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Raphael of Brooklyn

2006-04-20T08:19:25Z

Npa213: added hymns

[[Image:Raphael_of_Brooklyn.jpg|left|thumb|250px|St. Raphael of Brooklyn]]
[[Image:Raphael_of_Brooklyn_grave.jpg|right|thumb|250px|The tomb of St. Raphael at [[Antiochian Village]], Ligonier, Pennsylvania]]
Our father among the saints '''Raphael of Brooklyn''' ([[November 20]], 1860 - [[February 27]], 1915) was born Rafla Hawaweeny in Damascus, Syria. He was educated at the Patriarchal School in Damascus, the School of Orthodox Theology in Halki Island, Turkey, and at the Theological Academy in Kiev, Russia. In 1904 he became the first Orthodox [[bishop]] to be consecrated in North America; the consecration was done by Archbishop St. [[Tikhon of Moscow]] and Bishop Innocent in New York City. He served as [[bishop]] of Brooklyn, New York until his death.

During the course of his ministry as an auxiliary bishop of the [[Church of Russia|Russian Orthodox Church]] in America, St. Raphael founded the present-day primatial cathedral of the [[Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America]] (St. Nicholas Cathedral), established thirty parishes, and assisted in the founding of [[St. Tikhon's Orthodox Monastery (South Canaan, Pennsylvania)|St. Tikhon's Orthodox Monastery]] in South Canaan, Pennsylvania.

==Glorification==
Bishop Raphael was [[glorification|glorified]] (numbered among the saints) by the [[Holy Synod]] of the [[Orthodox Church in America]] in its March 2000 session, and the glorification services by that Holy Synod took place in May of that year at [[St. Tikhon's Orthodox Monastery (South Canaan, Pennsylvania)|St. Tikhon's Monastery]] with the participation of bishops representing the [[Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America]], the [[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America]], and the [[Church of Poland]]. He is commemorated by the [[Orthodox Church in America]] on [[February 27]], the anniversary of his death, and by the [[Church of Antioch]] on the first Saturday of November, which is shortly before Raphael's own patronal feast (the [[Feast of the Archangels]], [[November 8]]).

==Hymns==
[[Image:Raphael engolpion.jpg|right|thumb|150px|[[Engolpion]] of St. Raphael]]
[[Troparion]] (Tone 4)
:Rejoice, O Father Raphael, Adornment of the Holy Church!
:Thou art Champion of the true Faith,
:Seeker of the lost, Consolation of the oppressed,
:Father to orphans, and Friend of the poor,
:Peacemaker and Good Shepherd, Joy of all the Orthodox,
:Son of Antioch, Boast of America:
:Intercede with Christ God for us and for all who honor thee.

[[Kontakion]] (Tone 3)
:Today the memory of blessed Raphael hath shone on us;
:For having received Christ’s call, he faithfully took up his cross
:and followed Him becoming a fisher of men.
:Let us cry aloud to him saying: Rejoice O Father Raphael!

{{start box}}
{{succession|
before=—|
title=Archbishop of Brooklyn|
years=1904-1915|
after=[[Aftimios Ofiesh]]}}
{{end box}}

== Sources==
* ''Orthodox America 1794-1976 Development of the Orthodox Church in America'', C. J. Tarasar, Gen. Ed. 1975, The Orthodox Church in America, Syosett, New York

== External links ==
* [http://www.angelfire.com/pa3/straphaelcanonized/ Saint Raphael of Brooklyn Website]
* [http://www.antiochian.org/saint_raphael St. Raphael of Brooklyn] ([[Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America|Antiochian Archdiocese]] site)
*[http://www.orthodoxphotos.com/Various_Photos/Glorification_of_St._Raphael_Hawaweeny/ Photos from the glorification of St. Raphael]
*[http://www.oca.org/FS.NA-Saint.asp?SID=4&Saint=Raphael St. Raphael, Bishop of Brooklyn] ([[OCA]] site)
*[http://www.networks-now.net/litresswraoc/SVCRaphaelAkolouthia.htm Akolouthia (Service) to St. Raphael], according to the use of the [[Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America|Antiochian Archdiocese]]

[[Category:American Saints]]
[[Category:Bishops]]
[[Category:Missionaries]]
[[Category:Saints]]

Thekla the Protomartyr

2006-04-20T08:02:42Z

Npa213: /* External Links and Sources */

[[Image:Thekla the Protomartyr.jpg|right|frame|St. Thekla the Protomartyr, Equal-to-the-Apostles]]
The holy, glorious and right-victorious [[Protomartyr]] '''Thekla''' (or ''Thecla'') the [[Equal-to-the-Apostles]] devoted her life to God at a time when all Christians were shunned. Her [[feast day]] is celebrated on [[September 24]].

==Life==
[[Saint]] Thekla was born in Iconium to wealthy parents. After having heard St. [[Apostle Paul|Paul]] speak on [[chastity]], she decided she must follow [[Christ]] and abandon her plans to marry. Her mother and her fiancé were opposed to this decision, and their accusations to the governor landed St. Paul in prison. St. Thekla slipped away from her house to listen to St. Paul in prison, having bribed the guards with her gold jewelry to gain entrance.

At his trial, St. Paul was banished from the city, and Thekla refused to change her mind against all the tears, threats, and reasonings her mother and the governor could apply. She was firm in her conviction to follow Jesus Christ the Bridegroom. Her mother, enraged, persuaded the judge to sentence St. Thekla to burn to death. Emboldened by her love for Christ, she made the [[sign of the Cross]] over the flames, and was surrounded by a light, untouched by the flames. Rain, and hail extinguished the fire, and, with thunder, helped to drive away those who wished to put Thekla to death.

She sought out St. Paul and his companions, including St. [[Apostle Barnabas|Barnabas]], who were hiding in a cave near the city. She spread the [[gospel]] of Christ with them in [[Church of Antioch|Antioch]], and throughout her life performed many [[miracle|miraculous]] feats and suffered many tortures to give glory to God. Having retired to a desolate region of Isaurian Seleucia with the blessing of St. Paul, Thekla continued to preach God's word and heal His children.

When St. Thekla had reached the age of 90, envious pagan sorcerors came to defile her. A large rock split open when St. Thekla called on Christ the Savior to help her, and the rock covered her, and she offered up her soul to the Lord.

"The Protomartyr Thekla, a [[prayer]]ful [[intercession|intercessor]] for [[ascetic]]s, is also invoked during the [[tonsure]] of women into [[monasticism]]." [http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?SID=4&ID=1&FSID=102715]

==Hymns==
[[Troparion]] (Tone 4) [http://www.oca.org/FSTropars.asp?SID=13&ID=102715]
:You were enlightened by the words of Paul, O Bride of God, Thekla,
:And your faith was confirmed by [[Apostle Peter|Peter]], O Chosen One of God.
:You became the first sufferer and [[martyr]] among women,
:By entering into the flames as into a place of gladness.
:For when you accepted the Cross of Christ,
:The demonic powers were frightened away.
:O all-praised One, intercede before Christ God that our souls may be saved.

[[Kontakion]] (Tone 8)
:O glorious Thekla, virginity was your splendor,
:The crown of martyrdom your adornment and the faith you trust!
:You turned a burning fire into refreshing dew,
:And with your prayers appeased pagan fury, O First Woman Martyr!

==External Links and Sources==
*[http://www.antiochianvillage.org/camp/saint_thekla.html St. Thekla the Protomartyr] ([[Antiochian Village]])
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?SID=4&ID=1&FSID=102715 Holy Protomartyr and Equal of the Apostles Thekla] ([[OCA]])
*[http://goarch.org/en/chapel/saints.asp?contentid=216 Thekla the Protomartyr & Equal-to-the-Apostles] ([[GOARCH]])
*Come and See Icons: St. Thekla: [http://www.comeandseeicons.com/phi08.htm], [http://www.comeandseeicons.com/dtg02.htm], and [http://www.comeandseeicons.com/bmp17.htm], by the hand of Nicholas Papas

[[Category:Martyrs]]
[[Category:Saints]]

Antiochian Village

2006-04-20T07:54:28Z

Npa213:

The '''Antiochian Village''' is a center for Orthodox activities in Bolivar, Pennsylvania that was founded in 1978. It is under the jurisdiction of the [[Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America]] and consists of a conference center and a camp. It was the site of the [[Ligonier Meeting]] in 1994.

==Conference and Retreat Center==
The conference center has one hundred guest rooms, meeting rooms, a banquet hall, dining facilities, and a theological research library. The Saints Peter and Paul chapel is also located within the center. In 2004, the Antiochian Village Heritage Museum was opened, featuring historical artifacts of Orthodox significance, such as [[icons]] and [[vestments]].

"The Village" hosts Orthodox as well as external events and retreats. The [[Orthodox Christian Fellowship]] East Coast College Conference takes place at the conference center each December. There is an annual Sts. [[Thekla the Protomartyr|Thekla]] and [[Raphael of Brooklyn|Raphael]] Pilgrimage every fall. St. Thekla is the patron saint of an outdoor chapel on the camp grounds, and St. Raphael is buried just next to the outdoor chapel. The Antiochian Archdiocese has many of its national delegate's meetings and its biennial Clergy Symposium at the conference center, due to the central location and facilities that are conducive to host such meetings.

==Camping Program==
The Antiochian Village Camp program holds both a summer and winter camp each year. The summer camp consists of four 2-week sessions from June to August each year. Approximately one thousand campers between the ages of 9 and 17, as well as sixty staff, attend the camp every summer. Some main parts of the summer camp program are daily services in the St. Ignatius chapel, Christian education classes, a challenge course, an overnight camping program, and afternoon sports and activities. There are two 4-day winter camp sessions for older campers (12 to 17 years old) over long weekend breaks from school in the winter. Winter camp includes a day trip to go snow tubing and various outdoor winter activities. The camp also has a family camp for families to attend together, and in 2005 started the Vill''edge'' Adventures program for 16 to 18 year old campers. In the summer of 2006, there will be "Sacred Arts Camps" for [[Byzantine Chant|Byzantine Chanting]] and [[Iconography]].

In addition to [[Thekla the Protomartyr|St. Thekla]] and [[Raphael of Brooklyn|St. Raphael]], the camp's patron [[saints]] are the child saint [[Artemius of Verkola|Artemius]], [[Herman of Alaska|St. Herman of Alaska]] and [[Ignatius of Antioch|St. Ignatius of Antioch]]. The [[reliquary]] at the St. Ignatius Chapel includes [[relics]] of St. Herman, [[Moses the Ethiopian|St. Moses the Ethiopian]], and others.

The camp is currently conducting a capital campaign called "Village 2010" to raise money for many neccesary upgrades to facilities. The St. Ignatius Chapel will be expanded, five new cabins will be built, a new dining hall will be created, as well as numerous other projects.

==History==
The Antiochian Village was the vision of His Eminence [[Philip (Saliba) of New York|Metropolitan Philip]] of the Antiochian Archdiocese. The 280-acre grounds were purchased from Camp Fairfield, a Presbyterian camp, in 1978, and the first camping season was the summer of 1979. The Conference and Retreat Center was built in 1985 and doubled in size in 1990. Fr. John Namie was the first camp director from 1979 to 1988. The current director is Fr. Michael Nasser, who has been at the camp since 1997.

==External Links==
*[http://www.antiochianvillage.org/ Antiochian Village]
*[http://www.antiochianvillage.org/camp/camphistory.html Antiochian Village History]

[[Category:Organizations]]
[[Category:Pilgrimage Sites]]

Antiochian Village

2006-04-20T07:12:18Z

Npa213:

The '''Antiochian Village''' is a center for Orthodox activities located in Bolivar, Pennsylvania. It is under the jurisdiction of the [[Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America]] and consists of a conference center and a camp. It was the site of the [[Ligonier Meeting]] in 1994.

"The Village" hosts Orthodox as well as external events and retreats. The [[Orthodox Christian Fellowship]] East Coast College Conference takes place at the conference center each December. There is an annual Sts. [[Thekla the Protomartyr|Thekla]] and [[Raphael of Brooklyn|Raphael]] Pilgrimage every fall. St. Thekla is the patron saint of an outdoor chapel on the camp grounds, and St. Raphael is buried just next to the outdoor chapel. The Antiochian Archdiocese has many of its national delegate's meetings at the conference center, due to the central location and facilities that are conducive to host such meetings.

The Antiochian Village Camp program holds both a summer and winter camp each year. The summer camp consists of four 2-week sessions from June to August each year. Approximately nine hundred campers between the ages of 9 and 17 attend the camp in one summer. Some main parts of the summer camp program are daily services in the St. Ignatius chapel, Christian education classes, a challenge course, an overnight camping program, and afternoon sports and activities. There are two 4-day winter camp sessions for older campers (12 to 17 years old) over long weekend breaks from school in the winter. Winter camp includes a day trip to go snow tubing and various outdoor winter activities. The camp also has a family camp for families to attend together, and in 2005 started the Vill''edge'' Adventures program for 16 to 18 year old campers. In the summer of 2006, there will be "Sacred Arts Camps" for [[Byzantine Chant|Byzantine Chanting]] and [[Iconography]].

In addition to [[Thekla the Protomartyr|St. Thekla]] and [[Raphael of Brooklyn|St. Raphael]], the camp's patron [[saints]] are the child saint [[Artemius of Verkola|Artemius]], [[Herman of Alaska|St. Herman of Alaska]] and [[Ignatius of Antioch|St. Ignatius of Antioch]]. The [[reliquary]] at the St. Ignatius Chapel includes [[relics]]

The camp's five patron [[saint]]s are St. [[Thekla the Protomartyr|Thekla]], St. [[Artemius of Verkola|St. Artemius]], St. [[Herman of Alaska|St. Herman of Alaska]], St. [[Raphael of Brooklyn|Raphael]], and St. [[Ignatius of Antioch|Ignatius]]. St. Raphael is buried on the grounds of the Village, and a portion of St. Herman's [[relics]] are enshrined in St. Ignatius Chapel at the Antiochian Village, along with relics of St. [[Moses the Ethiopian]] and others, which exude a sweet fragrance.

==History==

==External Links==
*[http://www.antiochianvillage.org/ Antiochian Village]
*[http://www.antiochianvillage.org/camp/camphistory.html Antiochian Village History]

[[Category:Organizations]]
[[Category:Pilgrimage Sites]]

Thomas Hopko

2006-04-17T20:47:20Z

Npa213:

Very Reverend Protopresbyter '''Thomas Hopko''' (born March 28, 1939, Endicott, New York) is an Orthodox Christian [[priest]] and theologian. He was the Dean of [[St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (Crestwood, New York)|Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary]] from September 1992 until July 1, 2002 and taught dogmatic theology in this institution from 1968 until 2002. After his retirement, he carries honorary title of Dean Emeritus.

Fr. Hopko was [[baptism|baptized]] and raised in St. Mary’s Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Greek-Catholic Church, Endicott, NY. He gained his B.A. in Russian Studies, Fordham University, 1960, followed by his M.Div., [[St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (Crestwood, New York)|St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary]], in 1963. He then took an M.A. in Philosophy, Duquesne University, in 1968 and gained his Ph.D. in Theology, Fordham University, in 1982.

At St. Vladimir's Seminary, Hopko studied with such renowned Orthodox theologians as Fr. [[Alexander Schmemann]], Fr. [[John Meyendorff]], Nicholas Arseniev and Serge Verkhovskoy. He was [[ordination|ordained]] to holy presbyterate in 1963 and served several parishes in the states of Ohio and New York. In 1968 he began to teach at St. Vladimir's and eventually succeeded his teacher, Serge Verkhovskoy, as professor of dogmatic theology. He was made [[archpriest]] in 1970 and, upon his election as Dean, was elevated to the rank of Protopresbyter (1995).

Fr. Hopko is a prominent Orthodox Christian lecturer and speaker, well-known both in the Orthodox and ecumenical circles. He served as a member of the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches and as a delegate from the Orthodox Church in America to the Assemblies of WCC in Uppsala, Sweden and Nairobi, Kenya. He was also President of the Orthodox Theological Society in America (1992- 1995).

Trisagion

2006-04-17T07:08:12Z

Npa213:

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'''Trisagion''' is from the Greek tris- (three) and hagios (holy). It is pronounced “tree-sah-yon.