Orthodox Church in America SS Peter & Paul Orthodox Church July 2019 June Council Highlights May’s Operating Income was $15,361.77 and Operating Expenses were $11,483.77, resulting in a net Operating Income of $3,878.00 for the month. Church youth spent a week at All Saints Camp. Pictures on pg. 3. When 630 church leaders Euphemia answered at once, one Person having two per- Church parking has been gathered at the Council of "We are not fools. We know fectly united natures, divine resurfaced and restriped. Chalcedon in the year 451, the difference between your and human. Overflow parking across the their meeng place was the lifeless statues and the true, It was finally decided that each street at Bamboo Bakery. cathedral dedicated to Saint living God we worship. Don't Euphemia. When they strug- waste your me trying to con- group would write a "confession gled unsuccessfully to resolve vince us to change our minds!" of faith" telling what they be- a very serious disagreement lieved, on a scroll. The two they turned to her, in a sur- The soldiers saw that Euphemia scrolls were sealed and placed prising way, for the soluon. gained courage from her fellow in the tomb of the cathedral's Chrisans. She was the young- patron, Saint Euphemia. A guard Euphemia was born in Chalce- est of the group. Perhaps, they watched over the tomb for SS Peter & Paul Orthodox don to a senator and his wife. thought, she would weaken three days, while the delegates Church From her early years she was without the others' support. fasted and prayed. 1614 E. Monte Vista Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85006 determined to dedicate her life She might then reveal the 602.253.9515 to Christ in virginity rather than names of more Chrisans they When the tomb was opened, www.sspeterpaulaz.org marrying and having children. could track down and arrest. the scroll detailing the Orthodox www.oca.org posion was in Euphemia's right www.orthodoxfellowship.org When the pagan governor of So they took Euphemia, alone, hand, and the other scroll lay at The Right Reverend DANIEL Bishop of Santa Rosa Chalcedon demanded that all to be interrogated. She was her feet. Euphemia had given Rector cizens gather to worship and cruelly tortured, and died in the answer: Christ is one Person 480.287.0240 Mobile sacrifice to the gods, some Chris- the arena where Chrisans in two unconfused, undivided [email protected] ans refused, and came togeth- oen suffered during gladiato- and inseparable natures. Archpriest David Balmer Attached er secretly for worship and pray- rial games. It was about the Retired ers. One day Euphemia was dis- year 307. Her fellow Chrisans In Rovinj, Croaa you can climb Deacon John Weiss covered among a group of Chris- built a beauful cathedral over to the highest point in the city, Andrew Evans ans worshipping in a house. her grave, and that was where the top of the Tower of Saint Council President the Council of Chalcedon met Euphemia. A statue of the saint 480.948.7929 The soldiers in charge of ar- 144 years later. revolves on the tower. As it Barbara Harp resng the Chrisans tried to turns, the statue's right hand Choir Director flaer her and to talk her into The meeng didn't go smooth- shows which way the wind is [email protected] Stephanie A. Homyak worshipping the pagan gods. ly because the delegates were blowing, just as Saint Euphe- Church School Director "Don't throw your life away," divided on a central issue. The mia's right hand showed the Newsletter Editor they told her. "You are young Monophysites said that if way of belief so many 623.869.0470 [email protected] and prey. Is it such a serious Christ is one Person, He must centuries ago. maer to say a few prayers to have only one nature. The Mike Wagner Web Master the temple gods?" Orthodox insisted that Christ is [email protected] PAGE 2 SSPETER&PAULORTHODOXCHURCHNEWSLETTER Dear Brothers and Sisters, Saint Luke portrays a community united in prayer, fraternity, charity and concern for Glory to Jesus Christ! those in need. On the recent Feast of Holy Pentecost, we In every age, the Church has been called to read from the Acts of the live that paradigm and SPIRITUAL VITAMINS Apostles and heard relat- through its life of prayer and ed its account of the be- charity to be the light, salt, “And so you must not become de- spondent in your illness and weak- ginning of the Church’s and leaven of humanity and ness, but on the contrary, rejoice in public preaching ministry. to be a foreshadowing of a spirit, being comforted with the Having received the Holy world of authenc jusce thought that the Lord has come closer Spirit, Saint Peter and peace. In this way, the to you now, and later will adopt you preached the Church’s Church is enabled to live an as His own children, if you will remain first sermon, preaching to authenc life based on its faithful to Him to the end and bear those who had gathered common prayer in the Litur- without grumbling all the sorrows from throughout the gy, experiencing the Risen that He finds necessary to send you. world and proclaiming all Lord’s presence in prayer and He that endureth to the end shall be that God had accom- in the Eucharist, in order then saved (Ma. 10:22).” plished in and through His to bring that saving love to +Abbot Nikon Vorobiev Son, Jesus. In Acts we the world. As we connue also see that, with the our shared sojourn on earth, “Married life, no less than the life beginning of the work of preaching the we pray that our parish community, like the of a monk, is a special vocaon, requiring a parcular gi or charisma Gospel “to the ends of the universe,” the early Church gathered around the Apostles, from the Holy Spirit; and this gi is Church began to form into communies as may increasingly become a place where we conferred in the Mystery (Sacrament) people by the thousands were called to experience deep prayer, encounter the Lord of Holy Matrimony.” follow the Way of Jesus Christ. in His Word and in the celebraon of the Timothy Ware, The Orthodox Church Sacred Mysteries, and remain a safe haven Aer first describing the Apostles’ post- of peaceful and loving fellowship with our Resurrecon en- “The correct spiritual approach is to brothers and sisters. forget the good you do to others and counters with the May our “house” to remember the good others do to Risen Lord and the have doors that wel- you. When someone reaches this state awesome events of come the world to of spiritual being, then he is indeed Pentecost, the Book join in our journey so human, a man of God." of Acts goes on to that we may all one +St. Paisios of Mount Athos also describe the day be part of the form of life lived by communion (and “It is God, Who is merciful and grants those first Chris- community) of the everyone what he needs, Who is build- ans. Saint Luke, saints and the heav- ing him up when He gives him more the author of Acts, enly Jerusalem. than he needs; in doing so He shows presents the Church the abundance of His love for men of Jerusalem, gathered in response to the Praying that all of you will have a safe and and teaches him to give thanks. When Apostles’ preaching, as the paradigm and enjoyable summer, He does not grant him what he needs, model of all Chrisan communies. Saint He makes him compensate for the thing he needs through the working of Luke tells us that, as brothers and sisters With love in the Lord, the mind and teaches him paence.” in Christ, the first believers “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and +Bishop Daniel +Venerable Abba Dorotheos of Gaza fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42). Here we see that PAGE 3 SSPETER&PAULORTHODOXCHURCHNEWSLETTER PAGE 4 SSPETER&PAULORTHODOXCHURCHNEWSLETTER Priest John Parker or even “more truth,” but rather some “whenever there is a ‘therefore’ in the bland aim at “improvement,” “self-help,” or Scriptures, you should always ask yourself, Then Jesus said to them, “These are my “making the world a beer place.” what is the ‘therefore’ there for?’” Similarly, words which I spoke to you, while I was in the passage from Luke’s Gospel, for sll with you, that everything wrien Has the Church, Father Alexander implies which Father Alexander’s seventh chapter is about me in the law of Moses and the by queson in this final chapter, aban- tled, we must also ask quesons. If the prophets and the psalms must be ful- doned her primary vocaon as martyr—as tle is “Ye are witnesses of these things…” filled.” Then he opened their minds to witness, as “witness to these then what are the “these” of “these things” understand the scriptures, and said to things?” Have we taken the easy way, of which we are witness? them, “Thus it is wrien, that the Christ since Chrisanity is “a major world reli- should suffer and on the third day rise gion,” and squelched the Apostolic convic- Let’s begin apophacally, with what from the dead, and that repentance and on that Orthodox Chrisanity is the only “these things” are not. “These things” are forgiveness of sins should be preached in True Faith, that it is for all people? not “religious pracces,” like fasng on his name to all naons, beginning from certain days and hours.