July 17, 2011 • 5th Sunday after PentecostCommemoration of the Holy Fathers of the First Six Ecumenical Councils. Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia (4th c.). Ven. Irenarchus, Abbot of Solovkétsky Monastery (1628). Translation of the Relics of Ven. Lazarus

of Mt. Galerius near Ephesus. Ven. Andrei Rublev (14th-15th c.). Royal Passionbearers Tsar Nicholas (Nikolai), Tsaritsa Alexandra, Tsarevich Aleksy, Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia (1918—July 4th O.S.).

Announcements We now have a bin in the dining room for those who wish to donate for the hungry.

Fr. Basil’s class on Corinthians continues Wednesday evening at 4 o’clock.The icon on the front is of the First Ecumenical Council called by the Emperor Constantine, who stands in the forefront.

St. Luke Orthodox Christian ChurchDiocese of the South, Orthodox Church in America

The Rev. Father Basil Henry, Priest1415 Woodstock Ave. • Anniston, Alabama • www.stlukeanniston.org/

basilncana@yahoo.com • (256) 235-3893

This Week’s Scripture, Service and Fasting ScheduleMon, 7/18 Tues, 7/19 Wed, 7/20 Thurs, 7/21 Fri, 7/22 saT, 7/23 sun, 7/24

No ServiceS

Matins8 a.m.

Bible Study4 p.m.

Matins8 a.m.

Matins8 a.m.

Great vespers4 p.m.

Divine Liturgy10 a.m.

Romans 16:17-24

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

1 Corinthians 2:9-3:8

1 Corinthians 3:18-23

1 Corinthians 4:5-8

Romans 9:1-5

Romans 12:6-14

Matthew 13:10-23

Matthew 13:24-30

Matthew 13:31-36

Matthew 13:36-43

Matthew 13:44-54

Matthew 9:18-26

Matthew 9:1-8

Galatians 5:22-6:2

(St. Seraphim)

James 5:10-20(Prophet Elijah)

Romans 8:28-39

(SS Boris & Gleb)

Luke 6:17-23(St. Seraphim)

Luke 4:22-30(Prophet Elijah)

John 15:17-16:2(SS Boris & Gleb)

New Martyr Grand Duchess

ElizabethSt. Seraphim of

Sárov Prophet Elijah

St. Ilia Chavcha-vadze, Martyr

of Georgia

Holy Myrrh-bearer Mary Magdalene Prophet Ezekiel

Passionbearers Boris and Gleb

Service times are subject to change. Please check with Fr. Basil if in any doubt.

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Great Vespers“Lord, I Call”

Sunday (Tone 4)Lead forth my soul from prison, that I may confess Thy name!We glorify Thy Resurrection on the third day, O Christ God, by always honoring Thy life-creating Cross; by it Thou hast renewed the corrupted nature of man, O Almighty One. By it, Thou hast renewed our entrance to heaven, for Thou art good and the Lover of man.

The righteous await me, till Thou shalt reward me.Thou didst loose the Tree’s verdict of disobedience, O Savior, by being voluntarily nailed to the tree of the Cross. By descending to hell, O Almighty God, Thou didst break the bonds of death. Therefore, we adore Thy Resurrection from the dead, singing in joy: “Glo-ry to Thee, O all powerful One!”

Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice!

Thou didst smash the gates of hell, O Lord, and by Thy death, Thou didst demolish the kingdom of death. Thou didst deliver the race of men from cor-ruption, granting to the world life, incorruption and great mercy.

Let Thine ears give heed to the voice of my prayer!Come, O people! Let us sing of the Savior’s Resurrec-tion on the third day! By it, we have been freed from the unbreakable bonds of hell. By it, we have received life and incorruption. Save us by Thy Resurrection, O Life-creating and Almighty Savior, glory to Thee!

HoLy FatHerS (Tone 6)If Thou observest transgression, Lord, O Lord, who shall

stand? For with Thee is propitiation.Thou wast begotten from the Father before the Morn-ing Star, but Arius taught wrongly that Thou wast cre-ated. In his ignorance he designated Thee as a creature, yet the Fathers of the Council in Nicea, O Lord, pro-claimed that Thou art the Son of God, co-enthroned with the Father and the Holy Spirit.For Thy name’s sake have I waited upon Thee, O Lord; my soul

hath waited upon Thy word; my soul hath hoped in the Lord.Thou wast begotten from the Father…

From the morning watch even to the night, let Israel hope in the Lord!

O honored Fathers, thou didst skillfully stitch togeth-er the garment of Christ, which had been divided and torn apart by barking dogs. Thou didst find it unbear-able to see His nakedness, as, of old, Shem and Ja-pheth could not bear to see the nakedness of their fa-ther. Thou didst put to shame the wretchedness of Arius and those who agreed with him, and who pro-fessed the madness that bears his name.

For with the Lord there is mercy and with Him is plenteous redemption, and He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.O honored Fathers…

O praise the Lord, all ye nations, praise Him, all ye people!The Macedónians and Nestórians, the Eutýchians and Dióscorenes, the Appolinárians, Sabéllians, and Séverans, who were revealed as oppressive wolves in sheep’s skins, thou, as true shepherds, didst drive far away from the Savior’s flock, having stripped the thrice-wretched ones of their sheep’s skins. Therefore, we call thee blessed, O holy Fathers.For His mercy hath been confirmed upon us and the truth of

the Lord remaineth forever.The Macedónians and Nestórians…

HoLy FatHerS (Tone 6)Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit…

Today let us praise the mystical trumpets of the Spirit, the God-bearing Fathers, who stand in the midst of the Church, singing true theology, praising the changeless Trinity. They laid low the errors of Arius and upheld the Orthodox Faith. They always entreat the Lord to have mercy on our souls.

dogmatIkon (Tone 4)Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

The Prophet David was a Father of the Lord through thee, O Virgin. He foretold in songs the One Who worked wonders in thee. “At Thy right hand stood the Queen,” Thy Mother, the Mediatrix of life, since God was freely born of her without a father. He wanted to renew His fallen image, made corrupt in passion, so He took the lost sheep upon His shoulder and brought it to His Father, joining it to the heavenly powers. Christ who hast great and rich mercy hast saved the world, O Theotokos.

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old testament readingsHoLy FatHerS

The 1st book of Moses called Genesis (14:14-20)Now when Abram heard that Lot his nephew had been taken captive, he numbered his own home-born ser-vants, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued after them as far as Dan. And he fell upon them by night, he and his servants, and smote them and pursued them as far as Chobal, which is on the left of Damascus. And he brought back all the cavalry of Sodom, and he brought back Lot his nephew and all his goods and the women and the people. And the king of Sodom came out to meet him, after his return from the slaughter of Chodologómor and the kings with him, to the valley of Sabí; this is the plain of a king. And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out loaves and wine; he was priest of the most high God. And he blessed Abram and said: Blessed is Abram by the most high God, who created the heaven and the earth. And blessed is the most high God, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.

The 5th book of Moses called Deuteronomy (1:8-11, 15-17)Moses said to the children of Israel: See, I have handed over the land in front you; go in and inherit the land which I swore to your fathers, to Abraham and to Isaac and to Jacob, that I would give it to them and to their seed after them. And I spoke to you at that time saying: I shall not be able to bear you alone. The Lord your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are to-day as the stars of heaven in multitude. May the Lord the God of our fathers multiply you a thousand times more than you are, and bless you as He has spoken to you. And I took from you wise and understanding and prudent men, and I set them to rule over you, captains of thousands and hundreds and fifties and tens and recorders for your judges. And I commanded your judges at that time, saying: Hear cases between your brethren, and judge rightly between a man and his brother and the proselyte who is with him. You shall not have respect to persons in judging. You shall hear the small as well as the great. You shall not shrink be-fore any man’s person; for the judgement is God’s.

The 5th book of Moses called Deuteronomy (10:14-18; 20-21)Moses said to the children of Israel: Behold, the heav-en and the highest heaven, the earth and all that is in

it belong to the Lord your God. The Lord preferred your fathers, to love them: and he chose their seed af-ter them, you above all nations, as it is at this day. So circumcise the hardness of your heart and stiffen your neck no longer. For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and strong and awesome, who shows no partiality and takes no bribe. He executes judgement for the proselyte, the orphan and the widow; and loves the proselyte, giving him food and clothing. You shall fear the Lord your God and serve him, and to him you shall hold fast, and take oaths in his name. He is your boast, and he your God, who has done for you the great and won-derful things which your eyes have seen.

apostichaSunday (Tone 4)

By ascending the Cross, O Lord, Thou hast annulled our ancestral curse! By descending to hell, Thou hast freed the eternal prisoners, granting incorruption to the human race! Therefore in songs we glorify Thy life-creating and saving Resurrection.

The Lord hath become King; with beauty hath He clothed Himself.

By hanging upon the tree, O only powerful Lord, Thou didst shake all of creation! By being laid in the tomb, Thou hast raised those who dwelt in the tombs, grant-ing life and incorruption to the human race! Therefore in songs we glorify Thy rising on the third day.

For He hath established the world, which shall not be moved.Thy lawless people, O Christ, handed Thee over to Pilate, condemned to be crucified, by proving them-selves ungrateful before their Benefactor! But volun-tarily, Thou didst endure burial, rising by Thine own power on the third day as God, granting us life ever-lasting and great mercy.

Holiness belongeth to Thy house, O Lord, unto length of days!With tears the women reached Thy tomb, searching for Thee, but not finding Thee. They wept with wail-ing and lamented: “Woe to us! Our Savior, King of all, how wast Thou stolen? What place can hold Thy life-bearing body?” An Angel replied to them: “Do not weep but go and proclaim that the Lord is risen, grant-ing us joy as the Only Compassionate One!”

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HoLy FatHerS (Tone 4)Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit…

Today we celebrate the annual memorial of the God-bearing Fathers who assembled in Nicea. They laid low the godless doctrines of Arius, driving him from the unity of the Catholic Church, and teaching us how to confess the consubstantial and co-eternal Son of God. They expressed this clearly in the Symbol of Faith, and we follow their divine doctrines, believing in and serv-ing the Son with the Father and the all-Holy Spirit, the consubstantial Trinity and one Divinity.

tHeotokIon (Tone 4)Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Look on the entreaties of Thy servants, O Blameless One! Stop all the terrible attacks against us, freeing us from every affliction, for we have only Thee as our sure and firm anchor. Do not let us be put to shame, O Lady, for we call on Thee for our intercession! Has-ten to pray for those who call in faith: Rejoice, O Lady, Help of all, the Joy and Shelter and Salvation of our souls!

tropariaSunday (Tone 4)

When the women disciples of the Lord learned from the angel the joyous message of Thy Resurrection, they cast away the ancestral curse and elatedly told the Apostles: Death is overthrown; Christ God is risen, granting the world great mercy!

HoLy FatHerS (Tone 8)Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit…

Thou art most glorious, O Christ our God! Thou hast established the Holy Fathers as lights on the earth. Through them Thou hast guided us to the true Faith. O greatly compassionate One, glory to Thee!

resurrectional dismissal theotokion (Tone 8)Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

For our sake Thou wast born of the Virgin and endured crucifixion, O Good One, destroying death by death and revealing the Resurrection as God. Do not despise the work of Thy hand! Reveal Thy love for mankind, O Merciful One! Accept the Theotokos who is praying for us, and save the despairing people, O our Savior!

Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the 1st Six Œcumenical Councils

n the Sunday that falls from the 13th to the 19th of the present month, we chant the Service to the Holy and God-bearing Fathers who came together in the first Six Œcumenical Councils, that is:

The First Council, of the 318 Fathers who assembled in Nicaea in 325 to condemn Arius, who denied that the Son of God is consubstantial with the Father; the Fa-thers of the First Council also ordained that the whole Church should celebrate Pascha according to the same reckoning; the Second Council, of the 150 Fathers who assembled in Constantinople in 381 to condemn Mace-donius, Patriarch of Constantinople, who denied the Divinity of the Holy Spirit; the Third Council, of the 200 Fathers who assembled in Ephesus in 431, to con-demn Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople, who called Christ a mere man and not God incarnate; the Fourth Council, of the 630 who assembled in Chalce-

don in 451, to condemn Eutyches, who taught that there was only one nature, the divine, in Christ after the Incarnation, and Dioscorus, Patriarch of Alexan-dria, who illegally received Eutyches back into com-munion and deposed Saint Flavian, Patriarch of Con-stantinople, who had excommunicated Eutyches; the Fifth Council in 535, of the 165 who assembled in Constantinople for the second time to condemn Ori-gen and Theodore of Mopsuestia, the teacher of Nesto-rius; and the Sixth Council in 680, of the 170 who as-sembled in Constantinople for the third time, to condemn the Monothelite heresy, which taught that there is in Christ but one will, the divine.

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Divine Liturgy of St John ChrysostomBeatitude Verses

SundayBlessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.

Through a tree, Adam was deprived of his home in Paradise; while through the wood of the Cross, the thief went there to dwell. For the one by tasting set aside the commandment of the Maker, while the other, crucified with Him, confessed the hidden God crying aloud: ‘Remember me in Thy kingdom.’

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.Lifted upon the Cross, Thou, O Lord, as God, hath both destroyed the power of death and blotted out the handwriting against us. Do Thou Who alone lovest mankind, grant us the repentance of the thief as we serve Thee with faith, O Christ our God, and cry to Thee: ‘Remember us also in Thy kingdom.’Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.Crucified and rising from the tomb in power on the third day, with Thyself hast Thou, only Immortal, raised Adam, the first-formed man. Make me also wor-thy, O Lord, to turn to repentance with my whole heart and with warm faith ever to cry to Thee: ‘Re-member me, O Savior, in Thy kingdom.’Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,

for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.Thou hast torn to pieces on the Cross, the handwriting against us and counted among the dead, Thou hast bound yonder tyrant, delivering all from the bonds of hell by Thy resurrection. Through it we have been en-lightened and cry aloud to Thee, Lord who lovest mankind: ‘Remember us also in Thy kingdom.’

HoLy FatHerSBlessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you,

and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake.That it might escape the dread Nestorios, who wick-edly introduced a duality of sons, the assembly of error slid from the mire into the pit, vainly teaching a con-fusion of wills and natures; but it was refuted by the godlike Fathers.Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.The Son, whom the Fathers of old had proclaimed as

consubstantial with the Father and the Spirit, the as-sembly of inspired Teachers taught all, with divine en-ergies acknowledging one natural energy and will.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit…The champions of error, thinking the will to be hypo-static, wickedly intro duced along with the wills the persons of those who willed: the Fathers, excellently refuting them, teach that the energy which is appropri-ate to it is congenital with the nature.

Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.All-blameless Lady, you have become the door of the divine ray and source of the unsetting light; for all the full ness of the Godhead dwelt ineffably in your womb; you reward with his natural energy and radiance those who crave.

tropariaSunday (Tone 4)

When the women disciples of the Lord learned from the angel the joyous message of Thy Resurrection, they cast away the ancestral curse and elatedly told the Apostles: Death is overthrown; Christ God is risen, granting the world great mercy!

HoLy FatHerS (Tone 8)Thou art most glorious, O Christ our God! Thou hast established the Holy Fathers as lights on the earth. Through them Thou hast guided us to the true Faith. O greatly compassionate One, glory to Thee!

kontakiaSunday (Tone 4)

My Savior and Redeemer as God rose from the tomb and delivered the earth-born from their chains. He has shattered the gates of hell, and as Master, He has risen on the third day!

HoLy FatHerS (Tone 8)Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,…

The Apostles’ preaching and the Fathers’ doctrines have established one Faith for the Church. Adorned with the robe of truth, woven from heavenly theology, it defines and glorifies the great mystery of piety.

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SteadaSt proteCtreSS (Tone 6)Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Steadfast Protectress of Christians, constant Advocate before the Creator; despise not the entreating cries of us sinners, but in thy goodness come speedily to help us who call on thee in faith. Hasten to hear our peti-tion and to intercede for us, O Theotokos, for thou dost always protect those who honor thee!

prokeimenonSunday (Tone 4)

O Lord, how manifold art Thy works; in wisdom hast Thou made them all.

Vs: Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord, my God, Thou art very great!

Song of the FatHerS (Tone 4)Vs: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God of our fathers, and praised and glorified be Thy Name unto the ages!

epistle readingSunday

The Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Romans (10:1-10)Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righ-teousness, and going about to establish their own righ-teousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. For Mo-ses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, that the man which doeth those things shall live by them. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

HoLy FatHerSThe Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Hebrews (13:7-16)

Brethren, remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giv-ing thanks to his name. But to do good and to communi-cate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

alleluia VersesSunday (Tone 4)

Vs: Go forth, prosper and reign, for the sake of meek-ness, righteousness and truth!

Vs: For Thou lovest righteousness, and doth hate iniquity.

HoLy FatHerS (Tone 1)Vs: The Lord, the God of gods, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.

gospel readingSunday

The Gospel according to St. Matthew (8:28-9:1)At that time, when Jesus came to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, two demoniacs met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one would pass that way. And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” Now a herd of many swine was feeding at some distance from them. And the demons begged him, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of swine.” And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into

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the swine; and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and perished in the wa-ters. The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, and what had happened to the de-moniacs. And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighborhood. And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city.

HoLy FatHerSThe Gospel according to St. John (17:1-13)

At that time, Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work which you gave me to do; and now, Father, you glorify me in your own presence with the glory which I had with you before the world was made.

“I have manifested your name to the men whom you gave me out of the world; yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have giv-en me is from you; for I have given them the words which you gave me, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you did send me. I am praying for them; I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are mine; all mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me; I have guarded them, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.”

grand duchess elizabethaint Elizabeth was the older sister of Tsarina Alexandra, and was married to the Grand Duke Sergius, the governor of Moscow. She converted to Orthodoxy from Protestantism of her own free will, and organized women from all levels of

society to help the soldiers at the front and in the hospitals. Grand Duke Sergius was killed by an assassin’s bomb on February 4, 1905, just as St Elizabeth was leaving for her workshops. Remarkably, she visited her husband’s killer in prison and urged him to repent.

After this, she began to withdraw from her former social life. She devoted herself to the Convent of Sts Martha and Mary, a community of nuns which focused on worshiping God and also helping the poor. She moved out of the palace into a building she purchased on Ordinka. Women from the nobility, and also from the common people, were attracted to the convent.

St Elizabeth nursed sick and wounded soldiers in the hos-pitals and on the battle front. On Pascha of 1918, the Communists ordered her to leave Moscow, and join the royal family near Ekaterinburg. She left with a novice, Sis-ter Barbara, and an escort of Latvian guards.

After arriving in Ekaterinburg, St Elizabeth was denied access to the Tsar’s family. She was placed in a convent,

where she was warmly received by the sisters.

At the end of May St Elizabeth was moved to nearby Alopaevsk with the Grand Dukes Sergius, John, and Con-stantine, and the young Count Vladimir Paley. They were all housed in a school-

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house on the edge of town. St Elizabeth was under guard, but was permitted to go to church and work in the garden.

On the night of July 5, they were all taken to a place twelve miles from Alopaevsk, and executed. The Grand Duke Sergius was shot, but the others were thrown

down a mineshaft, then grenades were tossed after them. St Elizabeth lived for several hours, and could be heard singing hymns.

The bodies of St Elizabeth and St Barbara were taken to Jerusalem in 1920, and buried in the church of St Mary Magdalene.

Holy royal martyrs of russiasar Nicholas II was the son of Alexander III, who had reposed in the arms of Saint John of Kronstadt. Having been raised in piety, Tsar Nicholas ever sought to rule in a spirit consonant with the precepts of Orthodoxy and the best traditions of his

nation. Tsaritsa Alexandra, a grand-daughter of Queen Victoria of England, and a con-vert from Lutheranism, was noted for her piety and compassion for the poor and suffer-ing. Their five children were beloved of all for their kindness, modesty, and guilelessness.Amidst the political turmoil of 1917, Tsar Nicholas selflessly abdicated the throne for what he believed was the good of his country. Although he had abdicated willingly, the revolutionaries put him and his family under house arrest, then sent them under guard to Tobolsk and finally Ekaterinburg. A letter written from Tobolsk by Grand Duchess Olga, the eldest of the children, shows their nobility of soul. She writes, “My father asks that I convey to all those who have remained devoted to him ... that they should not take vengeance on his account, because he has forgiven everyone and prays for them all. Nor should they avenge themselves. Rather, they should bear in mind that this evil which is now present in the world will become yet stronger, but that evil will not conquer evil, but only love shall do so.”

After enduring sixteen months of imprisonment, depri-vation, and humiliation with a Christian patience which moved even their captors, they and those who were with them gained their crowns of martyrdom when they were shot and stabbed to death in the cellar of the Ipatiev house in Ekaterinburg in 1918.

Together with them are also commemorated those who faithfully served them, and were either slain with them, or on their account: General Elias Tatishchev; Prince Basil Dolgorukov; the physician Eugene Dotkin; the la-dy-in-waiting Countess Anastasia Hendrikova; the serv-ing-maid Anna Demidova; the cook John Kharitonov; and the sailors Clement Nagorny and John Sednev.

“We work, pray and hope every day to experience God’s mercy. Every day we experience a continuous miracle. Others begin to feel this and come to our church in order to give their souls a rest.”New Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth (1864–1918)

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An Interview with Mother ChristophoraAbbess of Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Ellwood City, Pennsylvaniaby Teva Regule

Continued from last week

T.: This community was started and for many years guided by Mother Alexandra, the former princess Ileana of Roma-nia. It was one of the earliest monasteries for women in the United States. What are some of the challenges in sustaining a monastery in this country?

M.C.: I think one of the greatest things that Mother Alexandra will be remembered for is her stability. When she was starting the monastery over thirty years ago when she was one of the first nuns in this country, peo-ple really thought she was crazy. No matter how much people questioned her or how much she questioned in-side herself whether it was God’s will, whether it would ever grow, she never stopped doing it. She never gave up. We too are asked to continue the legacy of stability. It means very much in our culture.

T.: You had mentioned before that the monastery works as a community and that the sisters are provided for in terms of their basic needs. How does the monastery support itself ?

M.C.: I didn’t list that as one of the challenges to sus-taining a monastery, although most people might think that the finances would be one of the biggest challenges. We live in a very expensive time. What it costs to keep this monastery open would probably shock anybody. But Christ said that if we seek first the Kingdom of God, everything we need will be given to us. He was speaking truth. He keeps His side of the bargain, so to speak, because it is a miracle. Our monastery has really always been supported by donations, almost ex-clusively. We do some small projects. We have a little shop in which we sell mounted icons, prayer ropes, etc. But most of our support comes from free will donations. These donations are received from people who receive our journal, Life Transfigured, or from people who stay in our guesthouses. We have been publishing our jour-nal for the entire history of our monastery. It is sent out three times a year, free of charge, but many people send a donation in response to the journal. Pilgrims are also welcome to stay in our guesthouses, free of charge, although they often leave a gift.

T.: What draws pilgrims to Holy Transfiguration Monas-tery?

M.C.: People are spiritually hungry. The world we live in is very noisy and stressful. They come to get away from the stress of the world, the noise, the busyness. One of the biggest complaints people have is busyness. They enter into this atmosphere. There is quiet and not a lot of distractions. The only things we have on our walls are icons. We don’t watch television, we don’t have radios playing, so that we can be thinking more about God. The visitors appreciate hearing our liturgical cycle. In the parishes they mostly hear only liturgy on Sunday, not the daily cycle that monasteries do. They also ap-preciate the fact that our services have always been in English. That was something about which Mother Al-exandra felt strongly. Some people come from their par-ticular parish or jurisdiction in which they have never heard English. They like hearing English here. Families come. There are some beautiful things happening with families in the Church with parents really taking the faith very seriously. They want to expose their children to more than just a parish. They want to expose them to monasticism and the quiet and peace of a monastery—the prayerful atmosphere. And it is a holy place—not because we are holy (although we are striving to be so), but because prayer has been going on here everyday for thirty-two years. Prayer sanctifies the place, and people feel it. Even non-Orthodox people feel a difference when they come here.

T.: What counsel would you give to a woman who feels called to the monastic way of life?

M.C.: One of the first things we ask is that they start visiting several monasteries, or if they feel they like our monastery, that they make several visits. Through those short visits they can begin to discern whether they think they would really like to do this. It does happen that I re-ceive letters from women who, before they have even vis-ited a monastery, have already quit their jobs and decided to come. I have to send back a “red light” saying, first things first. We shouldn’t give everything away and hop on a bus and come. There is a period of discernment. Our

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monastery asks that they visit. Then after a few short vis-its if they want to pursue this, they take a leave of absence from their jobs, and come and stay for a couple of months and think about it more. Besides visiting, I would say to keep the commandments of Christ, go to church, keep a daily prayer, not to exaggerate their spiritual lives. What I mean by that, is not to start dressing in black or cover-ing their hair, or stop talking with their friends, or stop eating meat. Everything has to be put in order, and we can’t jump the gun. We shouldn’t be drawing attention to ourselves. Take things slow, and easy and natural. Still, I say to keep the commandments and live the teachings of the Church and the teachings of Christ and not look at this time as the last chance to sew those wild oats—doing something we have to repent of later. Stay somewhere in the middle. Do some reading but not too much. One can come with too many preconceived notions and too many

“answers” and then she has to be corrected. Keep the life of the Church—keep the fasts, daily prayer, go to liturgy on Sunday, confession and communion, visit monasteries.

T.: Is there any formal theological education for those that enter the monastery?

M.C.: In our monastery we don’t have it in a very formal way. In some monasteries in Europe it might be more formal. In most monasteries, the new novice would be learning simply by entering into the atmo-sphere, by watching other nuns, by being assigned jobs and learning how to do them in the monastery way, and by going to church. Sometimes a new sister can kind of panic and think that she is not at all on the right track, thinking, “There must be something more.” But the mo-nastic life is a long distance run. We don’t learn it all in three months, or even six months or even three years. It is a daily learning. She has to slow down her pace from what she may have had in the world and in her prior formal education. The education she gets here is mostly through the liturgical cycle, as every day we are hear-ing the psalms and something of the lives of the saints of the day through the hymns to those saints. At the reading at lunch, we are learning more of the spiritual teachings of the Church. We are surrounded by icons. Sometimes the saints are looking at us and want to tell us something or draw our attention to their lives. The Church realizes that in a monastery there is full-time training, seven days a week.

T.: Many women today lead incredibly hectic lives. They are very involved in the upbringing of the children, usually maintaining the home, and perhaps, working outside the home. Although they have not chosen the monastic life, how can monasticism inform their lives?

M.C.: Traditionally, married people have often come to monasteries for spiritual counsel, for confession, for communion, for prayer. In the Church we have a tradi-tion where just those women you describe would come to the monastery to receive something for themselves. It might be the refreshment of just being a little bit quiet for a short period of time. One thing that women can learn from us is that we also are very busy. We often feel that we don’t have enough time. We try to keep our work in perspective. Sometimes I am very overwhelmed by the things that I have to do. Things on the calendar that I have to do—speaking engagements or something going on at the monastery, keeping various appoint-ments, keeping in touch with the sisters. I say to myself that if I died tomorrow those things wouldn’t matter. The panic, the anxiety, the confusion are all signs of the devil. We have to quiet ourselves. If God is asking us to do this, He is giving us the strength to do it. We can ask Him to give us the peace to do it. We must remember what is really important is to prepare for our eternal life.

Continued nextweek

mother Christophora of Holy transfiguration monastery

St. Luke orthodox Christian Church1415 Woodstock ave.anniston, aL 36207

St. John the Theologian Monastery Makarov,

Russia