^F 0037 FIRST PARTICIPATION by ARCHONS in SOME THOUGHTS on ST
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SUMMER 1985 r)ie Aposrje CONFERENCE ON THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE IN CONTEMPORARY HISTORY TO BE HELD IN 1986 ___ Under the chairmanship of Dr. Harry J. Psomiades, Director of the Center for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies of Queens College of the City University of New York, a conference on the Ecumeni cal Patriarchate in Contemporary History will be held at the C.U.N.Y. Graduate Center, 33 West 42 Street in New York on April 18, 19, 20, 1986. The conference His Eminence Archbishop lakovos addressing fhc Archons at 'he Banquet of Sunday of Orthodoxy will be sponsored jointly by the Order of held at the Waldorf-Astoria, 1985. St. Andrew, and the European and Mod ern Greek studies Program of Queens College. The Conference will be in three parts; Part 1. The Ecumenical Patriarchate from the fall of Constantinople to the emergence of the Modern Greek State, 1453-1821. Part 2. The Ecumenical Patriarchate and Greek-Turkish Relations, 1821-1914. Part 3. The Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Turkish Republic, 3923-1986. Assisting Dr. Psomiades will be: Rev. Dr. Miltiades B. Efthimiou, Executive Of ficer of the Order of St. Andrew and con ference coordinator, Eleni Frangakis, As- "sistarrt Chairman of Conference, and new ly appointed Professor of Modern Greek Archons attending the Divine Lit urgy on Sunday of Orthodoxy held at the Archdiocesan Cathedra J of the History, Queens College. Further infor Holy Trinity in New York, mation on conference will be given in forthcoming issues of Newsletter. CATHOLIC LEAGUE OF WISCONSIN URGES NATIONAL COUNCIL TURKEY TO RECOGNIZE RIGHTS OF UNDERTAKES ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS IN TURKEY A letter from the Wisconsin Catholic The text reads as follows: ADOPT-A-PATIENT League urges Turkey to reject religious persecution and to authorize occasional Hon. Sukru Elekdag PROGRAM Turkish Embassy Orthodox religious services in Hagia 2523 Massachusetts A plan, first introduced in Denver, Colo Sophia. Washington, D.C. 20008 rado by Archon George Bithos, in which The League's President is Reverend Your Excellency: Archons would have an opportunity to Virgil C. Blum S.J., of Marquette Univer The friendship that exists between Turkey adopt a patient of the Balukli Hospital, sity, and has on its Board of Directors, and the United States gives me the confidence was launched at a recent meeting of the Bishop foseph Francis of Newark, New to raise with you a matter of some delicacy, but National council in New York. fersey, Michael Novak, resident scholar, one of great concern to those Americans who The following was a letter that was American Enterprise Jnst., Washington, prize religious freedom. sent to all members of the Order, and D.C., Msgr. Edward J. O'Donnell, vicar ft has been alleged that the Orthodox Chris all regional and state commanders: general, Archdiocese of St. Louis, and tian minority in Turkey has suffered various (Continued on page 3) other prominent people. (Continued on page 4) ^f 0037 FIRST PARTICIPATION BY ARCHONS IN SOME THOUGHTS ON ST. ANDREW'S DAY FESTIVITIES IN BALUKLI Balukli is one of the oldest Christian in CONSTANTINOPLE AND ST. NICHOLAS stitutions, which survives from the By zantine era to the present day. It is situat SYMPOSIUM IN MYRA ed outside the walls of Constantinople, on a summit across the so-called Golden a monastery, con The National Council of the Order of Synod and representatives of the Vatican, Gate. It was originally Emperor Justinian St. Andrew voted unanimously to partici fed by Cardinal Willebrand who is the structed in 560 A.D. by spot of unsurpassed pate for the first time in the celebration Director of Ecumenical Relations with on that imposing was selected for of St. Andrew's Day at the Patriarchate the Eastern Othodox Churches. Later the natural beauty. The area there of a fountain, the November 30th this Fall Archons will have a private meeting with the existence on to possess A trip to Antalya will follow to join the Patriarch. wafer of which was believed For this rea diplomats, theologians, scholars, his The itinerary in Istanbul will include miraculous healing power. was dedicated to Theo- torians and other distinguished clergy a visit to Hagia Sophia, Kahriye Mosque son the monastery Peghe. of major denominations in a 3-day sym- (Moni Tis Chores], Topkapi Palace where tokos Zoodochos For fifteen centuries this monastery, which in time became known as Balukli, shared the fate of the Polis and the Em pire. Time and again it was ruined by earthquakes, each time rebuilt better than before, for it was considered a reli gious and ethnic shrine of extraordinary significance. Festivities, held there at certain days of the ecclesiastical year, gathered enormous crowds anxious to witness the miracles performed by the water of the fountain, as the historians of those days have recorded. It suffered serious damage by the Bul garians in 924, by the Crusaders during the 33th century, and finally was totally destroyed by the Turks at the fall of Con stantinople in 1453. It remained in ruins till 1727, when a small church was erected December 6,1984, Feast Day of St. Nicholas. Services held over the tomb of St. Nicholas in Bosilica Church. over the miraculous fountain. Then, in The Divine Liturgy was officialed fay Metropolitan Chrysosiomos and assisted fay Father M. Eftfiimiou. 1794 some other improvements were service wos the first in 1200 years at this site. The made, ruined again totally in 1823 by the Janissaries. Finally, in 1838 an am posium at the birthplace of the most cele the sarcophagos of Alexander the Great bitious plan for a magnificent philan brated Saint in Western Christianity, is on display, the Theological School of thropic center was initiated and put into St. Nicholas of Myra [identified in Amer Halki and one of the highlights will be effect. It was the time that Greeks in ica as Santa Clous). a visit to Balukli Hospital and a visit to Turkey were still counted in the millions, With the blessing of His Eminence, pay our respects to the Tombs of the Pa a number of them well to do. Enthusiasm Archbishop lakovos, the trip will take triarchs, primarily that of Patriarch Athe- triumphed. There were built in Balukli place between November 27th and De nagoras where a Trisagion will be de large and well equipped departments for cember 9th or 12th, with various exten livered. each and every medical specialty, and in sions to such historical sites as Cappo- On December 1st the group will de some distance from them, a building for docia and Pontus in the Black Sea. part for Izmir (Smyrna) and Ephessus. victims of tuberculosis, one for the aged, The Chairman of this project assigned After visiting all the interesting spots, and another for the convalescents. The by the Council is Archon Dr. Kirk Kalem- the Archons will continue by air on De complex also included dormitories for keris, with Bishop Philotheos as Spiritual cember 3rd to Antalya where partici the personnel, kitchen facilities and a Leader of the group and Father Milton pants from everywhere will have gath pharmacy, and to top all of these a beauti Efthimiou as Coordinator of various ered for the Symposium. It will be an ful house of worship. to hear many outstanding events. opportunity In the center of the business district of in Istan and historians expound on Upon the arrival at the airport scholars Constantinople, an imposing building met those who wish to visit bul, Turkey, the Archons will be St. Nicholas. For housed the administration of Balukli, the Pa sites, optional tours will be avail by representatives of the Ecumenical other executive board, the secretariat, the trea to ancient Greek cities in southern triarchate. able sury and the accounting office. or to Pontus on Archon participation on this occasion Turkey, to Cappodocia The personnel, medical, professional the Black Sea. is very significant since these celebra as well as auxiliary, was consisted of 6th the titular Bishop of tions date back to Byzantine times when On December Greeks, both men and women, serving fDemre) and successor to St. titled Archons were very active and most Myra with dignity, dedication and concern, the Em Nicholas, Metropolitan Chrysostomos, influential in relations between mostly on a voluntary basis. will officiate at the Divine Liturgy, as peror and the Holy Sea of Phanari. The income of the institution, deriving will by other clergy and a large choir His Holiness, Patriarch Demetrios, sisted from grants and donations, was signifi the United States. officiate along with members of the Holy from cant; not only sufficient for the current of the Vatican, all inquiries about the trip, please Synod and representative For needs, but also enough to support other who is the or call the office of the Order of led by Cardinal Willebrand write welfare agencies and philanthropic as Director of Ecumenical Relations with St. Andrew, 8 East 79th Street, New the Eastern Orthodox Churches. York, NY 10021. Tel. (212) 570-3500. (Continued on page 3) (Continued from page 1) Re: ADOPT-A-PAT/ENT PLAN Dear "Defenders of the Faith": As one of our concerns as "Defenders of the Faith", the Baltik)i Hospital, as one of the major institutions of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, is in dire need of our help. This year's deficit is about $40,000 and next year's wi/I be about $50,000. The people who suffer from this deficit are the patients themselves, all 275 of them, ivho are Greek, defenseless, abandoned, and wifh no one to turn to. The only ones left to Archons gathering at the entrance of the Balukli Hospital.