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VOL. 45 | NO. 2 | SPRING 2015 Bible Boot Camp The New Martyrs In This IssueAround the Eparchy National Assn. of Melkite Women CONTENTS SThe Journalophia of the Eparchy of Newton for Melkite Catholics in the United States 3 From the Editor, Come and See www.melkite.org 4 Pascha Proclaims an Undying Hope Published quarterly by the Eparchy of Newton. ISSN 0194-7958. Made possible in part by the Catholic Home Mission 6 Bible Boot Camp Get Ready for Basic Training Committee, a bequest by the Rev. Allen Maloof and generous supporters of the annual Bishop’s Appeal. 8 Bishop Nicholas Announces New St. Barbara Mission PUBLISHER 10 Fr Khaled Anatolios Ordained Priest Most Rev. Nicholas J. Samra, Eparchial Bishop 11 Deacon Andrew Baroody Ordained EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Rt. Rev. Archimandrite James Babcock 12 Alabama Parishioner Named a COPY EDITOR National Distinguished Principal Rev. James Graham Being Green. Or Melkite PRODUCTION 13 It’s Not Easy Deacon Paul Leonarczyk 14 The New Martyrs for Christ DESIGN AND LAYOUT Doreen Tahmoosh-Pierson 16 Father Bechara A Man of Simplicity and Humility SOPHIA ADVISORY BOARD Dr. Fran Colie | Rev. George Gallaro 18 Salvatorian Order Commemorates 85th Anniversary Very Rev. Lawrence Gosselin Deacon Paul Leonarczyk | Rev. Justin Rose 19 NAMY Conference Coming to Michigan Rt. Rev. Michael Skrocki Jesus Heals Body and Soul DISTRIBUTION 20 Sin Makes U Sick Rt. Rev. Michael Skrocki 21 Vocation Tour Reaches Miami Please email subscription additions/deletions or address changes to: [email protected]. 22 Quiz What’s Your Melkite IQ? The Publisher waives all copyright to this issue. Contents may be distributed free and without special permission in publications that are distributed free. Wherever possible, 24 Grottaferrata A Gem of the Christian East please include a credit line, indicating the name of SOPHIA magazine. Unsolicited manuscripts, articles, and letters to 25 Whole Church Should Help Eastern Churches the editor are welcomed. The editors assume no responsi- bility for lost manuscripts or photos. The content of all ar- ticles, past, present and future, remains the expressed personal 26 Revisiting the Councils of the Church opinion of the individual author and may not reflect, in its entirety, the opinion of the Melkite Eparchy of Newton. 30 Around the Eparchy © 2015 SOPHIA Magazine. 33 NAMW News Share Your Voice With Us! the Eparchy Have you ever dreamed of being a writer? Perhaps 35 Navigating having your voice heard on the printed page? Is there a subject that you have wanted to address or a story that you are excited to tell? We would love to hear from you! SOPHIA welcomes updates and photos from all of our parishes and invites manuscripts, articles, and letters to the editor from parishioners. Submissions will be subject to review by the editorial staff and only those approved by the publisher will be published. ON THE COVER Newly ordained Fr. Khalid Anatolios, Khouria Meredith All submissions can be sent to: and his two children, Rebecca & Sarah. [email protected] or SUBMISSIONS All materials (photos/articles/parish news) SOPHIA Letterbox for the Spring issue of SOPHIA magazine 3747 Vista Campana, #84 DEADLINE are due June 1, 2015. Oceanside, CA 92057 714 600 3660 2 SOPHIA | SPRING 2015 FROM THE EDITOR Right Reverend Archimandrite James Babcock Editor-in-Chief Come&See oving day again? Since I’ve been ordained Temecula and is doing a fantastic job. I have moved or changed residence—well, As for my assignment as editor of SOPHIA, I will continue at let see how many times. From Boston to the pleasure of His Grace, Bishop Nicholas. With all this activ- New Jersey. From New Jersey to Akron. ity and various illnesses related to age, I could use your prayers. “MFrom Akron to Sacramento. From Sacramento to Fullerton. As I write this we are about to enter into Holy Week. The From Fullerton to Yorba Linda. From Yorba Linda to Placentia. beautiful services of Holy Week are so powerful that if even From Placentia to Placentia (the parish finally purchased an atheist were to attend them all I believe he or she would be a permanent home for the clergy, but I lived in it for only converted. one year.) Then from Placentia to Temecula, and now from “Come and see,” the envoys of Prince Vladimir were told Temecula to Oceanside, which is half-way between Temecula when they visited Constantinople seeking to learn the religion of and San Diego. the Byzantines. Yes! Come and see! Truly, there is nothing else This will, I hope, be my final move. To make sure, I bought on earth like these services and that’s because we celebrate them this house from a couple of our priests who had intended it simultaneously with the angels and saints in heaven, recounting to be their retirement home. Retirement for me is a few years the greatest act of love ever known, the life-giving death and res- away but I need somewhere to go when that day comes. urrection of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ. So, for now, I will continue to serve as Pastor of our two mis- So to all our readers, I say, “Christ is Risen!” “He is Truly sion communities, St Jacob in San Diego and Virgin Mary in Risen!” I wish all of you a happy, holy, and blessed Pascha! † Temecula. Virgin Mary Community, by the way, also just com- pleted a move back to its original starting city. It now has a Archimandrite James Babcock was ordained priest in 1981. He is pastor of St Jacob nice church and hall located inside a warehouse which the com- Mission in San Diego, CA, and Virgin Mary Mission in Temecula, CA, and Editor- munity is leasing. Fr Paul Al Khoury Fallouh is assisting me in in-Chief of SOPHIA. GOOD NEWS! Fr George Gallaro Named Bishop in Sicily Father George D. Gallaro, priest of our Melkite Eparchy of Newton, was named Bishop of the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi, near Palermo (Sicily), Italy, by Pope Francis on 17 March 2015. This Church is sometimes called the Italo-Albanian Greek Catholic Church. The public announcement was made on 31 March, just as this issue of SOPHIA was going to the printer. A full story will follow in the next issue of SOPHIA. Our prayers and best wishes are with Bishop George in this new endeavor. Axios! Axios! He is worthy! THE JOURNAL OF THE MELKITE CATHOLIC EPARCHY | 3 Pascha Proclaims an Undying Hope 2015 Paschal Message of Bishop Nicholas Christ is risen! He is truly risen! My Beloved Clergy and Faithful, Pascha is our celebration of Faith and Hope, our belief and trust in God’s promise that “we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4). Indeed, our yearning for abundant life is fulfilled by the Resurrection that gives promise for our future. Without hope life can be very sad and painful, and we can become disillusioned in relationships, in shattered dreams, in family problems, in illness, and of course, in death. Yet Pascha proclaims Most Rev. an undying hope—the risen Christ comes today to bring hope and victory. He comes to bring Nicholas J. Samra resurrection and new life. Eparchial Bishop of On Holy Friday, we heard the reading of Ezekiel’s vision of an entire valley filled with dead Newton people’s bones. The Lord who is ever faithful breathes over the bones and brings His people back from death and captivity. This vision is fulfilled by the risen Christ, who even today calls us back to life and clothes our dry, dead bones with purpose, hope, and eternal life! On the night of His Resurrection, Jesus walks to Emmaus with two of his disciples who do not recognize Him im- mediately (Luke 24:13-35). In their sadness they tell Him: “We hoped that He was the one who would redeem Israel.” They mention that the women, and some other disciples, found the empty tomb, “but Him they did not see.” Jesus then interprets for them the Scriptures concerning Himself, and He opens their eyes in the “breaking of the bread.” Immedi- ately, He brings them from the darkness of despair to the joyful light of hope in Him. Our life, too, is often filled with shattered dreams and broken hopes. Truly, our world is still filled with problems: wars, killings, injustice, hatred, and the like. So many people lose themselves in despair. But if Christ is risen, then hope is risen! If Christ is risen, death is conquered, and we live in the everlasting arms of our beloved Savior who died so we may live. In Him “we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13). The risen Christ liberates us from all negativity and pessimism. Our lighted candles on Pascha remind us that we sing with full and joyful hope as we proclaim with St John Chrysostom in his Paschal Homily: “Christ is risen, and the de- mons are cast down. Christ is risen, and the tombs have been emptied of their dead. Christ is risen, and life is set free!” Sartre speaks of the silence of God. Heidegger speaks of the absence of God. Jaspers speaks of the concealment of God. Bultmann speaks of the hiddenness of God. Buber speaks of the eclipse of God. Tillich speaks of the nonbeing of God. Altizer speaks of the death of God. However, the New Testament writers—eyewitnesses—speak of the hope of the Risen and Living Lord! To Him be glory, honor, and worship, praise and thanksgiving for all ages.