7-tone bells & the beating of the wooden talanton, the monks set off for the “catholikon”, the main church. But if someone wants to pray or to eat alone, nothing keeps him from remaining in his cell. It's this way even for the visitor, except that he has very few alternatives. He rushes impatient to vespers. He tries night prayer, immediately induced to collapse from sleepiness. Dimly groggy, he tries again at the morning liturgy. Or is he inebriated? There is the scent of the East, of Byzantium, at Megisti Lavra. There is the aroma of cypress & incense, the fragrance of beeswax, of relics, of ancient things mysteriously near. Because the monks of Athos don't suffer the passage of time. They tell you of their saints, of that Saint Athanasius who planted 2 cypresses at the center of the Megisti Lavra; who with Herculean strength built the catholikon; who shaped the monasticism of Athos; as if he had not died in the year 1000 but just yesterday, as if they had met him personally & not long ago. Saints, centuries, empires, earthly & heavenly cities – everything seems to oscillate & flow, no longer distant. The monastery's treasures – golden & silver boxes with sapphires & rubies that are set in the Virgin's belt, the skull of St. Basil the Great, St. John Chrysostom's right hand – are offered to visitors for veneration. The light of the sunset sets them aglow, makes them pulsate. And the frescoes of Theophanes – master of the Cretan school in the first part of the 16 th century – are also lit up, as are the blue majolica tiles on the walls, the mother-of-pearl on the iconostasis, on the lectern, on the episcopal throne. After vespers one leaves the catholikon in procession and, facing the square, enters the refectory, which is also built like a church & frescoed by the great Theophanes. The same liturgy continues. The igoumenos takes his place at the center of the apse. A monk reads stories of saints from the pulpit, almost singing.

One eats blessed food: soups & vegetables from old iron dishes – & on feastdays even amber-colored wine – on thick, roughly hewn marble tables, themselves resting on marble supports. They are a thousand years old, yet evoke prehistoric dolmens. The exit is also made in procession. A monk gives everyone a piece of blessed bread. Another incenses it so artfully that the perfume remains a long time in your mouth.

VATOPÉDIAfter Megisti Lavra, in the hierarchy of the 20 monasteries, comes Vatopédi. It stands on the sea amid rolling hills reminiscent of Tuscany. There, they say, Arcadius, Theodosius’ son, took shelter after a shipwreck. And it was from here that his sister Galla Placidia, the first woman barred from Athos, would have put out again to sea. Vatopédi is as refined as Megisti Lavra is rustic. And in certain phases of its history it was too much so: opulent & decadent. Not many years ago it was home to very corrupt monks, the dishonor of Athos. But then came the purifying lash from a bunch of rigorist monks from Cyprus, who banished the reprobates & imposed the cenobite rule. Today Vatopédi has become one of the most flourishing of the monasteries. It takes in young novices from places as far away as America, the sons of Orthodox emigrants. Vatopédi is the aristocracy of Athos. The igoumenos, Ephraim, with a copper-colored beard, blue eyes & a melodious voice, says: "Athos is unique. It's the only monastic state in the world." But if it's a heavenly city on earth, then everything there has to be sublime. Like the liturgies, which at Vatopédi truly are sublime. Especially on the important feast days: Easter, Epiphany, Pentecost. The pilgrim must triumph over sleep & not miss – for anything in the world – its marvelous nighttime offices. The church itself is highly evocative: It's in the form of a Greek cross, like all of the other churches on Athos, admirably frescoed by Macedonian masters of the 14 th century, & with an iconostasis brilliantly radiant with gold & icons. But it's the chant that gives life to everything: harmonic chant, masculine, without instruments, that flows uninterruptedly even for 7, 10 hours at a time. The greater the feast, the longer it lasts into the night, chant now robust, now whispered, like the tide that ebbs & flows.

There are 2 lead choirs: bunches of monks gathered in columns around the lectern of each transept, with the choirmaster who intones the strophe & the choir that catches the tune & makes it blossom in melodies & chords. And when the choirmaster moves from the 1st

to the 2nd choir & crosses the nave with quick steps, his minutely pleated lightweight cloak billows in the form of 2 majestic wings. He seems to fly, like the notes. And then there are the lights. There is electricity in the monastery, but not in the church. Here the only lights are fire: myriads of little flames whose lighting & extinguishing & motion is also a part of the rite. In every catholikon on Athos an immense chandelier in the form of a royal crown hangs from the central cupola & has a circumference equal to that of the cupola itself. The crown is of copper, of bronze, of shining brass; it alternates candles & icons; it carries

giant suspended eggs, which are a symbol of the Resurrection. It hangs very low, almost skimming the

floor, directly in front of the iconostasis that marks off the Holy of Holies. Other magnificent golden chandeliers hang from the transepts’ vaults. And there's the moment in solemn liturgies when all the candles are lit: those in the chandeliers & in the central corona; & then the first are made to swing widely, while the great corona is spun on its axis. The dance of lights lasts at least an hour, until little by little it dies down. The glow of the thousand little flames, the shining of the gold, the clinking of the metals, the changing of colors of the icons, the resonant wave of the choir that accompanies these rotating galaxies of stars like celestial spheres: It all makes the true essence of Athos – its glimpse into the superhuman mysteries – sparkle. What Western, Catholic liturgies today are able to initiate simple hearts into similar mysteries & to inflame them with heavenly thoughts? Joseph Ratzinger, previously as cardinal & now as pope, hits the mark when he points to the vulgarization of the liturgy as the critical point for today's Catholicism. On Athos the diagnosis is even more radical: the Western churches, in trying to humanize God, make Him disappear. “Our God is not the God of Western scholasticism," the igoumenos of the Gregorios monastery on Athos moralizes. "A God Who doesn't deify man can't have any appeal, whether He exists or not. A large part of the reasons behind the wave of atheism in the West are found in this functional, incidental Christianity.” Vassilios, igoumenos of Ivíron, another of the monasteries, echoes the sentiment: “In the West, action rules; they ask us how we can stay here for so many hours in church without doing anything. I reply: What does the embryo in the maternal womb do? Nothing, but since it is in its mother’s womb it develops & grows. So it is with the monk. He preserves the holy space in which he finds himself & he is preserved, molded by this same space. The miracle is here: We are entering into paradise, here & now. We are in the heart of the communion of saints.”

SIMONOS PETRASimonos Petra is another of the monasteries that are spearheading the Athonite renaissance. It juts out on a spur of rock between the peak of Athos & the sea, with vertiginous terraces on the precipice. Eliseos, the igoumenos, has just returned from a tour of monasteries in France. He prizes Solesmes, bastion of Gregorian chant. But he judges the Western Church as too much “the prisoner of a system”, too “institutional”. Athos, instead – he says – is the place of free spirits, of great charismatics. On Athos "logos is wed to praxis," word to deeds. "The monk has to show that the truths are reality. He has to live the Gospel in a perfect way. This is why his presence in the world is essential. Saint John Climacos wrote: "Angels are light for monks, monks are light for men." Simonos Petra spreads its teachings even beyond the confines of Athos. It gave life to a monastery for nuns – about 80 of them – in the heart of

the Chalkidiki peninsula. It established another near the border between Greece & Bulgaria. And even in France, it has opened 3 more of its monastic nuclei. It is a cultured monastery, equipped with a splendid library. In the dead of the night, its 80 monks keep vigil in their cells from 3 to 5 hours before the predawn liturgy, reading & meditating on the books by the Church Fathers. Sleepless Athos. Without time, unless it is that of the angelic spheres. Leaving it is a hard shock even for the most disenchanted visitor. One boards the ferry again at Daphne. The

rhythmic rumbling of the motors puts you back in synch with the world. The Greek girl, the first one, who

serves you coffee in Uranúpolis, meets you like an apparition. With the dazzling beauty of a Nike of Samothrace.

Beloved Sayyidna Basil & my Brothers of  DOWAMA:Greetings  from Camp St. Raphael (YABOY)!

Thank God, by your holy prayers we had a wonderful 1st session & are ready to welcome the 2nd group of campers this afternoon. The weather has been perfect & the campers & staff have had an amazing time so far.

From Christian Ed. to Sports to Divine Services, it's very easy to see the Holy Spirit's presence in everything happening here.

It has also been very nice to worship in our newly renovated St Raphael Chapel. New sheet rock, paint, ceiling & air conditioning have all enhanc-

ed the chapel. This, as you know, was done through the generosity of the faithful of our Dio-cese. If there is any way any of you can journey up to CSR this week, it would be

OUR delight to welcome you to camp.

Thank you all for the sustaining prayers you have offered and continue to offer, & for the campers & counselors your parishes have sent to us. They

are our greatest joy. Please continue to keep us in your holy prayers.

Your son & brother in Christ,Priest James  Shadid

A

Iconography workshop in Wichita Aug. 6-9A 4-day iconography training workshop will be held in Wichita, KS, Aug. 6-9, 2008. Participants will study traditional iconography

techniques under Anne Emmons & Cecilia Arguallo of the Denver Iconographers Guild. Beginning & intermediate level students are welcome – no prior painting experience necessary. Sponsored by the Wichita-area St. John of Damascus Institute, the 4-day work–shop will be held next door to Eighth Day Books, 2838 E Douglas Ave. The workshop fee of $375 covers tuition, materials & lunch. A $100 deposit is required by the registration deadline of July 23.For more information, contact Joshua Sturgill, 316-683-9446. Some accommodations are available in local parishioners’ homes for those interested.Workshop instructor Anne Emmons studied the Russian Byzantine tradition of the Prosopon School of Iconology in New York under Dimitri Andreyev & his assistants. An art instructor, she has lectured on iconography & displayed her icons in exhibitions since 2000. She & co-instructor Cecilia Arguallo work together through the Iconographers Guild of Denver & on private commissions.

Good news from Peter Marbais!Hi everyone,First, my apologies for a mass e-mail, but sometimes, it's just easier to broadcast. Also, forgive duplicate messages, and if you're one of my professional contacts, the grievous error I've committed in sending personal information to you.In a brief fit of lunacy, Kristen accepted my marriage proposal. She can't back out of it now, poor thing. We're not sure about when and where yet, but I bet it will be down here in NC and not too awful long. Please share the news--I don't have everyone's e-mail or phone info. If you haven't heard much else from me for the past few years, write back and give me a rough time for being neglectful--Pete

The 13 th Annual Blessing of the Vineyard & Greek Dinner The 14th annual All Saints Orthodox Church Vineyard Blessing & Wine Festival will take place at the Smoky Hill Vineyard & Winery (212 West Golf Link Rd., Salina, 67401, phone: 785-825-2515) on Sat., Aug. 23rd beginning at 5:00 pm. Tickets are available at the Winery. The Blessing of Grapes is a tradition practiced by the Orthodox Church since biblical times. It normally takes place on the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, Aug. 6th, which falls, however, during the Fast honoring the all-holy, ever-Virgin Mary, which culminates in the Feast of her Falling Asleep (& bodily

resurrection & translation into Heaven). So that the church’s sharing of the festivities with the larger community may be unencumbered by the Fast, All Saints parish has been celebrating it outside the season of the Fast. The Blessing itself consists of a brief, but solemn, ceremony during which holy water will be blessed & God’s blessing invoked upon the grape harvest. Then a procession takes place during which the vineyard is blessed with the holy water by Rt. Rev’d Archimandrite Daniel Griffith.At 6:00pm, the celebration will continue with an authentic Greek meal prepared & served by members of the parish of the All Saints Church.Reservations are limited, so act early. Adults are $17, & children 12 & under, $8. The menu will be as in precious years.The evening will feature Greek music & Mediterranean folk dancing by the St. George Orthodox Church Youth Group.The Winery's tasting bar will be fully staffed for wine tasting & purchases by the glass or by the bottle. There are no other winery activities scheduled.Dinner reservations may be made by phoning the church at 785-823-3735, or the Winery at 785-825-2515, ext 14. For the menu, history of the event & other information, the Smoky Hill Vineyard has a link on their

calendar of events on their web site at www.kansaswine.com  Please take a look at it. If you wish to support this event from afar, please send checks made out to All Saints Orthodox Church (put Vineyard Blessing in the memo) to:  

Holy Bread SchedulePlease prepare 3 loaves for Sunday Divine Liturgies. When there is bread needed for a mid-week Liturgy, the individual responsible for the previous Sun. is asked to bake an extra loaf for the upcoming week day. One recipe may be divided into 4 loaves. Bread may be baked ahead & frozen, (1 to 2 weeks ahead, no more) sealed in Ziploc bags with paper towel wrapped around each loaf. Thank you!

Sun., Aug. 3 Johna WalkerWed., Aug.5 (Eve of Transfiguration) Johna Walker (1 loaf)Sun., Aug. 10 Seraphima BerquistFri., Aug. 14 (Eve of Dormition) Seraphima Berquist (1 loaf)Sun., Aug. 17 Justina HouchinSun., Aug. 24 Michelle StephensonFri., July 29 (St. John Baptist) Michelle Stephenson (1 loaf)Sun Aug. 31 Elizabeth Lindgren

News of the Parish & DioceseFri., Aug. 1st: Feast of the Holy Maccabees & Procession of the Cross (beginning of the Fast of the

Theotokos)Sun., Aug. 3rd: Meeting of the Antiochian WomenWed., Aug. 6th: Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord (fish, wine & oil permitted).Wed., Aug. 6th-Sat., Aug. 9th Iconography Workshop (St. George, Wichita; see above).Fri., Aug. 15th: Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos (end of the Fast; abstinence & fish, wine & oil

All Saints Orthodox Church 2818 Scanlan Avenue, Salina, Kansas 67401

Coffee Hour ScheduleAug. 3 Gapter-GreyAug. 10 the OsbornsAug. 17 Mai FamilyAug. 24 Houchin-WalkerAug. 31 Leopold StephensonSept. 7 Johnson-NeustromSept. 14 Berquist-LindgrenSept. 21 the BellsSept. 28 Gapter-Grey

permitted). Sat., Aug. 23rd: Annual Blessing of the VineyardFri.., Aug. 29th: Strict Fast honoring the Beheading of the Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John.Mon., Sept. 1st: Beginning of the Church Year.Mon., Sept. 8th: Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos & Ever-Virgin Mary.Sat., Sept. 13th: Women’s retreat with Mother Cassiana, topic, “My will and THY WILL.”Sun., Sept. 14th: Feast of the Exaltation of the Precious & Life-Giving Cross of the SaviourFri.,-Sat., Oct. 24th-26th: Fall Pilgrimage to Kearney, NE, in Honor of Fr. Nicola Yanny ($40.00

per person)Fri.-Sat., June 10th-14th: 5th Parish Life Conference, Hosted by St. Mary, Wichita

Prayer Requests For the health of Travis Gordy, father of Seraphima Berquist. For the health of Samuel Wygal. For the health of Joseph Shively. For the health of the Very Rev’d Fr. Thomas Neustrom. For the health of Fr. Chad Hatfield & Kh. Thekla, Provost of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, 575

Scarsdale Rd., Crestwood, NY, 10707, Phone (914) 961-8313, ex. 339, email: hatfield@svots.edu For the repose of the soul of James (Richard) Hale (March 25th). For the repose of the soul of Helen Russin (Sept. 27th) For the repose of the soul of William E. Craig (Nov. 2nd, sometime priest, Christ Cathedral, & convert For the Repose of the soul of Betty Wilson (Nov. 15th), sister of Kh. Lukie Neustrom. For the repose of the soul of Beulah King (Nov. 22nd), mother of Fr. James King & Fr. Deacon

Douglas, his brother. For the repose of the soul of Mary-Joseph (Rikki) Hale, who fell asleep in the Lord on Mon., Dec.

31st

For the repose of the soul of Rita Gordy (Jan. 16th), mother of Seraphima Berquist For the repose of the soul of Alice Smith, sister of Kh. Lukie Neustrom. For the repose of the soul of John Osborn (March 28th), brother of Vernon Osborn. For the repose of the soul of Kh. Joanne Abdalah (May 27), wife of Fr. John Abdalah, editor of

The Word For the repose of the soul of John Maymon (June 19th), father of Bishop Mark of Toledo & the

Mid-West For the repose of the soul of the Archpriest David Lynche (June 28th), retired Western rite priest

from Denver.Names' Days

Preston & Larry Gapter (Holy Martyred Deacon Lawrence, Aug. 10th), Charlene Fekas & Aileen Berquist (Holy Empress Irene, Aug. 13th, Reese Baxter (Holy Martyr Diomedes of Tarsus, Aug. 16th)

& Sid Grey (Venerable Eanswyth, Aug. 31st).Birthdays

Nick Karabinas (Aug. 4th), Jerry Houchin (Aug. 5th), Audrey Muchow (Aug. 6th), David Pantle & Reese Baxter (Aug. 15th)

& David Yetter (Aug. 20th).Wedding Anniversaries

David & Georgette Yetter (Aug. 1st), Jan & John Mai (Aug. 4th), Willis & Ardyce Bell (Aug. 12th) & Larry & Adrienne Gapter (Aug. 17th).