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The Cathedral Monthly Bulletin
St. Mary’s Orthodox Cathedral’s Monthly Bulletin
FEBRUARY 2015
VOLUME 61  NUMBER 2
ST. MARY’S ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL  ORTHODOX CHURCH IN AMERICA
A parish of the Diocese of the Midwest, Orthodox Church in America, founded in 1887
1701 5th Street NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
St. Mary’s Orthodox Cathedral
NON-PROFIT ORG.
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TWIN CITIES MN
PERMIT NO. 90126
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St. Mary’s Orthodox Cathedral’s Monthly Bulletin
St. Mary’s
Cathedral
Church Office
612-781-7667
(24 hour Voice Mail System @
the Church Office & the Rectory)
CHURCH OFFICE FAX: 612-781-5047
CHURCH OFFICE EMAIL
[email protected]
Metropolitan TIKHON, Primate
Bishop PAUL, Bishop of Chicago and
the Diocese of the Midwest
Archpriest Andrew Morbey, Dean
612-803-1837
[email protected]
Priest Benjamin Tucci
Associate/Youth Director
612-599-1125
[email protected]
Priest Richard Flom
651-917-3441
[email protected]
Priest William Neumann
651-260-5100
[email protected]
Deacon Gregory Ealy, Music Director
612-781-7667
[email protected]
Protodeacon Mark Griffin 763-422-8536
Deacon David Kostick 763-434-0048
Deacon Gregory Krutchek
651-224-1394
Deacon Jason Ketz 763-257-2067
Attached / Retired Clergy:
Deacon Alexey Dupay
Archpriest Gregory Grivna
Archpriest Gregory Krutchek
Archpriest Myron Manzuk
Protodeacon Theodore Rose
Archpriest Eugene Tarris
Julie Ann Miller & Kirsten Rohmann
Church School Director
[email protected]
Mary Jo Rusinak
Parish Ministries Coordinator
[email protected]
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A monthly publication of
St. Mary's Orthodox Cathedral
1701 Fifth Street NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
Pastorally Speaking
Each February, we pray for all the youth registered in our Church
School Program and join in the celebration of International Orthodox
Youth Month. Every year at this time, Orthodox young people around
the world are given special attention in prayer and there are even
events planned to focus on bringing them together for fellowship,
education, worship, and service opportunities. We are blessed at St.
Mary’s to have wonderful, talented and well-mannered youth.
On January 16 – 19, a group of 20 Saints (6th-12th graders) went to
our annual retreat at the Stenach cabin near Grand Rapids. I am
proud of how well our youth behaved and participated in the worship
and education sessions. Our topic was “What is the truth?” and we
discussed many subjects dealing with Christ and the church.
This month, we will have our usual activities for our youth. Our youth
will continue to participate in our Church School programs, as altar
servers and communion assistants, youth choir, Saints meetings,
Lenten dinners, faith nights, and more. Given the fact that these
children lead very busy lives with studies, sports, practices of all kinds,
and social lives, we should not take for granted their amazing level of
participation and strive to pray for them and ask the Lord to keep watch
over them. Let’s pray that our youth will continue to use their gifts and
talents to serve Christ and His Holy Church here at St. Mary’s and
throughout the world. May God bless all of our efforts.
Fr. Benjamin
NEW MEMBER APPLICANT
In accordance with the Bylaws,
Article IV, Section 3: Notice of the
new member application shall be
published in the next monthly
Bulletin. The following individual(s)
have submitted an application for
membership to St. Mary's: Danielle
S. Jurichko and Dean Theophilos,
Danielle Jurichko, Fr. Gregory &
Elaine Grivna, Natasha Pilacinski.
If you have any comment pertaining
to any applicant, please submit it to
any Board member during this 45day period, which began with the
publication of this Bulletin.
SERVICE CANCELLATION
POLICY:
k
No one should travel to church for
services if the road conditions are
dangerous.
k
No services will be cancelled.
k
Those who cannot get to services
should instead stay home, give
thanks to God, be happy that at
least a priest and a chanter are
singing the services and praying
for them.
k
Cancellation of activities will be
posted on our website,
stmarysoca.org
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St. Mary’s Orthodox Cathedral’s Monthly Bulletin
PRESIDENT’S COLUMN
Can someone please tell me when “being
a hardy Minnesotan” went out of style?
Now, I must admit, many of us have
grown to become like our parents –
including me. We reminisce about how
things were ”back in the good ol’ days” when we could claim to
be hardy Minnesotans.
It’s winter time right now, and so we’re used to hearing things
such as, “Looks like she’s gonna turn cold tomorrow”, “Oh yah,
gotta front coming in”, “Yuup, you got that right”, below zero
wind chills, and we listen for school closures so we can protect
our kids from frost bite. I think to myself, school was never
called off in my day due to cold weather. In all my school years
of K-12, we had just one snow day, due to a 19” snowfall,
although that didn’t close the school; it was the additional 21” we
received on top of that the next day. Even that didn’t stop the
morning and afternoon paper from getting through. I know
because I had to deliver them without comforts of a warm 4wheel drive and 600 cold-cranking amp batteries. No, we
walked to the drop-off to pick up the papers and then walked the
entire route to deliver them (90-minutes typical).
I was a proud member of my high school’s Nordic ski team
going to state in my junior and senior year. My junior year was
challenging due to it being a warmer than normal winter. Track
conditions were always listed on the result sheet. I remember
reading: “Track Condition – Good, except the part that was
under water”. Things turned around in my senior year with 96”
of snowfall and several meets that were well below zero (air
temperature). At the state meet during my senior year, the air
temperature was -14°F. Did we call off the meet because it was
too cold? Nope, wind chill hadn’t even been invented yet – so
we held the race, skiing in oxygen debt for 10Km (6.2-miles) in
the dead of winter, earning a silver medal. Basically, we went
from a warm winter to a cold, snow-laden winter. Winters were
cyclical, just like they are now.
My walk home every day from high school was just under two
miles. It didn’t matter if the air temperature was -20°F. As
children back then, how did we do it? How is it we never got
frost bitten – never even considered it? What was the secret –
were we super-human?
OK – Here it comes. Just like our
parents… we too walked uphill both ways
to school. Not only that, but in the dead of
winter – we literally walked backwards –
with our parka hoods fully protecting
heads to block out the wind. We were
bundled appropriately for the weather wearing boots, snow
pants, hats, mittens, and a scarf that fully engulfed our faces just
like little Randy in Christmas Story. That’s how we “survived”
sliding and skating, and building snow fortresses, staying out
there for hours. As kids, we didn’t just “deal with” winter, we
“embraced” it. So what happened?
I don’t know; perhaps with the global warming alarmists in 2007
predicting the polar ice cap would completely melt by 2013,
some parents and kids perhaps thought that winter would take a
permanent hiatus. Since that time, we now have kids that insist
on wearing shorts and sandals in the dead of winter. In reality,
God and nature had a different plan as satellite photos from
NASA of the Arctic in 2013 showed the polar ice sheet had
actually grown 60 percent since 2006 (more than half the size of
Europe).
Where has this led us? We now need school leaders and the
governor to close schools to
protect those same kids that insist
that dressing for winter is out of
style. As winter is quite evidently
going to be making a regular
appearance, we need to again
realize that we don’t live in
southern Florida; we live on the 45th parallel, in the coldest of
the lower 48 states. It’s what we signed up for. Like the “Ice
Bowl” of 1967 when parka-clad fans braved -18°F by game’s
end, we simply need to dress appropriately for winter – so we
can again embrace it.
Although the Ice Bowl wasn’t technically the Super Bowl, it took
place right around the corner of it. While Green Bay did make it
to the first Super Bowl, their proud fans stayed away, as
premium ticket prices for the first AFL-NFL standoff were an
exorbitant $12 apiece, thus only 2/3 of the Coliseum’s seats
sold. Knowing this was an issue, some seat locations were
selling for as little as $6. Better yet, if you walked into a 7-Eleven
in the LA area at the time and ordered a Slurpee, you were also
handed a complimentary Super Bowl ticket. Thank goodness
fans held out – as prices have gone up well over 100 times the
cost back then.
Speaking of Bowls, come join us for the
Super Bowl Sunday bash, taking place in
the parish center dining hall, where ticket
prices are still a historic 10-bucks. This
year, we will be able to enjoy it on our (2)
new 50” and (2) new 60” flat-screen TVs
along with a new giant projection system,
thanks to a nice donation of funding and
labor by members of the Men’s Club, along
with 235+ volunteer hours to install
equipment done by: Joseph, Stephen and
Thomas Thell; Luke, Marc and Alan
McCutcheon; and Nick Fredrickson under
the supervision of Dn. Dave. A big thank
you to all.
Enjoy the game kids, and don’t forget; cold winters are still in
vogue. Don’t just deal with it; embrace it, and one day, you too
can look back to the Good ‘Ol Days – when you were a true
hardy Minnesotan.
God Bless, Michael Kokosh, Church Board President
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St. Mary’s Orthodox Cathedral’s Monthly Bulletin
Choir Notes
From the director’s desk
BEER WITH BROTHER ASSAV
Nikitas: Thanks Brother Assav for meeting with me again. This home brewed porter that you brought to share is great! The oak
and malty flavors really come through in this batch.
Brother Assav: Yeah, I’m really impressed with how this one turned out. My cat, piva, really liked licking up the spillage on the
floor. <laughter> So, on a more serious note, I’ve really enjoyed our conversations about liturgy, music, and the Church’s feasts
up to this point.
N: Me too. We have a feast coming up on the 2nd of February. I have to say that I don’t know too much about it. I know that it’s
called “The Meeting of the Lord in the Temple” and it’s celebrated 40 days after Christmas. But what is this feast, and why
celebrate this event in Christ’s life? To me it seems rather insignificant.
BA: Well, it is one of the 12 major feasts of the Church.
N: Yeah, but why?
BA: From an historical perspective, in the Hebrew tradition, every male child was brought to the Jewish temple forty days after it
was born. UP to this point, the mother was considered ritually unclean. She would take the child, as well as an offering for
purification, to the temple. These rules are all laid out in Scripture, in Leviticus I believe. Mary followed these rules as they were
practiced in Judaism.
N: This kind of seems so “rule-oriented” and pharisaic in a sense. These rules and ideas don’t resonate with me at all!
BA: Well, just to remind you, the Orthodox Church does have many rules that we follow. We have fasting in many different forms,
like during lent and before communion. We have different rites that include things like dunking people in water, cutting people’s
hair, swinging smoke around, holding candles, and walking in processions. All of these actions at their root, at their very essence,
are important to people; they were important to people at one time in the Levant and Europe, and are still important to Orthodox
Christians in general. Admittedly, though, they do seem odd to secular, modern society.
N: I guess I understand that. One of my friends always thought it was weird that I was fasting. He just didn’t get it. But it did have a
positive effect on me, especially when I fasted during Great Lent.
BA: Yes, exactly. Rules, when followed with the right attitude, can and do mean something. But, about this feast, I really wanted to
mention that it’s not specifically about rules. It’s more about Christ (well, we’re Christians after all; everything’s about Christ!). In a
broad sense, we see in the feast Christ’s love for humanity, and his humility and condescension in becoming part of his own
creation. He became everything that a human is, being born and dying, and even following the rules of contemporary society.
More specifically, though, the Church shows us the baby Christ as the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies. A line in one of
the sticherons for the feast reads, “As Maker of the Law, He fulfills the Law!”
N: Oh, so I think it’s starting to make sense. So, in this feast we recognize Christ as who we believe him to be; that he is the Son
of God who was crucified and rose from the dead.
BV: Yes, exactly. All of our feasts have to have at their core this Paschal proclamation of crucifixion, death, and resurrection.
N: That’s really neat, and deep too! Can we talk more about this on the feast itself?
BV: Sure, and maybe even with one of my new brews to celebrate. It will be just like Pascha!
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St. Mary’s Orthodox Cathedral’s Monthly Bulletin
February
Choir Birthdays:
ANNUAL PARISH MEETING
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8, AT 2:00 PM
12, Rachel Guhanick
19, Rdr. Joseph Neumann
27, Alexei Memorich
The Annual Parish Meeting will be held on Sunday, February 8, 2015,
and will begin promptly at 2:00 PM in the Parish Center Dining Hall, 1701
5th St NE, Minneapolis.
Included in the agenda for this meeting: election of officers, trustees,
service attendants and delegates for 2015; recommendations from the
Finance Committee and the Church Board of Trustees.
February
Choir Events:
2, Feast of the Meeting of Our
Lord
4, Rehearsal 7:00 PM
7, Wedding 3:30 PM (Sharon
Zurbey, Group 1)
11, Rehearsal 7:00 PM
15, Parastas Sunday
18, Rehearsal 7:00 PM
22, Forgiveness Sunday
Vespers 6:00 PM
25, Rehearsal after Canon of St.
Andrew
As a member of St. Mary’s, it is your right and responsibility to attend this
important meeting. Members eligible to vote need to have a ‘2015
Declaration of Membership’ card on file in the Church Office, and have
been a member for six months (August 8, 2014).
In an effort to reduce mailing costs, “The 2014 Annual Reports” book and
“The 2014 Financial Report” book have been emailed to those members
whose email addresses are on file. For those without access to email,
the books are available for pick up at the Parish Center (please, one set
of books per household). If you do not have email access and are
unable to pick up the books, please contact the Church Office, 612-7817667.
THANK YOU,
ST. MARY'S!
Twenty-five Angel Tree Children and
twelve caregivers say "God bless
you!" and "Thank you for Christian
people who care about us." These
were comments heard when we delivered the Angel Tree gifts to 25
children of prisoners and their caregivers. With your support (paying for
and wrapping the gifts) each child
received two beautifully wrapped
gifts from their incarcerated parent-one fun gift and one item of clothing.
They also received a lovely book
about the true meaning of Christmas
and God's love for them. Just the
fact that they had been remembered
by their imprisoned parents brought smiles to their faces. And,
because of a generous donation from a St. Mary's "angel,"
each caregiver received a gift certificate for a small personal
treat as well! Special thanks to Rick Wagner and Deborah
Manzoni for all their help with this project, especially for helping to deliver the gifts to the homes of the "Angels" the Saturday before Christmas.
Karen Schwebach, coordinator
A MINISTRY MOMENT
Blessed are they who understand
My faltering step and palsied hand.
Blessed are they who know that my ears today
Must strain to catch the things they say
Blessed are they who look away
When coffee spilled on the table today
Blessed are they with a cheery smile
Who stopped to chat for a little while
Blessed are they who never say
You’ve told that story twice today
Blessed are they who know the ways
To bring back memories of yesterdays
Blessed are they who make it known
That I am loved, respected and not alone
Blessed are they who know I’m at a loss
To find the strength to carry the cross
Blessed are they who ease the days
On my journey home in loving ways.
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St. Mary’s Orthodox Cathedral’s Monthly Bulletin
OUR GOD-BEARING FATHER AMONG THE SAINTS: RAPHAEL (HAWAWEENY),
BISHOP OF BROOKLYN, GOOD SHEPHERD OF THE LOST SHEEP IN AMERICA:
ARCHETYPE OF HUMILITY AND CHRISTIAN SERVICE
By Rdr. Daniel Manzuk
During Lent, we are bombarded with the message of attaining humility and
placing Christ before all else. This message finds an exceptional manifestation in the life of St. Raphael of Brooklyn – February 27 (repose, OCA
Feast), 1st Saturday in November (birth, Antiochian Feast) – whose repose
we celebrate the centennial of this year. In the words of the Prophet Isaiah,
devoid of any personal agenda, he simply said at every time and in every
place: "Here I am, send me" (Isaiah 6:8).
Born in Beirut on the Feast of the Archangels (Nov.8) 1860, after his family
was forced to flee Damascus that July do to pogroms against Christians,
their family father confessor, Fr. Joseph Haddad, was not so lucky and is
now known as the holy Hieromartyr Joseph of Damascus. It prefigured his
fulfillment of Heb.13:14, “We have no continuing city, but seek one which is to come.” His intelligence and piety were recognized
at an early age, and he was fast tracked for the priesthood, receiving his theological training at Halki in Constantinople. He
served as the Antiochian Patriarch’s Archdeacon and even preached in the Patriarch’s stead. He decided to study at Kazan Theological Academy; the Antiochian Patriarch ordained him Priest and appointed him as his representative to the Moscow Patriarchate. Fr. Raphael wrote many pamphlets calling for Antioch to choose an Arab Patriarch who spoke the language of his flock
and understood them instead of Greeks who did neither; together with exposing the corruption of the Jerusalem Patriarchate, he
was suspended for a time, then was transferred to the Church of Russia. This was intended as exile, yet it was to manifest the
saying “The Lord works in mysterious ways.” At the time, all Orthodox in North America were under Moscow, and the growing
Arab Christian community in America looked to Russia to find them a pastor who spoke their language, the answer was Fr.
Raphael. He arrived in New York in 1895 and established the Church of St. Nicholas (now the Cathedral of the Antiochian Archdiocese). Bishop NICHOLAS (Ziorov) put him in charge of all Arab parishes, thus Fr. Raphael traversed the country establishing
and strengthening parishes – primarily Arab, but also Greek, Slav, Romanian, etc…; though he had always been in poor health.
No matter the parish, he did his best to preside in the language they knew; through intensive study he became fluent in Greek,
Slavonic, Russian and English. He established the magazine ‘Al Kalimat’ (now ‘The Word’) to communicate with his far-flung
flock and authorized the printing of ‘The Book of Divine Services’ (a.k.a. ‘Nasser’) containing services and hymns in Arabic (in
Antioch they were mostly still in Greek), while also encouraging the use of the ‘Service Book of the Holy Apostolic Catholic
Church’ (a.k.a. ‘Hapgood’) to allow those who have no nearby parish to still celebrate in the Orthodox manner. In Johnstown,
PA, he settled a dispute which the courts couldn’t, which threatened to divide the Arab community by humbly mediating between
the groups. In 1898, he was the formal greeter of Bishop TIKHON (Bellavin), the new diocesan bishop. He quickly became Bp.
TIKHON’S right-hand man. In 1903, as part of his organization of the Diocese, Bp. TIKHON got the Holy Synod to elect Fr. Raphael
Bishop, a move applauded by Patriarch MELETIOS II (Doumani) of Antioch; together with Bp. INNOCENT (Pustynsky) Vicar of Alaska, Archbishop TIKHON consecrated Fr. Raphael on March 12, 1904 – the first Episcopal Consecration in American history. Bp.
RAPHAEL presided over the consecration of Saint Tikhon’s Monastery and the 1st All-American Sobor (now All-American Council)
as Archbp. TIKHON’S proxy; assisted by Frs.: (St.) Alexis Toth, (St.) John Kochurov, (St.) Alexander Hotovitsky and (candidate for
Sainthood) Sebastian Dabovich.
Bp RAPHAEL turned down many offers of ecclesiastical advancement in the Antiochian Patriarchate, citing his unfinished
work in the New World. He criss-crossed the continent celebrating services in churches, homes or barns in places where no
church existed. He did not put on airs, humbly accepting whatever modest hospitality was offered him. . never put on airs, but
stayed where he could, traveled how he could and accepted the hospitality of any no matter their social standing. Chronic rheumatism and a heart condition did not slow him down. On the Sunday of Orthodoxy in 1911, Bishop RAPHAEL was honored for his
fifteen years of pastoral ministry in America. Archbishop PLATON presented him with a silver-covered icon of Christ and praised
him for his work. He continued to serve and travel until his death from a heart ailment on February 27, 1915. He left behind a
vicarate of 30 parishes and 25,000 communicants; and a legacy of humility, obedience to God and service to His Church. He
was canonized by the OCA and the Antiochian Archdiocese on May 29, 2000, at his beloved St. Tikhon’s Monastery.
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St. Mary’s Orthodox Cathedral’s Monthly Bulletin
2015 LENTEN VESPERS SCHEDULE
March 1, Orthodoxy Sunday
St. Mary’s OCA Cathedral, 1701 Fifth St. NE, Minneapolis, 612-781-7667
March 8, St. Gregory Palamas
St. George GOA Church, 1111 Summit Ave., St. Paul, 651-222-6220
March 15, Adoration of the Holy Cross
St. Mary’s GOA Church, 3450 Irving Ave. S., Minneapolis, 612-825-9595
March 22, St. John of the Ladder
Holy Trinity OCA Church, 956 Forest Ave., St. Paul, 651-771-5614
March 29, St. Mary of Egypt
Holy Myrrhbearers OCA Church, 601 Seventh Ave. S., St. Cloud, 320-656-1200
April 5, Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem
St. Herman OCA Church, 5355 38th Ave. S., Minneapolis, 612-722-2506
MANY YEARS!
A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY to all who are celebrating their
birthdays in February: especially to Peter Homzik who
celebrates his 97th birthday on February 4; and to Phyllis
Podany who celebrates her 90th birthday on February 24.
May God grant you many years!
CONGRATULATIONS to Nate & Sara Ann Pogorely on the
birth of their son, Leo, who was born on Saturday, January 3;
to big brother Micah; grandparents, Jack & Karen
Schwebach; aunt Julie; uncles Mike and Rob. May God
grant you many years!
BOOK SALE
For the support of All Saints of North America
Orthodox Mission, Bemidji
February 8: Coffee Hour
March 1: Coffee Hour & during the Sunday of
Orthodoxy Dinner
CONGRATULATIONS to Steven & Kati Kalina on the birth
of their daughter, Molly Jo, who was born on Wednesday,
November 26; and proud grandparents, David & Debbie
Kalina and Dave & Barbara Curry.
SAVE THE DATE:
St. Mary’s Charity Golf Tournament (formerly called the
Russian Open) will be held at Gross National Golf Course on
Sunday, July 25, 2015.
“Six Mice in a Steeple”
Book of poetry autographed by author, Peter
A. Marino, Professor Emeritus of Classical Greek
and Latin at Bemidji State University.
Price: $20 (every dollar goes to the Mission)
MARS VS VENUS BAKE-OFF
Be the best bakers you can be! Claim your culinary name
and fame! Men vs Women Bake-off for the St. Andrew’s
Fund, Sunday, February 8, during Coffee Hour. Call Todd
Walker @ 612-860-0374.
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St. Mary’s Orthodox Cathedral’s Monthly Bulletin
Church School and Family Happenings...
FEBRUARY IS YOUTH MONTH
THANK YOU
Our Church School students are helping to Change It! As
part of this year's overriding theme, Living Water, students
collected over $500 in change for the nonprofit organization
Water is Life. These funds will be used to provide water
filter straws in Ghana. Wonderful! Thanks to everyone who
participated.
Please keep our Church School Children in your prayers this
month:
PreK: Emma, Michael, Aleck, Matthew, Andy, Harvey, Zach,
Patrick, Dylan, Emily, Erica, Jaydon, Nicholas, Lainey,
Christopher, Madeleine, Irais, Alix, Kristen, Henry, Michael
Kindergarten: Maria, Autumn, Elijah, Sophia, Stefan,
Konstantin, Viviana, Lillian.
Grade 1: Nicholas, Eadaoin, Helen, Zoe, Sophia, Elias, Maria,
Sophia, Gregory, Kallie, Theodor, Sophia, Elsa, Grace, Kayla,
Sophia.
Grade 2: Aiden, Ethan, Natalie, Nicholas, Erika, Lillian.
Grade 3: Sasha, Loryn, Dominic, Ali, Jonah, Melanie,
Matthew, Marrah, Johanna, Anthony, Samuel.
Grade 4: Alexandra, Ambrose, Alayna, Carter, Ashely, Phillip.
Grade 5: Lara, Olivia, Savanna, Sophia, Bethany, Samuel,
Ernacio, Maggie, Audrey, Anna, Isabel,
Grade 6: Grigorii, Katherine, Jorge, Laura, Georgiy, Evan.
Grade 7: Liam, Yelizar, Faith, Sophia, Maximis, Kelsey,
Kaelyn, Innokenti, Katia, Brianna.
Grade 8: Alexei, Mykala, Tatiana, Joseph, Anya, Alan, Seth,
Alexander, Luke, Connor.
Grade 9: Viktor, Cody, Nikolas, Scott, D’Artugnon, Nick, Lara,
Trophim, Elise, Aleksandr, Sergei, Samantha.
Grade 10: Austin, Nicholas, Sarah, Abby, Callum, Marc, Sean,
Jackson, Stephan, Thomas, Alexander.
St. Mary’s Saints at Stenach Cabin
Grade 11: Avian, Anna, Elias, Katya, Elizabeth, Gabriella,
Aaron, Samuel, Steven.
Faith Nights
5:30 - 7:30 PM
Cost per event: $5 per person
$15 for family of 3 or more
Mark your calendars for Faith Nights
February 11 March 4 April 15 May 6
Food, youth activities, and adult discussion.
Financial Assistance is available; talk w/ Fr. Ben.
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St. Mary’s Orthodox Cathedral’s Monthly Bulletin
THE BOOK NOOK
"I sat down beside the grave and leaned
with my back against the stone. If there
is one mystery in life, it is the mystery of
love. Because love is wisdom, it is knowledge, it is the
source of beauty. Indeed, love, in the impersonal sense, is
life."
Minnesota writer, Grace Flandrau
"I have finally learned to accept people the way they are.
Whatever they are in the world, a prostitute, a prime minister,
it is all the same to me, but sometimes when I see a stranger
coming up the road and I say, “Oh, Jesus Christ, is it you
again?"
Dakota: a Spiritual Geography Kathleen Norris
I am here at our home listening to Puccini's great opera:
Madame Butterfly. It is an utterly beautiful piece of music,
even in the Italian that I understand so little. It is the story of
love and betrayal. Rarely, I might add, has love and betrayal
been portrayed so beautifully. It is in a nutshell the story of a
sailor who comes to Japan, has a relationship with a girl who
has his child, and eventually he falls in love with another, and
well like many operas, has tragic results.
As I am apt to also do, I am in the middle of a dystopian novel
in which people who break the law have something done to
them that marks them, so people on the street will know the
guilt of their crime. Hannah, the main character in this novel,
is a victim of betrayal and unforgiven.
Betrayal comes in many forms with forgetfulness and selfcenteredness usually it's driving force. None of us is immune
to it; how much we are willing to let it infiltrate our lives is the
question. Betrayal to God, the deepest of all betrayals,
comes most assuredly when we refuse to walk in love, when
we become proud and haughty, refusing to forgive.
A little over a month ago, we witnessed again the allconsuming love of God by reliving the story of Christ's birth in
a humble manger. A few short weeks and we find ourselves
heading toward the mystery of Great Lent. This will be my
twenty-second Great Lent since I have become Orthodox.
Have I changed? No, at least not as much as I had hoped I
would. That is my secret betrayal. I am a serial grudge
holder, it is hard for me to forgive. Luckily, I have the
National Enquirer to remind me how lousy I am at it.
Recently, I was at my local Cub with my daughter Kati
checking out our purchases, and as I looked up at the tabloid,
I felt an all-consuming guilt. How often do I love the
salacious. Better still, how often and how quickly am I willing
to forget or forgive? What makes me any different than those
who seek the downfall of celebrities?
A cornerstone of the Christian Faith, especially to us of the
Orthodox Faith, is the Lord’s Prayer. All of us can recite it;
we say it at almost every service; but do we really think about
what we are saying? I find the line, 'forgive us our
trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us',
extremely difficult. When I think about it, sometimes I almost
feel I am choking on the words.
Three books I recommend The Lord's Prayer: Tertullian,
Cyprian, and Origen: On the Lord's Prayer; Our Father, by
Alexander Schememann; and A Short Catechism of the
Orthodox Church by our former pastor, Protopresbyter John
Nedzelnitsky, has a good two-minute review on what the
prayer is and why it is important. When you pray the prayer,
whether in church or in private, think of what the words mean,
especially ask forgiveness for those who you find difficult in
your life.
God Bless each and every one of you,
R. James Sterzinger, Librarian
‘O’ CLUB BOOK SALE
February 15th & 22nd
Donations of new or used books, movies, music, and games
may be dropped off in the back northeast corner of the dining
room until Friday, February 13.
TRANSITIONS:
Please give a warm welcome to our new
member: Ronald Huber
Article deadline for
the March 2015
Cathedral Monthly
Bulletin is
February 12.
In loving memory….
The family of Marlyn Loss thanks everyone for
their prayers, kindness, and support during this
difficult time. Special thanks to Fr. Ben, the
pallbearers, and Mary Jo Rusinak and the
luncheon crew.
Our heartfelt thanks to Nick Radulovich and his
staff for their professionalism and special
attention. We are so very grateful for all your help
-- you made this difficult time less stressful.
Memory Eternal!
The family of Marlyn Loss
10
St. Mary’s Orthodox Cathedral’s Monthly Bulletin
CONTRIBUTIONS for FEBRUARY MONTHLY
CHURCH DONATIONS / MEMORIALS
In memory of Marlyn Loss
From Lynn Clemenson
In memory of Paul Balach
From Dan & Lara Balach, Joan Balach
In honor of Adele Donchenko’s 92nd birthday
From Nadia Donchenko
In honor of my kum, Jack Novak’s 80th birthday
From Jeff & Vera Ewing
For Office Supplies
From St. Mary’s ‘O’ Club, $50
From the Olive Shoot Gift Shop, $4,000
From St. Mary’s Balalaika Orchestra, $1,000
CANDLES
In memory of parents, Anna & Joseph Warhol and
brother, William
From Anna Warhol
CHRISTMAS CANDLES
In memory of Helen & Joe Loss; Gerry & Steve
Fellegy; Art Ziek
From Mary Ellen, Warren & Katie Griggs
CHRISTMAS FLOWERS
In memory of Marlyn Loss
From Mary Ellen, Warren & Katie Griggs
CHOIR
From the Anne Dorozynski Estate
CHURCH SCHOOL
In memory of Connie Tarasar
From Fr. Myron & Paula Manzuk
ENDOWMENT FUND
Received a contribution of 150 shares of
Medtronic Stock valued at approximately
$11,000
from anonymous
MISSION FUND
In honor of Harold & JoAnn Luc’s 50th Wedding
Anniversary
From Protodn Mark & Celerina Griffin
RESTORATION/CAPITAL CAMPAIGN
From St. Mary’s Balalaika Orchestra, $1,000
From NRI (Can Recycling), $535
TRINITY MISSION
From Jill Anderson
TO VARIOUS FUNDS in 2014
From St. Mary’s Organizations, $90,600 (this
includes the Endowment Fund)
CATHEDRAL INFORMATION...
1 Fr. Andrew's Scheduled Office Hours for pastoral appointments: Tuesday: 10-1 PM; Wednesday: 7-9 PM; Thursday:
10-1 PM. Other times by appointment-please call the office at 612-781-7667.
1 Fr. Benjamin’s Scheduled Office Hours are: Tuesdays: 11-1 PM and 7-9 PM; Thursdays: 9:30-11:30 AM
1 Organizations looking for new members: the Choir, Men’s Club, ‘O’ Club, Women’s Club, The Perohi Group, The
Vet’s Club - call the Church Office for meeting information (612-781-7667).
1 The Visitation Ministry is continually updating its list of parishioners who are homebound or in nursing homes and
would like to be on our Visitation List. If you or a loved one is a member of St. Mary’s and physically unable to attend
church and church activities and would enjoy a visit or telephone call from a member of our Visitation Committee, please
notify the Church Office (612-781-7667).
1 Moving? Please contact the Church Office with your new address and phone number ([email protected] or 612781-7667 ).
1 Church Envelopes Please contact the Church Office if you want to: (a) receive envelopes weekly or monthly; (b) stop
envelopes; (c) combine envelopes (e.g., to receive only one set per household); (d) correct information on the envelope
(including the title, e.g., from Mrs. to Mr. & Mrs.).
12
St. Mary’s Orthodox Cathedral’s Monthly Bulletin
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