Tag: Orthodox mission

A Pentecostal heritage for the Archdiocese of Canada – Altar feast of Holy Trinity Sobor. 

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Although there were various versions of Orthodox communities in Winnipeg prior to the arrival of St. Tikhon (at that time the ruling Orthodox archbishop for North America), none of them lasted beyond the charismatic pastors that either founded or served them. In 1904 when St. Tikhon was making a visit to Canada, he set into motion the establishment of a parish that would serve Orthodox Christians regardless if they be from  Bucovina, Galicia and Carpatho-Russia (Trans-Carpathia), then in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The following year, St. Tikhon returned to consecrate the newly built Church at the corner of McGregor and Manitoba Ave. in Winnipeg’s North End. This new community was given to the patronage of the Holy Trinity, and its feast day was to be Pentecost. 

There is something very providential in this. As the Apotoalic witness and proclamation of the Jesus Christ’s saving victory over sin and death, spread from that first Pentecost throughout the whole world; The witness of this same proclamation spread from Holy Trinity Sobor,  through all of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, and eventually the whole of Canada, as Holy Trinity became Episcopal seat for Canadian bishops for the better part of a century (the seat moved few times until 1970 when it was formally moved to Montreal and then Ottawa in 1987). 

With the amalgamation of the Mission of the Lifegiving Springs of the Theotokos in 2016, St. Tikhon’s vision of what Orthodoxy could be in North America was truly manifested at this historic Church. The presence of a Slavic community, and an English speaking community serving together has truly been a blessing, that in many respects has exceeded expectations. Although they are challenges that have to be navigated now and again, the willingness to commit to this unprecedented arrangement, has revealed time and time again that what binds a community is first and foremost the same thing that bound the early Church as it spread from the blessed first Pentecost -that “on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” (Mt. 16:18)

Although Holy Trinity Sobor is no longer the Episcopal  see for the Archdiocese of Canada, and there are much larger Orthodox Churches across Canada, there is nonetheless something profound.  That so much of what now exists across the prairies and country (including our own St. Nicholas) has the DNA of that first Pentecost and Holy Trinity woven into their life. Truly a Pentecostal heritage. May the Lord confirm the clergy and faithful of the Holy Trinity with many blessed years! 

The Icon of St. Tihkon holding Holy Trinity Sobor (the very Church he founded)

40 days that feel like eternity 

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Master of the Rabbula Gospels, The Ascension, 586

Following the scriptural pattern, we are in the last week of this 40 day Paschal season. The question that is often asked, is what is the significance of 40 days being used throughout scripture? Well, without getting into biblical numerology (which if I am being honest is a little beyond me), this time stamp of 40 days is the actualisation of a completed act or event that is presented symbolically, yet in the context of reality.  

Whether it be Noah in the Ark, or Moses on mount Sinai, or the Lord fasting in the wilderness (and many more examples), this 40 day period actualises His saving, correcting, illumining, and redeeming work for humanity; and although 40 days might be more symbolic in its presentation, it nonetheless expresses something that is anything by symbolic – time. Although Divine is timeless, eternal and complete, the Lord condescends to the limits of time, that we might participate in the timelessness of the Kingdom of Heaven – the actualisation of His saving victory over sin and death. It is a paradox (like many things in our faith), that St. Paul compels us to consider;  “Behold, now is the acceptable time” -that 24hr cycle we experience – “behold, now is the day of salvation” -the timelessness of God’s victory and presence that is offered to us to not only consider, but participate in. (2 Cor. 2:6)

For almost 40 days, we have been given this “acceptable time”  in which the proclamation of “Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!” has loudly sounded; and indeed the Lord’s Pascha is a timeless and eternal victory that is shared with us (every Sunday is a little Pascha). Yet this season ends with His glorious Ascension – actualising the completion of God’s redemptive work (thus the 40 days). What now lies before us is the opportunity to enter into that redemptive work and the eternity of the Lord’s love –  the “day of salvation” in the feast of the Ascension and our anticipation of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. 

When the Lord ascends to heaven (Mk. 16:19, Lk. 24:50-53, Act. 1:9-11) humanity (flesh and blood) is restored and glorified in the Kingdom of heaven, and that which is temporal (our nature), is reconciled as eternal and timeless. Truly we witness the actualisation of Lord’s saving work as witnessed in time, and those 40 days of light and life -experienced in time -now stretch into eternity. But we know the story doesn’t end there for us; for on that “last day, that great day of the feast” (Jn. 7:37) the day of Pentecost, we who are rooted in time, are blessed to sanctify it, by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

For as the Lord says “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. “If you love Me, keep My commandments.  And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth”  (Jn. 14:12-17). Truly, these 40 days of light and life, by God’s grace can feel like eternity.

Blessing of the Graves at St. Nicholas.

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There is no greater joy than the blessing of the graves of our departed loved ones during this Paschal season of light and life. This is a labour of love has been served at various cemeteries across Winnipeg and Steinbach and Winkler; yet the crown jewel (so to speak) is blessing the graves of those men and women, who  gave us St. Nicholas in Narol. Indeed the very ground of our Church has been hallowed by their witness (literally – martyrdom) of the Lord’s saving love and mercy, and the proclamation of Orthodoxy. 

The fact that we can recognise this witness (some hundred years later – no less than in English!) is something many of our founders could never have considered. Would Roman Bilak (the farmer who donated the land for the building of St. Nicholas) and those like him,  have ever dreamed that his labours and offerings might be  the source of reconciliation, healing and forgiveness for those who have found a safe haven in the Orthodoxy? Would John Kozak (who was the long time chanter -Diak) and those like him, have ever imagined how beautiful the singing and reading at St. Nicholas would be? Would John and Mary Evaschuk (parents of Fr. John Evascuck – an early missionary priest in Canada) and those like them have ever imagined that their parish would be brimming with priests and deacons? Would John and Sophie Barchyn, or William Prigoski or those like them have ever imagined that this little Church would be overflowing with people, when they rebuilt St. Nicholas after it burnt down in 1946, let alone after extensive renovations in the 1990’s?

Maybe, maybe not. 

Regardless of what any of them imagined what this little parish could be a century latter (that is, if they even had time to consider such things) their faithfulness to the Lord, and His triumph over sin and death, have given us a stable foundation for just about everything. As such, it is truly a profound joy that we now can bear witness to their faithfulness, by proclaiming the very thing they lived for – The Lord’s saving Pascha and victory! Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen! Христос воскрес! Воістину воскрес!

Photos by N. Morin, W. Magrowski

Something more than just an heirloom (+Archpriest Nicolas Boldireff)

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This past week the Archpriest Nicholas Boldireff fell asleep in the Lord after a lengthy illness. Fr. Nicholas was the longtime pastor of Christ the Saviour Orthodox Church in Toronto and Holy Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Los Angeles (CA); and although  I never really knew Fr. Nicholas personally well, (even though I had served with him as a young server, and deacon)  there is Nonetheless there is something very personal that I share with him. 

There is an informal tradition in the Orthodox Church that when a priest is ordained, the pectoral cross given to him, is one that has been handed down to him from another priest (sometimes this isn’t practical so a new cross is given). This was the case for me at my ordination a decade ago. The cross that Vladika Irénée put around my neck (and also my brother’s neck at his ordination) was my father’s cross, that was passed to him by the newly departed Fr. Nicholas; that was passed to Fr. Nicholas by his father (Archpriest Oleg +1997), that was passed to Fr. Oleg at his ordination (and so on). There is something quite beautiful that this same cross (a simple pewter three bar cross) has been worn by more than a few priests for over a hundred years; yet it is  more than just an heirloom passed from priest to priest. It is also a witness Apostolic tradition (the word trandition literally means passing on) and the unity of those called to  “be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12) in service to the Body of Christ as priests (in fact in the slavic tradition this scripture is written on the back of some pectoral crosses). 

It is a kind of inheritance that I consider every time I put on this particular cross (which came back to me when my brother received my father’s gold cross), as it speaks to something greater than just being a special heirloom. It is a witness of the responsibility that is given to priests at their ordination (in general), and my father, Fr. Nicholas and his father (in specific); and their voluntary struggles as His servants which manifested that the Lord’s “strength is made perfect in weakness” and  “that the power of Christ” not only rested upon them, but was also displayed (around their necks) for the world around them. (2 Cor. 12:9). Indeed this inheritance conveys something more than just an spiritual significance, but rather something that is very tangible and real; and thus profoundly personal – As real as the simple worn out and crudely mended cross that I wear on special occasions; and as real as that same cross which was Fr. Nicholas’ (and my father’s and his father’s etc.) personal and spiritual inheritance when he (and they) were called to serve the Lord as His priest. 

Ultimately this particular cross (and all crosses whether they were passed down or were brand new) express that the“message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Cor. 1:18). This is a constant source of inspiration for me, as it was for  Fr. Nicholas and those who preceded him. Although I might not have known Fr. Nicholas as much as I would have wanted to; the love of God who by The Cross drew all peoples to Himself (Jn. 12:32), has also drawn me to know him through his priesthood, in ways more personal than words can convey.

Truly may his memory be eternal, and the Lord grant him the Kingdom of Heaven.
Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen! Христос воскресе! Воистину воскресе!

+ Fr. Oleg Krawchenko

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This past week the The Right Reverend Protopresbyter Oleg Alexander Krawchenko fell asleep in the Lord, surrounded by his loving family. Many people reading this email will have not known who Fr. Oleg was beyond his name being on our prayer list or his relation to Dn. Thomas Chaput (father-in-law). Beyond his many accomplishments (which are numerous) Fr. Oleg articulated  in many respects the unity between Orthodox clergy and faithful that many of us take for granted.  Despite struggles and distractions that historically were the sources of division and disunity (especially between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Archdiocesan (OCA) Churches), Fr. Oleg was to one degree or another, willing to see past them and celebrate as he was able to, the unity of our faith. In many respects his work as a teacher at St. Andrew’s college inspired many of his students (some of whom I consider my closest friends) also to see the unity of  the “Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15) in other jurisdictions regardless if they are Ukrainian, Russian, Greek, Serbian Romanian, or the OCA. It wasn’t as if his Ukrainian heritage was abandoned in this – certainly not!  Rather it provided a perspective that reconciled every difference as being the diversity of grace. 

I hold dear to my heart, the few times  Fr. Oleg would show up at St. Nicholas with his wife (Dobordika Maria), having just served at the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Gonor (also called St. Nicholas!) Each and every time he would radiate joy in greeting and blessing the our faithful, as if he was their pastor, and they were his flock! Nothing was held back, or reserved in walking into a Church more full of strangers, than people he knew (I have heard other stories like this from other priests in Winnipeg). This has always been a source of inspiration for me, in my relationships with other Churches and clergy, compelling me to always look at what we do (as unique as it might be) as being truly united with what other Orthodox Christians are doing (as unique as they might be) in serving the Lord. 

Politics and culture will always surround our Churches, seeking to pull us apart – yet Fr. Oleg’s example should inspire us to recognize that although there are differences of politics and culture (some great and some small), we have been baptized into the same death and been raised in the same newness of life of Christ; we all confess our sins and are forgiven by the same Lord; and we all receive His Body and Blood from the same cup. Glory to God! 
Truly may the Lord bring peace and mercy to His newly departed servant, healing what was broken, and reconciling that which was lost; and glorifying that which was of love, and exalting that which was of mercy.

Our hearts and prayers go out to his Dobrodika Maria, and their five children, and our blessed brother Dn. Thomas. Memory Eternal! Вічная Пам’ять! Christ is Risen! Христос воскрес!

Archpastoral Message of His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon Pascha 2024

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resurrection

To the Clergy, Monastics, and Faithful of the Orthodox Church in America, 

My Beloved Children in the Lord,

CHRIST IS RISEN! INDEED HE IS RISEN!

Now all is filled with light: heaven and earth and the lower regions. Let all creation celebrate the rising of Christ: in him we are established. (St. John of Damascus, Paschal Canon, Ode Three)

Today we greet the most radiant feast of feasts, the king and lord of days, the Pascha of Christ our true God. Standing in the light of the Resurrection, we glimpse the true and unfading joy of the life to come.

To be sure, even on this chosen and holy day of light-bearing festival, my own heart remains heavy as I look out upon the world and behold wars and terrorism, unjust imprisonment and persecution, civil strife and political divisions. Indeed, “the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of iniquity” (Ps. 73:20). The world and its troubles present a threefold temptation to Christians who behold this multitude of “dark places”: we are tempted to despair; we are tempted to indifference; and we are tempted to conform and subordinate our holy Orthodox Christian faith to some worldly political program or ideology.

However, with his Pascha, Christ offers us a different response: a hope beyond this world, yet already present in this world. As we sing in the Paschal Canon of St. John of Damascus, everything is filled with the light of the Resurrection, even the lower regions. Life has burst forth from the grave; a light has shone in darkness (Jn. 1:5).

We dwell in a world of real trouble, real sorrow, real pain. The Lord came down into this world and became a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief, and he felt pain in his heart—on the night in which he was given up, his soul was “exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death”—and pain in his flesh (Is. 53:3; Mt. 26:38). But out of pain, the Lord has brought forth healing; out of sorrow, he has wrought an incorruptible source of joy. He died, but now he lives forever, and he offers us the same hope: eternal life.

And the eternal life that he offers is not just an extension of life in this world, with its ups and downs, sorrows and joys, sins and foibles and accidents. Rather he offers us abundant life, true life, by restoring our communion with God, who is the Source of life.

This true and incorruptible life, a life of constant trust and love and joy, is not only available in the world to come. Whenever we believe in Christ and his Resurrection and accept the joy of his Pascha, we are already, through faith and hope, getting a foretaste of that life—a life without fear of suffering or death, that sees sorrow as a source of joy, since even in sorrow, Christ, the Man of Sorrows, is there, ready to draw near to us in a union of love.

It is because of this that the holy Psalmist could write: “If I go up into heaven, thou art there; if I go down into hell, thou art present. If I take up my wings at dawn and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand guide me, and thy right hand shall hold me” (Ps. 138:8–10). 

Wherever we are, whatever troubles we experience in our lives, whatever troubles we behold in this world, Christ is there with us, suffering with us in our suffering and offering us the hope of the unfailing happiness of his Pascha, inviting us to be in the world and not of the world, storing up all our hope and all the treasure of our hearts with him, in the kingdom that has no end, where neither moth nor rust can destroy and where no thief can break in and steal (Mt. 6:20).

May he who rose from the dead on the third day, kindling the light of hope for all the world, always shine upon our hearts with Paschal light, filling us with a joy-making desire for the good things to come and changing all our troubles and cares into opportunities to hope and trust.

To him, the Risen Lord, be all glory and adoration, together with his Father and his All-holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages!

Yours in the Risen Christ,

+ TIKHON
Archbishop of Washington
Metropolitan of All America and Canada

Yet another new Deacon.

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It is a pretty good indication that our Church is doing what it is supposed to be doing, when we gain three deacons in the course of week. For those keeping score, that is four in less than a year – Glory to God!

Last Sunday, Vladika Irénée was in Hamilton On. at the parish of St. Maria of Paris (home of our dear brother Fr. Yuri Hladio) to ordain James Dale to the Holy Diaconate. 

I first met the newly ordained deacon James back in 1982 when he started coming to (and was received into the Orthodox Church) at the Holy Transfiguration mission in Ottawa (now the Annunciation Cathedral) where my father was serving. I also attended some classes with him at St. Paul’s University and incidentally but nonetheless remarkable James also introduced me to punk rock- for which I am eternally thankful. James’ love of God and neighbour truly has guided him and his wife (Diakonisa Martha) to a life of service; becoming a cornerstone of St. Maria’s in its early days, and an example of Christian life for many new converts. It is only fitting that his service has been now “set apart” and offered to the Lord in the Diaconate, as a witness of the Lord’s love for us, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve” (Mk.10:45) May the Lord grant him and his wife, many blessed years in service to His Body, the Church.

Archbishop Arseny.

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Today marks the 77th anniversary of Archbishop Arseny (Chagovtsov) repose at St. Tikhons Monastary in 1946.

I served a liturgy for him this morning, and was struck by the Gospel reading for the day (Lk. 6:46-7:1) and the Lord’s words.

“why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.”

I am blessed to serve in a Church that has had (as far as I have been able to discover) about 35 + priests and bishops serve in.  This number has much to do with the fact that our parish was served intermittently by visiting clergy, from Winnipeg, Edmonton and  Minneapolis.  Before the  Liturgy, I considered how many of the pastors that served at St. Nicholas would have said “Lord Lord”.  Yet despite what they offered, many of their contributions have been lost to time, swept aside by the torrent of life. In stark contrast, Archbishop Arseny  stands out from this list of pastors.

Truly the foundation of God’s saving love as manifested in the Orthodox Church, that he laid, is something that has provided refuge from the storms of life for countless generations for over a hundred years – after all St. Nicholas is a strong and healthy parish, our Archdiocese is strong and healthy, not to mention St. Tikhon’s monastery and seminary is still going strong (Glory to God!) all despite the struggles associated with being an immigrant Church, the struggles against ethnic nationalism, the struggles of cultural assimilation, and we can say the struggles of rampant secularism.

There is something to be said about the fact that Archbishop Arseny not only heard the call of the Lord, but did what he was called to do! Although not recognized officially as a Saint, his life and legacy bears the mark of sanctity – the fact that I can bear witness to this as a priest who serves in a Church he served at, is indeed a reflection of God’s mercy, and his participation in it. By his prayers, may we continue the work he so tirelessly offered the Lord.

Blessed Archbishop Arseny, pray to God for us!

“I was in prison and you came to Me.”

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At the Assembly in Montreal, Vladika Irénée, talked about the necessity of Orthodox Christians being involved in every aspect of our society as “chaplains”. To this point, he highlighted the work of the St. Silas Orthodox Prison Fellowship Society. It is one thing to be a “chaplain” with those who are sick or dying, or struggling through addictions and homelessness. It is another thing serving those who have broached the law. Yet the Lord calls us to “visit” the “least of My brethren” even in prison. The St. Silas Orthodox Prison Fellowship Society, has taken this to heart, and enters into those places many of us dare not go, in bringing the Gospel of the Lord’s victory and forgiveness. This is something for us to consider as we celebrate the feast of St Silas and his companions this weekend.

About eight years ago, while working as a prison Chaplain at Kent Maximum Institution, Fr. Richard Rene received a letter from an inmate named Dale, asking to be baptized into the Orthodox Church. Dale had met Fr. Richard while at Kent, and had since begun to read about the Orthodoxy. His reading confirmed what he had already learned in conversation with Fr. Richard: he had found the fullness of the Christian faith.

In January, 2016, Fr. Richard baptized Dale at Mission Medium Institution—the first ever Orthodox baptism in a Canadian federal prison. Dale took as his patron Moses the Black, whose life paralleled his in so many ways. Later that year, a second inmate was baptized, taking the name of the Apostle Silas. The following year, a third inmate was received by Confession and Chrismation, and took the name of Silouan. 

The growing need among Orthodox inmates made it clear that a prison ministry was beginning. Fr. Richard appointed two members of an interim board, Dn. Symeon Price and Matushka Jaime Rene, and began the process of registering the ministry as a federal and provincial charity. The new ministry was dedicated to the Apostle Silas, who accompanied and was imprisoned with the Apostle Paul.

Since its inception, St. Silas Prison Ministry has extended its work across Canada. We have connected inmates in need with local communities, regardless of jurisdiction. We have provided inmates with Study Bibles, books, icons, and prayer ropes. We have served Sunday and Festal Liturgies, sacraments of baptism, unction, and confession; as well as Lenten, Holy Week, and Paschal services. We have reached out and responded to inmates by letter and by phone.

In the process of ministering to Orthodox inmates, we have also introduced many non-Orthodox inmates (not to mention Chaplains and Staff members), to Orthodox faith and practice. As such, St. Silas is truly a mission, answering the Lord’s call to proclaim the Gospel even in the darkest corners of the prison system. We need men and women of faith who are willing to join this mission field. Ask the Lord to show you how you can serve him among his incarcerated children

While many of us are unable and un-equipped to do this work, they are those who are. So we ask you to always remember in your prayers those who are in prison, and especially those who serve them in love (like the  St. Silas Orthodox Prison Fellowship Society) in the name of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ!

May the Lord bless and confirm our work! 

For more information, or to offer any help, please contact the St. Silas Orthodox Prison Fellowship Society at contact@orthodoxprisonministry.ca.