Dormition Fast reflection - Afterfeast of the Transfiguration

 

Source: uncutmountainsupply.com

Christianity is not reconciliation with death. It is the revelation of death, and it reveals death because it is the revelation of Life. Christ is this Life. And only if Christ is Life is death what Christianity proclaims it to be; namely, the enemy to be destroyed, and not a “mystery” to be explained.

Religion and secularism, by explaining death, give it a “status,” a rationale, make it “normal.” Only Christianity proclaims it to be abnormal and, therefore, truly horrible. In the light of Christ, this world, this life are lost and beyond mere “help,” not because there is fear of death in them, but because they have accepted and normalized death.

—Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann, For the Life of the World

PASCHA - Day Thirty Eight — Understanding Death... and the Resurrection

 

Dear Parish Faithful,

CHRIST IS RISEN! INDEED HE IS RISEN!

"Strictly speaking, a system of ethics which does not make death its central problem has no value and is lacking in depth and earnestness." (Nikolai Berdyaev) 

"Our one and only war ... is the sacred battle with the common enemy of all people, of all mankind - against death." (Archimandrite Sophrony)

Recently I met with some folks from Norwood - both Orthodox and non-Orthodox - for what we rather laconically called a "theological talk." The basis for our discussion was an article written by Fr. Alexander Schmemann, entitled "The Christian Concept of Death." The title may not capture the full weight of the essay, since it is a look at the Christian concept of death in the light of the Resurrection of Christ.

With such a powerful theme, enriched by Fr. Alexander's usual style that combines insightful penetration into the given theme, a captivating style of literary expression, and a series of challenging assertions that question our unexamined assumptions, our discussion proved to be an intense one that led us in many directions. All in all, a good way to spend an atypical Thursday evening. 

Obviously, the theme of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ digs deep into the very foundations of Christianity. Who does not know the powerful words of the Apostle Paul:  "If Christ is not risen, then your faith is in vain." It is the Resurrection that ultimately makes the Gospel "Good News" - in fact the "best news" conceivable and outside of which all "other news" sounds rather vague and lifeless!

It is this joyous Good News that imbues the entire life of the Church according to Fr. Schmemann:

The joy of early Christianity, which still lives in the Church, in her services, in her hymns and prayers, and especially in the incomparable feast of Pascha, does not separate the Resurrection of Christ from the "universal resurrection," which originates and begins in the Resurrection of Christ.

 

Yet, a good deal of the essay is taken up with something of a "lamentation" from Fr. Schmemann over the fact that many Christians are unaware of the ultimate consequences of the Resurrection of Christ, and that is the "universal resurrection" just mentioned above and which means the resurrection of the dead at the end of time with the "spiritual body" that the Apostle Paul speaks of in I COR. 15. Jesus, bodily risen from the dead, is called the "first fruits of those who have fallen asleep,"thus anticipating and pointing toward the resurrection of the dead at the end of time.

But is this, in fact, what Christians believe? Fr. Schmemann's trenchant criticism is expressed as follows:

The Resurrection of Christ comprises, I repeat, the very heart of the Christian faith and Christian Good News.

And yet, however strange it may sound, in the everyday life of Christianity and Christians in our time there is little room for this faith. It is as though obscured, and the contemporary Christian, without being cognizant of it, does not reject it, but somehow skirts about it, and does not live the faith as did the first Christians.

If he attends church, he of course hears in the Christian service the ever resounding joyous confirmations: "trampling down death by death," "death is swallowed up by victory," "life reigns," and "not one dead remains in the grave."

But ask him what he really thinks about death, and often (too often alas) you will hear some sort of rambling affirmation of the immortality of the soul and its life in some sort of world beyond the grave, a belief that existed even before Christianity. And that would be in the best of circumstances. In the worst, one would be met simply by perplexity and ignorance, "You know, I have never really thought about it."

 

Fr. Schmemann is not speaking of non-believers in the bodily Resurrection of Christ, but of an unfortunate transformation of Christian thought about death itself and the impact of that unfortunate transformation on the understanding of the body, or of the relationship between "body and soul." 

Basically, Christians have resorted to a kind of warmed-up Platonism that claims that there is a real and natural division between the soul and body, a division which renders the body almost meaningless, or as a prison that the soul needs to escape from. 

In opposition to this dualism, the Church's Symbol of Faith (the Nicene Creed) affirms our belief in "the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come." 

This is far from merely claiming a vague belief in the "immortality of the soul." Again, this is a resort to pre-Christian modes of thought and this way of thinking is foreign to the Biblical revelation. 

Here is how Fr. Schmemann puts it:

Indeed, all non-Christian, all natural religions, all philosophies are in essence occupied with our "coming to terms" with death and attempt to demonstrate for us the source of immortal life, of the immortal soul in some sort of alien world beyond the grave. Plato, for example, and countless followers after him teach that death is a liberation from the body which the soul desires; and in this circumstance faith in the resurrection of the body not only becomes unnecessary, but also incomprehensible, even false and untrue.

 

Such a pre- or non-Christian way of thinking will make us blind to the Apostle Paul's affirmation that death is the "last enemy;" and that God desires the whole person - both body and soul - to be saved and transformed in the Kingdom of God. Such a belief even renders the Resurrection of Christ as a kind of superfluous miraculous event that does not really affect our destiny.

Orthodox Christian thinking at its purest resists and rejects this way of approaching death, but rather it drives home with a powerful realism the tragedy of human death.  

Again, in Fr. Schmemann's words:

Christianity proclaims, confirms and teaches, that this separation of the soul from the body, which we call death, is evil. It is not part of God's creation. It is that which entered the world, making it subject to itself, but opposed to God and violating His design, His desire for the world, for mankind and for life. It is that which Christ came to destroy.

Man, as created by God, is an animate body and an incarnate spirit, and for that reason any separation of them, and not only the final separation, in death, but even before death, any violation of that union is evil. It is a spiritual catastrophe. From this we receive our belief in the salvation of the world through the incarnate God, i.e. again, above all, our belief in His acceptance of flesh and body, not "body-like," but a body in the fullest sense of the word: a body that needs food, that tires and that suffers.

 

In a relatively short essay, Fr. Schmemann presents us with the distortions of Christian thinking on death which have twisted our whole conception of the meaning of the Gospel, and which, more specifically, undermine the great power contained within the Resurrection of Christ.

Yet, if Fr. Schmemann was anything, he was a life-affirming person and thinker who, in his expressive manner, always spoke and wrote of the "Good News" proclaimed throughout the New Testament and liturgical life of the Church. He thus pointed out defects that have entered our way of thinking so that we could recover the Gospel in all of its power:

He alone rose from the dead, but He has destroyed our death, destroying its dominion, its despair, its finality.

Christ does not promise us Nirvana or some sort of misty life beyond the grave, but the resurrection of life, a new heaven and a new earth, the joy of universal resurrection. Christ is risen, and life abides, life lives ...

That is the meaning; that is the unending joy of this truly central and fundamental confirmation of the Symbol of Faith: "And the third day, He rose again according to the Scriptures." 

According to the Scriptures, i.e. in accordance with that knowledge of life, with that design for the world and humanity, for the soul and body, for the spirit and matter, for life and death, which has been revealed to us in the holy Scriptures.

This is the entire faith, the entire love, and the entire hope of Christianity. And this is why the Apostle Paul says, "If Christ is not risen, then your faith is in vain.

 

As a kind of appendix affirmation to the above, I would like to include, and thus conclude, with a passage from one of the most prominent Orthodox theologians of the twentieth century, the Romanian-born Dumitru Staniloae. Attempting to capture the essence of the Orthodox Church's absorption of, and appreciation for, the gift of Christ's Resurrection, Fr. Staniloae chose the word "salvation" as the best to summarize the Church's interior knowledge of ultimate reality:

Salvation expresses the deepest, most comprehensive and many-sided meaning of the work which Jesus Christ accomplished. In this last dimension, that is to say, understood as the destruction of man's death in all of its forms and the assurance of full and eternal life, the word "salvation" produces in the Orthodox faithful a feeling of absolute gratitude towards Christ to whom they owe the deliverance of their existence and the prospect of eternal life and happiness.

For those who would like to read the entire essay from Fr. Alexander Schmemann, the link below is for your convenience:

http://oca.org/reflections/fr-alexander-schmemann/the-christian-concept-of-death

LENTEN MEDITATION - Day X

 

 

Dear Parish Faithful,

LENTEN MEDITATION - Day X

How many people have accepted the idea that Lent is the time when something which may be good in itself is forbidden, as if God were taking pleasure in torturing us. 

For the authors of lenten hymns, however, Lent is exactly the opposite; it is a return to the "normal" life, to that "fasting" which Adam and Eve broke, thus introducing suffering and death into the world. Lent is greeted, therefore, as a spiritual spring, as a time of joy and light:

The lenten spring has come,

The light of repentance ...

The time of Lent is a time of gladness! 

With radiant purity and pure love,

Filled with resplendent prayer and all good deeds,

Let us sing with joy ...

— Fr. Alexander Schmemann
_____

The above passage is very typical of Fr. Alexander Schmemann, we could actually say "vintage." In his many writings, he recovered so much of a lost Orthodox Christian vision that was actually right in front of us, if we would only open our eyes and look carefully. I know that many of you are currently reading Fr. Schmemann's Great Lent. I hope that the book is proving to be precisely an eye-opening experience that will bring to life the richness and depth of the Church's liturgical life. At the midpoint of Great Lent we will be able to sing "For through the Cross joy has come into the world" - actually something we chant at every celebration of the Divine Liturgy! 

There is a joyousness at the very heart of Great Lent for the simple reason that this season is given to us as a gift during with we draw nearer to Christ, the living Source of joy and gladness.

 

Regarding Fr Alexander Schmemann's Liturgical Vision

 

Dear Parish Faithful,

As we marked the fortieth anniversary of the repose of Fr. Alexander Schmemann on Tuesday, I returned to his Journals and found this entry dated Tuesday, May 18, 1982:

Long letter from Father K[ostoff]: "I would like to at least - though superficially - let you know how absolutely important my three years of study under your guidance and in your presence were to me both intellectually and spiritually. I eagerly absorbed or attempted to do do so to the fullness of my capacity, that vision of the Church and simply of life itself which you presented to us at all times in the chapel and the classroom. For me, personally, and Deborah has expressed the same feelings, this was an encounter with an authentic vision, thereby making it not only inwardly convincing but also lasting and influential."

With many "ups and downs" it has been my goal over the years to remain loyal and committed to the liturgical and eucharistic revival that I was blessed to be made aware of as a seminary student at St. Vladimir's. Therefore, I am in no way blowing my trumpet with quoting my own letter to Fr. Alexander. Nor am I retreating into the pleasant realm of nostalgia. All I did was absorb a vision and practice of the Liturgy from the seminary that was imparted to us by Fr. Alexander in the chapel and the classroom. I then brought this vision and practice with me to the parishes in which I have served beginning as far back as 1981. And I have been here since 1989. 

My concern at this point in my life is this: Has Fr. Schmemann's vision been retained and still put into practice after all these years? Is it still alive and well? His "restoration" of the early Church's liturgical theology was often enough misinterpreted as an "innovation." Is that happening today, as a certain reactionary resistance to Fr. Schmemann's revival/restoration has seemed to settle in even in the Orthodox Church in America? If Fr. Schmemann's legacy is being slowly abandoned, what are the reasons for this, and what is it being replaced with?

Immersed in these thoughts, I then almost immediately received this email letter from an old friend, a woman who studied and graduated from St. Vladimir's in the same year that I did. Her letter brought to the surface some of the very things that I was concerned about. Here is her letter, only slightly edited to eliminate some personal comments she made to Presvytera and me. Regardless of what she may say about me and our parish, her letter is really a tribute to Fr. Schmemann, in that forty years later here is someone else who not only remembers Fr. Schmemann, but is also so grateful for his legacy to the Church. Her letter is therefore both very encouraging, but also discouraging; a reaction that you may agree with:

_____

Dear Fr. Steven,

I was happy to see that your parish streams its services, so I joined in. Needless to say, I was not disappointed. I love the way that you always keep the doors open, and say all the prayers aloud. With rare exceptions, that’s virtually unknown around here, despite the fact that our bishop went to St. Vladimir’s for a while, and that both the last dean and present dean of St. Tikhon’s are both graduates of SVS. I don’t know, maybe this distinctive liturgical practice isn’t taught/stressed/practiced anymore there either? On the 40^th anniversary of his repose, I wonder how much of Fr. Alexander’s legacy is actually preserved by graduates of St. Vladimir’s, despite the lip service. But I digress.

I noticed in your parish how active a role that women played, reading the epistle and even serving as “out-of-altar” girls. That was a nice touch. The choir sounds good, I see catechumens - always a good sign - and lots of communicants. I don’t know if anyone has told you, but it was very difficult to hear your sermon on the stream. I couldn’t figure that, since the epistle reader had been standing in the same place, and was very clear. Maybe you should look in to that. Anyway, you seem to have built a very good parish there. I wish such a parish existed in my area. There is just a different “culture” around here; Orthodox yes, but different from what I was used to. I thought that things would eventually change, but it’s apparently not in the cards. So my heart was cheered to know that the OCA that I joined at SVS nearly 50 years ago still lives and flourishes! I hope that you are not the only faithful and true son of St. Vladimir’s still left out there.

Related:

 Read more of Fr Steven's meditations about Fr Alexander Schmemann

Commemorating 40 Years from the Repose of Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann (SVS)

The 12 All-American Councils of Father Alexander Schmemann (OCA)

Contemporary Classics of Orthodox Literature

 

Dear Parish Faithful & Friends in Christ,  

"Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God ..."  - Heb. 13:7

 

 

Contemporary Classics of Orthodox Literature

 by Fr. Steven Kostoff

It is my observation that today many Orthodox Christians are reading a good deal of contemporary Orthodox literature - books on spirituality, liturgy, theology and history. These are books that are read immediately upon publication and which are very well promoted - if not well "marketed." A steady Orthodox reading discipline/program is essential in today's world perhaps more than ever. We are so ideologically bombarded from so many disparate quarters, that we need to remember who we are and what we believe! 

I am writing, though, with a particular concern in mind: Perhaps we are only - or mostly only - reading the most contemporary literature. Most of the Orthodox literature that I am now referring to can be accessed on Ancient Faith Radio. There is a circle of well-read authors there who are fairly prolific and have a wide Orthodox reading audience. I am not writing anything against those authors or their books.

However, because I am from an older generation, and have been an Orthodox priest for over forty years now, I want to make a heartfelt plea for the great writers who nurtured me, who nurtured an entire earlier generation or two, and who wrote the classics of twentieth century Orthodox literature. This is a great literature that placed Orthodoxy on the "map" both in America and in Europe and beyond - into Russia and other parts of the world. 

I strongly believe that we need to read these classics of the twentieth century, because these are the very books that served as the foundation for others to build on. These were books that allowed Orthodoxy to emerge from its sheltered ethnic communities; books which revived an abiding and lasting focus on the Fathers of the Church; books which completely restored the apostolic vision of the Liturgy and the Eucharist; and books that penetrated deeply into our genuine spiritual Tradition with the insights and practices that lead us to lives of holiness. 

I repeat: I am not claiming that our newer contemporary literature cannot do that, but our newer authors are standing on the shoulders of the "giants" who prepared the vision that may sustain them. For the sake of balance and wholeness, we must not neglect these classics. It would be a great loss if these books - and their authors - were more-or-less forgotten as the years pass. A further point is that the authors I am about to enumerate were steeped in a centuries-old Orthodox culture. They did not need to be overly defensive defensive, polemical or apologetic. 

This is not a "nostalgia fest" on my part. Of that, I can assure you. I think that as clergy and laity, we need a broad a range of theological grounding as much possible, and again, the classics go a long way in assuring that. (I of course, assume that everyone is reading the Scriptures and Fathers with regularity).

There were four great writers from the Orthodox Tradition that wrote brilliant and compelling books for many decades throughout the twentieth century. I read their works over and over - and over. They have had a lasting effect on me, and I like to think that in my own very modest way, I have applied their vision in my own pastoral ministry, from liturgy to theology. With the exception of Lossky, the other three - especially Frs. Schmemann and Meyendorff - were the key "architects" in establishing the Orthodox Church in America. I had the great privilege of actually knowing, studying under and worshiping with, Frs. Alexander Schmemann and John Meyendorff while a student at St. Vladimir's Seminary (1978-1981), as well as with Fr. Thomas Hopko. An unforgettable experience.

So, here are a few of the authors and books that I would like to highlight and bring to your attention:

+ George Florovsky (1893 - 1979)

His collected works have been published in 13 volumes, I believe, but I would single out:

Vol 1 - Bible, Church, Tradition - An Orthodox Perspective - A collection of essays that provide insight after insight into the meaning and relationship between Scripture and Tradition.

Vol. IV - Creation and Redemption - Another set of brilliant essays that incorporate the works of the Church Fathers in understanding the divine oikonomia from the Incarnation to the Resurrection.

There is a new volume of many never-before translated works, though it is quite expensive. Still, a worthwhile investment. Everything is simply brilliant that is contained in this volume, which also has a great Introduction:

The Patristic Witness of George Florovsky - The Essential Theological Writings 

+ Vladimir Lossky (1903-1958)

The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church - This book is the Orthodox classic of the twentieth century, written in 1945. It takes some real concentration, but endlessly fascinating and insightful.

The Image and Likeness of God - Essays that cover the whole range of theological, anthropological and Mariological themes.

Orthodox Dogmatics - A comprehensive study of dogmatic subjects by a brilliant theologian who leans heavily on the Church Fathers. 

 

+ Alexander Schmemann (1921-1983)

For the Life of the World - An absolute "must read" classic.

Great Lent - Considered the best single volume on the subject in the English language by Met. Kallistos Ware.

The Eucharist - Fr. Schmemann's final study of his life-long engagement with the meaning and practice of the Eucharist.

Church, World, Mission - A series of challenging essays about the Orthodox Church facing the challenges of the contemporary world. 

 

John Meyendorff (1926-1993)

Byzantine Theology - Historical Trends and Doctrinal Themes - A "classic" study of the Byzantine roots of our theological Tradition.

The Byzantine Legacy of the Orthodox Church - A great collection of essays that distinguish between the relative and eternal components of the Byzantine legacy.

Imperial Unity and Christian Divisions - A more detailed look at Church History from the 5th - 8th c. A brilliant work of historical synthesis.

 

Metropolitan Kallistos Ware (1934-2022)  

We cannot fail to mention him! He comes from a background different than the "big four," but he was a decisive figure in bringing Orthodox literature to the non-Orthodox Christian world.

The Orthodox Church - Still the best one-volume introduction to the Orthodox Church.

The Orthodox Way - a great supplement to The Orthodox Church focusing on what we call Orthodox spirituality. A real favorite!

Sacraments of Healing -  Just published and a further supplement to the two other books by Met. Kallistos. To be read together in this year's upcoming Fall Adult Education Class.

The Inner Kingdom - A collection of endlessly fascinating essays by Met. Kallistos, covering his conversion to Orthodoxy to profound insights into the last judgement - and beyond.

 

Other contemporary authors that are excellent and who have been writing for some time now, are: John Behr (Becoming Human), Andrew Louth (Introducing Eastern Orthodox Theology), Metropolitan Ilarion (The Orthodox Faith), Peter Bouteneff (How To Be a Sinner), Nona Verna Harrison (The Many-Splendored Image of God). Metropolitan Anthony Bloom (God and Man; Beginning to Pray);  Metropolitan John Zizioulas (Being and Communion), and, of course, Fr. Thomas Hopko (The Orthodox Faith in four volumes), are writers who have rather recently "fallen asleep in the Lord." 

I fully realize that I could be "preaching to the choir," and I apologize if it sounds as if I am implying that you have not read any/some/many of the books above. You may know this literature very well, indeed! And, I do not want to sound patronizing. But, I have been around and reading since the early 1970's(!), so I thought to share some of my own experience with Orthodox literature with those of you who have not been Orthodox for as long. Please accept my advice in that spirit. If anyone would like to pursue this further, a group of us could have a zoom session on this or a related theme.

In Christ,

Fr. Steven

'Schmemann Speaks' - SVS posts new recordings by Fr Alexander Schmemann

 

Dear Parish Faithful,

In remembrance and honor of the repose of Fr. Alexander Schmemann, St. Vladimir's Seminary issued this letter with links today. This sounds as if it will be fascinating, so I encourage everyone to spend some time with these talks by Fr. Alexander.

__________

 

 

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!

Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary has begun concluding its special year of celebration in honor of former dean and renowned theologian, Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann (September 13, 1921–December 13, 1983). The year 2021 marks the 100th anniversary of Fr Alexander's birth.

Today, on December 13, the date of Fr Alexander's remembrance in the Church, we share with you another powerful, timeless message resurrected from archived recordings of Schmemann. In it, Fr Alexander speaks of two fundamental reductions of Christianity, which endure in our day, that obscure what is "horribly difficult"—but truly life-giving—about following Jesus Christ.

But as 2021 comes to a close, there is more to come as part of the "Year of Schmemann" celebrations. We will be posting the final Schmemann Speaks podcast episodes (now up to 14 episodes) of the year. The second volume of Fr Alexander's A Voice for Our Time: Radio Liberty Talks is forthcoming (release date TBA). Finally, we'll send you details in the coming days about next month's annual Fr Alexander Schmemann Memorial Lecture.

May the memory of Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann be eternal! 

Watch "Lies about Christianity"

Schmemann Speaks Podcast

SVS Press Schmemann Collection,

including the most recent title:

A Voice for Our Time: Radio Liberty Talks, Vol. 1

Three Key Events on December 13

Dear Parish Faithful& Friends in Christ,

 

Today's date of December 13 has a great deal of significance for Orthodox Christians in North America, especially for those of us within the Orthodox Church in America, and even for our local parish of Christ the Savior/Holy Spirit. 

On this date we commemorate the repose in the Lord of Blessed Fr. Herman of Alaska (+1837). We had a wonderful Liturgy this morning in order to commemorate St. Herman's rebirth into the Kingdom of God. 

I have provided the link to his Life from the OCA website. It is very detailed and thus quite lengthy and may take more than one sitting to read through it all. But St. Herman is one of our few North American saints and we should get to know of his wonderful and holy life as well as possible:

Life of St Herman of Alaska (OCA)

In addition, I would like to include a paragraph from Fr. Thomas Hopko's reflection on Fr. Herman as found in his popular book The Winter Pascha. The entire chapter was read at an appropriate point in the Liturgy:

"By American standards, St. Herman of Alaska, like the Lord Jesus Himself, was a miserable failure. He made no name for himself. He was not in the public eye. He wielded no power. He owned no property. He had few possessions, if any at all. He had no worldly prestige. He played no role in human affairs. He partook of no carnal pleasures. He made no money. He died in obscurity among outcast people. Yet today, more that a hundred years after his death, his icon is venerated in thousands of churches and his name is honored by millions of people whom he is still trying to teach to seek the kingdom of God and its righteousness which has been brought to the world by the King who was born in a cavern and killed on a cross. The example of this man is crucial to the celebration of Christmas - especially in America." (p. 47-48)

 

It was on December 13, 1983, that Fr. Alexander Schmemann also reposed in the Lord. Fr. Alexander is one of the greatest figures in the emergence of an autocephalous Orthodox Church here in North America. It is Fr. Alexander who initiated the liturgical revival in our parishes that make us now strong eucharistic communities.

I studied under him and served with him as an acolyte and briefly as a deacon in my three years at St. Vladimir's seminary in New York. When our daughter Sophia was born, he visited our humble apartment in Yonkers, NY to see her, congratulate us and spend some time with us. And believe me, Fr. Schmemann visiting your apartment was a big thing!

Again, to quote Fr. Hopko from The Winter Pascha:

"For those who knew him, and those who will yet come to know him, the day of Fr. Alexander's death will always be a precious part of the Church's celebration of the Christmas-Epiphany season." (p. 49)

When Fr. Schmemann died in 1983, a brief tribute to him was filmed by CBS News. Reminding me of this, Mother Paula (Vicki Bellas) sent me the following link to this. I would like to share it with anyone who may be interested:

CBS Documentary on Fr. Alexander Schmemann (OCN)

Fr. Alexander appears briefly at the beginning, so there is a brief glimpse of him and his style. The rest is a series of tributes to him from various bishops, scholars, friends, etc. including the words of Fr. Thomas Hopko, who was his son-in-law. The video ends with Fr. Alexander's funeral, an extraordinary event that I returned to New York for. 

I recall approaching Matushka Anne Hopko (Fr. Alexander's daughter) and making a comment about the unique atmosphere of the funeral. She smiled, and then replied: "Yes, just like Pascha!" That response caught the essence of Fr. Schmemann's life - and his death.

Interestingly enough there is an entry on Fr. Alexander at Wikipedia with a listing of all of his publications. Here is the link:

Fr. Alexander Schmemann (Wikipedia)

And it was also on December 13, that our former parishioner Mother Paula was tonsured as a nun at the Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Ellwood City, PA. I believe this was in 2010. Mother Paula was known in the parish before her tonsuring by her name "in the world" of Vicki Bellas. She transferred to our parish in the early 90's and stayed with us until 2003 when she left for the monastery to "test" her vocation. I was the one who drove her to the monastery in the Fall of that year. 

When the time for her tonsuring came, a sizeable group from our parish made the trip for the service. That group consisted of: Presvytera Deborah and myself, Roberta Robedeau and our former parishioners Dan and Cristina Georgescu, together with the Callender family and Jeannie Markvan and Elena Drach. We somehow managed to stay just ahead of a snowstorm blowing through the region at that time. 

The hieromonk Fr. Alexander Cutler [formerly the Igumen at St. John the Theologian Skete in Hiram, OH] served as the celebrant of the tonsuring, and Fr. Thomas Hopko and I served together with him. It was an emotional event for all of us who were there. 

Many people journey through life, never quite finding a true "vocation," so Mother Paula was blessed in discovering hers through faithfulness to Christ and a life of prayer and service. It is not a parish footnote that a monastic has come out of our parish community. Rather, it is a true blessing. We can only say "well done" and wish her Many Years!

See also: A Blessed Event ~ The Tonsure of Mother Paula