Updated 05.08.13

It is with great sadness that we must tell you that Fr George Sondergaard fell asleep in the Lord this evening.  Fr George was attached to All Saints of North America in Albuquerque, NM.

Thursday, May 9, Panahida without the body at 6pm.
Friday, May 10, the clergy will vest Fr George at the funeral home and then he'll be brought to the Church for the funeral service which will be at 6:00 pm.
At 9:30 am on Saturday, May 11, we'll have the Paschal Liturgy of Bright Saturday and then we will process immediately to Gate of Heaven Cemetery (on Paseo Del Norte and Wyoming) for the Burial. After that we'll return to the Church for a potluck mercy meal. 

Please keep Fr George's family in your prayers.

+ His Eminence Archbishop Dmitri

     For forty days after Pascha the Church lives and rejoices in light of Christ's resurrection.  At every service during the Paschal season the faithful sing, "Christ is Risen!"  The Paschal canon, sticheras and kontakion are repeated many times.  Members of the Church greet one another with a holy kiss and the words, "Christ is Risen!" receiving back the affirmation, "He is Risen, indeed!"
 
     The Paschal season is experienced by the Orthodox as the focal point of all Christian celebration.  Such is the content of our liturgical life, and yet what a paradox that immediately after "the feast of feasts, holy day of holy days," Christian people take a vacation from Church.  We often witness generally, a decline in church attendance at this time of year.  As a result the wonderful joy proclaimed by the Church's liturgy fails to be deeply felt by many individuals.
 
     With regard to this phenomenon much thought has been given to the idea of restoring or recapturing that which has been lost.  In recent years the Church has devoted a great deal of time and effort to the restoration of Lent and to some extent of the Paschal season, because we have witnessed (probably for centuries) an almost complete loss of the Great Fast as a meaningful phenomenon in the Christian community.  Perhaps we Orthodox have been somewhat more reluctant than others to do away with these seasons entirely, for we have realized in some way that the very essence of the Faith is to be found in Lent, Pascha and the Paschal season.
 
     I am convinced, however, that the dimension that has been lost and which we are still somewhat far from acquiring, that makes it difficult to recapture and restore the meaning of what is at the heart of the Christian year, is what can be called the "baptismal dimension."
 
     We are all somewhat familiar with the history of the matter we are talking about:  (A.) how Lent developed from a period of intense preparation for those who were to be baptized;  (B.)  how at the Paschal celebration the catechumens were baptized and became, for the first time, full participants in the Eucharist;  and (C.) that the Paschal season was a period of post-baptismal instruction, in which the newly baptized were told repeatedly of the marvelous things that had happened to them through the waters of the fount, and were prepared for their own "mission" as disciples.
 
     The entire Church not only lived the new life in Christ, but true to its missionary nature, concentrated its attention upon incorporating the new converts into the Body of Christ.  Such were the "missionary" and "baptismal" orientations of the Church.  All of this was centered on the Paschal celebration for one simple reason:  the moment of Christ's triumph over death was the most appropriate moment for one to become a member of Christ:  the meaning of being buried with Him in baptism and rising with Him to walk in the newness of life (Romans 6:3-4) was clear to every Christian.
 
     The true spirit of Lent and the Paschal season can never be recaptured as long as we have a weak missionary vision:  as long as baptisms and receptions of converts are private affairs, become "routine," and are not considered as matters of concern to the whole Church.
 
     With His ascension into Heaven, forty days after the resurrection, our Lord indicates for us the way, the orientation of our life.  The Kingdom of God is initiated on earth with the advent of Christ ("Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand"), and we are commissioned to receive into it, as citizens, "such as would be saved" (Acts 2:47).  Our life, following Christ, is all ascension, directed toward the "Kingdom to come" manifested in and through Christ.  At each Eucharistic celebration (the Divine Liturgy) we participate in that worship which eternally takes place before the Throne of God.
 
     The disciples went back to Jerusalem (after the Ascension) with great joy, because they had the confirmation and assurance that everything they had been told by Christ was true.  Now they simply awaited the power to perform their mission in the world.  They knew what their mission was:  to go into all the world, preach the Gospel to all nations, "baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you."  They knew from their Master that He would "always be with them, even unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28: 19-20).  This was the source of their joy:  the assurance of the Lord's abiding presence and of the power to bring others into the fold.  Any lack of joy or participation on our part during the radiant season of Pascha can be said to coincide with (A.) a certain amount of doubt or insensitivity to the fact that "Christ is in our midst," or (B.) a lack of appreciation for mission.
 
     It can be rightly asked, "how can we not revel in the joy of these forty days, when we think of the possibilities for bringing salvation to others, given to us by the risen Christ dwelling among us, unless it is true that our faith wavers and that we have little interest in mission and evangelism?"  We must pray always that our Lord will give to us the Spirit of wisdom and understanding to come to an appreciation of the Paschal season for the life of each of our communities.

Ss Mary and Martha Monastery will be holding their annual pilgrimage Saturday May 18th.  For more information please see this flyer.

The 2013 Diocesan Assembly will take place in Jacksonville, FL, from July 29 to August 1.  Please see the welcome letter from Fr Theodore Pisarchuk.  The schedule of events can be found here. 

Registration information is available here, please submit one form per parish.  Please note that the fee increases by $30 on June 15 and all registrations must be complete by July 7 (this applies to the youth program as well).  Also, the observer fee is only $20 for incidentals.  It does not include the banquet fee.

As mentioned in the welcome letter, there will be a youth program at this assembly.  Please see this welcome letter from Dn Jacob Hatch for more information and complete the registration packet for each child attending.

Fr. Sergius Halvorsen, Assistant Professor of Homiletics and Rhetoric at St. Vladimir Orthodox Seminary was guest speaker on April 7, 8 and 9, at St. Barbara Orthodox Church in Ft. Worth.   

In addition Fr. Marcus Burch, Chancellor of the Diocese of the South was present and led discussions for clergy able to attend a deanery retreat and meeting.

Fr. Sergius offered inspirational sermons on the Cross, Sunday morning, April 7, during the Liturgy at St. Barbara's, and Sunday night at St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in Euless, Texas at Pan Orthodox Vespers.   Fourteen local clergy and approximately two hundred and fifty people were present at St. John's from a number of Orthodox churches in the DFW area.   This was the first Pan Orthodox Vespers celebrated in the parish's new temple.   After the Sunday Divine Liturgy Fr. Halvorsen also presented a talk on "Hearing God's Calling," and on the work of St. Vladimir's Seminary. 

On Monday morning and early afternoon, April 8, after an 8 am Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, Fr. Sergius and Fr. Marcus met with deanery clergy:  approximately sixteen priests and deacons were in attendance.  Fr. Halvorsen's topic of discussion was,  "Orthodox Ecclesiology from the Perspective of Preaching."  Time was allotted for informal discussions and a Q and A, with both Fr. Sergius and Fr. Marcus.  

Monday evening was a keynote address on, "The Vulnerability of the Incarnation:  God made Man," open to the public, with a reception and Q and A.   The topic was chosen in honor of His Eminence, Archbishop Dmitri, remembering his very specific teaching emphasis on the Incarnation, and also as a topic consistent with the Lenten Season.  The formal public gathering on Monday started at 6 pm with a meet and greet, refreshments, and the lecture at 7 pm.  Approximately fifty people were present from five Orthodox Churches, as well as local non Orthodox Churches.

Tuesday morning, April 9, the clergy met once again with Fr. Sergius and Fr. Marcus for a two and half hour wrap up.  Discussions revolved around the subject matter heard on Monday, but questions and comments were offered on a variety of other topics.

Members of St. Barbara's and clergy from the Southcentral Deanery wish to thank both Fr. Sergius and Fr. Marcus for a spiritually profitable two and half days.

3rd Friday of Great Lent


Dear Brothers and Concelebrants, Faithful, and Friends,

Christ is in our midst!  

At last month's session of the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in America, two men were vetted who might be potential episcopal candidates for our diocese.  It was the judgment of the Holy Synod that both men need more experience.  Therefore, we are taking steps to transfer one of these potential candidates, Fr Gerasim Eliel, into the Diocese of the South where he can begin working as a priest in our diocese and get some of the experience the members of the Holy Synod think important. We plan to put him into a position where he will be visible to members of our diocese and also which will allow him to begin working collegially with the priests of the Diocese of the South.  

Unfortunately, without vetted and approved candidates, we will not be having a special nominating assembly as part of this summer's assembly at St Justin Martyr Orthodox Church in Jacksonville, FL. I know we were all looking forward to a nomination and possible election this summer. I would encourage us, however, to see this decision by the Holy Synod as the result of prayer and discernment as how best to proceed with the election of a hierarch for the Diocese of the South.  In the meantime we can look forward to the move of Fr. Gerasim to the Diocese of the South and the gathering of experience by other potential candidates as small, but significant, steps toward a nomination at a later date.

Wishing you every blessing as we reach the midpoint of the fast, I remain faithfully yours

in Christ Jesus

Archpriest Marcus

Please see this flyer for more information about a young adult whitewater retreat in Charlotte, NC, this year.

It is often very hard, especially in the “buckle” of the Bible Belt where main line denomination Christianity has reigned for generations, for people to gather the courage to enter an Orthodox Church. The Orthodox Church is often perceived as exotic and in this area that means something to be avoided.  On the other hand there are many people in this area who are seeking something deeper than what is offered in denominational Christianity.  In spring of 2012 St. Innocent Orthodox Church began the process of filming a short documentary about our parish.   This idea partially arose because Ted Liedle, a seeker and most importantly a professional director/producer/camera man visited our parish. He offered his services and was and has been a regular attendee in our community.  It is our ultimate hope that this video will help others make their first steps into Orthodox Church by letting people know that Christ is the beginning and ending of everything in our community and in the Orthodox world in general. To view the video, click here.