sade065

"The common thing that brings all of us together, is our love for _______, and our desire to offer her/him the best beginning. Think about all the things we do for the newest member of our family...we make a safe home, with a safe bed and a safe car seat for her/him. We take her/him to the doctor for vaccinations and care for her/him to the best of our abilities, without her/him ever asking for it, but just because we love her/him. This is exactly the reason why we bring her/him to the Church today. Today, we offer ______ the beginning of a life grounded in the principles of faith,  kindness to others, and love for herself/himself as God's most important creation. She/he will be able to grow up with the best medicines for her/his mind, body and soul because she/he will begin receiving the holy Sacraments. Today, she/he was sealed with the chrism of the Holy Spirit, her/his hair was cut as her/his first offering to God, and she/he was clothed in the armor of new baptismal cloth...

Ayios Vasilios bears a title that few Saints share with him. He is known as "Saint Basil the Great." Some attribute this title to him because he organized cenobitic monasticism, or because he was a warrior-bishop who preached thunderous sermons throughout Caesarea to defend Orthodoxy against the heresy of the Arians. Below, however, I share why he is considered "Great" in my mind. Two things convicted the heart of St Basil during his formative years. The first was when his younger brother  Naucratius, died, and then second was the influence of his elder sister Macrina, whose rock-like faith led her to join a community of religious women who served the poor, owned no personal items, slept on the ground, ate only enough to sustain them, and lived completely for God.  Saint Basil followed this example and experienced himself the ascetic life, before being ordained and recruited to defend the Church. He went on to address the rich "who let their wheat rot, while...

Consider bringing the story of the 3 Great Hierarchs into your home tomorrow with the following lesson and activity. Begin by asking your kids or teens to select three favorite Fruits . * Announce the fruits out loud and discuss why they were picked. * What do your kids like and dislike about each one? * What are their respective qualities and characteristics. Is one sweeter than another? More tasty, too bitter, or bland? * Can they agree... "Which is their favorite?" If you're working with a youth group, divide the room according to the choices. Can you create a small uproar amongst the groups? Ask one to try convincing the others to change their selection. Lastly, ask the groups to come up with a "name" that would associate them with their favorite fruit. (i.e. Kiwians,Appleanians, Orangins) Then, ask everyone to close their eyes. As the adult, use three voices to introduce yourself on behalf of each fruit, being a bit silly, and arriving at the final conclus...

“You must understand why it is that the Word of the Fathe r , so great and so high, has been made manifest in bodily form." “Christ has been manifested in a human body for this reason only, out of the love and goodness of His Father, for the salvation of us men ”  “It was our sorry case that caused the Word to come down, our transgression that called out His love for us , so that He made haste to help us and to appear among us. “… the human race was in process of destruction … what then was God, being Good, to do?” “It was unthinkable that God, the Father of Truth, should go back upon His word regarding death in order to ensure our continued existence.” “… corruption could not be got rid of otherwise than through death ”  “For by the sacrifice of His own body He did two things: ' He put an end to the law of death which barred our way; and He made a new beginning of life for us, by giving us the hope of resurrection.” "The word became flesh (that is, man) , th...

This year, our parish has designated separate classes for boys and girls ages 10-16.  I thought I'd share our program with you, as it seems to be well received so far. The idea of splitting the genders has  truly allowed us to concentrate on specific issues related to their challenges while also eliminating much of the chatter and drama! We do not have a text per say, but rather a structure that gives us flexibility yet predictability. Every month our girls follow this schedule: 1st Sunday : Koumboskinia/Prayer Ropes (Craft & Theology) 2nd Sunday : Chanting (Theology & Hymns from the Divine Liturgy or Feast) 3rd Sunday : Diakonima (The girls can bake, assist, serve, & clean-up at the coffee fellowship- the boys tend to the altar and candles) 4th Sunday : Journaling from the Lives of the Female Saints Today, as an example, the girls were asked to walk around the church after the Divine Litrugy, and to write the names of the female Saints that they found on the wall...

If you're working with Orthodox teenagers, you may have been in the same predicament that I was a few years back...if so, give this idea a try the next time you're caught off guard. During Saturday night events, i.e. at basketball tournaments when usually a dance is scheduled, step up and "lead" from the microphone instead of the DJ having free reign. Here's what I suggest: 1. Keep your ears tuned in. 2. At the first "inappropriate" pop song played, jump in, cutting the song short, re-introduce yourself and initiate a trivia game. 3. Ask who knows the artist of the last played song 4. Who can name the title of that song? 5. Did I mention there are fantastic prizes at the end of the night? 6. Great - now announce that you're accepting song requests, and for anyone who suggests a good one which  reflects who **we** are, will be a lucky recipient of a prize (make it good, like a personal pizza to take back to the hotel!) Repeat as often as needed - just...

The Great-martyr Phanurius and Newly Appeared of Rhodes is a fantastic Saint for kids to learn about. Most of us know him for his intercessions when we lose something! But did you know about the great faith he had to pray for the salvation of his mom ? What a beautiful son and example for our children. This is a story all kids should hear! Here is a brief description of his life from www.abbamoses.com "Little is known of the holy Martyr Phanurius, except that which is depicted concerning his martyrdom on his holy icon, which was discovered in the year 1500 among the ruins of an ancient church on Rhodes, when the Moslems ruled there. Thus he is called "the Newly-Revealed." The faithful pray to Saint Phanurius especially to help them recover things that have been lost, and because he has answered their prayers so often, the custom has arisen of baking the Phaneropita ('Phanarius-Cake') as a thank-offering." There is a tradition that his mother was a great sin...