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SVOTS announces formation of 2021 Doctor of Ministry Cohort

Eight students have been accepted into the Doctor of Ministry [D.Min.] program at Saint Vladimir’s Ortho-dox Theological Seminary [SVOTS] and will form the 2021 D.Min. Cohort.

Comprised of clergy, chaplains and ministry profession-als from six different jurisdictions, this cohort brings a new level of diversity and pastoral experience to the program.

“One of the great strengths of the D.Min. program is the community of teachers and learners that come together to address the most pressing challenges facing the Church today,” noted Archpriest Sergius Halvorsen, D.Min. Program Director. “The diversity and expertise of the students in the 2021 Cohort will foster an out-standing learning experience. I can’t wait to begin work-ing with this group!”

This is the third cohort of students that have entered the Doctor of Ministry since it was revived as a hybrid program in 2014. Combining online learning and brief onsite intensives, the hybrid program allows students to complete their studies while living and working at home. Financial aid is available through the generosity of the Danilchick Family Endowment for Pastoral Stud-ies.

Members of the 2021 Cohort will begin their work with a mandatory six-week orientation program starting in mid-July. Coursework will begin in September.

Limited space is still available in this cohort. Potential students who hold a Master of Divinity degree and have at least three years of ministry experience are encour-aged to apply for the D.Min. program. For additional information, contact Father Sergius Halvorsen, D.Min. Program Director, at shalvorsen@svots.edu.

OCMC seeks Development and Marketing Administrative Assistant

The Orthodox Christian Mission Center [OCMC] is current-ly looking to fill an open position that is essential to its ongoing efforts to grow its ministries.

If you would like to work for the Church and help share the Orthodox Faith, please prayerfully consider submitting your resume for the position of Development and Marketing Administrative Assistant.

This full-time position with benefits is responsible for assist-ing in the administrative activity for the OCMC Develop-ment and Marketing Departments. They work to help educate, engage, and inform the faithful of the United States in Orthodox Missions.

Please see OCMC’s posting on the Orthodox Jobs website for a full description. Resumes should be submitted to the Annual Gifts and Marketing Director Alex Goodwin at alex@ocmc.org. More information may be obtained by calling 904-829-5132.

OCMC is the official missions agency of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of Ameri-ca.

If I cannot find the face of Jesus in the face of those whom I regard as enemies, if I cannot find him in the unbeautiful and damaged, if I cannot find him in those who have the “wrong ideas,” if I cannot find him in the poor and the defeated and damaged, then how will I find him in bread and wine or in the life after death. If I do not reach out in this world to those with whom he has identified, why do I imagine that I will want to be with Him, and them, in heaven? Why would I want to be for all eternity in the company of those I avoided every day of my life?

~ Excerpt from “Loving Our Enemies” by Jim Forest ~

The man who quarrels with his attackers takes the side of his own sin, defends it, and thus strengthens it in his soul. Such a man is proud, and it is difficult for him to be saved.

St. John Chrysostom asks the offended:“Why do you refuse to be reconciled to your enemy? He is speaking ill of you, calling you a fornicator? So what? If he is speaking the truth, correct yourself, if not—laugh at it!...And even better, not only laugh but rejoice—according to the Word of God: Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake. Rejoice ye in that day and leap for joy: For, behold, your reward is great in heaven (Luke 6:22-23). And if he has spoken the truth, and you…condemn your transgressions, you will receive a reward…Often the enemies with their just rebuke accomplish that which your friends cannot with their praises and pleasant words.”

So let the name of the saints enter our homes through the naming of our children, to train not only the child but the father, when he reflects that he is the father of John or Elijah or James; for, if the name be given with forethought to pay honor to those that have departed, and we grasp at our kinship with the righteous rather than with our forebears, this too will greatly help us and our children. Do not because it is a small thing regard it as small; its purpose is to support us.~ St. John Chrysostom ~

Martyr Manuel of PersiaCommemorated on June 17

The Holy Martyrs Manuel, Sabel and Ismael, brothers by birth, were descended from an illustrious Persian family. Their father was a pagan, but their mother was a Christian, who baptized the children and raised them with firm faith in Christ the Savior.

When they reached adulthood, the brothers entered mili-tary service. Speaking on behalf of the Persian emperor Alamundar, they were his emissaries in concluding a peace treaty with the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363). Julian received them with due honor and showed them his favor. But when the brothers refused to take part in a pagan sacrifice, Julian became angry. He annulled the treaty and incarcerated the ambassadors of a foreign coun-try like common criminals.

At the interrogation he told them that if they scorned the gods he worshipped, it would be impossible to reach any peace or accord between the two sides. The holy brothers answered that they were sent as emissaries of their emper-or on matters of state, and not to argue about “gods.” Seeing their firmness of faith, the emperor ordered the brothers to be tortured.

They beat the holy martyrs, then nailed their hands and feet to trees. Later, they drove iron spikes into their heads, and wedged sharp splinters under their fingernails and toenails. During this time of torment the saints glorified God and prayed as if they did not feel the tortures.

Finally, the holy martyrs were beheaded. Julian ordered their bodies to be burned, and suddenly there was an earthquake. The ground opened up and the bodies of the holy martyrs disappeared into the abyss. After two days of fervent prayer by the Christians, the earth returned the bodies of the holy brothers, from which a sweet fragrance issued forth. Many pagans, witnessing the miracle, came to believe in Christ and were baptized.

Christians reverently buried the bodies of the holy martyrs Manuel, Sabel and Ismael in the year 362. Since that time the relics of the holy passion-bearers have been glorified with miracles.

When he heard about the murder of his emissaries, and that Julian was marching against him with a vast army, the Persian emperor Alamundar mustered his army and start-ed off toward the border of his domain. The Persians vanquished the Greeks in a great battle, and Julian the Apostate was killed by the holy Great Martyr Mercurius (November 24). Thirty years later the pious emperor Theodosius the Great (+ 397) built at Constantinople a church in honor of the holy martyrs, and Saint Germanus, Patriarch of Constantinople (May 12), then still a hiero-monk, wrote a Canon in memory and in praise of the holy brothers.

Romans 5:1-10 (Epistle)

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, char-acter; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Matthew 6:22-33 (Gospel)

The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If there-fore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

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OCMC News - Prayers Needed for Guatemala After "Fuego" Volcano of Fire Erupts

by Caitlyn Sargent

Fr. Mihail Castellanos, vicar of the Orthodox Church(Ecumenical Patriarchate) in Guatemala, comfortsone of the victims of the volcanic eruption.

On Sunday June 4th, 2018, the Volcano of Fire erupt-ed near the capital city of Guatemala, killing a con-firmed total of 69 with the death toll expected to rise as the full extent of damage is surveyed.

As of right now, there are five long-term OCMC missionaries serving in Guatemala. None of them were harmed in the eruption, and Jesse Brandow re-ports, “To the best of my knowledge, the Orthodox faithful are safe as well.”

Fr. Mihail Castellanos has been helping the victims. He is the director of the Centro Pedagógico school in Nueva Concepción, and the vicar of the Orthodox Church (Ecumenical Patriarchate) in Guatemala. Along with students and staff he has been bringing assistance to those in need.

Jesse Brandow says, “It has been very inspiring for me to see how Guatemalans are rising up to help their fellow countrymen during this natural disaster. Even the poorest are selling cans and scraping together a few coins to give something to those in even greater need. Glory to God!”

Many close by the volcano have been affected severe-ly by the eruption. According to the New York Times, villages near the foot of the volcano have been com-pletely covered, and some 3,000 individuals have been displaced in evacuations with many missing.

What we can do now is pray. Pray for those lost to the eruption, that they may find eternal rest with the Lord. Pray for those who have lost their homes or their families. And pray for Christ’s guidance during this hard time for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Now, more than ever, missionaries and mission team volunteers are needed. There are still spots available for the short-term team to Aguacate, Guatemala

(August 1 – 8, 2018). Volunteer in the Fr. Giron Clinic, and help those who need it most.

Please pray for the people of Guatemala and for the OCMC missionaries working in the area, especially during this tragic time.

Metropolitan Tikhon leads prayers for those impacted by Hawaiian, Guatamalan volcanos

On Thursday, June 7, 2018, His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon and members of the Chancery staff gathered in Saint Sergius of Radonezh Chapel where they celebrated a Service of Intercession for those suffering as a result of Guatemala’s Volcán de Fuego and ongoing activity surrounding Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano.

As widely reported, the Hawaiian eruptions continue to dis-place many local residents while impacting the state’s vital tourism industry. The Fuego eruption on Sunday, June 3, 2018 has seen rising death tolls and widespread destruction with almost 100 dead and countless persons missing. Many remote villages have been completely destroyed.

Metropolitan Tikhon called upon those gathered for the ser-vice—as well as all Orthodox Christian faithful—to pray for the departed, as well as those whose lives have forever changed as a result of these natural disasters.In related news, it has been reported that the sisterhood and children at Guatemala’s Holy Trinity Orthodox Monastery in Amatitlan and the Hogar Rafael Ayau Orphanage in Guate-mala City are safe and not in immediate danger, as the volcano is located some 25 miles away. The nuns are actively assisting in relief efforts.

WHAT MAKES A DAD

*God took the strength of a mountain, *The majesty of a tree, *The warmth of a summer sun, *The calm of a quiet sea, *The generous soul of nature; *The comforting arm of night, *The wisdom of the ages, *The power of the eagle's flight, *The joy of a mourning in spring, *The faith of a mustard seed, *The patience of eternity, *The depth of a family need, *Then God combined these qualities, when there was nothing more to add, He knew His masterpiece was com-plete, and so, He called it…..DAD

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110 E Main Street, Marblehead, OH 43440 Rectory 419-798-4591 / Cell 570-212-8747 www.holyassumptionmarblehead.org padrebartek@gmail.com Pg 9

110 E Main Street, Marblehead, OH 43440 Rectory 419-798-4591 / Cell 570-212-8747 www.holyassumptionmarblehead.org padrebartek@gmail.com

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