A Cloud of Witnesses

August-September, 2004

 

All Saints Orthodox Church

Salina, Kansas

 

All Saints Orthodox Church

2818 Scanlan Avenue, Salina, KS 67401

Church: 823-3735 Home: 309-0858

E-mail: allsaints95@sbcglobal.net

Right Rev'd. Fr. Daniel S. Griffith, pastor

(E-mail: frdaniel@cox.net)

August Calendar for All Saints Orthodox Church and St. Mary Magdalene Orthodox Mission

September Calendar for All Saints Orthodox Church and St. Mary Magdalene Orthodox Mission

The Transfiguration of the Lord

This is a feast that enjoys far greater prominence in Ortho­doxy than in western Christendom…In the Orthodox tradition 6 August is reckoned as one of the 12 Great Feasts, of such importance that it supplants the Sunday office entirely.

The Transfiguration is par excellence the feast of Christ’s divine glory. Like Theo­phany, it is a feast of light: ‘Today on Tabor in the manifestation of Thy Light, O Word, Thou unaltered Light from the Light of the unbegotten Father, we have seen the Father as Light & the Spirit as Light, guiding with light the whole creation’ (exapostilarion). Nor is this the only parallel between the 2 feasts…Although less explicit­ly, the Transfigura­tion is a revelation of the Holy Trinity. On Tabor, as at the baptism in Jordan, the Father speaks from heaven, testifying to the divine Sonship of Christ: & the Spirit is also present, on this occasion not in the likeness of a dove, but under the form of dazzling light, surrounding Christ’s person & over­shadowing the whole mountain. This dazzling light is the light of the Spirit.’

The Transfiguration, then, is a feast of divine glory—more specifically, of the glory of the Resurrec­tion. The ascent of Mount Tabor came at a cri­ti­cal point in Our Lord’s ministry, just as He was set­ting out upon His last journey to Je­rusalem, which He knew was to end in humiliation and death. To strength­­en His disciples for the trials that lay ahead, He chose this particular moment to reveal to them something of His eternal splendor, ‘as far as they were able to bear it’ (troparion of the feast). He en­couraged them—& all of us—to look beyond the suffering of the Cross to the glory of the Resurrection.

The light of the Transfiguration, however, foreshadows not only Christ’s own Resurrection on the 3^rd day, but equally the Resurrection glory of the righteous at His Second Com­ing. The glory which shone from Jesus on Tabor is a glory in which all mankind is called to share. On Mount Ta­bor we see Christ’s human nature—the human sub­stance which He took from us—filled with splendor, ‘made god­like’ or ‘deified’. What has hap­pened to human nature in Christ can happen also to the humanity of Christ’s followers. The Trans­figuration, then, reveals to us the full potentiality of our human nat­ure: it shows us the glory which our manhood once possessed & the glory which, by God’s grace, it will again recover at the Last Day.

This is a cardinal aspect of the present feast, to which the liturgical texts frequently revert. At His Trans­figuration, it is said, the Lord ‘in His own person showed them the nature of man, arrayed in the ori­ginal beauty of the Image’ (Great Vespers, aposticha). ‘Today Christ on Mount Tabor has changed the dark­ened nature of Adam, & filling it with brightness He has made it godlike’ (Small Vespers, aposticha). ‘Thou wast transfigured upon Mount Tabor, showing the exchange mortal men will make with Thy glory at Thy second & fearful coming, O Saviour’ (Mattins, sessional hymn).

The feast of the Transfiguration, therefore, is not simply the commemoration of a past event in the life of Christ. Possessing also an ‘eschatological’ di­mension, it is turned towards the future—towards the ‘splendor of the Res­ur­rection’ at the Last Day, towards the ‘beauty of the divine Kingdom’ which all Christians hope eventually to enjoy.

The Nativity of the

All-Holy Theotokos & Ever-Virgin Mary

The 4 canonical Gospels give us few de­tails regarding the all-holy Theo­­to­kos, & ever-vir­gin Mary. Noth­ing is said therein re­garding ei­­ther her birth nor her falling-asleep. This is omis­sion is neither an ov­er­sight nor a mark of in­dif­fer­ence; but, rath­er, it is because the Gos­pel is the Good News concerning her Son, our Lord, God & Sav­ior Je­sus Christ. Yet from the be­gin­ning of the life of the Church His bless­ed Moth­­er, whom all gen­er­ations bless, has held a speci­­al & cher­ish­ed place in the hearts of all faith­ful & Or­tho­dox Chris­tians. Among the be­­loved traditions, which from her earliest days, the Church has treasured are sup­plemental details regard­­­ing her, particularly those surrounding her con­cep­tion, birth, life in the Temple of Je­ru­­­salem & her betrothal to the ag­ed widower Jo­seph, her protector. Passed on in oral tradition, they were final­ly set down in writ­ten form around the year 150 AD in a work known as The Protoevan­ge­li­um of James (The fore-Gospel of St. James the brother of the Lord). Since the 1^st major feast of the Church year is that of the Nativity of the Bless­ed Vir­gin (Sept. 8^th), it seemed most appro­pri­ate to be­gin this year's is­sues of A Cloud of Witnesses by pre­sent­ing the story of her conception (ce­le­brat­­ed on Dec. 9^th) & nativity as found in that beloved document.

In the ‘Histories of the 12 Tribes of Is­rael’ Joachim was a very rich man, & he brought all his gifts for the Lord 2-fold; for he said in himself: What I bring in ex­cess, shall be for the whole people, & what I bring for forgiveness shall be for the Lord, for a propitiation for me.

Now the great day of the Lord drew near & the children of Israel were bring­­ing their gifts. Then they stood be­fore Him, & Reuben also, who said: It is not fitting for you to of­fer your gifts first, be­cause you have begotten no off­­spring in Israel.

Then Joachim be­came very sad & went to the record of the 12 tribes of the people & said: I will search in the record of the 12 tribes of Israel, whether I am the only one who has not begotten offspring in Is­rael.

And he searched & found of all the righ­teous that they had raised up offspring in Israel. And he re­mem­ber­ed the patriarch Abraham that in his last days God gave him a son, Isaac. And Joachim was very sad & did not show himself to his wife, but be­­took himself into the wilderness; there he pitched his tent & fasted 40 days & 40 nights; & he said to him­self: I shall not go down either for food or for drink until the Lord my God visits me; prayer shall be my food & drink.

Meanwhile Anna his wife uttered a 2-fold lamentation & gave voice to a 2-fold bewailing: I will bewail my wi­dowhood & bewail my childlessness.

Now the great day of the Lord drew near, & Judith her maidservant said to her: How long do you hum­ble your soul, for the great day of the Lord is near, & you ought not to mourn. But take this head­band, which the mistress of the work gave me; it is not fitting for me to wear it, because I am your slave & it bears a royal mark.

But Anna said: Away from me! That I will never do. It is the Lord who has great­ly hum­bl­ed me. Who knows whether a deceiver did not give it to you, & you have come to make me share in your sin!

Judith answered: Why should I curse you because you have not listened to me? The Lord God has shut up your womb, to give you no fruit in Israel.

And Anna was very sad; but she put off her mourning-garments, cleansed her head, put on her bridal gar­ments & about the 9^th hour went into her gar­den to walk there. And she saw a laurel tree & sat down beneath it &, af­ter she had rested, implored the Lord, saying: O God of our fathers, bless me & hear my prayer, as thou didst bless the womb of our mother Sarah & gavest her a son, Isaac.

And Anna sighed towards heaven & saw a nest of sparrows in the laurel tree & imme­diately she made la­men­tation within herself:

Woe to me, who begot me, What womb brought me forth?

For I was born as a curse before them all & before the children of Israel,

And I was reproached, & they mocked me & thrust me out of the Temple of the Lord.

Woe, is me, to what am I likened?

I am not likened to the birds of the heaven;

for even the birds of the heaven are fruitful before Thee, O Lord.

Woe is me, to what am I likened?

I am not likened to the unreasoning animals;

for even the unreasoning animals are fruitful before Thee, O Lord.

Woe is to me, to what am I likened?

I am not likened to the beasts of the earth;

for even the beasts of the earth are fruitful before Thee, O Lord.

Woe is me, to what am I likened?

I am not likened to these waters;

for even these waters gush forth merrily, & their fish praise Thee, O Lord.

Woe is me, to what am I likened? I am not likened to this earth;

for even this earth brings forth its fruit in its season & praises Thee, O Lord.

And behold an angel of the Lord came to her ^& said: Anna, Anna, the Lord has heard your prayer. You shall conceive & bear, & your offspring shall be spok­en of in the whole world. And Anna said: As the Lord my God lives, if I bear a child, whether male or female, I will bring it as a gift to the Lord my God, & it shall serve Him all the days of its life.

And behold there came 2 messengers, who said to her: Behold, Joa­chim your hus­band is coming with his flocks; for an angel of the Lord came down to him & said to him: 'Jo­achim, Joachim, the Lord God has heard your prayer. Go down; be­hold, your wife Anna shall con­ceive.'

And im­­mediately Jo­a­chim went down & call­ed his herdsmen & said: Bring me 10 lambs without blemish & with­out spot; they shall belong to the Lord my God. And bring me 12 tender calves, & the 12 calves shall be for the priests & the el­ders, & 100 kids, & the 100 kids shall be for the whole people. And be­hold Jo­a­chim came with his flocks, & Anna stood at the gate & saw Joa­­chim coming & ran im­medi­ately & hung on his neck, saying: Now I know that the Lord God has rich­ly bless­ed me; for be­hold, the wi­dow is no longer a wi­dow, & I, who was child­less, shall conceive. And Jo­a­chim rest­ed the 1^st day in his house…

And her months were fulfilled, as the an­gel had said, in the 9^th month Anna brought forth. And she said to the midwife: What have I brought forth?

And the mid­wife said: A female. And Anna said: My soul is mag­nified this day.

And she laid it down. And when the days were fulfilled, Anna purified herself from her child­­bed & gave suck to the child & called her name Mary.

Day by day the child waxed strong; when she was 6 months old her mother stood her on the ground to try if she could stand. And she walked 7 steps & came to her moth­er’s bosom. And she took her up, saying: As the Lord my God lives, you shall walk no more upon this ground until I take you into the Temple of the Lord.

And she made a sanc­tuary in her bedchamber & did not permit anything com­mon or unclean to pass through it. And she sum­­mon­ed the undefiled daugh­ters of the Hebrews, & they cared for her amusement.

On Mary’s 1^st birthday Joachim made a great feast & invited the chief priests & the priests & the scribes & the elders & the whole people of Israel. And Joachim brought the child to the priests, & they blessed her, saying: O God of our fathers, bless this child & give her a name renowned for ever among all generations.

And all the people said: So be it, so be it. Amen.

And they brought her to the chief priests, & they bless­ed her, saying: O God of the heavenly heights, look upon this child & bless her with a su­preme & un­surpassable blessing.

And her mother carried her into the sanc­tuary of her bedchamber & gave her suck. And Anna sang this song to the Lord God:

I will sing an holy song to the Lord my God,

for He has visited me & taken away from me the reproach of my enemies.

And the Lord gave me the fruit of righteousness, unique & manifold before Him.

Who will proclaim to the sons of Reuben that Anna gives suck?

Hearken, hearken, you 12 tribes of Israel: Anna gives suck.

And she laid the child down to rest in the bedchamber with its sanctuary & went out & serv­ed them. When the feast was ended they went down re­joic­ing & glorified the God of Israel.

The months passed, & Mary grew. When she was 2 years old, Joachim said to Anna: Let us bring her up to the Temple of the Lord, that we may fulfill the promise which we made, lest the Lord send some evil upon us & our gift become unacceptable. And Anna replied: Let us wait until the 3^rd year, that the child may not long after her father & mother. And Joachim said: Very well.

The Special Archdiocese Convention (Fri., July 23^rd) in Pittsburgh

* As anticipated the proposed budget for 2006, including the archdiocesan as­sessment increase from $30.00 per baptized soul to $35.00, was ac­cept­ed. The total budget for the Archdiocese is approxim­ate­ly $4,815,000.00, an in­­crease of $422,000. The increases are to provide stipends for 3 additional bish­ops & their chanceries ($60.000), a Department of Office of Com­muni­ca­tions ($112,000), a full time Director of De­velopment ($70,000) & an increase for Sem­in­arians($50,000).

* Proposed amendments to the Constitutions of our Archdiocese, consonant with our new organization were formally presented & accepted by unani­mous acclamation.

* A detailed presentation of the new Archdiocesan structure, including the see-cities of the 9 diocese which are now established & their respective boundaries. The duties of the Metropolitan, of the diocesan Bishops & of an au­xiliary Bishop to the Metropolitan were presented.

* The preferential results of the nominations for bishops were as follows:

1. Rt. Rev’d Archi­mandrite Thomas Jo­­seph
2. Rev’d Fr. Mark May­mon
3. Rt. Rev’d Archi­man­drite Daniel Griffith
4. Rt. Rev’d Archimandrite Ra­­feek Mu­­far­rij
5. Rev’d Fr. Andre Issa
6. Rt. Rev’d Archi­mandrite Daniel Keller
7. Rt. Rev’d Archimandrite Mi­chel Bog­hos.

This pre­fer­en­tial order will be taken into serious consideration when the 4 cur­rent members of our Lo­cal Synod, to­geth­er with 3 metropolitans from abroad chosen by the Holy Syn­od of Antioch, gather to elect the bishops for the 3 vacant diocese of Ottowa, Pittsburgh & Toledo.

The Holy Synod of Antioch will meet in Oc­tober at which time it will re­view & ratify the amendments made to our Constitutions. They will at that time se­lect the 3 metroplitans. Results of the elections are not likely before Nov.

* At some time in the near future the Metropolitan will formally enthrone each of the 3 other bishop-members of the Local Synod in his respective cathe­dral.

* After the election of the 3 additional bishops their consecrations will be sche­duled in their respective cathedrals. The members of the Local Synod plus 1 metroplitan from abroad will consecrate each bishop, Metropolitan Philip being chief consecrator.

* The Antiochian Women announced that they had attained their goal to es­tablish a million dollar endowment fund to assist & support Orthodox Orphanages. They are now committing themselves to a new project, “Men in Black 2004”

A Day at Camp St. Raphael, Yaboy!

Ashley Houchin

Some people, when asked what their favorite time of year is, may an­swer, “spring” or “Christ­mas.” My favorite time of year is CAMP. I’ve been going to various Orthodox camps for many years, but Camp St. Ra­phael, “Ya­boy!” is the best.

Every year at camp we have the same daily routine. We wake up ear­ly & eat break­fast around 7:00 am. Then we head to Matins & af­ter Matins we have Christian education sessions. Then, it’s off to the cabins for a quick cabin time before lunch & then activities. We get to pick our first two activities for the afternoon. The 1^st activ­ity to be chosen is “bumping,” known to the world as tubing. Angle ball, a made up game consisting of two poles with balls at the top & the opposing teams trying to knock the balls off of the poles with an­other ball that is passed between team-mates, is the 2^nd most pop­ular game to be chosen. These are traditional Camp St. Ra­phael activities, but this year the Camp’s theme was about parables. One of the events for the af­ternoon was, “Jesus has a 6 pack,” because in the icons of Christ with his chest exposed, he is depicted with a muscular abdomen. Therefore, in our quest to be like Christ, we too should take care of our bodies & strive for perfect 6 packs.

Before 3^rd period, we have “gi’me shop.” This is where the campers get to pick their favorite candy as a quick snack. I justify this calorie in­take by tell­ing myself that I need the sugar to energize my body for the rest of the day. After gi’me shop, we have our last activity & then more cabin time to get ready for dinner, Vespers & evening pro­gram.

One of my favorite times at camp is during Vespers. The sound of all of the campers chanting & praying together fills my spirit. Camp is a rejuvenating time for my soul. I feel refreshed & at home. After ves­pers, we exit the chap­el while singing our favorite troparia & va­rious hymns. One evening af­ter Ves­pers, my cabin mates decided to sing “O Pure Virgin.” Now, if you’ve ever sung this song, you know that it has several verses. When we start­­ed this hymn the church was near­ly empty, but my cabin mates were de­ter­min­ed to get through the song. We filed out of the pew & venerated the icons, all along sing­­ing the verses to “O Pure Virgin.” We neared the door & in an at­tempt to save time for evening pro­gram we quietly exit­ed the Chap­el. I remember this particular event & smile to think of how much we did not want Church to end. If only I could muster that feeling at home every Sunday!

At evening program, we could have an assortment of events, varying each day. We had Western Night & square dancing lessons the 1^st evening. We also enjoyed a Gong Show & a little taste of the 4^th of July with some fireworks. Then, on a normal evening, it’s off to bed to say evening prayer & pre­pare for tomorrow. But, if it’s the last night at CAMP, you might stay up with your cabin plotting a funny trick against your brother-cabin.

This year, we decided that during evening program our counselors would sneak to the boys cabin & take all of their pillowcases. We were so worried that they would raid our cabin & take our make-up, that we stayed up until 3:00 am guarding our toiletries with cans of shaving cream, ready to spray at a moments notice. The boys told us the next morning that they didn’t get us back because it was raining outside. But we know the truth; they were plain & simply scared!

In conclusion, Camp St. Raphael, Yaboy!, was GREAT this year! I hope to go again next year as a councilor & have even more fun! I learn­ed about Pa­rables, made new friends & caught up with some old ones. I enjoyed pray­ing with my Orthodox family & being surround­ed by people who love each other. I can’t wait for my sprit to be rejuvenated once more, next year at Camp St. Raphael, YABOY!

Dates to Remember

Sun., Aug. 1^st —Beginning of the 2 week Fast of the Virgin Mary

Fri., Aug. 6^th—Feast of the Transfiguration of the Savior.

Sat., Aug. 14^th—Elevation of Fr. Stephen Walinski, pastor of St. Vincent of Lerins, Omaha, NE, to the rank of protopresbyter

Sun., Aug. 15^th—Feast of the Falling-Asleep of the All-Holy Theo­to­kos & Ever-Virgin Mary

Wed., Aug. 18^th—Parish Council Meeting

Aug. 21^st-22^nd—Celebration of 100 years, St. George’s, Kearney, NE, & consecration of their new Holy Table. For de­tails frph@msn.com

Sat. Aug. 28^th—Annual Blessing of the Grapes at the Winery, Janine Hou­chin, chairperson

            10^th Anniversary Luncheon (Kansas, Museum of History, 12:30pm) at Ss. Pe­ter & Paul, Topeka, honoring Fr. Michael Shambour, former pastor & Fr. Joseph Longofono, new pastor ($20.00), for information call (785) 233-8580.

Mon., Aug. 30^th—Vespers & welcome picnic for in-coming K-State students, sponsored by St. Mary Magdalene Mission, Manhattan, 5:30pm

Sept. 3^rd-6^th—North American Conference on Mission & Evangelism, the Nor­man campus of the University of Oklahoma (for further informa­tion please check out www.antiochian.org/missions/conference)

Sun., Sept. 5^th—Blessing of the Sunday School Year

Tues., Sept. 7^th—Hierarchical Orthros & Liturgy at St. Mary’s, Wichita.

Wed., Sept. 8^th—Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Sept, 10^th-11^th—Retreat sponsored by St. Mary’s, Wichita (retreat mistress: Moth­er Cassiana). For information stmarywichita@cox.net

Sun., Sept. 12^th—First Day of Sunday School Clesses.

Tues., Sept. 14^th—Feast of the Universal Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Sun., Sept. 19^th—Project Alaska Up-Date: A Visit by Mary Ann Khoury

Sept. 24^th-26^th—Pan-Orthodox OCF (Orthodox College Fellowship) Retreat, “Where are your going? Footsteps to your future”, keynote speak­er, Ann Bezzirides (Director of Vocations, Holy Cross/Hel­len­ic College, Boston), hosted by St. George Cathedral, Wichita.

Sept. 24^th-26^th—Retreat sponsored by St. Basil’s, Kansas City (retreat master: Dr. Tristram Engelhardt). For details FrElias@everestkc.net

Sat., Oct. 9^th—Fall Dinner (fund raiser), Andrew walker, chairman

Tues., Oct. 12^th—Regular Fall Meeting of the Holy Synod of Antioch, during which Metropolitan Philip will submit our amended Constitution & seek the appointment of the 3 metropolitans who will join the 4 bishops of our Local Synod in the election of the 3 new bishops

Nov. 4^th-7^th—2004 Parish Council Symposium (Antiochian Village)

Nov. 13^th—Pre-Advent church family dinner

Nov. 15^th—Advent fast begins

A Visit to Our Parish Book-Stall

We’ve got a fine selection of Orthodox books & pamphlets & would be hap­py to obtain a book in which you might be interested. Among our offerings is a small book (121 pages) by Fr. Paul O’Callahgan (Dean, St. George Cathedral, Wichita), The Feast of Friendship. The following is the fine review from the Eighth Day Book’s cata­logue.

Whether the author knows it or not, this is a profoundly humble book--in the sense of the Latin root of the word which indicates the soil from which something grows. The ''soil'' for this book is rich: the insights of Aristotle, biblical pa­ra­digms of friendship (David & Jonathan, Christ & the Beloved Disciple, Christ & Mary, Martha, & Lazarus), the reflections of the Church Fathers & exemplars of contemporary moral & theological reflection such as David Ford (whose concluding chapter in Self & Salvation informs the title of Fr. Paul's work), Pavel Flor­ensky, John Zizioulas, John MacMurray, C.S. Lewis, Gilbert Meilaender, Paul Wadell, Andrew Sul­livan, Carolinne White & others. We'll extend the analogy: like soil that synthe­sizes its elements & transforms them into something that still contains them yet is unique, so this book is synthetic, carefully restating the essential contributions of each source while advancing them in intellectu­ally acute & stimulating ways that make the whole greater than the sum of its parts. For Fr. Paul, an Ortho­dox priest, friendship is deeply revelatory of the rela­tions of the Persons of the Holy Trinity, & thus precious, of inherent worth. The pastoral reflections on the pitfalls & potentials of such a crucial aspect of our lives are among the most valuable aspects of this study. We offer it to you in hope that it will remind you, as it did us, that this overlooked dimension of our experience is a crucible of moral devel­opment, infused with the possibility of being a foretaste of the Kingdom. We are de­lighted that the book has received commendations from some very special people: ''The Feast of Friendship is itself a feast. Drawing on ancient wisdom & attentive to current confusions, the author makes a compelling case that friendships are a foretaste of the eternal Feast of the Lamb.''--Richard John Neuhaus, editor-in-chief, First Things ''How does the human person become more truly himself in the midst of a developing union with God? How does genuine friendship assist us in better understanding—liv­ing into--that astonishing mystery? The Feast of Friend­ship reintroduces the heart of the matter, helping us to see that the healing of humanity is not so much a private understanding focusing upon 'ideas' about Christ, as it is a colla­borative, communal life that leads into the fullness of His Life.''--Scott Cairns, au­thor of Recovered Body & Philokalia: New & Selected Poems ''Because the cultiv­ation of true love brings the greatest joy to people, & its per­version the greatest pain, the task of working through Fr. Paul O'Callaghan's study of friendship (phi­lia) is a necessary & rewarding labor. I hope that many readers will partake of The Feast of Friendship. Those who make the effort should be greatly nourish­ed by these rare reflections about friendship & its relation to eros & agape.''--Fr. Thomas Hopko, Dean, St. Vladimir's Seminar'''A friend is a loving companion at all times' (Prov. 17:17). Within Scripture & Tradition there is found a rich & varied theology of friendship: how sad that it is frequently neglect­ed! This is a perceptive & imaginative book, which has taught me many things.'' -- Bishop Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia

News from around the Archdiocese

Orthodox Monasticism in America Continues to Grow

By God’s grace, more & men & women are responding to the call to the anglic life. Two more women from parishes of our Archdiocese have embraced the monastic life. SisterThekla (Anne Marie Harrison of St Ignatius/Franklin, TN, & St John/ Memphis, TN) & Sister Gertrude (Gertrude Henle of St Timothy/ Lom­poc, CA) on Aug. 5^th, the eve of the Transfiguration, were clothed as novices by the Reverend Moth­er Victoria, Abbess of the Monastery of the Great-Mar­tyr Barbara in Santa Barbara, CA. (a classmate of Fr. Daniel). Please pray for God-bless­ing upon their novitiate & their perseverance in the ascetic life.

God Grant You Many, Many Blessed Years!

Names' Days

Preston & Larry Gapter (Holy Martyred Deacon Lawrence, Aug. 10^th), Charlene Fekas & Aileen Berquist (Holy Empress Irene, Aug. 13^th), Lucille Hatfield & Rikki Hale (Our Lady Theotokos & Ever-Virgin Mary, Aug. 15^th), Reese Baxter (Holy Martyr Diomedes of Tarsus, Aug. 16^th) & Sid Hays (Venerable Eanswyth, Aug. 31^st).

Birthdays

Nick Karabinas (Aug. 4^th), Jerry Houchin (Aug. 5^th), Audrey Muchow (Aug. 6^th), Lucille hatfield (Aug. 14^th), David Pantle & Reese Baxter (Aug. 15^th) & David Yetter (Aug. 20^th).

Wedding Anniversaries

David & Georgette Yetter (Aug. 1^st), Jan & John Mai (Aug. 4^th), Willis & Ardyce Bell (Aug. 12^th) & Larry & Adrienne Gapter (Aug. 17^th).

A New Electronic Format for Our Parish Newsletter

We hope by October to be able to send to each of you our News­letter via e-mail. In order to do that we need your co­oper­ation. Enclosed please find a self-addressed card. Please fill it out & return it to us today. If you do not have access to E-mail, not to worry! We will be happy to send a hard copy via snail-mail. In that case we still need you to return the card. Keeping up with changes of address, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, etc. can be a daunt­ing task. Please help us to update our files. Thank you for your assistance & your prayers. God bless you & yours.